Is religion obselete in this day and age??

Science allows practical answers as to HOW things work. You're speaking more on philosophical grounds, which is separate from the field of science. Death is simply a release and we can safely understand that people:

1. Fear death because of what they lack beyond. So we conjure up ideas.
2. We yearn for some form of eternity.

In other words, we act on psychological impulses.

 

i'm not sure of the question fanny.

 

Considering psychology was considered fringe science up until the 19th century I don't put absolute faith in it's findings but I do think that just because something satisfies our psychological impulses doesn't mean it doesn't have value or that it doesn't lead us to truth. Its interesting that as cognative beings this concept has always been with us. Why haven't we evolved to a state of consciousness where we can accept finality and our place within the ecosystem?
All though I respect your ideas on the subject I don't agree with your discourse. You dismiss the yearning or better put the belief in some type of continuation as nothing more than a conjuration of a fearful mind. I get all living things want to live then why isn't having offspring enough for us as they are a piece of us that will live on to create more pieces of us.
I often wonder where does the need to create art come from if not from a soul. What is the biological or evolutionary advantage to creating pictures or laughter or even music?
As cerebral beings why isn't the accumulation of knowledging and building things enough?
Where does inspiration come from, the need to create?
Why aren't we happy with just food sex water sleep and killing our food?
Why do we seek deeper meaning?
I don't expect you to answer all those questions just thinking out loud to myself.

 

You said you're not a believer. Not a believer of what?

 

no the prince asked if julia gillard (the australian prime minister) was a believer of religion, in return i stated that she isn't and gave a link to our national newspaper stating just that.

 

Oh my bad baby girl

 

come here you big lug :smt058

 

The keyword: WAS

Psychology have EVOLVED since then and it works in conjunction with science in many of its findings. You're overlooking the fact that people still cling onto the fabrication of mysticism and prefer to keep that part of themselves as a survival trait. It was expected since psychology was fairly new, but today we have a lot of concrete information relating to people's psychological understandings.

Mind you, at that time, people still gravitated toward being possessed by demons as a means to explain why people went crazy. But an Irish Catholic took a different approach by simply talking to them.

Perhaps to you, it's a dismissal. But for me, it's opening myself to other venues without having to resort to unpractical ideas and absurdities that lack any real form of relevance in my life. All this leads to the next bit...

If you're pondering about that, yet don't realize that a good portion of the answer is already there, then perhaps you are not thinking logical here. The answer is clear: YOU. You are own drive and means to create and ponder. And where does it all derive from? Experience in life.

Relating to emotions, that's all explained in the neurological means of the human brain. There are parts of the brain which operates certain venues of emotion and other functions. The brain and mind are powerful tools which makes us who we are, but giving that we act on individual responses and do them differently, no purpose is universal. You give your own reasons for everything.

 

Interesting take. I get that certain things stimulate our brains by why do we choose a lot of the same things. Most purpose is universal. We all yearn for the same things and if we aren't spiritual beings having a human experience I always wonder why things like love are so important to us or knowledge of self. Again if we are purely physical material beings our thoughts would rarely shift from the physical. Why isn't all of our ambitions to build and acquire material things. Why are we concerned with the meaning of life itself. Why isn't all our life focused on more specific goals like other animals. Is that a consequence of being developed mentally?
I know you're pushing for the pleasure principal but I can't help but question the questions we all seem to ask.

 

I believe you've answered much of what you're looking for and I've provided them in my previous posts. We are more akin to existential creatures, thus we live long to find if there's an absolute purpose. That's going about it the wrong way. We feel that's the way and means of searching, yet we are misguided by the notion of "me" instead of "us".

 

I'll be back to explain my reason.

And, BBW, I'm still the same person. To be honest with you, I just want to help you to realize the truth, that's all. I know you don't believe me, but I'm telling you the truth.

What the prince..what he said is very true. God put me here on the earth to help and save people from an eternity hell. BBW, I will always have you in my prayers. I refuse to give up for you. You're my friend, a very dear friend to my heart.

I know it's wrong for me to shove down your throat. I will not push you down anymore. I just hope that you will realize it before it's too late. I won't be able to save you, my dear friend. I may not see you again for all of eternity. I can't bear a thought of not seeing you again for all of eternity. :smt010

 

Not a problem, BBW. Glad to do it! Thanks for the gratitude!

Good find Tarshi! It's great to see that she is being honest about who she is and not pretending so she could get votes. Here in the states, it seems every politician has to be a believer in fairy tales in order to get votes and get elected to office.

 

I understand your plight, but your truth is my false and I shan't bear the burden in living under the shadows of fear.

Say, for some reason...just by your username, I'm compelled to play some Mortal Kombat once more.

 

why do you consider faith to be a fairy tale? It seems like unless it's scientifically measureable it doesn't exist. I'm not saying whether or not God exists but allow for the possibility. Seems like you and BBW think differently.

 

He's mainly speaking on believing in supernatural entities and believe it or not, there are states which prohibit atheists from running for political office. They are fairy tales in a sense that they cannot be proven through rational means. Secondly, why must we assume that there's a higher power out there? Why is it difficult for any human being to simply acknowledge that there are better ideas to supplement whatever ignorance we may hold? Even a simple "nothing" holds better grounds for thought.

 

Doesn't it say something that every culture through out time has believed in one. The dogma is something different but the idea there is something greater than ourselves is a universal concept. I wanted to share something with you I was listening to from Deepak Chopra on quantum mechanics. If you're open to it I'll post it if you're not that's cool I'll keep it to myself.

 

That's partially true, yet you're still not getting it. It's almost universal, but it would have to include that it's also backed by evidence. It's still an absurdity even if 100% of the human population believes in something far too much without any evidence. Again, humans have a strong fascination with fairy tales and the like.

You're more than welcomed to post the link or whatever text you wish to quote, but it's nothing new I haven't heard.

 

At one point all "evidence" concluded that the earth was flat and the plantes revolved around the earth. Just because its not easily proven doesn't mean it doesn't exist.
[YOUTUBE]FEF7T-Yy3kQ[/YOUTUBE]

 

Wow, you obviously don't get it at all. When people believed that the earth was flat, it's wasn't based off of scientific reasoning. Nor did they really have the evidence or information at that time to make that conclusion accurately because...we never been in space during that time.

However, that was proven wrong due to modern science technology and prior to that a certain person who sailed around the world. They relied on limited assumptions at the time and they were merely hypothesis without going into scientific detail. That's something you're severely overlooking.

 

Your the one over looking a very simplistic fact my friend. At one point in time we were certain about one thing until we developed better instrumentation and better ways to acquire information. Everything is a limited assumption until we acquire new data. Again I say just because something can't be proven as of June 5, 2011 doesn't mean it never will and that it doesn't exist. That's my biggest problem with athiesm.
Btw none of us have ever been truly dead so how can you definitively say what happens either.
Quantum analysis allows for the possibility of all things not just what we think we might know in a particular time and space.