Author Topic: Ye Religion Thread (Read 1057806 times)

jägermonsta · « **Reply #75 on:** October 06, 2006, 08:45:54 AM »

Quote from: Whirlingdervish(Q2C) on October 05, 2006, 02:54:32 PM

check out this link for some interesting info on the "greed center" of your brains...
http://news.yahoo.com/s/hsn/20061005/hl_hsn/studyspotsthebrainsselfishnessoffswitch

pretty interesting. rather unethical though. but then again... how else would we know anything?

but I have my doubts that those type of decisions come solely from that. im sure there's other factors that decide outcomes as well.

Whirlingdervish · « **Reply #76 on:** October 06, 2006, 08:56:16 AM »

other factors like moral fortitude and thickness of cock, come into play too...
lol.

I thought it was nifty that they could shock people into being greedy, but rather odd.
I mean, who the hell would volunteer to have electrical impulses shot thru their brain?

Disco Karate · « **Reply #77 on:** October 06, 2006, 11:08:38 AM »

Well, if I end up going to Hell, I'll be busy for quite some time shaking hands and catching up with old friends.

Disco Karate · « **Reply #78 on:** October 06, 2006, 11:10:36 AM »

Speaking of electrical impulses, btw - scientists did an experiment where they hooked electrodes up to the part of a mouse's brain that gives it an orgasm, and hooked THAT up to a button, so every time the mouse hit the button - WHAMMO pleasure central, baby.

Well, the mouse hit it gradually at first, but kept speeding up, eventually just laying on top of the button until its heart exploded and it died.

*looks around for a button*

Whirlingdervish · « **Reply #79 on:** October 06, 2006, 11:13:55 AM »

I'd happily die like that.

I kinda wonder if it created a sort of pavlovian effect where the mouse (prior to death by orgasm) would begin to come every time it saw a button. I'd say that's much more interesting than a salivating dog listening to a bell ringing.

Disco Karate · « **Reply #80 on:** October 06, 2006, 11:16:41 AM »

Disco Karate · « **Reply #81 on:** October 06, 2006, 11:40:42 AM »

Well, back on topic here.

I was raised by a family who always stressed the importance of critical thinking and the study of logic in all aspects of life.

Waffle Whiffer · « **Reply #82 on:** October 06, 2006, 12:11:34 PM »

Forgive me Whirls for the plagiarism. I edited your post a little.

It didn't comeout too bad.

I've thought, for some time now, that not believing in God and heaven is really just wishful thinking.
It's a bi-product of the combination of the completely natural fear of all humans for things that they can not completely comprehend, and the realization that life may be infinite so if things are not going right for them now, there troubles may never end.
There is also a very good reason that there is a heaven-like concept that's central to almost all religion:
Any religion on this planet can be defined as man-made, since no one can prove that a god exists who "wrote them". But the interesting fact is that in all the various regions of the planet and in all the various ethnic groups, a similar belief developed. Almost like it a natural instinct. Which are usually correct.

These beliefs have persisted because, in spite of all of the technological innovations and much higher standard of living, people are happy about their situation and are not helpless to change it in a way that would make them truly happy in perpetuity. This is a trend based on the desire of people to be generous and helpful to one another.

People will be happy, by design, because we are animals with hardwired instincts that increase our ability to survive and breed. Generosity is a hardwired mechanism that makes us want to share things, like territory (for a constant source of food/shelter/safety), and breeding partners (to insure the passing of your genes). We are designed to always want to share more until we're dead. Happiness due to fulfilled wants, is actually a survival mechanism.

People are also one of few species that God gave the use of tools to get what they need/want. When faced with a problem, we make tools to solve it. Thus God gave us religion as a tool shortly after developing the ability to think and reason, because we found that we could be nearly incapacitated by this newfound ability to ponder the "what if's" and the "whys" unless we had reasons and answers to these questions. We "need" to have answers otherwise we'd become incredibly depressed with our inability to control/understand our surroundings. Depression makes for a very poor breeding specimen and a very weak hunter and is quite unacceptable if you want to survive in the wild.

The reason that many religions have the same core values wrapped in slightly different packages, is that God gave humans the same basic free will, and understanding of good versus evil. Not believing in God is the crutch that props up the minds of people who "need" a reason for things to be the way they are in order to function without being overcome by something they can not comprehend. It is also used as justification for acts that a person might not consider morally acceptable in any other situation. I found the majority of non "pious" people are really just more adept at fooling themselves than most, and they often assume to have all the answers or at least access to them thru a science.

Simple acceptance that we are powerless to change the universe around us to the degree that we would like to, and that we will someday be capable of understanding it's nuances, would be profoundly more useful to the species than denying God. God will explain the things that we can't figure out, without us creating the illusion of control.

Unfortunately, it would be a lot harder, to accept that the world is not under our control no matter how much faith we have. And people like to take the easy way out and deny God

Whirlingdervish · « **Reply #83 on:** October 06, 2006, 12:19:53 PM »

plagiarism forgiven!
I'm glad that at least one thread on this forum has brought out the side of us that can argue a point without arguing each others shortcomings and flinging poo.

We have such diverse beliefs, as a community, and I'm happy that we find the time to share them, and that we have a place this great to do it in.

Wheet · « **Reply #84 on:** October 07, 2006, 11:30:44 PM »

I am not a religious person, I just believe we live, we die and that reality is all we know for certain. I also believe that everyone has at least some faith that their life is not just ended for them as if it were in a way meaningless (even if they wont admit it). I don't think you're wrong in thinking the way you do MaxMoo but in my opinion, you took that post to a religious extreme. That was the most religious bubble minded editing job I have seen in a while, and the kind of people that do stuff like this are the kind of people I try and avoid in person. I don't really mean any offence but that was just way too over the top. It reminded me of watching those religious stations on TV where people take something they cannot even know (not say) is 100% true so seriously that they devote their lives to it. Do these ideas envelop the mind so much that they become reality to some people? I imagine you could keep some people in a test environment convinced in the existence of the Easter Bunny for their entire life, without the person ever seeing physical evidence that a giant bunny is delivering baskets in hidden places around their home.

I know religion is a strong subject but that post by Whirling was so well put I just cannot see it trashed like that and keep quiet.

Art · « **Reply #85 on:** October 07, 2006, 11:56:23 PM »

Why is it we can't duplicate "creation" yet? ... you know, life.

M^tster · « **Reply #86 on:** October 08, 2006, 08:08:59 AM »

Everyone thinks of heaven as such a boring place.I tend to see pizza trees, where you can walk up and grab a piece before you ride your harley across the expanse of the universe.Or go flying around the cosmos while learning all the things mankind couldnt figure out in its small time here on this one lonley rock.If the cost is a little good behavior, its not much for an eternity of curiosity relief. Besides God knows we are human and will mess up (have a good time) sometimes.Thats what Jesus' death was all about, so we could still mess up(have a good time) sometimes

I have spoken, hear it and heed my warning! hehe

quadz · « **Reply #87 on:** October 08, 2006, 12:10:59 PM »

Quote from: Art on October 07, 2006, 11:56:23 PM

Why is it we can't duplicate

Art · « **Reply #88 on:** October 08, 2006, 02:34:29 PM »

Yeah well, we're talking about something we know 100% for sure to have happened (life creation), not some theoretical possibility like on star trek, which probably would require super advanced technology.

I'm also wondering if life creation has only happened once, hmm.

Even though rolled toilet paper may only date back 120 years or so, doesn't mean people prior to that lived life with shitty asses.

quadz · « **Reply #89 on:** October 08, 2006, 04:44:02 PM »

Quote from: Art on October 08, 2006, 02:34:29 PM

Yeah well, we're talking about something we know 100% for sure to have happened (life creation), not some theoretical possibility like on star trek, which probably would require super advanced technology.

Whether something exists already in nature has no bearing on its being easy to duplicate with science and technology. For ex., the sun is a wonderful working example of a hydrogen fusion reactor--something our top scientists have been working on for decades. Right now an international consortium is building what is hoped will be the first full-scale sustainable fusion reactor... and it's costing $12 billion to build and construction will take a whole decade.

Just 'cause we know 100% for sure fusion reactors exist in nature, doesn't somehow make it easy for us to build one.

Quote from: Art on October 08, 2006, 02:34:29 PM

I'm also wondering if life creation has only happened once, hmm.

The cool thing about science is one could actually start with that as a working hypothesis!

We know a fair bit about DNA these days, just as we know a lot about nuclear fusion reactions inside stars: just because we know how something works doesn't mean we can easily duplicate it. Conversely, just because we can't duplicate something in nature, yet, doesn't mean we don't understand how it works in great detail.

Science can explain how DNA works, chemically, and science can examine life forms, such as the single-celled amoeba, and explain how amoebae are able to reproduce, and understand the process layer by layer down to the mollecular level.

So a question would be, is there any indication anything else is involved in the amoeba's reproduction, other than the genetic, chemical, and mollecular processes we already observe.

I don't think there's any indication thus far that something mystical is going on in amoeba reproduction, any more than our sun's fusion reactor being powered by angels. But who knows? Personally I wouldn't be surprised if Life turns out to have extensions into more than three dimensions, involving kinds of energy that science, as yet, can't detect. But that's fine. Unlike with religion, science isn't worried about trying to explain away things it doesn't understand, or trying to classify certain kinds of phenomena as unknowable.

In order to claim that scientists will never develop a complete theory explaining why a cluster of molecules can be Alive, you would have to claim that some key element involved in the life of those molecules is unknowable.

I don't think there's much chance of it being unknowable--even if it does end up involving other dimensions and such.

Regards,

Author Topic: Ye Religion Thread (Read 1057806 times)

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