My Thoughts And Questions About Religion - Religion (36) - Nairaland
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| Re: My Thoughts And Questions About Religion by Nobody: 12:43am On Mar 21, 2016 |
clouded goodness lol |
| Re: My Thoughts And Questions About Religion by joseph1013: 8:22am On Mar 21, 2016 |
stephenmorris:The first time it struck me, I could not shake it off. It was unmistakably true. A large majority of Hindus are in India. A large percentage of Buddhists are in China. A large percentage of Judaism practitioner are in Israel. A large percentage of Taoists are concentrated in China and East Asian countries where China has considerable influence. A large percentage of Sikhs are in India. Baha'is have the largest population in the Caribbeans. Jainists have the largest population in India. Islam has its largest adherents in the Arabian Pennisula and other places it colonized. Christianity has its largest believers in the countries the Europeans colonized, from Africa to South America. Religion is ruled by geography. That says alot about the love of God for mankind. 7 Likes 5 Shares |
| Re: My Thoughts And Questions About Religion by Nobody: 9:27am On Mar 21, 2016 |
the difference between africa and these countries is that we africans love cheap things thats why we embraced the abrahamic religions,unlike the chinese,indians who founded religion such as taoism,buddism,hinduism mainly to profit their souls and search for intellectual light not for food,prosperity that africans want in fact people go to church and mosques because of the economic situation in nigeria lol 3 Likes |
| Re: My Thoughts And Questions About Religion by joseph1013: 10:04am On Mar 21, 2016 |
stephenmorris: I don't agree that we embraced the Abrahamic religions because we love cheap things. People all over the world love cheap things. From Norway to Canada to the Bahamas. The reason we embraced those religions in the first instance was because we had no choice. We were slaves. We were colonized. Their religion was practically shoved down our throats. It's not difficult to imagine if you know how colonization works. We had no choice then. We have a choice now, though. 9 Likes 3 Shares |
| Re: My Thoughts And Questions About Religion by PastorAIO: 11:17am On Mar 21, 2016 |
joseph1013: India was colonised too but they still kept their Hinduism. What was the difference? 5 Likes 2 Shares |
| Re: My Thoughts And Questions About Religion by joseph1013: 11:42am On Mar 21, 2016 |
PastorAIO: Great question! According to my limited study on India, it showed that the answer lied in Hinduism as a philosophy. The strong caste system creates a deeply connected society, and acts as an extremely powerful support base against as well as protector from subversive change. As you may know, before the European invaders got to India, India was ruled by Muslims from around 12 century to 1857. Yet there was no mass conversion. Then the Mughals invaded India too and eventhough they weren't as keen on religion conversion, it is arguable that they would have succeeded where the Jihadists failed. I'm interested in knowing more about this. 1 Like 1 Share |
| Re: My Thoughts And Questions About Religion by Nobody: 12:10pm On Mar 21, 2016 |
https://m.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/2l2etx/ Interesting comment on the link. |
| Re: My Thoughts And Questions About Religion by Nobody: 1:26pm On Mar 21, 2016 |
joseph1013:i get your point now bro |
| Re: My Thoughts And Questions About Religion by Nobody: 5:42pm On Mar 21, 2016 |
joseph1013: respectfully I would like to clear some points about Hinduism, Hinduism erstwhile vedism (Veda's) gave rise to Buddhism , Sikhism , Jainism , Sufism etc . Hinduism is not a religion, it is the only religion which "defies our[human] desire to define and categorize it". it is strictly a "WAY OF LIFE". it defines a culture , a tradition , a way to lead your life. we prefer the term dharma, which is broader than the western term "religion". or more appropiately prefer to call it Sanatana Dharma (the eternal or ancient dharma dated back to neo lithic times). in Hinduism, followers are expected to follow four stages of life Brahmacharya :first 24 years of life for studying and acquiring knowledge Grihastha : next 24 years as a family men getting married raising children Vanaprastha : next 24 years as a retiree in a advisory role spreading knowledge he acquired in the past Sannyasa :after 72 years to focussed on Moksha, peace and simple spiritual life as a ascetic. unfortunately over thousands of years malpractices and corruption crept into some of its teachings especially the caste system. the caste system was designed 1000-800 BC , it sought to DELEGATE ROLE TO EACH MEMBER OF THE SOCIETY. in the ancient times villages were isolated and travel was limited due to the dangers encounter during travel. survival rate was very low. so it was instructed that a potters son should become a potter since he/she can learn better from their parents from the safety of their homes and don't have to travel to dangerous far-off places to learn a different profession. however this rule was NOT rigid, if a person wishes to learn new profession and has the talent to do so he was free to learn and practice it. over a period of time every section of the society became protective of their trade and their modified the caste system to suite their needs. later after hundreds of years it came back to bite them for their selfish and thought less act. the Mughals were never able to convert all Hindus because majority of their generals and soldiers were Hindus if they had tried to do so en-masse they there would have been widespread revolt. major revolts had already broken out when they tried to convert Hindus and many provinces had become independent. people easily forget the golden TRUTH 1 MAN EXISTS THEREFOR RELIGION/GOD EXISTS 2 WITHOUT HUMANS THERE IS NO RELEVENCE OF RELIGION/GOD 3 MAN IS GOD (PART OF) GOD IS MAN (PART OF) 4 RELIGION/GOD IS AS GOOD OR AS BAD DEPENDING ON HOW THE FOLLOWERS OF THAT RELIGION PRACTICE IT IN REAL LIFE. I believe Africans in antiquity were the happiest and content people anywhere and any period of time in human history. but this simplicity and good nature was taken advantage of by the Arabs and Europeans to destroy NATURES very own children's. over a period of time African traditions got lost and destroyed instead of evolving with time , thereby depriving whole generations of humans especially Africans a simplistic yet pure link to nature and ultimately ones humanity. in the end I wold like to apologize if you ogas think my comments are not warranted, I mainly visit naira land for browsing the defence / military related threads, I don't know why I wrote this must be naira juju  sorry and regards 4 Likes 1 Share |
| Re: My Thoughts And Questions About Religion by joseph1013: 6:25pm On Mar 21, 2016 |
[b]I swear, if for every time I hear someone say that his religion is not a religion but a way of life I get paid a dollar, I would be rich. Ask a Christian, he will say Christianity is a WAY of LIFE, not a religion. Ask a Muslim, she will say Islam is a WAY of LIFE, not a religion. Now a Hindu (I assume) has come up to tell us Hinduism is a WAY of LIFE, not a religion. Interesting! But here are the facts: - Hinduism is the world’s oldest living religion and the third largest – behind Christianity and Islam – with more than 1 billion followers. It has no common creed or church. Nor is it based on the teachings of a founder or holy book. - There is one supreme God that cannot be fully known or understood. Hindus are encouraged to relate to God in the way that suits them best, like worshipping many deities who are believed to be manifestations of God. The trimurti or three main deities are Brahma, the creator; Vishnu, the preserver; and Shiva, the destroyer. That’s why Hinduism is often thought of as polytheistic. It is not. - Hindus believe that all living creatures have a soul. This soul – the spirit or true "self" of every person, is called the ātman. The soul is believed to be eternal. - The Hindu scriptures refer to celestial entities called Devas (or devī in feminine form), which may be translated into English as "gods" or "heavenly beings". - Devout Hindus perform daily rituals such as worshiping at dawn after bathing (usually at a family shrine, and typically includes lighting a lamp and offering foodstuffs before the images of deities), recitation from religious scripts, singing devotional hymns, yoga, meditation, chanting mantras and others. - Hindu festivals are ceremonies that weave individual and social life to dharma. Hinduism has many festivals throughout the year, where the dates are set by the lunisolar Hindu calendar, many coinciding with either the full moon (Holi) or the new moon (Diwali), often with seasonal changes. - Pilgrimage is not mandatory in Hinduism, though many adherents undertake them. While there are different yet similar pilgrimage routes in different parts of India, all are respected equally well, according to the universality of Hinduism. It's obvious that the word Religion has gotten a bad rap and everyone is scampering for cover to be excluded from the label, but no matter how much Hinduism run, it is by DEFINITION, a religion. [size=13pt]'the belief in and worship of a superhuman controlling power, especially a personal God or gods."[/size][/b] 3 Likes 2 Shares |
| Re: My Thoughts And Questions About Religion by Nobody: 6:51pm On Mar 21, 2016 |
well I had apologized in the end so you cant blame me sorry oga but you got it wrong but I respect your views because isn't it the very reason why many religions exist (difference in point of view) for the same purpose the supreme court of India which is the final authority in matters relating to Hindus/Hinduism has in their 1995 verdict had held that "Hindutva/Hinduism is a way of life of the people in the sub-continent" and "is a state of mind." quote from http://www.bbc.co.uk/religion/religions/hinduism/ataglance/glance.shtml "Unlike most other religions, Hinduism has no single founder, no single scripture, and no commonly agreed set of teachings. Throughout its extensive history, there have been many key figures teaching different philosophies and writing numerous holy books. For these reasons, writers often refer to Hinduism as 'a way of life' or 'a family of religions' rather than a single religion. " "Defining Hinduism The term 'Hindu' was derived from the river or river complex of the northwest, the Sindhu. Sindhu is a Sanskrit word used by the inhabitants of the region, the Aryans in the second millennium BCE. Later migrants and invaders, the Persians in the sixth century BCE, the Greeks from the 4th century BCE, and the Muslims from the 8th century CE, used the name of this river in their own languages for the land and its people. The term 'Hindu' itself probably does not go back before the 15th and 16th centuries when it was used by people to differentiate themselves from followers of other traditions, especially the Muslims (Yavannas), in Kashmir and Bengal. At that time the term may have simply indicated groups united by certain cultural practices such as cremation of the dead and styles of cuisine. The 'ism' was added to 'Hindu' only in the 19th century in the context of British colonialism and missionary activity. The origins of the term 'hindu' are thus cultural, political and geographical. Now the term is widely accepted although any definition is subject to much debate. In some ways it is true to say that Hinduism is a religion of recent origin yet its roots and formation go back thousands of years. Some claim that one is 'born a Hindu', but there are now many Hindus of non-Indian descent. Others claim that its core feature is belief in an impersonal Supreme, but important strands have long described and worshipped a personal God. Outsiders often criticise Hindus as being polytheistic, but many adherents claim to be monotheists. Some Hindus define orthodoxy as compliance with the teachings of the Vedic texts (the four Vedas and their supplements). However, still others identify their tradition with 'Sanatana Dharma', the eternal order of conduct that transcends any specific body of sacred literature. Scholars sometimes draw attention to the caste system as a defining feature, but many Hindus view such practices as merely a social phenomenon or an aberration of their original teachings. Nor can we define Hinduism according to belief in concepts such as karma and samsara (reincarnation) because Jains, Sikhs, and Buddhists (in a qualified form) accept this teaching too. Although it is not easy to define Hinduism, we can say that it is rooted in India, most Hindus revere a body of texts as sacred scripture known as the Veda, and most Hindus draw on a common system of values known as dharma." noted international philosophers / historians hold that Hinduism is a way of life but with the exception of a few who disagree . well still if you think you are correct then also I have no problem because everybody has their own interpretation of things but one must be humble and not dismiss others opinion with disdain. peace and regards 1 Like |
| Re: My Thoughts And Questions About Religion by joseph1013: 10:19am On Mar 22, 2016 |
I hear you, bro. The same way I heard myself when as a Christian I convinced myself that Christianity was not a religion but a lifestyle. 4 Likes 1 Share |
| Re: My Thoughts And Questions About Religion by joseph1013: 10:24am On Mar 22, 2016 |
[b]WHEN CHRISTIANITY PROVIDES YOU A NEW FATHER Christianity has the ability to give you another father different from the one that biologically gave birth to you. And this new father can have you all-brainwashed that you don't want to listen to any criticism against him. You can even slap your biological father for this new father. You can leave your biological father financially stranded while dropping all your money towards the birthday ceremony of your new father to hold in Dubai. You're supposed to be in a family. But no, religion gives you another family which now matters more than your biological family. Your social structure has been rearranged just because you've embraced an ideology. The natural family comes only secondary to the artificial family. Someone can criticize your president, your boss at work, your employer or the person that even feeds you. Doesn't matter once they don't criticize your father in the lord. You can even kill for these artificial fathers. And nobody is spared. All the Christians that I know who are devoted to a particular pastorpreneur throw fits once you criticize their daddies in the Lord. He's still laughing with you because you haven't criticized his artificial daddy. And you're wondering how terrorism comes about? Religion gives you a book, a name, a personality, just something, for whom you're ready to severe long-term relationships. A criticism against it becomes an attack on your person. You can even kill for the course. If you doubt me, ask Rev. King's church members.[/b] 7 Likes 4 Shares |
| Re: My Thoughts And Questions About Religion by joseph1013: 5:22pm On Mar 22, 2016 |
One of the guys who has inspired me in the walk as an apostate is a guy on Youtube whose username is darkmatter2525. If you love my work, you will double love his videos. He passes his messages across in the most concise way possible. Just take a look at this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y201QzDdzbg Absolute gold! 2 Likes 1 Share |
| Re: My Thoughts And Questions About Religion by joseph1013: 9:57am On Mar 23, 2016 |
[b]WOMEN AND RELIGION The gender gap is a measure of the extent to which men and women are treated equally in the areas of Economic Participation and Opportunity; Educational Attainment; Health and Survival; and Political Empowerment. The Global Gender Gap Report is published annually by the World Economic Forum and ranks most countries in the world according to the size of the gender gap. Let's be clear, there is a gender gap in every country and it is a gap that always favours men. The 2015 report ranks 145 countries. Here are the 20 countries with the smallest gender gap (in order of lowest gap first): Iceland Norway Finland Sweden Ireland Rwanda Philippines Switzerland Slovenia New Zealand Germany Nicaragua Netherlands Denmark France Namibia South Africa United Kingdom Belgium Latvia Here are the 20 countries with the highest gender gap (in order of gap): Angola Tunisia Algeria Benin Turkey Guinea Mauritania Côte d'Ivoire Saudi Arabia Oman Egypt Mali Lebanon Morocco Jordan Iran, Islamic Rep. Chad Syria Pakistan Yemen Notice something about these lists? There are no majority Muslim countries in the top 20 but 17 of the bottom 20 countries are majority Muslim. Of the 20 countries with the lowest gender gap, 15 have religiosity below 50% (fewer than 50% of people say religion is important). The data for prior years shows this is a consistent pattern year after year. What conclusions can we draw from this? We can say secular countries treat women more equally than religious countries and Islamic countries discriminate against women more than Christian countries. Of course, this should not surprise us. The Qur'an and The Sharia make it clear that women are subordinate to men and have fewer legal rights. Islam permits a husband to beat his wife--something that would be a criminal offence in non-Islamic countries and Islam gives women inferior rights in inheritance and jurisprudence. In some Islamic countries women are not allowed to leave the house without a male relative as an escort, and have to be covered from sight when they do. Muslims often deny they treat women badly but the data is not lying, Muslims are.[/b] 4 Likes |
| Re: My Thoughts And Questions About Religion by joseph1013: 3:25pm On Mar 23, 2016 |
WHY IS GULLIBILITY GOOD? Religious adults are so gullible that they believe the most incredible stories with no evidence. But what are they thinking when they stand on street corners, go house-to-house or post on the Internet to encourage normal people to be as gullible as they are? Here are some things they may be thinking; There's not enough gullibility in the world. I don't feel so gullible, if you're gullible too! You have no life if you're not gullible. You're never alone if you're gullible. People would be nicer if they were gullible.. I am sure you can add some others as well. |
| Re: My Thoughts And Questions About Religion by joseph1013: 5:10pm On Mar 26, 2016 |
Theology for dummies: Jesus could not have died on Friday. 3 days and 3 nights, remember? |
| Re: My Thoughts And Questions About Religion by rexben(m): 6:34pm On Mar 26, 2016 |
When you guys want to knock 'Religion', please specify the Religion you are knocking, so that we don't waste our time clicking on a topic that does not concern us.All religion are the same,irrespective of the religion. All religion are based on lies. Jesus never brought nor preached RELIGION.Christianity not founded by Jesus. All religion are man made I am not talking as an atheist. I am a disciple of Jesus that believes in Jesus words only as recorded in Matthew,Mark,Luke,John only |
| Re: My Thoughts And Questions About Religion by joseph1013: 10:58pm On Mar 26, 2016 |
^^^Disciple of Jesus but not a Christian! LOL. Nothing you no go see for Nairaland. 2 Likes |
| Re: My Thoughts And Questions About Religion by joseph1013: 2:31pm On Mar 27, 2016 |
HAPPY EASTER These people sef. On Friday, they said he DIED for and because of my sins.... Today he is risen and gone back to his daddy. So whats the fuss about him dying because of my sins? When he could not endure death for three days? He went to Hades for only three days and ran back to his daddy and you still insist he died for me? He did not! The story of Easter would have made a lot more sense if Jesus STAYED DEAD! This is what sacrifice means. You give up something forever.... God did not sacrifice nor give up his only begotten son for me..... they only endured three days of separation. Truth is, the blood of the goat sacrificed at Amahioha's shrine is more powerful and washes away more sins than the blood of a Jesus Christ who could not stay dead.... Happy Easter! 1 Like |
| Re: My Thoughts And Questions About Religion by joseph1013: 6:26pm On Mar 27, 2016 |
FAITH IS TOXIC Faith itself is toxic. It treats the idea of believing things without evidence as a virtue. Consider these three facts (with a little help from Hitch): 1. There isn't a single good or moral thing done by a believer that cannot be done, or has not been done, by non-believers. 2. On the other hand, there are hundreds of immoral actions believers do as a direct result of their faith that non-believers won't. 3. All bad things done by non-believers can be (and have been) done by believers as well. Logically, this means faith is at the very least, unnecessary, and at most, a net negative for humanity. We're not going to get rid of it anytime soon, but I think reasonable people should stop glamorizing it as some kind of virtue. It's not. 99% of people wouldn't be subscribing to the faith they have if they hadn't been born in the family they were born in. That is simply undeniable. 5 Likes |
| Re: My Thoughts And Questions About Religion by joseph1013: 10:36am On Mar 29, 2016 |
Olajide Abiola 19 hrs · 5 Likes 2 Shares |
| Re: My Thoughts And Questions About Religion by Nobody: 11:29am On Mar 29, 2016 |
Josef how you've kept this thread going is surprising,never give up on your quest to search for knowledge ,and explain it to people like me whenever you can ride on big brother. 3 Likes |
| Re: My Thoughts And Questions About Religion by joseph1013: 9:11am On Mar 30, 2016 |
[b]BALANCING GOOD AND EVIL When I say, "the Abrahamic religions have a terrible and bloody history; it's time they were gone", you can be sure a believer will complain that I am being one-sided. They'll tell me not to ignore the good religions do and they'll point to schools and hospitals funded by religions or outreach work to feed the homeless. Surely, this is grievously mistaken thinking. The bloody history of these religions includes the murder of millions in wars such as the crusades, the Islamic wars of conquest and inter-religious conflicts; tens of thousands tortured, burnt at the stake or killed in other horrific ways for alleged witchcraft, sorcery, heresy, blasphemy or apostasy. And killing is not confined to the history books--executions, murder and terrorism in the name of religion continue to this day around the world. Balancing this appalling carnage with feeding the homeless is a bit like asking us not to be too hard on the Notorious Nigerian Robber, Shina Rambo because he helped his helpless elderly neighbour by feeding him pap every morning. And don't say these deed were done by evil men, not by God. Read the Bible--God caused more deaths than all the world's worst monsters combined. These evil men were emulating their god. There are no excuses for the violent and murderous history of the Abrahamic religions and anyone who supports them should feel not virtue, but shame.[/b] 4 Likes 2 Shares |
| Re: My Thoughts And Questions About Religion by joseph1013: 7:02pm On Mar 30, 2016 |
[b]LET ME ARGUE WITH GOD I've been arguing with god-believers for a while now and I'm tired of it. All I get is the dreary repetition of fallacious arguments that were thoroughly rebutted decades or even centuries ago. Why bad arguments are persuasive to believers, I don't know, but they are. I don't learn anything from bad arguments and they don't get better if you keep repeating them. So I won't argue with humans any more. However, if you are convinced you have a responsive relationship with God, ask him how to convince me. Get your arguments from the highest authority. Then share God's own arguments and evidence with me. Let me argue with God. If God is real, you will come back with ingenious and subtle arguments that are non-fallacious and unanswerable. I will learn something amazing and so will hundreds of others. But, even if you come back with the same dull and broken arguments as everyone else, I will still have learned something--I will have learned you don't talk to God, you talk to yourself.[/b] 5 Likes 2 Shares |
| Re: My Thoughts And Questions About Religion by Nobody: 10:27am On Mar 31, 2016 |
joseph1013:one of the issues I'm having now is massive criticism for abandoning my Christian faith, I'm told atheism is nothing and In Nigeria you must believe in something ,but one thing is certain I have gone too far to be a Christian anymore . 2 Likes |
| Re: My Thoughts And Questions About Religion by joseph1013: 10:56am On Mar 31, 2016 |
stephenmorris: In Papua New Guinea, they had a culture of relatives consuming the bodies of the deceased to return the "life force" of the deceased to the hamlet. Those that refused to do that were ostracized and declared outcast. In their tradition, you must not just believe in it, you must actively take part in it. The reason for this narration is simple: those who stray away from popular opinions have always encountered violent opposition. A word of caution too: Those who are in the early stages of questioning religion often fall to the myth of thinking that atheists must be good people. That's a false premise. Lack of religious affiliation does not confer goodness just as religious affiliation does not confer goodness. Each man must run his own race... 6 Likes 3 Shares |
| Re: My Thoughts And Questions About Religion by joseph1013: 11:02am On Mar 31, 2016 |
DO YOU REALLY WANT TO GO TO HEAVEN? There are only two possibilities: either heaven has technology or it doesn't. If it doesn't, it will be like going back to the 1950s or earlier. Who would want to do that? No mobile phones, no Internet, no Google, no computers, no portable recorded music, no Facebook... This would not be heaven--it would be hell. But we don't have to speculate; we have evidence. If heaven had technology, we would be receiving WhatsApp messages from our deceased loved ones by now. But we don't. We get nothing! And there's something else. After careful study, I can now announce the Bible does not mention Instagram, Facebook or Playstation anywhere. Not once. Heaven is a technology desert! They can stick their rivers of milk and honey where the sun doesn't shine! I'm out! (Not that I have ever been in, anyway.) 1 Like |
| Re: My Thoughts And Questions About Religion by joseph1013: 7:09pm On Mar 31, 2016 |
[b]CHRISTIANITY'S DIRTY SECRET Even before children begin school, parents involve their children in religious rituals and teach them religious stories. As they grow up, children are told how important it is to BELIEVE these stories and to revere the book in which they are found. If children question or, doubt, any of these stories, they will be warned not to think such things--questioning incurs parental disapproval. Young children may even be threatened with torture if they don't believe... The problem is, if you want people to believe things that are fully ridiculous and with no evidence, you have to teach them young and teach them repeatedly and emphatically. That is why all religions share this same dirty secret. There is a word for this process--it's called indoctrination. Parents teach this stuff whilst they are still primary influencers and before children figure out that some things are true and some are false and learn how to distinguish between them. There is a window of opportunity with children--miss it and you may never get them to believe ridiculous things. We know this process works because we see children raised as Christians becoming life-long Christians, children raised as Hindus becoming life-long Hindus, children raised as Muslims becoming life-long Muslims and so on. These religions cannot all be true so it is a mathematical certainty that the majority of parents (and, possibly all religious parents) teach their children ridiculous lies which affect them for their entire lives. That's the reason you see very intelligent adults...very knowlegeable adults...very brilliant adults violently believe in a flying donkey, a talking snake and a virgin who gave birth. They just can't help it! Of course, these parents were mistreated in the same way, so we have a vicious circle that teaches children ridiculous lies generation-after-generation. We need a generation of responsible parents to stop this process, and break the circle--parents who will give children a chance to grow up and think for themselves. What will you do?[/b] 7 Likes 4 Shares |
| Re: My Thoughts And Questions About Religion by Nobody: 8:20pm On Mar 31, 2016 |
majority of Nigerian Christians been not learned men and women know nothing of Christianity apart from what their pastors tell them and concerning children we free thinkers need to come out with a way to raise our children without religious indoctrination 1 Like |
| Re: My Thoughts And Questions About Religion by joseph1013: 9:57am On Apr 01, 2016 |
[b]THE WORLD'S WORST ARGUMENT FOR GOD? So I was in the Religion section yesterday looking round at topics and posts and found so many flawed logic. I picked one that seems to me to be the worst argument for God but which most god-believers think is the best. Allow me to give you the ridiculous argument. ARGUMENT 1 P1) The universe exists. P2) A universe could not create itself. P3) Something enormously powerful outside of the universe must have made it. Therefore C1) Superman exists. If you doubt this, there is evidence. Superman is enormously powerful and his story is recounted in over 12,000 editions of Action Comics starting from 1938. It's not hard to see this logic is barking mad is it? But what about this version with the exact same logic? ARGUMENT 2 P1) The universe exists. P2) A universe could not create itself. P3) Something enormously powerful outside of the universe must have made it. Therefore C1) Yahweh exists. If you doubt this, there is evidence. Yahweh is enormously powerful and his story is recounted in 39 books written over a period of almost 1,000 years from about 3,500 years ago. This argument is equally barking mad but is used by millions of people. There are multiple problems with this argument but, I want to focus on just one. Both arguments pluck a character out of thin air and claim he created the universe. Nothing in the premises of this argument leads us to the agent said to be responsible. The premises do not show that Superman or Yahweh even exist--obviously if they do not exist, they could not have created the universe. It does not matter that the authors of the Bible said Yahweh did it--they may have made that up. We have no way of knowing. Nor does it matter that the authors of Action Comics did not mention that Superman did it. They may have omitted it for reasons we do not know. These are circular arguments. They start by assuming a particular agent exists and then plug that agent in at the end. Hey Akin, you've proved your favourite agent exists! Except you haven't. You've just committed a logical fallacy. The argument could be improved in this way... ARGUMENT 3 P1) The universe exists. P2) A universe could not create itself. P3) Something enormously powerful outside of the universe must have made it. Therefore C1) We need to figure out what that was. This is better but still has premises that we cannot be sure are true... But we'll leave that for now. My best advice is don't go near this argument--it stinks! PS Please don't complain I have not used the strongest version of this argument; I know. I simplified it for brevity. I only wanted to explain circularity which the stronger versions also suffer from.[/b] 3 Likes |
| Re: My Thoughts And Questions About Religion by joseph1013: 11:10pm On Apr 03, 2016 |
[b]THE DEAFNESS OF THE FOREIGN GODS When our forefathers prayed to Amadhioa they didn't need to shout on top of their voices to be heard. They did not need huge 1000 decibel speakers to commune with our gods... They spoke in measured tone, with decorum as wise men to wise gods. But these foreign gods are so hard of hearing that their worshipers have to shout on top of their voices before they can be heard. This is why every morning and night, you are rudely woken up from sleep by chants of “Allahu Akbar” and "Ni Oruko Jesu” “Take it, if you believe it, shout a big Amen!!!” “receive it!!!!” “If you believe it shout a bigger amen!!!! And in their throngs, the people releases thunderous bellows in deference to their pastors and Imams. Truth be told, if we lived in sane society most Nigerian Pastors will be serving short jail term or performing community service for noise pollution.. The noise pollution in this country will drive folks mad if it's not doing that already. Noise everywhere! Politicians sirens, religious chants, noise from gigantic generators, the incessant and unrelenting honks from deranged drivers and the noise from the kiosk of the poor itinerant Music CD seller….. Naija is just a noisy jungle! [/b] 6 Likes 2 Shares |
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