Why do you reject Religion?

[avatar4321]

People go way overboard with this religious nonsense. They spend over an hour a week(sometimes multiple hours) that they will never get back at some church praying to something that they have no clue exists. Then they donate money to the church so the priests can take little boys on outings. Then they spend countless hours praying to someone they don't know exists based on one of the greatest fictional books ever read. Then it incourages wack jobs like this guy who killed and cooked his girlfriend to kill in "Gods" name.

Then people spend billions of dollars a year on so called religious items. God is big business.

If you are religious you shouldn't have to spend money, plaster Jesus stickers all over your car, wear Jesus clothes and jewlry or spend countless hours at a church worshipping a god just so you will goto "Heaven". Blah. People need to charish the limited time they have here not spend it praying 24/7. That shouldn't matter to God, unless he is egotistical which the bible makes him out to be.

Dont even get me started on the bible. Let's just say a lot of what is in there can be explained by science like the whole plagues of Egypt and Moses Parting the Red Sea.

People are suckers.

You are certainly within your right to believe what you want of others. But I think you do them a large injustice by brushing them all as suckers. Did you ever stop to consider that maybe some of them actually do know God exists? What about the religions where the ministers don't get any money for their preaching? What about religions who use their donations to bless and uplift the poor? Are they suckers for helping those in need?

[avatar4321]

I would have to accept religion as a viable entity before I could reject it. But I don't consider a fictional writing as something to take stock in.

How do you know something is fictional if you never even bother to learn or understand it?

[PostmodernProphet]

To which commandments to we adhere? The OT commandments regarding the 7th day or the NT ......well, not exactly a commandment.....but.... the NT telling us to go to church on the 1st day?

does it really matter?.....both are taking every seventh day off.....is the essence of the commandment that it must happen 'after' something or that we need to set aside regular times for worship........

[GW in Ohio]

Without trying to stump for my particular faith, I'm curious why those of you who don't have a particular belief tend to reject religion? I've heard it from friends a lot: "...because look at all those hypocrites!"

I try to explain the fact that somebody is a hypocrite does not mean what they are saying is wrong.

Look at me - Some of you would call me a fornicator, a liar, a thief, and more - yet I claim Christ and Christianity. Those things about me 'were' true of me. Indeed. Yet my past does not mean what I'm saying now is invalid, ya know?

I'm curious if we can see replies from people who state their reasons without simply insulting the faithful or the religious. I know there are VERY smart folk who'd be able to state their reasons without ad hominem, etc.

So - anybody care to discuss? I won't preach to you or try to get you to convert, and hope OTHERS do the same. I'm genuinely interested in your reasons, though.

I like the part where you go drink, and gamble, and mess around with wimmen, and then Jesus takes all your sins away.

And, since you're tainted with Adam's original sin, you'll prob'ly go and drink, and gamble, and mess around some more. But Jesus is always there to wash your sins away.

It's a good cycle......sin....forgiveness....sin....forgivenes s....sin....forgiveness....sin....

[Hagbard Celine]

I think most of the things we tout as "sins" are simply things that require a little bit of self-control to keep in check. I think it's radical to completely keep away from good, fun things like drinking, smoking, gambling, sexcapades, etc. in an attempt to keep yourself "clean." It's quite easy for me atleast to do all of these things in moderation. I don't go overboard because I value self-control and I have pride in myself, which means I have standards that help me keep myself in line. I guess all people don't have the inner need to continually better themselves, which is why they let vices rule them. But I still think that most of these things we call "sin" are simply things that should be done in moderation. I don't think doing them makes you a bad person. There are certainly evil acts which can't be percieved any other way such as child molestation, violent sadism and sociopathic murdering, but we all know what these things are. They're extremes. All the other things are in the gray area and require nothing more than self control to keep in check.

I like the part where you go drink, and gamble, and mess around with wimmen, and then Jesus takes all your sins away.

And, since you're tainted with Adam's original sin, you'll prob'ly go and drink, and gamble, and mess around some more. But Jesus is always there to wash your sins away.

It's a good cycle......sin....forgiveness....sin....forgivenes s....sin....forgiveness....sin....

You're a natural Catholic!

[Missileman]

How do you know something is fictional if you never even bother to learn or understand it?

It's only common sense that the ancient Jews were as mistaken as the ancient Romans, Greeks, Chinese, etc.

[Yurt]

does it really matter?.....both are taking every seventh day off.....is the essence of the commandment that it must happen 'after' something or that we need to set aside regular times for worship........

you're right, what diff is your birthday, anniversy, pearl harbor rememberence, ah, its just a day.....

btw, if you read the commandment, it doesn't say "any" seventh day, it says "the" seventh day.

[Yurt]

It's only common sense that the ancient Jews were as mistaken as the ancient Romans, Greeks, Chinese, etc.

the:

because i said so

argument....

[April15]

How do you know something is fictional if you never even bother to learn or understand it?

OK. here it is, I was exposed to religion by being born to Baptist parents. I checked out other religions by going to the services and listening to what was said.
Even as a child I knew seas do not part. Even as a child I knew bushes don't talk. Even as a child I knew most of what we had to read from a book called Bible was BS.
If you wish to go for religion so be it.

[Missileman]

the:

because i said so

argument....

It's actually the "Fool me twice, shame on me" argument. Shame on you!

[Black Lance]

OK. here it is, I was exposed to religion by being born to Baptist parents. I checked out other religions by going to the services and listening to what was said.
Even as a child I knew seas do not part. Even as a child I knew bushes don't talk. Even as a child I knew most of what we had to read from a book called Bible was BS.
If you wish to go for religion so be it.

Intuition is a poor substitute for knowledge.

[April15]

Intuition is a poor substitute for knowledge.

Where are the physics that make a sea part? I call that knowledge.
Perhaps a man flying like a plane with 300 tons on his back is more factual for you? I trust boeing!

[PostmodernProphet]

you're right, what diff is your birthday, anniversy, pearl harbor rememberence, ah, its just a day.....

btw, if you read the commandment, it doesn't say "any" seventh day, it says "the" seventh day.

are you really going to pretend that either the day on the Georgian calendar called "Sunday" or the Hebrew Sabbath which begins on a day the Georgian calendar calls "Friday" are precisely a multiple of seven days following God's completion of creation?....both are days chosen to celebrate the Sabbath in an organized religion....

and, since we are apparently using scriptures as a proof text here, how about Christ's "mankind was not made for the Sabbath, Sabbath was made for mankind"......

[Black Lance]

Where are the physics that make a sea part? I call that knowledge.
Perhaps a man flying like a plane with 300 tons on his back is more factual for you? I trust boeing!

The obvious solution to your objections is that supernatural forces could be, and appear to sometimes be, capable of negating natural obstacles.

[BoogyMan]

Where are the physics that make a sea part? I call that knowledge.
Perhaps a man flying like a plane with 300 tons on his back is more factual for you? I trust boeing!

You trust a wisdom you don't have.

This wisdom descendeth not from above, but is earthly, sensual, devilish.