Nine Reasons for Religious scepticism - Part 1

[hangover]

Nine Reasons for Religious scepticism -

The one that made me skeptical, was when Jesus was hanging on the cross and had an epiphany, when he said, "Lord, why hast thou forsaken me?" Too late.

But the shroud makes me wonder.......

 

[Meriweather]

Over the next few posts, I'm going to present arguments in favour of, if not atheism, then, at least, healthy theistic scepticism for debate, discussion, and consideration.

What will an individual gain with a healthy skepticism? Will it gain him more than a healthy trust? Had I chosen skepticism I would have lost so much that a healthy trust gained for me. Had I chosen the other path, what might I have had instead?

Right now I have truth, joy, an avid interest in exploring that which has not yet been revealed about God.

Currently, United States citizens might ask themselves something similar: Will a healthy trust of our President Elect gain more for the nation than a healthy skepticism? A healthy trust, the country might work together; a healthy skepticism may have us working at cross purposes.

What are the advantages of a healthy skepticism versus a healthy trust?

 

[Meriweather]

The one that made me skeptical, was when Jesus was hanging on the cross and had an epiphany, when he said, "Lord, why hast thou forsaken me?" Too late.

But the shroud makes me wonder.......

Psalm 22.

Today, if someone said, "Oh, say can you see?" someone unfamiliar with the US National Anthem might have an entirely different conclusion of what was being said than a US Citizen.

Likewise, When Jesus uttered the first line of Psalm 22, those unfamiliar with the theme of the Psalm reach an entirely different conclusion than those who understand the theme--and the concluding lines:

And I will live for the LORD;
my descendants will serve you.
The generation to come will be told of the Lord,
that they may proclaim to a people yet unborn
the deliverance you have brought.

It was known as the Psalm of the innocent person.

 

[aris2chat]

Oh, I think there are a plethora of reasons. I am only presenting nine for the purpose of discussion. Then there are lost causes like MisterBeale, who seems to get his entire world view from reading fortune cookies.

Tell me, in all those stats you posted, you neglected to post how many millions are agnostics, humanists, and atheists.

Hmmm?

You sure are good at disrespecting others beliefs. A bit insecure in your own are you?

How would such numbers be relevant to the point being made in the OP? Or do you just feel like changing the subject?

They are relevant because it goes to the weight of your argument. The title of the OP is, "Nine Reasons for Religious scepticism - Part 1." If the number of skeptics is small in contrast to the number who do believe in God, then by inspection, we should be skeptical of your skepticism, as it goes to the weight of your argument. The fact that you are being coy about this is just another example of your intellectual dishonesty.

God? Which god or god? In the past, present or something invented in the future? With all the planets in all the galaxies, and possibly universes, life is created in what image and why. If there is an energy, why would it care about us and why should be egotistical to believe we are some reflection of it anymore than an ant or a worm?

We create a god to suit our needs. Why would a god need to create us to serve his/hers/its/theirs????

That does not mean there is not some unifying particle through all life out there, but any idea of a "god" as depicted in religion is of our creation, to serve us, not the other way around.

Some old bearded guy in the clouds handing out laws and judging us......... really? We do that on our own, not always for the better.

Faith in humanity, science, nature.............
A believe in a mental spirit beyond the physical body, some universal energy, possibly.

That one faith is right and all the rest are wrong? Bigotry and hate, not very nice. Is that really what you think a "god" should want from us?

Most myth have some basis in fact, but they are not themselves the whole truth. We create stories to help us understand and find order. Our god are just part of that.

His invisible attributes can be seen in what He has created. The universe is a self-referential system which in certain ways behaves mentally like a mind. It is the nature of intelligence to create intelligence. You can't know what something is by how it starts, you can only know what it is when it has arrived at its destination. We live in a universe where the laws of nature are such that given enough time and the right conditions, beings that know and create will eventually arise. Every step of the way matter complexified until we had beings that know and create. Consciousness is now following a similar trajectory just as every phase before it. Some would argue that the purpose of the universe is to not only to grow beings that know and create but to grow consciousness until it to reaches the point of departure and makes the next leap in the evolution of matter.

There is only one Creator. Common sense tells us that. Many religions are men seeking God. There is only one which is God seeking man. Why does He do so? I have no earthly idea, but I bet He does. If I had to guess, I would say that it has to do with the point of departure I mentioned. What is His true nature? An ant would have a better chance of explaining the true nature of man than I would of explaining the true nature of God. The best I can do in human terms is the Trinity.

Order exists in the universe independent of man. In fact, I believe His law of compensation (i.e. cause and effect) relies on order being created from chaos. I call it the conflict and confusion process of arriving at objective truth.

"But even the very hairs of your head are all numbered.... " That too was scientifically correct.

We can consider the big bang as the creator, but that does not mean there was an "intelligent" plan behind it.

Who or what dropped the first marble causing the big bang. Don't know. Planned, organized, patient over billions of years for us to evolve and then give a set of rules of rules to live by????
We are born with basic needs, we feel comfort and pain. We learn feeling and values from our surroundings and people. We develop empathy from the life around us. That is how we learn right and wrong. We are hurt, other are hurt, things we need or associate with are gone or destroyed in some way...........

We kill to survive. It become wrong when it causes harm or we feel a loss. We make it so. if killing in itself is "wrong" why volcanos, storms, asteroids? When is it wrong for a knowing creator to kill? What of animals and plants that kill? We give it value when we learn to ask why.

Billions of years in this universe, and who knows before and beyond this, man in this plant in this galaxy and this solar system needs laws and values?

You need them, for your own comfort and direction.

A baby does not know or feel anything if it's mother dies in birth as long as it is cared for and it's needs are met. It might miss the sound of the heartbeat it was familiar with but it has not guilt for killing it's mother.

Nature is not emotional, you are. You have the need for answers and order.

Values, morals, judgement.........that is man.

Life can being and dies on another planet somewhere, a planet or sun can died, but if you do not know or it does not affect life here for a few million years, where is the right or wrong? We will in all probability be gone. When man did not know about other halfway around the planet, who was to judge right from wrong in their actions? How did it affect you when someone or something was killed or harmed in some way? God causes a flood to kill men for the action of one over the hills and across the seas? You don't find out there even was a flood for a few thousand years and decide there was some moral for it happening? You are the one that needed the story, some answer, some value to explain.

Do you feel a sense of right and wrong for harming a blade of grass when you walk or for every ant killed by other lifeforms or for the clouds as the wind blows them through the sky? That is your projection, not some god.

Religion like government is created by man to lay down some sense of order, to give answers.

God is not telling you what to believe, that come from inside you. No god is telling which religion if any to believe, that comes from your own inner need. Laws, rules, myths, dogma are different and created by the needs of the people of the local community.

There are common themes, dreams, visions among groups that have never met, but how they practice and their value for life of others can vary widely. Blood flows at the feet of religion. Even passive faiths are born from bloodshed and war.

Gods don't have morals, mankind creates gods to give them a reason for laws and morals.

If you want a man god, look in the mirror. That "god particle" is in all life and matter. We are all connected if that gives you comfort, but we are our own god. We evolved from cells and rats, not "created" in soom image any more than any life or matter.

You create and have faith in the god inside, in yourself. When the body dies and that "god particle" devolves, it is literal the circle of life, destruction creates, black holes literally create new universes some where

 

[ding]

Tell me, in all those stats you posted, you neglected to post how many millions are agnostics, humanists, and atheists.

Hmmm?

You sure are good at disrespecting others beliefs. A bit insecure in your own are you?

How would such numbers be relevant to the point being made in the OP? Or do you just feel like changing the subject?

They are relevant because it goes to the weight of your argument. The title of the OP is, "Nine Reasons for Religious scepticism - Part 1." If the number of skeptics is small in contrast to the number who do believe in God, then by inspection, we should be skeptical of your skepticism, as it goes to the weight of your argument. The fact that you are being coy about this is just another example of your intellectual dishonesty.

God? Which god or god? In the past, present or something invented in the future? With all the planets in all the galaxies, and possibly universes, life is created in what image and why. If there is an energy, why would it care about us and why should be egotistical to believe we are some reflection of it anymore than an ant or a worm?

We create a god to suit our needs. Why would a god need to create us to serve his/hers/its/theirs????

That does not mean there is not some unifying particle through all life out there, but any idea of a "god" as depicted in religion is of our creation, to serve us, not the other way around.

Some old bearded guy in the clouds handing out laws and judging us......... really? We do that on our own, not always for the better.

Faith in humanity, science, nature.............
A believe in a mental spirit beyond the physical body, some universal energy, possibly.

That one faith is right and all the rest are wrong? Bigotry and hate, not very nice. Is that really what you think a "god" should want from us?

Most myth have some basis in fact, but they are not themselves the whole truth. We create stories to help us understand and find order. Our god are just part of that.

His invisible attributes can be seen in what He has created. The universe is a self-referential system which in certain ways behaves mentally like a mind. It is the nature of intelligence to create intelligence. You can't know what something is by how it starts, you can only know what it is when it has arrived at its destination. We live in a universe where the laws of nature are such that given enough time and the right conditions, beings that know and create will eventually arise. Every step of the way matter complexified until we had beings that know and create. Consciousness is now following a similar trajectory just as every phase before it. Some would argue that the purpose of the universe is to not only to grow beings that know and create but to grow consciousness until it to reaches the point of departure and makes the next leap in the evolution of matter.

There is only one Creator. Common sense tells us that. Many religions are men seeking God. There is only one which is God seeking man. Why does He do so? I have no earthly idea, but I bet He does. If I had to guess, I would say that it has to do with the point of departure I mentioned. What is His true nature? An ant would have a better chance of explaining the true nature of man than I would of explaining the true nature of God. The best I can do in human terms is the Trinity.

Order exists in the universe independent of man. In fact, I believe His law of compensation (i.e. cause and effect) relies on order being created from chaos. I call it the conflict and confusion process of arriving at objective truth.

"But even the very hairs of your head are all numbered.... " That too was scientifically correct.

We can consider the big bang as the creator, but that does not mean there was an "intelligent" plan behind it.

Who or what dropped the first marble causing the big bang. Don't know. Planned, organized, patient over billions of years for us to evolve and then give a set of rules of rules to live by????
We are born with basic needs, we feel comfort and pain. We learn feeling and values from our surroundings and people. We develop empathy from the life around us. That is how we learn right and wrong. We are hurt, other are hurt, things we need or associate with are gone or destroyed in some way...........

We kill to survive. It become wrong when it causes harm or we feel a loss. We make it so. if killing in itself is "wrong" why volcanos, storms, asteroids? When is it wrong for a knowing creator to kill? What of animals and plants that kill? We give it value when we learn to ask why.

Billions of years in this universe, and who knows before and beyond this, man in this plant in this galaxy and this solar system needs laws and values?

You need them, for your own comfort and direction.

A baby does not know or feel anything if it's mother dies in birth as long as it is cared for and it's needs are met. It might miss the sound of the heartbeat it was familiar with but it has not guilt for killing it's mother.

Nature is not emotional, you are. You have the need for answers and order.

Values, morals, judgement.........that is man.

Life can being and dies on another planet somewhere, a planet or sun can died, but if you do not know or it does not affect life here for a few million years, where is the right or wrong? We will in all probability be gone. When man did not know about other halfway around the planet, who was to judge right from wrong in their actions? How did it affect you when someone or something was killed or harmed in some way? God causes a flood to kill men for the action of one over the hills and across the seas? You don't find out there even was a flood for a few thousand years and decide there was some moral for it happening? You are the one that needed the story, some answer, some value to explain.

Do you feel a sense of right and wrong for harming a blade of grass when you walk or for every ant killed by other lifeforms or for the clouds as the wind blows them through the sky? That is your projection, not some god.

Religion like government is created by man to lay down some sense of order, to give answers.

God is not telling you what to believe, that come from inside you. No god is telling which religion if any to believe, that comes from your own inner need. Laws, rules, myths, dogma are different and created by the needs of the people of the local community.

There are common themes, dreams, visions among groups that have never met, but how they practice and their value for life of others can vary widely. Blood flows at the feet of religion. Even passive faiths are born from bloodshed and war.

Gods don't have morals, mankind creates gods to give them a reason for laws and morals.

If you want a man god, look in the mirror. That "god particle" is in all life and matter. We are all connected if that gives you comfort, but we are our own god. We evolved from cells and rats, not "created" in soom image any more than any life or matter.

You create and have faith in the god inside, in yourself. When the body dies and that "god particle" devolves, it is literal the circle of life, destruction creates, black holes literally create new universes some where

I don't see how anything you wrote refutes my statements.