What makes Christianity so special?

[Velociraptor]

Theres thousands of different beliefs and religions in the world, are all those wrong?

 

You can't have multiple "gods" being the ruler and creator of the universe now can you.

 

So naturally if you're Christian then you must be of the belief that your religion is the "right" one and all others are wrong.

 

So what makes Christianity more right than any other religion? What makes your God more real than any of the other thousands of Gods or Godlike figures people worship or has worshipped around the world?

[quankanne]

it's my birthright; it's a gift of grace that's completely mine. I'm sure if I'd have been born into a different faith, I'd still feel the same way ...

 

why Christianity makes sense to me? It's a 2,000 year code of love, which tells me that when enacted properly, it works like no other. Kinda like how the US Constitution might not make sense to someone from another country, but by the grace of God, it's somehow worked all these years!

[rhonian]

Christianity is about faith. Believing in something that the one true Creator, God, commands to be true.

 

The Bible (God) says that for man to believe there is no God makes him a fool. All you have to do is look around to what makes the world go round. God has supplied everything for us. Rain for water to drink, animals/plants/trees for food to eat, the complex miracle of birth thru sex, materials to build shelter, etc, etc. ALL created and given to us by a living God. All of the sudden a BIG BANG created everything we "just happen" to need to survive....I DONT THINK SO!!

 

Look at what the Bible has predicted thousands of years ago. How did the Bible know that Israel would again become a nation when it was written thousands of years ago? God says when you see all of these happening to that of labor pains of a pregnant woman look to the heavens and no that my return draweth near....wars, rumors of war, earthquakes, pestilence, rampant immorality, disease, hunger, strange weather patterns, chaos, etc. All of these are happening now at an alarming rate. How did the Bible know?

 

I had someone explain something to me a few years ago. He was talking about the difference between right and wrong. Think about it, where did the idea that murder, rape, stealing, lying, child molestation, infidelity, promiscous sex......(SIN) originate from? Answer: God. How did all these acts become "wrong" in our societies today? Why cant murder just be equal to, say, driving in your car to work. Who said these things were wrong and would be punished.....GOD.

[Cerpin_Taxt]

We all find our own truth.

[Velociraptor]

Christianity is about faith. Believing in something that the one true Creator, God, commands to be true.

 

The Bible (God) says that for man to believe there is no God makes him a fool. All you have to do is look around to what makes the world go round. God has supplied everything for us. Rain for water to drink, animals/plants/trees for food to eat, the complex miracle of birth thru sex, materials to build shelter, etc, etc. ALL created and given to us by a living God. All of the sudden a BIG BANG created everything we "just happen" to need to survive....I DONT THINK SO!!

 

Look at what the Bible has predicted thousands of years ago. How did the Bible know that Israel would again become a nation when it was written thousands of years ago? God says when you see all of these happening to that of labor pains of a pregnant woman look to the heavens and no that my return draweth near....wars, rumors of war, earthquakes, pestilence, rampant immorality, disease, hunger, strange weather patterns, chaos, etc. All of these are happening now at an alarming rate. How did the Bible know?

 

I had someone explain something to me a few years ago. He was talking about the difference between right and wrong. Think about it, where did the idea that murder, rape, stealing, lying, child molestation, infidelity, promiscous sex......(SIN) originate from? Answer: God. How did all these acts become "wrong" in our societies today? Why cant murder just be equal to, say, driving in your car to work. Who said these things were wrong and would be punished.....GOD.

 

The unintelligence of Christians is showing through yet again.

 

The Big Bang sure makes alot more sense than that "God" created the world in 7 days and that all human life developed from Adam and Eve and all the other retarded bull**** Christians believe in.

 

The rest of your post is so assinine that I doub't it's worth arguing with you. But I'll say this when it comes to why Murder is wrong and why it did not only originate from God that it is wrong.

 

Murder wasn't exactly tolerated among Native Americans or most other non Christian folks during the same time. It wasn't only Christians who thought murder was wrong.

[betterdeal]

Easter eggs! That's what makes Xianity so special!

[Velociraptor]

it's my birthright; it's a gift of grace that's completely mine. I'm sure if I'd have been born into a different faith, I'd still feel the same way ...

 

why Christianity makes sense to me? It's a 2,000 year code of love, which tells me that when enacted properly, it works like no other. Kinda like how the US Constitution might not make sense to someone from another country, but by the grace of God, it's somehow worked all these years!

 

If you were born in India to a hindu family the most likely scenario is that you would be a hindu and not a Christian right now.

 

The reason you're Christian is more than likely because you were raised in a Christian family.

[627]

What makes Christianity so special?

NOTHING

 

I was born to christian parents, in a christian society and I left christianity...

 

logic and science are the only true measurements for what is right and wrong. not some book that says eating meat on friday is bad and does not mention anything about paedophilia

[silvermane187]

Nothing makes it special. It's just another religion. Don't try to argue with nutjob fundimentalists and fanatics. They won't change their mind or the subject. Just think of how stupid the average person is, then realize half of them are stupider than that.

[elaina]

Theres thousands of different beliefs and religions in the world, are all those wrong?

 

According to Atheists, they are.

You can't have multiple "gods" being the ruler and creator of the universe now can you.

Many ancient peoples around the world considered the gods (beings superior to humans) to have specialized "roles", like Diana the goddess of war.

 

Even though I have a few friends who are Hindu, I don't know much about what they believe, but I think they believe there are gods (beings superior to humans) who have specialized roles too, like goddess of fertility, god of war?, and so on.

 

So naturally if you're Christian then you must be of the belief that your religion is the "right" one and all others are wrong.

People of all beliefs (including Atheists, who don't believe, which in itself is a belief in no God) believe what they do because they consider their belief to be true. If they don't believe their belief to be true, naturally they change their belief to what they believe is true.

 

So what makes Christianity more right than any other religion?

Christianity is actually not supposed to be separate from the religion of Abraham's son Isaac's son Jacob's descendants. The reason is because Christians consider Jesus to be the fulfillment of the prophesies of the Jewish prophets. Although Jewish Orthodox people and other Jewish people who believe in G-d do not believe Jesus is the Messiah, Christian beliefs stem from Jewish beliefs and without Jewish beliefs in YHWH, there would be no Christian beliefs.

 

So, Christianity is debatable by the Jewish Orthodox people because they do not consider Christianity to be right, since they do not believe Jesus is the Messiah (Christ). However, for Christians who truly are Christian (and not just are associated by name or tradition), Christians believe that Jesus is the Messiah and the way, the truth, and the life.

What makes your God more real than any of the other thousands of Gods or Godlike figures people worship or has worshipped around the world?

It's not a question of "your" God. God is the God, the Creator, Provider, Protector, Master, and Judge, of all the universe, so He isn't just the "Christian God." He's the God of all people, of the animals, of the earth, and the heavens. People at this point in time do not know if there are other life forms outside of earth, though many scientists are eagerly seeking to find life in other galaxies. However, Christians understand that there is life forms (angels) outside of the earth, who are not earthlings. It is also very possible that there are other galaxies where there there are other life forms, and maybe someday we will get to know them too.

 

About how God is more "real", God made the earth, but He is not contained in earth. He is Spirit. Even scientists today still cannot make a creature, and breathe it to life. Only God can through his Spirit. Spirit is not visible to the human eyes. Many Native Americans called God "The Great Spirit" and even though they believed and worshiped differently than Christians, they knew that the Great Spirit (which many also believe to be a part of Nature... trees and animals and so on), they recognized that life is not just about what you see with your physical eyes, but that the Spirit is just as important as the physical. Scientists who do not believe in God though still have not been able to grasp the extreme importance of the Spirit of God.

Edited April 14, 2011 by elaina

[elaina]

Nothing makes it special. It's just another religion. Don't try to argue with nutjob fundimentalists and fanatics. They won't change their mind or the subject. Just think of how stupid the average person is, then realize half of them are stupider than that.

It doesn't take maturity, brains, or logic, or any sort of reasonable thinking power to call another human being "stupid" or "unintelligent", as well as other insults.

 

Most intelligent adults understand that children, while they are young, might call other children "stupid", especially if they hear this from other children or from the adults in their life. Kids when they are upset often say things they shouldn't, to vent out their frustrations.

 

However, intelligent adults who desire to have a discussion with another person do not resort to petty insults, but rather control their tongue (or control what they write) and interact in a mature, courteous, and thoughtful way, even to people who they do not agree with in any area, be it religion, politics, or any other topic under (or over) the sun.

[EyesWideOpen]

Easter eggs! That's what makes Xianity so special!

 

Jesus is coming! Quick! Hide the eggs!

[Velociraptor]

According to Atheists, they are.

Many ancient peoples around the world considered the gods (beings superior to humans) to have specialized "roles", like Diana the goddess of war.

 

Even though I have a few friends who are Hindu, I don't know much about what they believe, but I think they believe there are gods (beings superior to humans) who have specialized roles too, like goddess of fertility, god of war?, and so on.

 

People of all beliefs (including Atheists, who don't believe, which in itself is a belief in no God) believe what they do because they consider their belief to be true. If they don't believe their belief to be true, naturally they change their belief to what they believe is true.

 

Christianity is actually not supposed to be separate from the religion of Abraham's son Isaac's son Jacob's descendants. The reason is because Christians consider Jesus to be the fulfillment of the prophesies of the Jewish prophets. Although Jewish Orthodox people and other Jewish people who believe in G-d do not believe Jesus is the Messiah, Christian beliefs stem from Jewish beliefs and without Jewish beliefs in YHWH, there would be no Christian beliefs.

 

So, Christianity is debatable by the Jewish Orthodox people because they do not consider Christianity to be right, since they do not believe Jesus is the Messiah (Christ). However, for Christians who truly are Christian (and not just are associated by name or tradition), Christians believe that Jesus is the Messiah and the way, the truth, and the life.

It's not a question of "your" God. God is the God, the Creator, Provider, Protector, Master, and Judge, of all the universe, so He isn't just the "Christian God." He's the God of all people, of the animals, of the earth, and the heavens. People at this point in time do not know if there are other life forms outside of earth, though many scientists are eagerly seeking to find life in other galaxies. However, Christians understand that there is life forms (angels) outside of the earth, who are not earthlings. It is also very possible that there are other galaxies where there there are other life forms, and maybe someday we will get to know them too.

 

About how God is more "real", God made the earth, but He is not contained in earth. He is Spirit. Even scientists today still cannot make a creature, and breathe it to life. Only God can through his Spirit. Spirit is not visible to the human eyes. Many Native Americans called God "The Great Spirit" and even though they believed and worshiped differently than Christians, they knew that the Great Spirit (which many also believe to be a part of Nature... trees and animals and so on), they recognized that life is not just about what you see with your physical eyes, but that the Spirit is just as important as the physical. Scientists who do not believe in God though still have not been able to grasp the extreme importance of the Spirit of God.

 

Since your reply was lengthy and well thought out I will respond in a non-insulting way to your posts.

 

So if I understand you correctly. The God you worship is the same God native americans worship and maybe alot of other religions, he just goes under a different name for different people around the world?

 

But lets take the ancient Greek gods for example Aphrodite, Apollo, Zeus, Poseidon etc etc, do you think all those Gods exist? If not... Why not? What makes your God anymore credible than those Gods?

 

Native Americans(some of them atleast) also had several Gods who they worshipped and not just the God. So do all those different Gods they worshipped also exist in your oppinion?

 

Vikings also had their own different Gods and beliefs and legends that in all honesty aren't any more far fetched than Christian legends.

 

For example the legend of Sleipnir, Loki's eight legged horse... Do you think that exists/existed? If not, Why? You believe I assume that Jesus walked on water and parted the red sea so why don't you believe in Sleipnir or any of the other Viking legends?

 

I mean what makes the Christian legends and beliefs more credible and real than Viking, Native American or Ancient Greek legends and beliefs?

Edited April 14, 2011 by Velociraptor

[elaina]

Since your reply was lengthy and well thought out I will respond in a non-insulting way to your posts.

 

Thanks

 

So if I understand you correctly. The God you worship is the same God native americans worship and maybe alot of other religions, he just goes under a different name for different people around the world?

Many Christians do not believe the above, but yes I do believe that God "showed Himself" to people all over the world a long time ago (and still does today.)

 

For example, below is a quote from an article that is understandably antagonistic against European Christian immigrants to the "New Land", which tells a bit about what different Native Americans in the past believed. I am quoting from the Iroquois belief, which is the most similiar of the Native American beliefs to Christian beliefs (and as far as I know, they didn't know Christians until the European Christians immigrated and killed and invaded their people.) I am very sad about what Christians long time ago did to Native Americans, African people, and people of other countries (including other European countries.)

 

http://are.as.wvu.edu/ruvolo.htm

"According to Lewis H. Morgan, their religion is characterized by a monotheistic belief in an all-powerful creator known as the "Great Spirit", or "Ha-wen-ne-yu." "The Iroquois believed in the constant superintending care of the Great Spirit. He ruled and administered the world, and the affairs of the red race." (1954,146). The Iroquois failed to see the need in developing a detailed conception of their creator. This knowledge was thought to be above and beyond their capabilities to understand. His power was administered to the material world through "a class of inferior spiritual existences, by whom he was surrounded." (1954,147). While divine attributes concerning the Great Spirit remained undeveloped, the Iroquois gave detailed descriptions of this lower class of spirits that interacted with the material world. The were known as "Invisible Agents" or "Ho-no-che-no-keh." (Morgan 1954). The power possessed by these spirits was given to them by the Great Spirit and were the manifestations of his unlimited power. Some of these spirits were given names, however, they were often identified with the object or force that they presided over. For example, He-no, one of the more important spirits, was given the thunderbolt and controlled the weather. According to Morgan, he had the form of man and wore the costume of a warrior (1954,147).

 

While the Iroquois belief system centered around the idea of a benevolent Great Spirit, it did not ignore the existence of evil in the world. Evil is represented by the brother of the Great Spirit, "Ha-ne-go-ate-geh", or "the Evil-minded" (1954,147). This evil spirit exists independently and controls it's own inferior spiritual beings. These agents of evil also exist in the material world and are place there in an attempt to bring about evil. According to Morgan, the Great Spirit does not have any type of positive authority over the Evil-minded, except for the power to overcome him when necessary (1954,148). The red race is left to choose either obedience to the Great Spirit or submission to the Evil-minded. It is important to note that the Iroquois developed the idea of an immortal soul. This soul was judged by the Great Spirit upon the death of the body. The threat of punishment in the afterlife increased morality concerns, which aided in the success of the Iroquois Nation."

 

The article is very interesting and I think it's a good thing to read, even though yeah it does put Christian beliefs in a very bad light. However, it is so sad the evils Christians (or those who call themselves Christians but who don't follow Jesus' teachings) have done and do. Christians are supposed to follow the teachings of Jesus, and nowhere in Jesus' teachings does He say to invade and kill other people and take away where they are living!!! Rather, Jesus empathizes helping and loving people.

 

Back to your question, yes I do believe God revealed about Himself to people all over the world a long time ago, and God doesn't just speak English or Latin or Greek or Hebrew. God speaks all languages, including the language of the heart/spirit/soul.

 

But lets take the ancient Greeks for example Aphrodite, Apollo, Zeus, Poseidon etc etc, do you think all those Gods exist? If not... Why not? What makes your God anymore credible than those Gods?

I believe Aprhodite, Apollo... may have been superior beings that were here in the early days of earth, and that the ancient Greeks told their descendants about them and stories/myths began to form about them. Many stories/myths are based on a truth, though sometimes the truth gets lost and fiction gets in. Now, whether Aphrodite... are angelic beings who cohabited with people or another form of life superior in power/abilities than humans, I don't know.

 

There are some people who do believe that the ancient heroes/gods were a "mix" between human/angel or human/other supreme being. It's a very interesting study.

 

In the Bible, there is a reference to a superior being (whether angels or not I don't know) that were on earth a loooong time ago:

 

Genesis 6 (NIV)

 

" 1 When human beings began to increase in number on the earth and daughters were born to them, 2 the sons of God saw that the daughters of humans were beautiful, and they married any of them they chose. 3 Then the LORD said, “My Spirit will not contend with[Or My spirit will not remain in] humans forever, for they are mortal[Or corrupt]; their days will be a hundred and twenty years.” 4 The Nephilim were on the earth in those days—and also afterward—when the sons of God went to the daughters of humans and had children by them. They were the heroes of old, men of renown."

 

 

That'd be interesting to study... but yeah I've not really thought about it. Back to your question I do consider the stories about gods of other nations (including the ancient Greeks/Romans, Indians (from India), Celtics, and peoples from all over the world) to be stories about beings superior to humans, but I do not consider most of them to be about the One and Only God, the Creator, who created the beings superior to humans as well. I do believe God also created angels and there are good angels and bad (fallen) angels. I do believe angels are superior to humans in many ways, seeing as they can appear and disappear and "fly" and know a whole lot more than people do. Whether the gods are angels or another life form, I don't know. However, I do believe the Great Spirit that many Native Americans worshiped, as well as other beliefs around the world, are concerning God, though they don't share other Christian or Judean beliefs.

 

Native Americans(some of them atleast) also had several Gods who they worshipped and not just the God. So do all those different Gods they worshipped also exist in your oppinion?

Yes I believe they exist, though I consider the different gods to be more angels or another life form superior to humans, and not the God.

Vikings also had their own different Gods and beliefs and legends that in all honesty aren't any more far fetched than Christian legends.

Most ancient civilizations believed in gods or God, yes? That is why I think it's so important for scientists to not discount the beliefs of people who were closer in time period to when life on earth began. There are reasons why most everybody long time ago believed in a higher than human power.

 

For example the legend of Sleipnir, Loki's eight legged horse... Do you think that exists/existed? If not, Why? You believe I assume that Jesus walked on water and parted the red sea so why don't you believe in Sleipnir or any of the other Viking legends?

It could have existed, and possible the story may be exaggerated, but yes I do believe that stories (including myths the people genuinely believed as fact) do have some truth to them in some way.

I mean what makes the Christian legends and beliefs more credible and real than Viking, Native American or Ancient Greek legends and beliefs?

That's an awesome question. I think it really depends on what a person believes and each person's individual experiences. What makes me sad is the history where Christians have forced their beliefs on other peoples. If people willingly and freely decide they believe that Christian beliefs are true, that is one thing and I believe that God leads people to believe. However, it is wrong when any group of beliefs tries to force their beliefs on someone else. I am very grateful that nowadays, at least in the USA and many other countries, people have freedom to believe what they believe is true. May the USA never again become a place where one group forces another group to believe how they do.

 

About being more credible and real, I personally believe the Christian beliefs to be true, and the beliefs of other groups of people that differ from my own to be explained through the rationale that they are worshiping angels or another life form. However, I am sure they would not share my belief concerning their belief, and that is fine. That is between them and God (gods) and I am thankful for the gift of being able to believe what I believe is true, and that they are free to believe what they believe is true.

Edited April 14, 2011 by elaina

[Ross MwcFan]

Theres thousands of different beliefs and religions in the world, are all those wrong?

 

You can't have multiple "gods" being the ruler and creator of the universe now can you.

 

So naturally if you're Christian then you must be of the belief that your religion is the "right" one and all others are wrong.

 

So what makes Christianity more right than any other religion? What makes your God more real than any of the other thousands of Gods or Godlike figures people worship or has worshipped around the world?

 

As an Atheist, the obvious reason to me why most of Christians believe that their religion and God are the right ones, is because they have grown up around people who are Christian themselves and they probably went to a Christian church. If they grew up in a Muslim country, the chances are they would be Muslim and believe in Allah instead.

 

I can't see them seeing it this way themselves though, because since they really believe their religion is the true one and their God is the true God, they will think the enviroment they grew up in and the people that surrounded them had nothing to do with it. They must just think it's a very very big coincidence.

[quankanne]

If you were born in India to a hindu family the most likely scenario is that you would be a hindu and not a Christian right now. The reason you're Christian is more than likely because you were raised in a Christian family.

 

this is what I'm suggesting, that my capacity for faith is so strong that I would most likely be a strong believer in that which I was born into.

 

however, as an independent-thinking adult who has the option to not practice any kind of faith, my choice is to remain firmly committed to my Catholic Christian faith because it makes most sense to me: That it focuses on love, mercy, forgiveness and selflessness appeals to me because this is my own personal code, independent of my religious belief. That it stands firms behind its teachings is something else that appeals to me because it tells me her truths are absolute. In a world where anything goes, baby, and values are arbitrary, it provides a bedrock for a believer like me. And that's priceless ....

[Disillusioned]

Theres thousands of different beliefs and religions in the world, are all those wrong?

 

You can't have multiple "gods" being the ruler and creator of the universe now can you.

 

So naturally if you're Christian then you must be of the belief that your religion is the "right" one and all others are wrong.

 

So what makes Christianity more right than any other religion? What makes your God more real than any of the other thousands of Gods or Godlike figures people worship or has worshipped around the world?

 

I just don't get Christianity. I mean, I don't understand how a tax-dodging rabbi who's been dead for 2,000 years is supposed to "save" me so that I can end up in some dictatorship-like Heaven after I croak.

 

For the record, Jesus didn't go prancing around telling everyone that he was God's right hand man.

[TheLoneSock]

Theres thousands of different beliefs and religions in the world, are all those wrong?

 

Yes, they are.

 

You can't have multiple "gods" being the ruler and creator of the universe now can you.

 

True.

 

So naturally if you're Christian then you must be of the belief that your religion is the "right" one and all others are wrong.

 

Religion in general is wrong. Jesus himself thought religion was ridiculous.

 

So what makes Christianity more right than any other religion? What makes your God more real than any of the other thousands of Gods or Godlike figures people worship or has worshipped around the world?

 

Christianity is a faith, not a religion. Don't confuse them.

 

And my God is the one true God because Jesus said he is. Jesus was a real, historical person who did amazing things, changed the world, and brought the true word of God to bear as the son of God. There is no dispute in this, unless you wish to dispute Jesus' actual existence in history.

[TheLoneSock]

Since your reply was lengthy and well thought out I will respond in a non-insulting way to your posts.

 

In other words; even though you began the thread, you don't want to treat anyone who responds to your thread with respect unless they give it to you first?

 

Simply amazing. This tells me everything I need to know.

 

And this is why bentnotbroken is absolutely right when they say this:

 

Yet another thread designed to call people unintelligent, ignorant and anything else that comes to mind. It isn't about discussion but a need to feed whatever is missing by dogging others on their faith. To all the Christians reading...remember when God said leave them and shake the dust from your feet......slinging the dust off now.

[D-Lish]

What makes Christianity so special? Christians!

 

What makes Judiasm so special? Jews!

 

What makes Buddhism so special? Buddhists!

 

What makes Science so special? Scientists!

 

All of these belief systems have so much history and narrative, and the one common denominator is the belief that binds and bonds. Regardless of what you believe in, belief bonds people together.

 

I can recognize what is special about all of the above, without ever having been a participant in the majority- only a spectator.

 

Being a part of something that is larger than you are is simply part of the human condition, it seems to make us feel more human to partake in such a thing.

 

What makes Christians, or any other group special is the bond you have with others that feel the same way you do.

 

I cling to science because it makes complete and utter sense to me. I've never been the type of person that needs to have everything explained to me- and I can die with unanswered questions still looming on the horizon and be totally okay with that.

 

What I like about science is that it's forever changing and evolving. that's what life is like, and it makes sense to me that understanding life is an evolving process and not something "written in stone".

 

I personally can't imagine living my life according to a book or doctrine that finished "talking" 2000 years ago. I want to evolve and grow, and learn new things, discover new things.

[TheLoneSock]

I've never been the type of person that needs to have everything explained to me- and I can die with unanswered questions still looming on the horizon and be totally okay with that.

 

That is precisely and exactly what faith is. Not having all the answers and being OK with it, and believing anyway in a deep and profound way.

[D-Lish]

That is precisely and exactly what faith is. Not having all the answers and being OK with it, and believing anyway in a deep and profound way.

 

I just don't believe there is some white looking dude in white robes with a beard in the sky pulling my strings like a puppet, lol.

 

I believe that creation was a random event. Am I in awe of that? Of course, who wouldn't be. Does it inspire me to seek a divine answer to the things I don't understand? Not at all.

 

What I disagree with is that faith= not having all the answers and still being okay with it. Having faith is actually a fixed belief, questioning anything outside of that belief would cause people to have a break down.

 

Not that the belief in something greater than you can't have a profound effect on your life, it can, and often does.

 

I am an atheist and I have the capacity for awe- but it's the awe of nature. It impresses me to no end- but I'm always looking to evolve in my thought process. The Bible was written long before we realized the earth wasn't flat- and everyone knows that isn't true anymore. We don't even suscribe to things we once believed 10 years ago.

 

If religion evolved along with the times in the same way science does, I'd probably have a different outlook, but it doesn't. I could never have loyalty to something that is so stagnant.

[elaina]

What makes Christianity so special? Christians!

 

What makes Judiasm so special? Jews!

 

What makes Buddhism so special? Buddhists!

 

Totally agree with this, though there are Jewish people who do not believe in G-d.

What makes Science so special? Scientists!

There is actually a difference between Christian, Judaism, Buddhism,... and Science. Science is not a belief, and does not exclude people of beliefs. For example, there are Jewish people who do or don't believe in God who are scientists. There are Christians who are scientists. There is a group that is a belief called "Christian Scientist" but that's different than scientists who are are Christian. There are Buddhists and Hindus and Muslims and people of many different beliefs who are scientists or appreciate science, so science is completely different than a belief in God. Actually, science is itself is neutral, because science is based on the scientific method, which only uses physical observation means (sight, hearing, touch, taste, smell) and time, and manipulation of variables to understand how how things work.

 

 

Below are some scientists who believed in God in some way.

1. Nicholas Copernicus

2. Galileo Galilei

3. Rene Descartes

4. Johannes Kepler

5. Isaac Newton

6. Robert Boyle

7. Michael Faraday

8. Gregor Mendel

9. William Thomson Kelvin

10. Max Planc

11.Albert Einstein

There are others as well. The following article is very interesting and would be cool to read: http://www.thenewatlantis.com/publications/what-scientists-believe

 

Below are a few quotes from the article "What Scientists Believe" by Peter Lopatin: (I boldened some.)

 

" Of the 2,200 faculty members to whom Ecklund sent questionnaires, 1,646 responded. "

 

...

 

"About 64 percent of the respondents described themselves as atheists or agnostics, as against only about 6 percent of the general public. “Looked at the other way around,” Ecklund writes, “only about 9 percent of scientists say they have no doubt that God exists, compared to well over 60 percent of the general public.” As far as religious practice is concerned, “about 18 percent of scientists attend religious services at least once a month or more, compared to about 46 percent of those in the general population.”

However, the views of many scientists turn out to be less rigidly doctrinaire and hostile to religious belief than the raw statistics might suggest:

After four years of research, at least one thing became clear: Much of what we believe about the faith lives of elite scientists is wrong. The “insurmountable hostility” between science and religion is a caricature, a thought-cliché, perhaps useful as a satire on groupthink, but hardly representative of reality.

Ecklund’s study serves as a corrective to that caricature. In the first section of her book, which focuses on religion and spirituality in scientists’ personal lives, she finds that only 15 percent of scientists hold firmly to the “conflict paradigm” — believing there is “no hope for achieving a common ground of dialogue between scientists and religious believers.” Meanwhile, a significant minority of the respondents, 36 percent, acknowledged holding at least some sort of belief in God. These ranged from “I believe in a higher power, but it is not God” (8 percent) to “I believe in God sometimes” (5 percent) to “I have some doubts, but I believe in God” (14 percent) to “I have no doubts about God’s existence” (9 percent). Ecklund concludes from her research that most scientists do not become irreligious as a consequence of their becoming scientists. “Rather, their reasons for unbelief mirror the circumstances in which other Americans find themselves: they were not raised in a religious home; they have had bad experiences with religion; they disapprove of God or see God as too changeable.” The disproportionately high percentage of nonbelievers among scientists (as compared to the general population) would appear to be the result of self-selection: the irreligious seem more likely to become scientists in the first place."

 

 

"Here again, however, Ecklund finds the lived reality to be more nuanced than the raw statistics might suggest. She identifies a class of “boundary pioneers,” scientists who have succeeded in reconciling their religious beliefs with a scientific worldview. Prominent among them is Francis Collins, director of the National Institutes of Health, a born-again Christian. (His bestselling book on science and faith, The Language of God, was reviewed in these pages by Thomas W. Merrill [“C.S. Lewis Goes to the Laboratory,” Fall 2006].) Collins is cited with considerable deference by a number of the non-religious surveyed scientists because of his impeccable scientific credentials and his willingness to speak openly about what he believes. Whether a less accomplished — and untenured — openly religious scientist would be treated as deferentially by his colleagues is another matter.

Young boundary pioneers may sometimes be helped along by nonbelieving scientists who are willing to engage religious students and to show them “how different religious scientists have reconciled their faith with their lifework” — indeed, how a “full commitment to science can be held alongside full commitment to Christianity (of a certain kind).” Ecklund speculates that “as religious scientists [become] more outspoken within their departments about their faith, prejudice among scientists against religious groups as a whole ought to decrease.” Whether she is correct or overly optimistic on this point remains to be seen. At the very least, the existence of these boundary pioneers represents the potential for a truce between academic scientists and the religious."

 

Isn't that interesting? I would recommend reading the whole article!

So again, science is not a belief. People of almost any belief can be scientists or appreciate science.

ll of these belief systems have so much history and narrative, and the one common denominator is the belief that binds and bonds. Regardless of what you believe in, belief bonds people together.

True Edited April 15, 2011 by elaina

[taiko]

Yet another thread designed to call people unintelligent, ignorant and anything else that comes to mind. It isn't about discussion but a need to feed whatever is missing by dogging others on their faith. To all the Christians reading...remember when God said leave them and shake the dust from your feet......slinging the dust off now.

 

I agree someone goes to the trouble of joining a forum dedicated to giving advive on oral and anal sex and how to be a better other woman to say how bad the faithful are. Perhaps they were kicked off of religious boards but normally they will keep a seeker in hopes of saving him.

[Velociraptor]

I agree someone goes to the trouble of joining a forum dedicated to giving advive on oral and anal sex and how to be a better other woman to say how bad the faithful are. Perhaps they were kicked off of religious boards but normally they will keep a seeker in hopes of saving him.

 

I have never given advice on oral or anal sex on here.

 

I have never talked about how to be a "better other woman".

 

I have never talked about how bad faithful women are.