Modern intellectuals on religion

[jobee]

No religion and an end to war: how thinkers see the future


Alok Jha, science correspondent
Monday January 1, 2007
The Guardian


People's fascination for religion and superstition will disappear within a few decades as television and the internet make it easier to get information, and scientists get closer to discovering a final theory of everything, leading thinkers argue today.
The web magazine Edge (Edge) asked more than 150 scientists and intellectuals: "What are you optimistic about?" Answers included hope for an extended human life span, a bright future for autistic children, and an end to violent conflicts around the world.

Philosopher Daniel Denett believes that within 25 years religion will command little of the awe it seems to instil today. The spread of information through the internet and mobile phones will "gently, irresistibly, undermine the mindsets requisite for religious fanaticism and intolerance".

Biologist Richard Dawkins said that physicists would give religion another problem: a theory of everything that would complete Albert Einstein's dream of unifying the fundamental laws of physics. "This final scientific enlightenment will deal an overdue death blow to religion and other juvenile superstitions."

No religion and an end to war: how thinkers see the future | Science | Guardian Unlimited

[chillitt]

give it a rest, will you?

[jobee]

Originally Posted by chillitt

give it a rest, will you?

Religious masters didn't give it a rest-thousands of years of inquisitions, burnings, torture, the 1618-1648 30 years war-bodies hanging from trees
as far as you could walk,children.babies, mothers, whole families rotting in the weather- two thirds of northern europe wiped out as the religious bosses
turned families against each other in their bid for power and money-and today
young children blowing themselves up as the try to show off and get to this heavenly paradise-its bloody cowards like you this world could do without-
but us 'free thinkers' will clean the mess up- ban all organised religion and let the individual pray to whatever they want to in the privacy of their own home-freedom from the chains of 'organised religion'

[chillitt]

Thanks for that, jobby. You call me a coward. I dont remember meeting you, but clearly i made an impression on you. Care to tell me why you consider me a coward?

[optrex]

no wonder political/religous topics are banned on most forums.

[Shizara]

Jobee, you have had more than enough to say on this subject and we have certainly heard more than enough. This is not a forum for hammering religion and we certainly will not have you speaking to users the way that you do. This forum is for the benefit of ALL users so I am asking you to refrain from such heavily, loaded arguments and use the forum in the manner that benefits all of us.

[Madhatter]

Jobee, chillit is not a coward, Please do not call people things that they aren't. I've just had one battle on a forum where both the members and admin team were abusive to me. It's not nice and as a member of this forum I don't like it.
You seem to think just because people don't say that they agree or go to great lengths that they dissagree. This is not the case, some just don't want to get involved in religeous debates for the very reasons your on about. A lot are sick of religeous arguments and fighting. They come here to get away from that.

[jobee]

Originally Posted by chillitt

Thanks for that, jobby. You call me a coward. I dont remember meeting you, but clearly i made an impression on you. Care to tell me why you consider me a coward?

YOU wont stand up to the worlds time wasters who have millions praying to a 'non caring' god -even -non existant god-they also encouraging youth to commit suicide in their bid to get into this 'fictitious' heavenly paradise.
Wolves in sheeps clothing-organised religion wants banning world wide.
Religion belongs to the individual and should never have been 'institutionalised'

[chillitt]

Originally Posted by jobee

YOU wont stand up to the worlds time wasters who have millions praying to a 'non caring' god -even -non existant god-they also encouraging youth to commit suicide in their bid to get into this 'fictitious' heavenly paradise.
Wolves in sheeps clothing-organised religion wants banning world wide.
Religion belongs to the individual and should never have been 'institutionalised'

john, calm down. all you know about my religions beliefs is i do believe in a God. you do not even know which one!!!! yet you seem to take this as enough evidence to label me as all thats bad in the world. i have not and will not ever encourage, or even accept suicide bombing and it is the work of a lunatic to make the leap from what i have said here to what you accuse me (and others on here) of believing in.

now, i require you to apologise as youR remarks are libelous are could bring you and this site before the courts.

YOU HAVE TO STOP THIS, JOHN IT IS NOT HEALTHY!

[jobee]

Originally Posted by chillitt

john, calm down. all you know about my religions beliefs is i do believe in a God. you do not even know which one!!!! yet you seem to take this as enough evidence to label me as all thats bad in the world. i have not and will not ever encourage, or even accept suicide bombing and it is the work of a lunatic to make the leap from what i have said here to what you accuse me (and others on here) of believing in.

now, i require you to apologise as youR remarks are libelous are could bring you and this site before the courts.

YOU HAVE TO STOP THIS, JOHN IT IS NOT HEALTHY!

I withdraw my remark about cowardice-i was out of order-
What is the god you pray to -do you mean nature-please clarify-

[chillitt]

will you also withdraw your remark regarding suicide bombers?
You cannot go around making accusations of this nature against all and sundry. I am not prepared to discuss my religion with you in any great depth, as i dont believe you are interested in a debate as much as a chance to shout the odds. You are free to believe, or not, in any religion that takes your fancy, but you have absolutely no right to mock or belittle those who have different beliefs. i am a believer, not a preacher, so i leave you to walk your path unhindered, perhaps you will do us the same.

[jobee]

Originally Posted by chillitt

will you also withdraw your remark regarding suicide bombers?
You cannot go around making accusations of this nature against all and sundry. I am not prepared to discuss my religion with you in any great depth, as i dont believe you are interested in a debate as much as a chance to shout the odds. You are free to believe, or not, in any religion that takes your fancy, but you have absolutely no right to mock or belittle those who have different beliefs. i am a believer, not a preacher, so i leave you to walk your path unhindered, perhaps you will do us the same.

i did not accuse you of of encouraging suicide-and- i am NOT anti religious-
indeed pray to any god you wish to in the privacy of your own home-never the less i am strongly against 'institutionalised religion' churches-mosques-cathedrals-for me- religion is personal and very very private

[chillitt]

so as well as inventing your own punctuation, you are now inventing your own meanings for words?

Faith is a belief, trust, or confidence, not based on logic, reason, or empirical data, but based fundamentally on volition often associated with a transpersonal relationship with God, a higher power, a person, elements of nature, and/or a perception of the human race as a whole. Faith can be placed in a person, inanimate object, state of affairs, proposition or body of propositions such as a religious creed.



Religion is the adherence to codified beliefs and rituals that generally involve a faith in a spiritual nature and a study of inherited ancestral traditions, knowledge and wisdom related to understanding human life. The term "religion" refers to both the personal practices related to faith as well as to the larger shared systems of belief.

In the larger sense, religion is a communal system for the coherence of belief—typically focused on a system of thought, unseen being, person, or object, that is considered to be supernatural, sacred, divine, or of the highest truth. Moral codes, practices, values, institutions, traditions, and rituals are often traditionally associated with the core belief, and these may have some overlap with concepts in secular philosophy. Religion can also be described as a way of life.
The development of religion has taken many forms in various cultures. "Organized religion" generally refers to an organization of people supporting the exercise of some religion with a prescribed set of beliefs, often taking the form of a legal entity (see religion-supporting organization). Other religions believe in personal revelation and responsibility. "Religion" is sometimes used interchangeably with "faith" or "belief system," but is more socially defined than that of personal convictions.

[jobee]

Originally Posted by chillitt

so as well as inventing your own punctuation, you are now inventing your own meanings for words?

Faith is a belief, trust, or confidence, not based on logic, reason, or empirical data, but based fundamentally on volition often associated with a transpersonal relationship with God, a higher power, a person, elements of nature, and/or a perception of the human race as a whole. Faith can be placed in a person, inanimate object, state of affairs, proposition or body of propositions such as a religious creed.



Religion is the adherence to codified beliefs and rituals that generally involve a faith in a spiritual nature and a study of inherited ancestral traditions, knowledge and wisdom related to understanding human life. The term "religion" refers to both the personal practices related to faith as well as to the larger shared systems of belief.

In the larger sense, religion is a communal system for the coherence of belief—typically focused on a system of thought, unseen being, person, or object, that is considered to be supernatural, sacred, divine, or of the highest truth. Moral codes, practices, values, institutions, traditions, and rituals are often traditionally associated with the core belief, and these may have some overlap with concepts in secular philosophy. Religion can also be described as a way of life.
The development of religion has taken many forms in various cultures. "Organized religion" generally refers to an organization of people supporting the exercise of some religion with a prescribed set of beliefs, often taking the form of a legal entity (see religion-supporting organization). Other religions believe in personal revelation and responsibility. "Religion" is sometimes used interchangeably with "faith" or "belief system," but is more socially defined than that of personal convictions.

YES-i to am a free thinker[out of the box] and YOU failed to notice that organised religion did not stop us having to endure the worst century in
living memory for extreme violence-i have a degree in social studies so dont
start disputing my history qualifications- i am not asking you-i am telling you
that 'institutionalised religion 'has failed miserably-and is of no value what so ever to humanity-and it will go-definitely

[chillitt]

Originally Posted by jobee

YES-i to am a free thinker[out of the box] and YOU failed to notice that organised religion did not stop us having to endure the worst century in
living memory for extreme violence-i have a degree in social studies so dont
start disputing my history qualifications- i am not asking you-i am telling you
that 'institutionalised religion 'has failed miserably-and is of no value what so ever to humanity-and it will go-definitely

ok, but diplomacy, military power, massive increases in educational standards, capitalism, and globalism also failed. shall we strike them down too? you have a degree? i fell for who ever had to read your work.. social studies, i believe, is the new 'history of art' degree, for those who cannot get a real one.. care to discuss that?

[Will]

I'm closing this thread, as Shiz has pointed out, this isn't a forum for religion bashing. Any further threads started on the subject will be deleted.

Jobee, please treat other members respectfully and treat other people's faiths respectfully too. I'm all for having controversial threads on the forums, debate is a large part of forum life; but please conduct yourself a little better. Not only for other members, but you might find people are more willing to listen to your point of view as well. A "free thinker" doesn't rubbish any ideas, whether they think them unlikely or not. They certainly don't talk about banning certain ways of thinking, just because they don't happen to agree with it, like some Orwellian nightmare.

You've clearly got a lot to offer and it's great to have you with us, but please bare in mind what I've said in future.