karri0n
Well-Known Member
I see a lot of arguments, not just here, but all over the internet, and in other forums(not web forums but other places people talk to each other than the internet), put forth by people with more atheist leanings to try to debunk things that they consider to be "religious".
By far, the most classic example is the creationism vs. evolution debate. There are probably 4 other active threads on here about this argument, so I won't get into that. Suffice it to say I don't feel that the two concepts are mutually exclusive.
This thread is more for people who try to present logical arguments that disprove mythology. It's not all that difficult to point out that two of every species in the world could never possibly be gathered on a boat, that a human being cannot be magically poofed into existence using another person's rib, or that a giant titan holds the earth on his shoulders.
In fact, much of ancient mythology in educated regions such as Greece and Rome was not taken literally at the time. Yes, some mythology is used to explain events that were unexplained at the time, but most serves a function more like a fable - to teach a certain moral and try to impress upon people the reasons for acting a certain way. Pointing out the logical fallacies in these stories is akin to pointing out the fact that pigs don't actually build houses when someone tells you the story of the three little pigs. Now, I know that someone will point out the myriad of groups that swear every word of a religious book is to be taken completely literally. This isn't who I'm talking about. Those types of fundamentalist groups should be referred to as cults, and are dangerous. These aren't spiritual people, they are people who are either trying to control others or are being led themselves.
A big part of the problem lies with the fact that people who aren't religious don't actually understand what religion is about. They believe erroneously that it's a desperate attempt at trying to figure out the origins of life, the planet, or the universe, or some means to escape their unshakable fear of death. While SOME religious belief does indeed function as these, or incorporate these aspects, others do not, and this is not the true purpose of spirituality.
People who are spiritual are that way because they have felt a connection with the divine. Call it what you will, present as many arguments as you want, there is nothing you can do that will convince someone that has experienced them to deny the mental, psychological, and physiological effects(which have been all measured and verified scientifically) that are affected on the human body when in prayer, worship, meditation, or trance. The human body has these mechanisms in place to be used, and most psychologists agree that this is a very important aspect of the human psyche, particularly useful for things such as anger management, stress, and social relationships.
If you're talking to or debating someone religious, keep this in mind:
You're probably not some poor soul who has been tricked by the devil into marching straight to the gates of hell and needs to be saved, any more than the person responding back to you is some moron desperately clinging to his notion of god so that he can have some reprieve from his debilitating fear of death. If you treat them as if they are the latter, you are being disrespectful and you should absolutely expect them to be angry and combative with you. Approach everyone as if they are just as intelligent and knowledgeable as you are. Even if you have an IQ of 170 and a masters in molecular biology, the person on the other side of the computer screen has the exact same probability as you to be at that level.
By far, the most classic example is the creationism vs. evolution debate. There are probably 4 other active threads on here about this argument, so I won't get into that. Suffice it to say I don't feel that the two concepts are mutually exclusive.
This thread is more for people who try to present logical arguments that disprove mythology. It's not all that difficult to point out that two of every species in the world could never possibly be gathered on a boat, that a human being cannot be magically poofed into existence using another person's rib, or that a giant titan holds the earth on his shoulders.
In fact, much of ancient mythology in educated regions such as Greece and Rome was not taken literally at the time. Yes, some mythology is used to explain events that were unexplained at the time, but most serves a function more like a fable - to teach a certain moral and try to impress upon people the reasons for acting a certain way. Pointing out the logical fallacies in these stories is akin to pointing out the fact that pigs don't actually build houses when someone tells you the story of the three little pigs. Now, I know that someone will point out the myriad of groups that swear every word of a religious book is to be taken completely literally. This isn't who I'm talking about. Those types of fundamentalist groups should be referred to as cults, and are dangerous. These aren't spiritual people, they are people who are either trying to control others or are being led themselves.
A big part of the problem lies with the fact that people who aren't religious don't actually understand what religion is about. They believe erroneously that it's a desperate attempt at trying to figure out the origins of life, the planet, or the universe, or some means to escape their unshakable fear of death. While SOME religious belief does indeed function as these, or incorporate these aspects, others do not, and this is not the true purpose of spirituality.
People who are spiritual are that way because they have felt a connection with the divine. Call it what you will, present as many arguments as you want, there is nothing you can do that will convince someone that has experienced them to deny the mental, psychological, and physiological effects(which have been all measured and verified scientifically) that are affected on the human body when in prayer, worship, meditation, or trance. The human body has these mechanisms in place to be used, and most psychologists agree that this is a very important aspect of the human psyche, particularly useful for things such as anger management, stress, and social relationships.
If you're talking to or debating someone religious, keep this in mind:
You're probably not some poor soul who has been tricked by the devil into marching straight to the gates of hell and needs to be saved, any more than the person responding back to you is some moron desperately clinging to his notion of god so that he can have some reprieve from his debilitating fear of death. If you treat them as if they are the latter, you are being disrespectful and you should absolutely expect them to be angry and combative with you. Approach everyone as if they are just as intelligent and knowledgeable as you are. Even if you have an IQ of 170 and a masters in molecular biology, the person on the other side of the computer screen has the exact same probability as you to be at that level.
