This thread has a lot of really cool elements to it: indignant Christians reaffirming their conservatism while frantically distancing themselves from the WBC, militant atheists on the march, indignant Christians responding to militant atheists, people feeling they have to reaffirm their identities as christians or atheists (as if people really care), armchair comparative religion experts, the expected slight against SFD, AMURRICAA-first patriots.....
If it makes you feel better, there is also the vast majority who plain don't give a s**t.
I certainly agree on the cesspool statement however. In recent weeks this place has sunk to the bottom of the toilet bowl.
When people finally stop talking about you know who, it may settle down again.
As for 'Skepticism'- "Agnostic" is skeptical-they're unsure of god's existence, but don't immediately discount it. 'ATHEIST' (Atheism) Demands belief that God or gods or goddesses or whatever simply don't exist, that this is it, no afterlife, no purpose, no god.
Not to keep adding fuel to anything burning a long in the thread here.
Agnostic is a weaklings word. I think many atheists wish Huxley had never coined the word.
I like Dawkins thoughts on the idea, "I am agnostic only to the extent that I am agnostic about fairies at the bottom of the garden."
No one claiming to have an open mind could ever discount anything they have not experienced with 100% certainty. If I am 99.998% sure that gods are myths does that make me Agnostic on the idea... or do I have to reach a higher % to use the label. Most atheists in truth consider themselves to be "agnostic", short of perhaps a few close minded ones. The issue with the word is so many religious people take, someone admitting to being agnostic as a win. That they have somehow converted us, and our arguments mean nothing because we somehow can't commit as they do. There is strength in admitting you could be wrong, not the other way around.
The philosophical ideas of Buddhism I find do the best job of helping guide a person in right thought, and still demand people be open enough to consider all possible realities. On the existence of a God, why does it matter ? Will you choose to be a better person because you know one exists ? Will you choose to be a better person because you know one doesn't exist ? The question is irrelevant.
As the Buddha said. "I do not care to know your various theories about God. What is the use of discussing all the subtle doctrines of the soul? Do good and be good. And this will take you to freedom and whatever truth there is."
No reasoning there at all, I just hope religion like wars and diseases is ancient history by the time we reach the 24th century. I personally feel that religions around the world have done nothing to further the human species and indeed have held it back for millennia. Everyone has a right to their personal beliefs, these are mine, please don't take offence.
I think the original purpose of religions was probably to create a moral and ethical model to work with to allow people to act "decently" and together, allowing to create large societies. Karma or the After-Life all exists are basically all a kind of "policing" tools. "Follow the rules of the society, even if no one seems ot be around, because God is always watching and you'll not be able to escape your punishment, it may just come after death."
Rules like about what to eat, or about cleanliness also existed to ensure that insights that were learned once from experience would stay around and not forgotten.
But there are a lot of dangers to them - the rules religions have are mostly only taught by practice, but not explained, in many cases the reason for their existence isn't even known anymore. A rule that made sense 2,000 years ago might no longer make sense today, or eve counter-productive.
And of course, they can also be used to just keep a minority in power and justify any kind of terrible behaviour, because they create the concept of an ultimate, unquestionable source of all rules, and people can always pretend to be the few that can contact and interpret this source for you.
That's why I think that ultimately, we have to leave religions behind. Or if we want to keep them, we must still provide a source for the ratio behind a religions laws and rules, so that future generations can adapt the rules. "Wash your hands after your visit to the toilet, because there are micro-organism that can be harmful. Washing removes most of them, so you can't transmit them anymore." So if later there is a micro-organism that cannot be washed away, you realize that you need to change your procedure, and if that includes a new super-nano-robot that cleans up your hands but would be washed away, you don't insist on religious grounds to keep washing your hands even if it has become counter-productive. (To give a silly example.)
Star Trek Online Advancement: You start with lowbie gear, you end with Lobi gear.
Atheism is just another religion. A minority of its members are obsessed with pushing their beliefs upon others, and don't understand that most people couldn't care less.
Personally, I liked the Babylon 5 approach, where they had a single episode that mentioned religion, then introduced some alien ambassador to the long, looooong line of religious figureheads.
Absolutely no redeeming qualities in this thread and Dental whatsoever. There are no glimmers here and there -- Druk and js particularly -- but, on the whole, a cesspool of a thread.
Fixed that...and nice of you to recognise your contributions at the end there. :rolleyes:
You know reading more... you may just be right. It would seem you may be able to sue gov officials for not stopping some forms of public protest. You may be right that there right to stand in the street and shout whatever the heck they feel like may be perfectly legal in the US.
The more I read about that backward country the more I am glad I don't live there.
Marginalizing and making illegal beliefs that you don't like is definitely the more backwards approach, done by every oppressive government ever. History has lessons, be sure you learn from them.
Star Trek showed us a distinct, deliberate policy of not interfering with other cultures, regardless of their beliefs. We can't go around forcing people to act and think the way we want them to, whether it is white supremacists, some religion, or an alien culture. The sooner people aren't trying to control other's thoughts and beliefs, the sooner we get to a more evolved humanity.
honestly, the fact that those people are not already in prison is a testimony to the cultural and intellectual degeneration of the USA. They are like the mold on a decaying loaf of bread, a visual indicator that it is time to throw the bread away.
They are kept out of prison so the rest of us can point and laugh.
"He shall be my finest warrior, this generic man who was forced upon me.
Like a badass I shall make him look, and in the furnace of war I shall forge him.
he shall be of iron will and steely sinew.
In great armour I shall clad him and with the mightiest weapons he shall be armed.
He will be untouched by plague or disease; no sickness shall blight him.
He shall have such tactics, strategies and machines that no foe will best him in battle.
He is my answer to cryptic logic, he is the Defender of my Romulan Crew.
He is Tovan Khev... and he shall know no fear."
if you believe in god or gods you also believe in magic, and why not fairies as well. might as well say james bond is real, as are the smurfs and harry potter.
they all have one thing in common...all were created by humans. there IS a history of that, mythologies everywhere in every culture yet some try to claim their mythology is real...
there's no point in debating with people who believe in magic as if it was real, they are no different from the extreme conspiracy theorists or those locked away in asylums for paranoid delusions. they aren't going to change their particular form of insanity just because reality or evidence to the contrary says otherwise.
it is a form of insanity, treat them as you would treat anyone who is insane. they are like kids with imaginary friends...well not really...kids with imaginary friends don't often kill, maim, or torture others.
Dr. Patricia Tanis ~ "Bacon is for sycophants and products of incest."
Donate Brains, zombies in Washington DC are starving.
if you believe in god or gods you also believe in magic, and why not fairies as well. might as well say james bond is real, as are the smurfs and harry potter.
they all have one thing in common...all were created by humans. there IS a history of that, mythologies everywhere in every culture yet some try to claim their mythology is real...
there's no point in debating with people who believe in magic as if it was real, they are no different from the extreme conspiracy theorists or those locked away in asylums for paranoid delusions. they aren't going to change their particular form of insanity just because reality or evidence to the contrary says otherwise.
it is a form of insanity, treat them as you would treat anyone who is insane. they are like kids with imaginary friends...well not really...kids with imaginary friends don't often kill, maim, or torture others.
And people who want to get all into these debates are why threadlock happens faster and faster.
"He shall be my finest warrior, this generic man who was forced upon me.
Like a badass I shall make him look, and in the furnace of war I shall forge him.
he shall be of iron will and steely sinew.
In great armour I shall clad him and with the mightiest weapons he shall be armed.
He will be untouched by plague or disease; no sickness shall blight him.
He shall have such tactics, strategies and machines that no foe will best him in battle.
He is my answer to cryptic logic, he is the Defender of my Romulan Crew.
He is Tovan Khev... and he shall know no fear."
Atheism is just another religion. A minority of its members are obsessed with pushing their beliefs upon others, and don't understand that most people couldn't care less.
Personally, I liked the Babylon 5 approach, where they had a single episode that mentioned religion, then introduced some alien ambassador to the long, looooong line of religious figureheads.
Atheism is a lack of a belief in a God or Gods and not a religion.
Atheism is a lack of a belief in a God or Gods not a religion. To claim otherwise is just foolish.
Lack of belief is a philosophy just like belief is.
I'm looking to see how soon this thread gets shut down tho this is gonna be interesting.
"He shall be my finest warrior, this generic man who was forced upon me.
Like a badass I shall make him look, and in the furnace of war I shall forge him.
he shall be of iron will and steely sinew.
In great armour I shall clad him and with the mightiest weapons he shall be armed.
He will be untouched by plague or disease; no sickness shall blight him.
He shall have such tactics, strategies and machines that no foe will best him in battle.
He is my answer to cryptic logic, he is the Defender of my Romulan Crew.
He is Tovan Khev... and he shall know no fear."
That's nonsense. You don't believe in a LOT of things, many of them are even major religions, is your lack of belief in these things some overarching philosophy on your part? Or do you simply not buy into those things and live your life just fine without them?
I suspect it's the latter. Atheists are the same way.
I think you misunderstand what I meant by philosophy. It represents a worldview, what you believe or don't believe is a part of that.
"He shall be my finest warrior, this generic man who was forced upon me.
Like a badass I shall make him look, and in the furnace of war I shall forge him.
he shall be of iron will and steely sinew.
In great armour I shall clad him and with the mightiest weapons he shall be armed.
He will be untouched by plague or disease; no sickness shall blight him.
He shall have such tactics, strategies and machines that no foe will best him in battle.
He is my answer to cryptic logic, he is the Defender of my Romulan Crew.
He is Tovan Khev... and he shall know no fear."
And that only matters to the extent that we live in a culture inundated with religion. Not participating makes you a minority, but it's not the same as a belief system. It's the equivalent of not being a sports fan when everyone else is raving about the Final Four or Super Bowl, or not playing WoW when all your friends do. If lots of people didn't, making those who don't normal instead of an odd man out, it wouldn't matter at all and no one would know the difference. There are many, many things out there we don't care about or participate in, for some it's card games for some it's video games, some don't watch TV, some don't like sports, some don't sew, some don't cook, some don't garden, some don't work on cars and others don't even drive, the list goes on and on but only in the case of religion do people turn lack of interest and participation into a self-defining trait.
I think if you come from a society following a particular religion, being part of that religion for a while, and discussing the topic with others and internally, and then make a concious choice against religion, then you're more than just a "non-participant".
I think atheism - at least mine - is a bit more than just "I don't belief in Christianity". It means categorally refusing to believe in something that offers no proof, to think that there is nothing "supernatural", only natural things, that we can observe or reason about.
It means that my moral and ethical guidelines do not come from a higher being, nor are they judged by it. Morals and Ethics are based on shared beliefs, but if you encounter different shared beliefs? How do you resolve this, if no one can point to a higher arbiter?
It means that when I die, there is nothing waiting for me, nor was there anything for friends or family members. Their existence ended, and all that remains are our memories, and if I am dead, that means the end of my existence, the end of my ability to reason or make experiences. Which can be quite a frightening thought on some days, when you wake up in the morning and suddenly realize that there is an end and I will ... well, not exactly experience it. Stop experiencing anything. There is always a hope in me that maybe I am wrong, but... I don't believe that. There is nothing factual to suggest that.
I think that is definitely a philosophy.
Star Trek Online Advancement: You start with lowbie gear, you end with Lobi gear.
Atheism is just another religion. A minority of its members are obsessed with pushing their beliefs upon others, and don't understand that most people couldn't care less.
Personally, I liked the Babylon 5 approach, where they had a single episode that mentioned religion, then introduced some alien ambassador to the long, looooong line of religious figureheads.
This is what i hate the most.
In my city there used to be a woman who you would see around town, she didn't push any agenda just sang about love and would say things like "Jesus loves you" and many people myself included loved seeing her, she was a positive motivator and for someone like me who who hates religion i liked that about her.
The ones who think you have to agree with them are like the worlds worst trolls, they push and push and use hate like "your going to hell" and "you will burn if you dont embrace Jesus"
if more were like the lady i used to run into maybe Religion wouldn't be seen as such a horrid thing by many.
"It appears we have lost our sex appeal, captain."- Tuvok
And that only matters to the extent that we live in a culture inundated with religion. Not participating makes you a minority, but it's not the same as a belief system. It's the equivalent of not being a sports fan when everyone else is raving about the Final Four or Super Bowl, or not playing WoW when all your friends do. If lots of people didn't, making those who don't normal instead of an odd man out, it wouldn't matter at all and no one would know the difference. There are many, many things out there we don't care about or participate in, for some it's card games for some it's video games, some don't watch TV, some don't like sports, some don't sew, some don't cook, some don't garden, some don't work on cars and others don't even drive, the list goes on and on but only in the case of religion do people turn lack of interest and participation into a self-defining trait.
So, in other words You're mad that you somehow feel like an outcast for deciding not to have a religion?
Why? Why should you feel like an outcast religion or no?
"He shall be my finest warrior, this generic man who was forced upon me.
Like a badass I shall make him look, and in the furnace of war I shall forge him.
he shall be of iron will and steely sinew.
In great armour I shall clad him and with the mightiest weapons he shall be armed.
He will be untouched by plague or disease; no sickness shall blight him.
He shall have such tactics, strategies and machines that no foe will best him in battle.
He is my answer to cryptic logic, he is the Defender of my Romulan Crew.
He is Tovan Khev... and he shall know no fear."
One show showed Human beings as peaceful, you could argue loving, caring beings. Who removed currency war and hunger.
Star Trek didn't get rid of any of that until after Gene Roddenberry went nuts and bought his own hype. In TOS those things were still largely there and humanity wasn't a boring cookie cutter culture.
The Westboro Baptist Church were foiled in their attempts to protest at the funeral of Star Trek actor Leonard Nimoy on 1 March, because of their failure to find it.
...I am both appalled that humanity is even more awful than I thought, and cheering that the people who arranged Leonard Nimoy's funeral were smart enough to hold it secretly.
I thought this was an interesting article to insert at this point.
The Pew Survey chart where it lists the religion vs. number of answered questions disproves that. It lists Atheists/Agnostics at 20.9, Jews at 20.5, and Mormons at 20.3. The numbers are far too close to say a belief in god decreases as knowledge increases.
It also lists race to differentiate between Catholic and Protestant like White Catholic getting 16.0 and Hispanic Catholic getting 11.6 so a person's circumstances has a huge effect on their knowledge which has absolutely nothing to do with religion.
The only thing that can be said is that certain religions suppress knowledge while other religions encourage knowledge. After all, about a thousand years ago, the Islamic world was the height of civilization while European civilization was barbaric by comparison. It is easier to control the ignorant masses than have an intelligent congregation. If more religions taught people to think for themselves and acquire as much knowledge as you can instead of blind faith and control, then the world would be a better place. After all, if you believe that the afterlife exists, then the only things that you can bring with you is your relationships with other people and knowledge. So these two things should be the most important things in a person's life.
In my city there used to be a woman who you would see around town, she didn't push any agenda just sang about love and would say things like "Jesus loves you" and many people myself included loved seeing her, she was a positive motivator and for someone like me who who hates religion i liked that about her.
The ones who think you have to agree with them are like the worlds worst trolls, they push and push and use hate like "your going to hell" and "you will burn if you dont embrace Jesus"
if more were like the lady i used to run into maybe Religion wouldn't be seen as such a horrid thing by many.
And yet I have seen someone who does exactly this in game, simply offers a blessing, and is flamed for it. :-/
There is no place for coercion and bullying in faith, to my belief. None. That said, I do not think it should be treated as a mortal offense for it to be known what it is I believe in, what I try (imperfectly) to be, and why that is.
Christian Gaming Community Fleets--Faith, Fun, and Fellowship! See the website and PM for more. :-) Proudly F2P.Signature image by gulberat. Avatar image by balsavor.deviantart.com.
Am i the only one who finds the WBC banner raised by anti-theists stupid?
This thread and it's many quantum duplicates across the internet all share christian bashing as a feature when we're talking about a bunch of freaks on the fringe of the fringe.
Get off the high horse. You're not morally superior by drumming hate on a forum.
Even Einstein said "Religion without science is deaf, science without religion is blind".
Which is wrong, no matter who said it.
Religion tells people what to think, whatever their particular 'truth' is. Science teaches people how to think. If it can't be tested, then it's irrelevant to science, i.e. the accumulation of knowledge.
Norway and Yeager dammit... I still want my Typhoon and Jupiter though. JJ Trek The Kelvin Timeline is just Trek and it's fully canon... get over it. But I still prefer TAR.
#TASforSTO
'...I can tell you that we're not in the military and that we intend no harm to the whales.' Kirk: The Voyage Home
'Starfleet is not a military organisation. Its purpose is exploration.' Picard: Peak Performance
'This is clearly a military operation. Is that what we are now? Because I thought we were explorers!' Scotty: Into Darkness
'...The Federation. Starfleet. We're not a military agency.' Scotty: Beyond
'I'm not a soldier anymore. I'm an engineer.' Miles O'Brien: Empok Nor
'...Starfleet could use you... It's a peacekeeping and humanitarian armada...' Admiral Pike: Star Trek
Comments
If it makes you feel better, there is also the vast majority who plain don't give a s**t.
I certainly agree on the cesspool statement however. In recent weeks this place has sunk to the bottom of the toilet bowl.
When people finally stop talking about you know who, it may settle down again.
Not to keep adding fuel to anything burning a long in the thread here.
Agnostic is a weaklings word. I think many atheists wish Huxley had never coined the word.
I like Dawkins thoughts on the idea, "I am agnostic only to the extent that I am agnostic about fairies at the bottom of the garden."
No one claiming to have an open mind could ever discount anything they have not experienced with 100% certainty. If I am 99.998% sure that gods are myths does that make me Agnostic on the idea... or do I have to reach a higher % to use the label.
The philosophical ideas of Buddhism I find do the best job of helping guide a person in right thought, and still demand people be open enough to consider all possible realities. On the existence of a God, why does it matter ? Will you choose to be a better person because you know one exists ? Will you choose to be a better person because you know one doesn't exist ? The question is irrelevant.
As the Buddha said. "I do not care to know your various theories about God. What is the use of discussing all the subtle doctrines of the soul? Do good and be good. And this will take you to freedom and whatever truth there is."
I think the original purpose of religions was probably to create a moral and ethical model to work with to allow people to act "decently" and together, allowing to create large societies. Karma or the After-Life all exists are basically all a kind of "policing" tools. "Follow the rules of the society, even if no one seems ot be around, because God is always watching and you'll not be able to escape your punishment, it may just come after death."
Rules like about what to eat, or about cleanliness also existed to ensure that insights that were learned once from experience would stay around and not forgotten.
But there are a lot of dangers to them - the rules religions have are mostly only taught by practice, but not explained, in many cases the reason for their existence isn't even known anymore. A rule that made sense 2,000 years ago might no longer make sense today, or eve counter-productive.
And of course, they can also be used to just keep a minority in power and justify any kind of terrible behaviour, because they create the concept of an ultimate, unquestionable source of all rules, and people can always pretend to be the few that can contact and interpret this source for you.
That's why I think that ultimately, we have to leave religions behind. Or if we want to keep them, we must still provide a source for the ratio behind a religions laws and rules, so that future generations can adapt the rules. "Wash your hands after your visit to the toilet, because there are micro-organism that can be harmful. Washing removes most of them, so you can't transmit them anymore." So if later there is a micro-organism that cannot be washed away, you realize that you need to change your procedure, and if that includes a new super-nano-robot that cleans up your hands but would be washed away, you don't insist on religious grounds to keep washing your hands even if it has become counter-productive. (To give a silly example.)
Personally, I liked the Babylon 5 approach, where they had a single episode that mentioned religion, then introduced some alien ambassador to the long, looooong line of religious figureheads.
Fixed that...and nice of you to recognise your contributions at the end there. :rolleyes:
Marginalizing and making illegal beliefs that you don't like is definitely the more backwards approach, done by every oppressive government ever. History has lessons, be sure you learn from them.
Star Trek showed us a distinct, deliberate policy of not interfering with other cultures, regardless of their beliefs. We can't go around forcing people to act and think the way we want them to, whether it is white supremacists, some religion, or an alien culture. The sooner people aren't trying to control other's thoughts and beliefs, the sooner we get to a more evolved humanity.
They are kept out of prison so the rest of us can point and laugh.
"He shall be my finest warrior, this generic man who was forced upon me.
Like a badass I shall make him look, and in the furnace of war I shall forge him.
he shall be of iron will and steely sinew.
In great armour I shall clad him and with the mightiest weapons he shall be armed.
He will be untouched by plague or disease; no sickness shall blight him.
He shall have such tactics, strategies and machines that no foe will best him in battle.
He is my answer to cryptic logic, he is the Defender of my Romulan Crew.
He is Tovan Khev... and he shall know no fear."
they all have one thing in common...all were created by humans. there IS a history of that, mythologies everywhere in every culture yet some try to claim their mythology is real...
there's no point in debating with people who believe in magic as if it was real, they are no different from the extreme conspiracy theorists or those locked away in asylums for paranoid delusions. they aren't going to change their particular form of insanity just because reality or evidence to the contrary says otherwise.
it is a form of insanity, treat them as you would treat anyone who is insane. they are like kids with imaginary friends...well not really...kids with imaginary friends don't often kill, maim, or torture others.
Donate Brains, zombies in Washington DC are starving.
And people who want to get all into these debates are why threadlock happens faster and faster.
"He shall be my finest warrior, this generic man who was forced upon me.
Like a badass I shall make him look, and in the furnace of war I shall forge him.
he shall be of iron will and steely sinew.
In great armour I shall clad him and with the mightiest weapons he shall be armed.
He will be untouched by plague or disease; no sickness shall blight him.
He shall have such tactics, strategies and machines that no foe will best him in battle.
He is my answer to cryptic logic, he is the Defender of my Romulan Crew.
He is Tovan Khev... and he shall know no fear."
Atheism is a lack of a belief in a God or Gods and not a religion.
Lack of belief is a philosophy just like belief is.
I'm looking to see how soon this thread gets shut down tho this is gonna be interesting.
"He shall be my finest warrior, this generic man who was forced upon me.
Like a badass I shall make him look, and in the furnace of war I shall forge him.
he shall be of iron will and steely sinew.
In great armour I shall clad him and with the mightiest weapons he shall be armed.
He will be untouched by plague or disease; no sickness shall blight him.
He shall have such tactics, strategies and machines that no foe will best him in battle.
He is my answer to cryptic logic, he is the Defender of my Romulan Crew.
He is Tovan Khev... and he shall know no fear."
The moderators must all be having a weekend off. There are 4 or 5 threads that would have been shut down within minutes if the moderators were here.
Free Tibet!
I think you misunderstand what I meant by philosophy. It represents a worldview, what you believe or don't believe is a part of that.
"He shall be my finest warrior, this generic man who was forced upon me.
Like a badass I shall make him look, and in the furnace of war I shall forge him.
he shall be of iron will and steely sinew.
In great armour I shall clad him and with the mightiest weapons he shall be armed.
He will be untouched by plague or disease; no sickness shall blight him.
He shall have such tactics, strategies and machines that no foe will best him in battle.
He is my answer to cryptic logic, he is the Defender of my Romulan Crew.
He is Tovan Khev... and he shall know no fear."
I think if you come from a society following a particular religion, being part of that religion for a while, and discussing the topic with others and internally, and then make a concious choice against religion, then you're more than just a "non-participant".
I think atheism - at least mine - is a bit more than just "I don't belief in Christianity". It means categorally refusing to believe in something that offers no proof, to think that there is nothing "supernatural", only natural things, that we can observe or reason about.
It means that my moral and ethical guidelines do not come from a higher being, nor are they judged by it. Morals and Ethics are based on shared beliefs, but if you encounter different shared beliefs? How do you resolve this, if no one can point to a higher arbiter?
It means that when I die, there is nothing waiting for me, nor was there anything for friends or family members. Their existence ended, and all that remains are our memories, and if I am dead, that means the end of my existence, the end of my ability to reason or make experiences. Which can be quite a frightening thought on some days, when you wake up in the morning and suddenly realize that there is an end and I will ... well, not exactly experience it. Stop experiencing anything. There is always a hope in me that maybe I am wrong, but... I don't believe that. There is nothing factual to suggest that.
I think that is definitely a philosophy.
This is what i hate the most.
In my city there used to be a woman who you would see around town, she didn't push any agenda just sang about love and would say things like "Jesus loves you" and many people myself included loved seeing her, she was a positive motivator and for someone like me who who hates religion i liked that about her.
The ones who think you have to agree with them are like the worlds worst trolls, they push and push and use hate like "your going to hell" and "you will burn if you dont embrace Jesus"
if more were like the lady i used to run into maybe Religion wouldn't be seen as such a horrid thing by many.
"It appears we have lost our sex appeal, captain."- Tuvok
So, in other words You're mad that you somehow feel like an outcast for deciding not to have a religion?
Why? Why should you feel like an outcast religion or no?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/First_Amendment_to_the_United_States_Constitution
"He shall be my finest warrior, this generic man who was forced upon me.
Like a badass I shall make him look, and in the furnace of war I shall forge him.
he shall be of iron will and steely sinew.
In great armour I shall clad him and with the mightiest weapons he shall be armed.
He will be untouched by plague or disease; no sickness shall blight him.
He shall have such tactics, strategies and machines that no foe will best him in battle.
He is my answer to cryptic logic, he is the Defender of my Romulan Crew.
He is Tovan Khev... and he shall know no fear."
Star Trek didn't get rid of any of that until after Gene Roddenberry went nuts and bought his own hype. In TOS those things were still largely there and humanity wasn't a boring cookie cutter culture.
...I am both appalled that humanity is even more awful than I thought, and cheering that the people who arranged Leonard Nimoy's funeral were smart enough to hold it secretly.
Created by people with an agenda to push. I could just as easily link a study that proves the opposite.
The Pew Survey chart where it lists the religion vs. number of answered questions disproves that. It lists Atheists/Agnostics at 20.9, Jews at 20.5, and Mormons at 20.3. The numbers are far too close to say a belief in god decreases as knowledge increases.
It also lists race to differentiate between Catholic and Protestant like White Catholic getting 16.0 and Hispanic Catholic getting 11.6 so a person's circumstances has a huge effect on their knowledge which has absolutely nothing to do with religion.
The only thing that can be said is that certain religions suppress knowledge while other religions encourage knowledge. After all, about a thousand years ago, the Islamic world was the height of civilization while European civilization was barbaric by comparison. It is easier to control the ignorant masses than have an intelligent congregation. If more religions taught people to think for themselves and acquire as much knowledge as you can instead of blind faith and control, then the world would be a better place. After all, if you believe that the afterlife exists, then the only things that you can bring with you is your relationships with other people and knowledge. So these two things should be the most important things in a person's life.
And yet I have seen someone who does exactly this in game, simply offers a blessing, and is flamed for it. :-/
There is no place for coercion and bullying in faith, to my belief. None. That said, I do not think it should be treated as a mortal offense for it to be known what it is I believe in, what I try (imperfectly) to be, and why that is.
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Please do.
This thread and it's many quantum duplicates across the internet all share christian bashing as a feature when we're talking about a bunch of freaks on the fringe of the fringe.
Get off the high horse. You're not morally superior by drumming hate on a forum.
Which is wrong, no matter who said it.
Religion tells people what to think, whatever their particular 'truth' is. Science teaches people how to think. If it can't be tested, then it's irrelevant to science, i.e. the accumulation of knowledge.
Norway and Yeager dammit... I still want my Typhoon and Jupiter though.
JJ Trek The Kelvin Timeline is just Trek and it's fully canon... get over it. But I still prefer TAR.
#TASforSTO
'...I can tell you that we're not in the military and that we intend no harm to the whales.' Kirk: The Voyage Home
'Starfleet is not a military organisation. Its purpose is exploration.' Picard: Peak Performance
'This is clearly a military operation. Is that what we are now? Because I thought we were explorers!' Scotty: Into Darkness
'...The Federation. Starfleet. We're not a military agency.' Scotty: Beyond
'I'm not a soldier anymore. I'm an engineer.' Miles O'Brien: Empok Nor
'...Starfleet could use you... It's a peacekeeping and humanitarian armada...' Admiral Pike: Star Trek
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