It is a common islamic lie that missionaries brainwash people. You might actually want to see what a missionary does before you start repeating something so ludicrous. It makes you look very ignorant to repeat something like that. BTW the moon isn't real it is just painted on the sky I saw it on a website! - if you believe that than all hope is lost.
That's actually a very suprising view Rez-G. I'm your age, and I think the total opposite of you. This World is based upon religion, upon faith. The laws of all countries were based on religious teachings that have been passed down. Of course we need religion, and God, or we would never know where to draw the line in any matter. We would not be able to tell between what is good and what is evil, what is right and what is wrong. I'm sad you feel this way - may be you need to actually read the Qur'an over a few times, learn a few hadeeth and stuff - I don't think you looked into your religion at all. That's my two cents.
No, but I'm sure that will be a common objection coming from hell; "it's so and so's fault for not convincing me!" "so and so" will probably be mostly replaced with "God" It is not our responsibility to convince anyone of anything. That's God's job. And it's our individual responsibility to not reject what God has shown you. The term brainwashed is used to hide what cults really do to control people. While members are looking out for a brainwashing (which doesn't really exist) the real damage is done by conditioning members to ostrisize anyone who doesn't conform. Leaving a cult means getting over the fear of rejecting what they believe. In Islam that fear is compounded by threats of death. Usually it's just socially traumatic. You can read countless stories of people who leave cults that lose a lot of friends.
Debunked you obviously didn't understand my post. I am talking about the history of christian missionaries. Believe me, I am not ignorant of anything about christianity. I was raised by a christian family and in a christian community. My family and neighbors always went to church. I have once believed in Jesus as strongly as any christian on this board. Fortunately I have been able to relize how false christianity really is, by thinking for myself, through life experience and witnessing how hypocritical many christians are. After that I have done my research on islam, and a bit about judaism, and all these illogical abrahamic beliefs do not make any sense. I am now a agnostic.
The only history of brainwashing by missionaries I have seen is the islamic propaganda that some have posted here. If they are Christian and are spreading the word about Jesus, what does brainwashing have to do with anything? Like deadcorn said - maybe some cults did some brainwashing of sorts??
Matthew 6:25 - 34 Dependence on God - Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat [or drink], or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds in the sky; they do not sow or reap, they gather nothing into barns, yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are not you more important than they? Can any of you by worrying add a single moment to your life span? Why are you anxious about your clothes? Learn from the way the wild flowers grow. They do not work or spin. But I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was clothed like one of them. If God so clothes the grass of the field, which grows today and is thrown into the oven tomorrow, will he not much more provide for you, O you of little faith? So do not worry and say, "What are we to eat? or "What are we to drink?" or "What are we to wear?" All these things the pagans seek. Your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. But seek first the Kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be given you besides. Do not worry about tomorrow; tomorrow will take care of itself. Sufficient for a day is its own evil.
What does the hypocrisy of other people have to do with anything? Christianity is not judged by its members. The members are judged by Christianity. Last I checked Jesus wasn't a big fan of hyprocrites either and yet he still died for them. I don't know where people got the idea that Christians are supposed to be perfect. It is not hypocritical to be a smoker who tells other people not to smoke if you believe you also should stop smoking. I think a lot of people who toss that word around don't even know what it means. Think about it, if it weren't for Christianity you'd have no cause to judge someone a hyprocrite because they fail to live up to your idea of what a Christian is supposed to be. Hypocrites don't make Christianity look bad, Christianity makes them look bad.
Let's take a moment to invite Merriam-Webster into this discussion. Religion 1 a : the state of a religious <a nun in her 20th year of religion> b (1) : the service and worship of God or the supernatural (2) : commitment or devotion to religious faith or observance 2 : a personal set or institutionalized system of religious attitudes, beliefs, and practices 3 archaic : scrupulous conformity : CONSCIENTIOUSNESS 4 : a cause, principle, or system of beliefs held to with ardor and faith I would say that Atheism clearly qualifies as a religion under item four. Catholicism 1 : ROMAN CATHOLICISM 2 : the faith, practice, or system of Catholic Christianity To the person who said they were a Catholic, but not a Christian -- all Catholics are Christians. Agnostic 1 : a person who holds the view that any ultimate reality (as God) is unknown and probably unknowable; broadly : one who is not committed to believing in either the existence or the nonexistence of God or a god 2 : a person unwilling to commit to an opinion about something <political agnostics> Agnostics who are willing to expound on the truth or untruth of religions aren't agnostics after all.
Faith. Well the difference is that atheists will change their minds if God "shows up" (or his/her/it's existence is substantiated with evidence. And while that day isn't ever likely to come), theists do not change their views (let alone change. they uphold them firmly!) in spite of obvious lack of evidence. This behavior of a theist is "faith", IMO. The lack of such "faith" or any "beliefs" at all is what excludes atheism from being a religion.
But I think that's precisely Will's point. To definitively aver "there is no god" requires as much faith as "there is divinity." He's right.
Atheism is a lack of belief in the existence of God or gods. The lack of belief is due to the lack of evidence. Similar to not believing that the Loch Ness monster exists. It doesn't require any faith to do so, due to the lack of evidence of it's existence (just an example let's keep those Loch Ness monster videos out of this thread). If evidence is presented however, there wouldn't be any further reason to not believe. Theists on the other hand, in the face of an obvious & immense lack of evidence uphold their "beliefs" & "belief systems". This is faith. Atheists are open to debate & reasoning. Theists have "belief systems".
There is no definitive evidence that there is not a God, therefore Atheism requires a certain amount of faith in the belief that there is no God. In reality, God starts where Science stops. You cannot scientifically prove religious issues because religious issues are outside of the realm of science.
But do you categorically say: the Loch Ness Monster does not exist? If so, you are taking a leap of faith. I should say you are preaching to the converted, brother. I hold no belief in a divinity. But to absolutely ascribe that last, yawning gap past empirical science to nothingness is to take as much a leap of faith as my more religious believers.
I disagree, in that case all skeptics require faith. Atheists aren't outright discounting the possibility of the existence of God(s), they aren't believing in the existence of God(s) due to the lack of evidence of the existence of God(s). It's my opinion that nothing is outside the realm of science.
Atheists are outright denying the existence of God. What you are describing is an Agnostic. Ahhh... you fell into my trap. What is science all about? Science is all about things that you can test. Nothing is "scientific" unless you can test it -- and other people can test it and achieve the same results. There is no scientific "test" for the existence of God, or for thousands of other "religious" questions.
Science would say the results as to whether there is or isn't a Loch Ness monster are not conclusive, demanding further study. What you are describing is faith. Absent proof, you nevertheless attest there is no Loch Ness Monster. OK. This sounds about right to me. But many of my fellow atheists do just that - categorically denying the existence of divinity with as much zeal as the most zealous of theists.
I'm saying that most atheists will change their minds if proof of the existence of God(s) ever surfaced (highly unlikely). Empiricism Neither is there a scientific theory. Darwin's theory of evolution, the big bang are all theories yet they are widely accepted because they are logical. EDIT: Ha you got me there, we have fossils & meteoroids to "test" them All the same, the very fact that the existence of God can't be scientifically validated is evidence contrary to the existence of God.
They are accepted because they can be subjected to empirical scrutiny. They have been, and have come out on top. Actually, caught your edit after the fact. I am confused - by I was led to believe you accept nothing except that which is provable; with the method of approach being empirical inquiry. Yet -indicates that the absence of data proves the absence of the subject. These two things are mutually exclusive and contradictory.