I just found this forum and am really impressed. I watched the video of Ben and you seem very level headed, something that is quite rare in this time. I sooo dont want to sound patronising / condescending, I just felt that I had to comment, such was my impression!!!
I wanted to contribute with a thread about the world's organised religions. I live in Bulgaria, but originally from Northern Ireland, so I have seen the worst that religion can offer. The biggest mystery to me peronsally in this world, and probably in common with most people is how did we come into existence, what was there before time began, all mind blowing stuff. The second biggest mystery to me, is why do hundreds of millions of otherwise intelligent people throw complete caution to the wind and follow fictitious world religions. Christianity, Islam, Judaism, Bhudism, Hindhuism, the indigenous religions etc, all complete b******t. In my view no different to the extinct or nearly extinct Pagan, Aztec, Mayan, Old Egyptian, Old Roman, Old Greek relgions. Religion is two a penny and does more harm than good. It gives me no satisfaction to make these statements, I wish for nothing more than for there to be such a simple structure in the universe, although I dont fear death myself, I do fear the passing of family, but no matter how painful this process will be oneday I refuse to become another self delusional zombie.
By now you are probably thinking I am an atheist, but the truth is I am somewhere closer to agnostic. If there is a higher nature in the realm that we cannot understand then I am certain that it has nothing whatsoever to do with Allah or Jesus or any of the other fallacies that are out there. Although I have a cautious optimism at times that there may be something after death that falls within the sphere of science in line with Einstein's beliefs that everything we do in life lives on forever in time and is almost like imprinted on a little part of the universe.
Much of religion defies common logic For example....
1. If Adam and Eve were two caucasian Jewish people, just where did the first black people come from, never mind the Chinese etc??
2. If the Noah's Ark really did save two of every species on the planet, he must have been really busy making his way to the Galapagos Islands, Australia etc, and a thoroughly decent guy to leave them back there after the floods had ended.
3. The age of the earth. Many people who follow a religion just wont accept the fossil records and radio carbon dating, but for me this is tangible evidence that no religion can offer.
4. The only reason we follow Christianity in the west is because the Roman Emperor Constantine took a political decision to convert the Roman Empire to Christianity. If this had not happened, then the bulk of the population would be following a completely different religion today.
5. The simplistic idea that God made the earth, the sun, the heavens etc in 7 days is ridiculous. The Catholic Church fought for so many years against the idea the world was round and look where that one finished up. Take a look a the intensely beautiful pictures from the Hubble Space Telescope, then look up the number of stars there are in our galaxy the Milky Way, something like 100,000,000,000, and also something like 100,000,000,000 galaxies, thats a lot of stars just like our own the sun, when you multiply the figures out. It also makes for a lot of effort by "God" just to make us some nice background scenery ! Seriously though, our star the sun is no more significant than a grain of sand in the Sahara Desert, which makes me even seriously doubt the tales of alien visitations to this planet, while there may be life out there, we couldnt be that important to them.
It sometimes amazes me to the core that in such a technologically advanced country as America, the bulk of the population are still believing fairy tales. Thankfully while maybe 70% of Americans believe in Christianity, in the UK where I am from originally the opposite is the case, with around 70% disbelieving and accepting Darwin's theories, which is just as well as he does appear on the British £10 note as one of the best scientists Britain ever had.
Anyway I just wanted to start a new thread, so feel free to discuss or argue with my points!...................................
