I pray to God that he doesn't let something as unproven and unscientific as karma to have an effect on anyones life.
I see what you did there...
Just to stir the pot a little though, there might actually be more logic behind the idea of karma than the Christian religion (or other monotheistic religions).
I'm not talking about the belief of karma where all good you do (or bad) gets revisited on you because it somehow goes in some mystical spiritual ledger that evens out based on certain gods or powers, which I believe is a more Hindu version of karma. But the simpler more Buddhist based idea that any good you put in the world simply improves it and therefore makes it more possible that a good deed would be visited back on you. Or the reverse for bad obviously.
It's not a belief that anything evens out necessarily, just that good often begets good and evil often begets evil (to use absolute terms I'm not very fond of).
You smile at someone, they are very likely to smile back. It's just that simple. You hurt someone, you give them a reason to hurt you. Actually very logical stuff.
It amuses me to no end when the whole 'I'm a real xian but you're not because you're ________ & everyone knows only ______ are really xians' argument starts amongst the believers.
Yeah, because we all know that kind of pack mentality is only reserved for those god loving primitives right.
I'm amused that xians are always just sure that if someone is a Southern Baptist, they're not really xians because everyone knows that Independent Fundamentalist Baptist are the True Christians™. But then the Pentecostals are just positive that the Catholics aren't really xians because they worship Mary and are cannabilistic idol worshipers, don't you know. And the Catholics figure all of them are heretics, hence the Crusades. And let's not get started on those reformationist Lutherans. I mean, really. And lord jesus forbid, if you aren't a strict KJV'er - oh the horror that you use an NIV bible. Oh the vapors, the vapors!
Fight it out. Everyone tell everyone that they're not the right brand or flavor of xianity. I don't care. It provides a great deal of entertainment.
Whatever helps you sleep at night. All I heard was "My spiritual beliefs make me a better person then those who disagree with me" Same old argument that's been thrown around for the past 2000 years. Don't let that stand in the way of some self-righteous rant though.
Like it or not, Atheism hasn't had any noticeable impact on human behavior as a whole that I've ever seen. So this feeling of superiority a few Atheists have seems more about the basic human trait of needing to subjugate others to improve the feeling of self-worth than any real "spiritual evolution" of the human species. The venomous responses to even fellow Atheists seems to support that.
I'm not spiritual, nor a believer. I don't particularly care if someone wants to claim a belief in a higher power/god/whatever they want to call it. If it makes them happy, cool.
I'm not a proselytizing atheist either. I don't care to try and make anyone an atheist. *shrug* Maybe it's laziness, maybe it's being raised a Pentecostal preacher's kid, or maybe it's just that I got my fill of fundie drama of that persuasion (must win people to christ at all costs!!eleventy!! be healed in Jeeeesus' name, speak in tongues, be filled with the holy spigot!!!) when I was still a believer but I haven't the slightest inkling of wanting to persuade someone to atheism. Again, whatever flips your skirt up (general you, not specific you). So long as one is happy with their decision. If that makes me not atheist enough for another atheist, well whatever - that amuses me also.
I'm not spiritual, nor a believer. I don't particularly care if someone wants to claim a belief in a higher power/god/whatever they want to call it. If it makes them happy, cool.
I'm not a proselytizing atheist either. I don't care to try and make anyone an atheist. *shrug* Maybe it's laziness, maybe it's being raised a Pentecostal preacher's kid, or maybe it's just that I got my fill of fundie drama of that persuasion (must win people to christ at all costs!!eleventy!! be healed in Jeeeesus' name, speak in tongues, be filled with the holy spigot!!!) when I was still a believer but I haven't the slightest inkling of wanting to persuade someone to atheism. Again, whatever flips your skirt up (general you, not specific you). So long as one is happy with their decision. If that makes me not atheist enough for another atheist, well whatever - that amuses me also.
If that's your opinion you're in the minority among Atheists. It also doesn't change my point of the most damaging parts of any religion is the direct result of religion being practiced by humanity. Remove humanity from religion, and you have a book of stories about love and salvation. However, remove religion from humanity, and you have the same greed/territorialism/hatred/envy/racism/deviancy that has existed since we were monkeys in trees throwing our crap at each other. I guess my main complaint is with anyone who wants to tie all our flaws as a species too religion. It's an ignorant cop-out.
Last edited by ignite09; 05-29-2013 at 04:58 AM.
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If that's your opinion you're in the minority among Atheists. It also doesn't change my point of the most damaging parts of any religion is the direct result of religion being practiced by humanity. Remove humanity from religion, and you have a book of stories about love and salvation. However, remove religion from humanity, and you have the same greed/territorialism/hatred/envy/racism/deviancy that has existed since we were monkeys in trees throwing our crap at each other. I guess my main complaint is with anyone who wants to tie all our flaws as a species too religion. It's an ignorant cop-out.
I agree with all your points, but I am not sure she is in the minority. Unfortunately though, with just about any ideology and religion, the worst examples are usually the most vocal as well. I would bet that most atheists don't care enough to be preachy, just like most religious and spiritual people go about their business without bothering anyone.
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If that's your opinion you're in the minority among Atheists. It also doesn't change my point of the most damaging parts of any religion is the direct result of religion being practiced by humanity. Remove humanity from religion, and you have a book of stories about love and salvation. However, remove religion from humanity, and you have the same greed/territorialism/hatred/envy/racism/deviancy that has existed since we were monkeys in trees throwing our crap at each other. I guess my main complaint is with anyone who wants to tie all our flaws as a species too religion. It's an ignorant cop-out.
It's pretty neat how you started out railing on Minnie for being self-righteous, and then pulled something out of your ass and started railing on Atheists.
Did I say neat? I meant that other thing.
Stupid.
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Last edited by PsYcNeT; 05-29-2013 at 08:07 AM.
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Let me get this straight, "non-Christians can't interpret Christianity" and "your interpretation of Christianity is pretty meaningless if you aren't a Christian" mean two different things to you? I'm trying to follow along with your logic, but I can't. I guess we'll have to move on.
Umm yes, because they a) use different words, and b) those words have different meanings. Thanks for keeping up.
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Umm yes, because they a) use different words, and b) those words have different meanings. Thanks for keeping up.
I picked up the phone at work to answer a call as I was reading your response and burst out laughing, so thanks for that.
Hopefully the thread can humour us as we drill into this a little deeper, and apparently we're doing this despite the fact that the guy already clarified what he meant. I know how you get bogged down in the minutia of a thread, but I find it cute to be honest so I don't mind playing along.
Okay, here are our two quotes:
"non-Christians can't interpret Christianity"
"your interpretation of Christianity is pretty meaningless if you aren't a Christian"
"Aren't a Christian" means the same thing as "non-Christians", so that pretty much zeroes those out to give us:
"can't interpret Christianity"
"your interpretation of Christianity is pretty meaningless if you"
"Can't interpret Christianity" and "Your interpretation of Christianity is pretty meaningless" mean pretty much the same thing, so we can zero those out as well:
"_"
"if you"
"If you" are extraneous, so we can zero those out, too:
"_"
"_"
See, they actually use very similar words with equivalent meanings. I still don't get what you're talking about with this, but as I said before, I'm happy to move along if you are.
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Location: In a land without pants, or war, or want. But mostly we care about the pants.
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Originally Posted by Sliver
"Can't interpret Christianity" and "Your interpretation of Christianity is pretty meaningless" mean pretty much the same thing, so we can zero those out as well:
No, they don't mean the same thing. That I can do something without it meaning anything is not the same as not being able to do it. It's very simple to make an internally consistent sentence which reconciles these statements: non-Christians *can* interpret Christianity, but their interpretations are meaningless.
This is why we live in a world where people care about Kim Kardashian being pregnant.
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"Can't interpret Christianity" and "Your interpretation of Christianity is pretty meaningless" mean pretty much the same thing
Jammies already broke this down, but the fact that you think that those two statements mean the same thing really sums your inability to actually put thought into things sometimes. I know a lot of your threads are done entirely to stir the pot, so maybe just post away, it does keep me entertained on a slow day
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Like it or not, Atheism hasn't had any noticeable impact on human behavior as a whole that I've ever seen. So this feeling of superiority a few Atheists have seems more about the basic human trait of needing to subjugate others to improve the feeling of self-worth than any real "spiritual evolution" of the human species. The venomous responses to even fellow Atheists seems to support that.
Not all atheists are necessarily anti-religion and can recognize the benefits it has provided.
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