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I find it hard to believe all laws in a first world nation can find their origin in the bible. I won't deny similarities for plenty and inspiration for some, but if the bible truly were the begin all end all of law we'd be doing the dark ages bit.
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Oh, of course. But the majority of first world nations were Christian dominated and ruled when their laws were established. And they continue to be run by Christian-dominated governments. If not, why is homosexual unions (not marriage) still outlawed? Because our governments are run by those of the Christian faith. Everyone knows that you only stand a chance of becoming a President / Prime Minister if you share the same religon as the majority of your voters. And that has been historically Christianity.
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I've lived near fundamentalists all my life, and have come to the conclusion the majority of christians are assholes and morons, but I know this isn't true of all cases. Sometimes their interpretation of the bible allows them to be decent, and possibly exemplary people.
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I dislike fundamentalists as much as the next person. They take things to the extreme, and ruin what is good about things. And they are extremely selective in their hearing.
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Alcar, believing in both destiny and fate is quite nice, and fatalistic, though I wouldn't say that's a bad thing. But then the question becomes: Does free will exist? (You must've known someone would mention it). Besides, if you're a decent person, do you really have to believe in a particular god? Why not worship nature or the heavens; why not get all hindu with it and say everything is god? (Its called absolute reality or something of that kin) I would say that's probably about as close as it gets. Having made my point I'll say that I'm only this side of atheism, an that just because I have a really really REALLY loose definition of "god".
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I knew someone would ask the question
Quite honestly, I'm not phased about whether or not I actually have free will. I believe that free will exists, but that my actions are already known. So much so that my fate has been predetermined from my birth, or even the beginning of time.
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No I'm not. Laws don't bind you, they simply prevent you from getting away with anything, and they deter you from attempting it in the first place. And those facts are dubious at best.
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Yes, but are you not prosecuted with the law if you've done something wrong? The point I'm trying to make, is that if you do something wrong, it is ultimately, through the Bible, that you are punished.
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Punishment for wrong doing dates back to early man. Punishment in Britain is not related to the Bible, a fact which is made obvious by the existance of executions throughout history - a thoroughly unchristian practice.
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Britain was ruled by the Monarchy! The very religion of Anglicanism was created in Britain, stemming from the Monarchy! It is undoubtable that religion is tied into your law system. On a side note, how do you explain the Crusades, if such murder was allowed under the Christian God?
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That, is what's known in laymens terms, as f*cking the system. Religion doesn't work like that. I'm sure there is a story in the Bible based on the exact same thing you are talking about.
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Of course. It was a joke. To repent you have to truthfully believe what you did was wrong, and so you will be absolved. Otherwise it doesn't work. Both you and God know you've cheated yourself.
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What? That has to be just about the most incorrect and incredibly rediculous statement that I have ever read in my ENTIRE LIFE! HA!
First of all, eternal salvation isn't something you live for anyway. You need to be dead to recieve eternal life. Secondly, I have plenty to live for. If I had nothing to live for, I would kill myself, since there would be no point in living. The fact that I have not done so, along with many other perfectly happy atheists, proves you wrong.
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It is a known fact, especially in the science of psychology, that without hope, we are not much. A simple example: If you didn't have any hope, any aspirations that you'd do better in life than you do now, how would you feel? Hope compells us to keep living, and without hope, there is usually only one solution to your problems. Sucide. I hope that I'll pass my exams. I hope that I'll get a good job. I hope that I'll live to an old age. I hope that I'll find someone I love. Without these temporary promises, I wouldn't want to live. Because, why? What is there to live for?
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I am a man of science, therefore I believe in niether. But again, you are totally entitled to that belief (although science disproves a lot of destiny and fate theories).
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How can science explain things which do not physically exist?
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That is a very telling statement. I would advise that you take a serious look at WHY exactly you attribute things to the work of god when you don't understand how else they could happen. I think you'll discover that you're not the only person in the history of religion to do what you do.
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I know there are many people who have said that very statement before me. I don't attribute everything I can't explain to God. That would be foolish. Instead, I wait for Science to explain to those things. But I believe science can't answer everything. The same with religion.
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I envy no-one. I am happy with myself. I don't envy you either. I think you should get your head out of your ass as a matter of fact. I don't want to live forever, sounds like it would be boring.
And why would I insult someone I envy?
If anything I'd say you have quite a warped perspective of Atheists.
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mawk, I never singled you out. I never once placed you, yourself, in any one category of my beliefs on Atheists. I've made generalisations, which I made everyone aware of. You've put yourself into my generalisations. You should chill out, otherwise you'll make yourself seem paranoid.
And it's common knowledge that people often insult those they envy.
Alcar...