12 minutes ago, JAG said:

I work on the basis, (and I know that people will say it is a cop out) that there are more things in heaven and earth than we mortals can explain.

 

Catholicism has it's mysteries, acknowledges them and accepts them. I find that a comfort. For example, I cannot explain the Virgin Birth, nor the real presence of Our Blessed Lord at the Consecration at Holy Mass, nor the Assumption of The Blessed Virgin Mary, but I can believe in them. As for death, well as the prayer holds, love is eternal, and death is but a horizon, and a horizon is nothing more than the limit of our sight.

 

Heavy stuff, but you ( the OP) did ask...

It's still a faith and a belief in an omnipitent invisible being that created everything of which there is ZERO evidence.

The only way the horrible absurdity of religion survives is by brainwashing small children. If you told alert, unbiased adults about sky fairies, talking snakes and virgin births, you would be laughed out of the room.

 

That is why ALL religions are desperate to get their hands on small children. As well, it provides victims for the pedophiles. 

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Catholic_Church_sexual_abuse_cases

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jehovah's_Witnesses'_handling_of_child_sexual_abuse

Agnostic theist 

31 minutes ago, fredwiggy said:

A Burmese monk was dead fro three days, and came back and said he saw hell, and Buddha was there.

I've had many of my Christian friends tell me these horror stories.  All sorts of nonsense. Then they try to convince you to "let Jesus Christ be your one and only personal savior and God with a Big "G"."  So, he was unconscious and had a bad dream.  Or - he was dead and encountered one of the "terrifying gods" which are outlined in depth in The Tibetan Book of the Dead and then misinterpreted his vision.  And the conditions that created the dream or the vision are essentially identical.  If the story is even true.  I tend the think they are just that - scary stories.

20 minutes ago, dinsdale said:

It's still a faith and a belief in an omnipitent invisible being that created everything of which there is ZERO evidence.

 

What I find amazing are that those who would check "Atheism" or "None" put more energy into proselytizing and rationalizing their un-religiousness then do Evangelical Christians proselytizing and rationalizing the existence of Christ and The Holy Trinity.  Now there is a paradox, 'eh?

I don't proselytize Buddhism. But then again, I don't actually consider it to be a religion.  Jing jing!  You either believe or you don't.  If you don't believe, meditate.  If you don't believe, don't meditate. Up to you.  Over the course of enough eons you'll figure it out.

 "There is no such thing as reincarnation!!!  When you die, that's it. Non-existence!"

 Really?  Fantastic! 

I was thinking about converting to Judaism but they make it very difficult and drawn out.

 

So I have gone with Satanism instead.

9 minutes ago, connda said:

I've had many of my Christian friends tell me these horror stories.  All sorts of nonsense. Then they try to convince you to "let Jesus Christ be your one and only personal savior and God with a Big "G"."  So, he was unconscious and had a bad dream.  Or - he was dead and encountered one of the "terrifying gods" which are outlined in depth in The Tibetan Book of the Dead and then misinterpreted his vision.  And the conditions that created the dream or the vision are essentially identical.  If the story is even true.  I tend the think they are just that - scary stories.

I know many will use any methods they can to convince others of their beliefs. I go by faith.  To me, a monk wouldn't have much to gain telling a story like he did. That's a Buddhist seeing things how they are, and is just one of the many things I see as small miracles and evidence of God. Of course many that have lost family or friends will have a hatred towards God but life isn't meant to last that long. Others might have been forced fed God as children by abusive parents an turned away. I just see things as common sense, that there had to be a creator as anything else is just ridiculous.

3 minutes ago, connda said:

You either believe or you don't.

I don’t believe Mary was a virgin as claimed.

Something going on there.

47 minutes ago, JAG said:

I work on the basis, (and I know that people will say it is a cop out) that there are more things in heaven and earth than we mortals can explain.

 

Catholicism has it's mysteries, acknowledges them and accepts them. I find that a comfort. For example, I cannot explain the Virgin Birth, nor the real presence of Our Blessed Lord at the Consecration at Holy Mass, nor the Assumption of The Blessed Virgin Mary, but I can believe in them. As for death, well as the prayer holds, love is eternal, and death is but a horizon, and a horizon is nothing more than the limit of our sight.

 

Heavy stuff, but you ( the OP) did ask...

I was brought up Roman Catholic.  My mother, nuns, and priests beat that out of me.  Literally.  "God Loves You!!!"  <WHACK WHACK WHACK>
But there is just something about Mass. I can't put my finger on it.  Ultimately that experience brought me around to meditation, and meditation brought me around to Buddhism. Like you said - "Heavy stuff."  I can disagree with anything you said.

5 minutes ago, connda said:

 

What I find amazing are that those who would check "Atheism" or "None" put more energy into proselytizing and rationalizing their un-religiousness then do Evangelical Christians proselytizing and rationalizing the existence of Christ and The Holy Trinity.  Now there is a paradox, 'eh?

I don't proselytize Buddhism. But then again, I don't actually consider it to be a religion.  Jing jing!  You either believe or you don't.  If you don't believe, meditate.  If you don't believe, don't meditate. Up to you.  Over the course of enough eons you'll figure it out.

 "There is no such thing as reincarnation!!!  When you die, that's it. Non-existence!"

 Really?  Fantastic! 

Lost me at prozzeltysying. DNR.🙃🙃

4 hours ago, Bday Prang said:

                There is a very good reason why , without exception, all religions are forced into peoples minds at a very young and impressionable age , most people can never fully recover from this brainwashing. even intelligent ones  

               It's actually compulsory, even in church of england schools, that kids receive a minimum amount of "religious education"  per week   which is probably increased to "per hour " in catholic schools, I doubt that Islamic schools teach anything other than religion

 

                The various religions have had thousands of years to perfect their fear based,  brainwashing techniques and their "success" in this speaks for itself, with literally thousands of people prepared to kill,not only innocent victims en masse , and consequently spend the rest of their miserable lives in prison, but also to kill themselves

                More than sufficient reason, in my opinion, for all forms of religion to be banned, at least from public discussion and practice , and preferably outright. It is responsible for more death ,pain, hate  and suffering than any illegal drug  or any contagious disease, yet is still allowed to exist,  Why is that?  answers on a postcard please

 

 PS. Correct me if I am wrong , but to the best of my knowledge there is not one religion that considers women as equal to men , and there is not one religion that considers "other religions" as acceptable either

 

 

Spot on

1 hour ago, JAG said:

Are they in urgent need of The Almighty's help?

 

who or what tf is The Almighty?    is it your imaginary friend?

8 minutes ago, connda said:

 

What I find amazing are that those who would check "Atheism" or "None" put more energy into proselytizing and rationalizing their un-religiousness then do Evangelical Christians proselytizing and rationalizing the existence of Christ and The Holy Trinity.  Now there is a paradox, 'eh?

I don't proselytize Buddhism. But then again, I don't actually consider it to be a religion.  Jing jing!  You either believe or you don't.  If you don't believe, meditate.  If you don't believe, don't meditate. Up to you.  Over the course of enough eons you'll figure it out.

 "There is no such thing as reincarnation!!!  When you die, that's it. Non-existence!"

 Really?  Fantastic! 

I don't. Believing in a god isn't rational. It's faith which is something instilled into children from birth.

1 minute ago, Lucky Bones said:

Lost me at prozzeltysying. DNR.🙃🙃

I'm sorry.  Not everyone is born with a three digit IQ.  
 

Proselytizing refers to the act of attempting to convert individuals from one religion, belief system, or ideology to another, typically through active persuasion, preaching, or dissemination of doctrine. It is derived from the Greek term *prosēlytos*, meaning "convert" or "newcomer," and is most commonly associated with religious contexts, such as missionary work in Christianity, Islam, or other faiths.

Dictionaries are your friend.  So is spell-check. For the dyslexic like myself (look in the dictionary if you need to: Dyslexia), spell-check is invaluable. 

 

1 hour ago, TheAppletons said:

 

  In the interest of discussion, if you can make an argument that the "devil" exists, doesn't that mean there's an argument for the counterforce to the devil, i.e. "God"?

 

No, as it wasn't my argument......it was just a way of pointing out the ludicrous notion that there was an all loving, all forgiving omnipotent God.

47 minutes ago, dinsdale said:

It's still a faith and a belief in an omnipitent invisible being that created everything of which there is ZERO evidence.

Which is rather the definition of Faith - in the religious sense!

1 minute ago, G Rex said:

 

who or what tf is The Almighty?    is it your imaginary friend?

Sky Daddy.  

13 minutes ago, MalcolmB said:

I don’t believe Mary was a virgin as claimed.

Something going on there.

I believe that Parthenogenesis happens in humans under the right conditions.

10 minutes ago, connda said:

I was brought up Roman Catholic.  My mother, nuns, and priests beat that out of me.  Literally.  "God Loves You!!!"  <WHACK WHACK WHACK>
But there is just something about Mass. I can't put my finger on it.  Ultimately that experience brought me around to meditation, and meditation brought me around to Buddhism. Like you said - "Heavy stuff."  I can disagree with anything you said.

 

Asked a kid in my class....has your handwriting always been this bad?......he said no, I'm actually left handed.....well write with your left.

 

He explained he was in a Catholic school previously and no one was allowed to write left handed and now he was too scared.

 

True story.

4 hours ago, fredwiggy said:

But what if God is real and we took away all the other false religions and deities, thinking and fighting over it? Wouldn't there be more peace in the world? Yes, the devil surely exists, and it's in some people. It is hard to understand why a God would allow so many bad things to happen, but what if he is real and this is just a test? 

Which God out of several thousands do you mean?

The one and only? lol.

2 minutes ago, connda said:

I believe that Parthenogenesis happens in humans under the right conditions.

 

Is that what the wife told you?

1 minute ago, jvs said:

Which God out of several thousands do you mean?

The one and only? lol.

Yes, the one and only. The others are just false gods. 

19 minutes ago, MalcolmB said:

I was thinking about converting to Judaism but they make it very difficult and drawn out.

 

So I have gone with Satanism instead.

 

Sounds like you'd make the perfect Kabbalah convert - and/or - Look into Thelema, and pick up The Book of the Law while your at it. 

3 minutes ago, fredwiggy said:

Yes, the one and only. The others are just false gods. 

 

I can't tell! You're joking right?

3 minutes ago, Will B Good said:

 

Is that what the wife told you?

Exactly.  But I didn't buy it.  I think it was the 666 on the crown of his head. It was probably the old goat down the street. 


 

14 minutes ago, connda said:

Sky Daddy.  

Rather a shame, but perhaps inevitable, the thread descends into this sort of imagery.

 

It is easy to mock others beliefs, as easy as it is to mock, for example, the asceticism of the Budhist Faith

 

 

 

2 minutes ago, connda said:

Exactly.  But I didn't buy it.  I think it was the 666 on the crown of his head. It was probably the old goat down the street. 


 

 

 

OMG......looks just like one of my kids

1 hour ago, fredwiggy said:

I meant things like people dying and coming back and telling what they've seen. A Burmese monk was dead fro three days, and came back and said he saw hell, and Buddha was there. Children telling stories of things they would never have any knowledge of. That we can't explain what some things are can also mean they are miracles.

 

People will believe what suits their own beliefs or opinions.

I sometimes have weird dreams (that I partially remember when I wake up) - and these have no relationship to anything I have seen or done in my life. They are not miracles - or evidence of an alternate state etc.

5 minutes ago, JAG said:

 

 

 

 

 

He was at a wedding I attended yesterday.

35 minutes ago, MalcolmB said:

I was thinking about converting to Judaism but they make it very difficult and drawn out.

 

So I have gone with Satanism instead.