Absolutely organized religion today is just as absurd if not more absurd then Roman gods. I'd argue more absurd simply bc of the science that we are privy to today that Romans did not possess.

Christianity is based upon pagan rituals and beliefs.

cliffnotes:
do you think organized religion is just as absurd as people who believed in the mythological gods, like zeus?

YES

I actually got kicked out of Religion class when i stood up in the middle of class and asked a nun

"Do you ever think that maybe the bible was just a really good book that was written a long long time ago? and you based ur life on this?"

i transferred out of that school and into public school shortly after...

cliffnotes:
do you think organized religion is just as absurd as people who believed in the mythological gods, like zeus?

Bingo.

Such ironing to see the hate-filled, venom-dripping ravings of the anti-God fringe talking about how religion is cause of all evil in the modern world.

 

Originally Posted by threebanger

Such ironing to see the hate-filled, venom-dripping ravings of the anti-God fringe talking about how religion is cause of all evil in the modern world.

Typical for a right-winger. Which post exactly was "hate-filled" and "venom-dripping"?

"do you think organized religion is just as absurd as people who believed in the mythological gods, like zeus?"

Yes, and because of this, 2000 years from now when our culture is studied, we will be looked at as primitive-thinking idiots, extremely similar to how we view those old doctors who used to drill holes into someone's skull to try to cure a headache.

Such Ironing that your post was the only one in this thread meeting that description.

hmm modern western medicine labratory drugs vs. natural cures?
i wonder how this will be looked upon.

"A straw man argument is an informal fallacy based on misrepresentation of an opponent's position.<SUP>"</SUP>

I don't think you'll find many skeptics who believe in "magic gas". Way to put words in our mouths. We just don't live in fear of the spooky father figure in the sky.

Answer: No.

Was Galileo Wrong?

Do you believe in the Big Bang?

<span>John & Mary's Big Deal </span>
<span> </span><span> </span><span>This morning there was a knock at my door. When I answered the door I found a well groomed, nicely dressed couple. The man spoke first:

</span><span>"Hi! I'm John, and this is Mary." </span><span>

</span><span>Mary: "Hi! We're here to invite you to come kiss Hank's ass with us." </span><span>

</span><span>Me: "Pardon me?! What are you talking about? Who's Hank, and why would I want to kiss his ass?" </span><span>

</span><span>John: "If you kiss Hank's ass, he'll give you a million dollars; and if you don't, he'll kick the shit out of you." </span><span>
</span><span>
Me: "What? Is this some sort of bizarre mob shake-down?" </span><span>
</span><span>
John: "Hank is a billionaire philanthropist. Hank built this town.<span> </span>Hank owns this town. He can do whatever he wants, and what he wants is to give you a million dollars, but he can't until you kiss his ass." </span><span>
</span><span>
Me: "That doesn't make any sense. Why..." </span><span>
</span><span>
Mary: "Who are you to question Hank's gift? Don't you want a million dollars? Isn't it worth a little kiss on the ass?" </span><span>
</span><span>
Me: "Well maybe, if it's legit, but..." </span><span>
</span><span>
John: "Then come kiss Hank's ass with us." </span><span>
</span><span>
Me: "Do you kiss Hank's ass often?" </span><span>
</span><span>
Mary: "Oh yes, all the time..." </span><span>
</span><span>
Me: "And has he given you a million dollars?" </span><span>
</span><span>
John: "Well, no, you don't actually get the money until you leave town."
</span> <span>Me: "So, why don't you just leave town now?" </span><span>
</span><span>
Mary: "You can't leave until Hank tells you to, or you don't get the money and he kicks the shit out of you." </span><span>
</span><span>
Me: "Do you know anyone who kissed Hank's ass, left town, and gotten the million dollars?" </span><span>
</span><span>
John: "My mother kissed Hank's ass for years. She left town last year, and I'm sure she got the money." </span><span>
</span><span>
Me: "Haven't you talked to her since then?" </span><span>
</span><span>
John: "Of course not.<span> </span>Hank doesn't allow it." </span><span>
</span><span>
Me: "So what makes you think he'll actually give you the money if you've never talked to anyone who got the money?" </span><span>
</span><span>
Mary: "Well, he gives you a little bit before you leave. Maybe you'll get a raise, maybe you'll win a small lotto, or maybe you'll just find a twenty dollar bill on the street." </span><span>
</span><span>
Me: "What's that got to do with Hank?"</span><span>
</span><span>
John: "Hank has certain connections." </span><span>
</span><span>
Me: "I'm sorry, but this sounds like some sort of bizarre con game." </span><span>
</span><span>
John: "But it's a million dollars.<span> </span>Can you really take the chance? And remember, if you don't kiss Hank's ass, he'll kick the shit of you." </span><span>
</span><span>
Me: "Maybe if I could see Hank, talk to him, get the details straight from him..." </span><span>
</span><span>
Mary: "No one sees Hank.<span> </span>No one talks to Hank." </span><span>

</span><span>Me: "Then how do you kiss his ass?" </span><span>
</span><span>
John: "Sometimes we just blow him a kiss and think of his ass. Other times we kiss Karl's ass, and he passes it on to Hank." </span><span>
</span><span>
Me: "Who's Karl?" </span><span>
</span><span>
Mary: "A friend of ours. He's the one who taught us all about kissing Hank's ass. All we had to do was take him out to dinner a few times." </span><span>
</span><span>
Me: "And you just took his word for it when he said there was a Hank, that Hank wanted you to kiss his ass, and that Hank would reward you?" </span><span>
</span><span>
John: "Oh no! Karl's got a letter Hank sent him years ago explaining the whole thing. Here's a copy; see for yourself." </span><span>John handed me a photocopy of a handwritten memo on "From the desk of Karl" letterhead. There were eleven items listed:
</span><span>1) Kiss Hank's ass and he'll give you a million dollars when you leave town.
2) Use alcohol in moderation.
3) Kick the shit out of people who aren't like you.
4) Eat right.
5) Hank dictated this list himself.
6) The moon is made of green cheese.
7) Everything Hank says is right.
8) Wash your hands after going to the bathroom.
9) Don't drink.
10) Eat your wieners on buns, no condiments.
11) Kiss Hank's ass or he'll kick the shit out of you. </span><span>
</span><span>
Me: "This would appear to be written on Karl's letterhead." </span><span>
</span><span>
Mary: "Hank didn't have any paper." </span><span>
</span><span>
Me: "I have a hunch that if we checked we'd find this is Karl's handwriting." </span><span>
</span><span>
John: "Of course, Hank dictated it." </span><span>
</span><span>
Me: "I thought you said no one gets to see Hank?" </span><span>
</span><span>
Mary: "Not now, but years ago he would talk to some people." </span><span>
</span><span>
Me: "I thought you said he was a philanthropist. What sort of philanthropist kicks the shit out of people just because they're different?" </span><span>
</span><span>
Mary: "It's what Hank wants, and Hank's always right." </span><span>
</span><span>
Me: "How do you figure that?" </span><span>
</span><span>
Mary: "Item 7 says 'Everything Hank says is right.' That's good enough for me!" </span><span>
</span><span>
Me: "Maybe your friend Karl just made the whole thing up." </span><span>
</span><span>
John: "No way! Item 5 say 'Hank dictated this list himself.' Besides, item 2 says 'Use alcohol in moderation,' Item 4 says 'Eat right,' and item 8 says 'Wash your hands after going to the bathroom.' Everyone knows those things are right, so the rest must be true, too." </span><span>
</span><span>
Me: "But 9 says 'Don't drink,' which doesn't quite go with Item 2, and 6 says 'The moon is made of green cheese,' which is just plain wrong." </span><span>
</span><span>
John: "There's no contradiction between 9 and 2, 9 just clarifies 2. As far as 6 goes, you've never been to the moon, so you can't say for sure." </span><span>
</span><span>
Me: "Scientists have pretty firmly established that the moon is made of rock..." </span><span>
</span><span>
Mary: "But they don't know if the rock came from the Earth, or from outer space, so it could just as easily be green cheese." </span><span>
</span><span>
Me: "I'm not really an expert, but I think the theory that the Moon came from the Earth has been discounted. Besides, not knowing where the rock came from doesn't make it cheese." </span><span>
</span><span>
John: "Aha! You just admitted that scientists make mistakes, but we know Hank is always right!" </span><span>
</span><span>
Me: "We do?" </span><span>
</span><span>
Mary: "Of course we do, Item 7 says so." </span><span>
</span><span>
Me: "You're saying Hank's always right because the list says so, the list is right because Hank dictated it, and we know that Hank dictated it because the list says so. That's circular logic, no different than saying 'Hank's right because he says he's right.'" </span><span>
</span><span>
John: "Now you're getting it! It's so rewarding to see someone come around to Hank's way of thinking." </span><span>
</span><span>
Me: "But... oh, never mind. What's the deal with wieners?" </span><span>
</span><span>Mary blushes.
John: "Wieners, in buns, no condiments. It's Hank's way. Anything else is wrong." </span><span>
</span><span>
Me: "What if I don't have a bun?" </span><span>
</span><span>
John: "No bun, no wiener. A wiener without a bun is wrong." </span><span>
</span><span>
Me: "No relish? No Mustard?" </span><span>
</span><span>Mary looks positively stricken.
John shouts: "There's no need for such language! Condiments of any kind are wrong!" </span><span>
</span><span>
Me: "So a big pile of sauerkraut with some wieners chopped up in it would be out of the question?" </span><span>
</span><span>
Mary sticks her fingers in her ears: "I am not listening to this. La la la, la la, la la la." </span><span>
</span><span>
John: "That's disgusting. Only some sort of evil deviant would eat that..." </span><span>
</span><span>
Me: "It's good! I eat it all the time." </span><span>
</span><span>Mary faints.
John catches her: "Well, if I'd known you where one of those I wouldn't have wasted my time. When Hank kicks the shit out of you I'll be there, counting my money and laughing. I'll kiss Hank's ass for you, you bunless cut-wienered kraut-eater." </span>
<span>With this, John dragged Mary to their waiting car, and sped off.</span>

<span>cliff notes - yes.</span>

 

Originally Posted by dpottz

evolution vs. religion, is a different question, at least i think it is. to me, it is obvious that we are ever evolving, that the earth and all of it's inhabitants are constantly evolving - if you ignore this you aren't even a logical person, imo. i don't know how the earth came about, i think we have to look to science for that, and how it has grown and changed.... but, i don't think that science negates the possibility of their being a god, or afterlife - isn't it possible they are both right, at least to a certain degree? anyway, that is why i think that is a different question, because i think you would have to be a complete idiot to not be able to see the evidence before you that evolution is an ongoing process.