Why do people stay religious?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Another religious freak died, scammer, creeper bit golly gee wiz he was a church going dude!

The Louisiana native was best known for being a captivating Pentecostal preacher with a massive following before being caught on camera with a prostitute in New Orleans in 1988, one of a string of successful TV preachers brought down in the 1980s and ’90s by sex scandals. He continued preaching for decades, but with a reduced audience.

Religion is always the scam. And it’s never been the drag Queens.

OPPs why do people stay religious?? They are either stupid or scammers or child molesters or morally corrupt. Or all of the above.

There are lots of religious people who are educated. They're intelligent and have good jobs and are decent people. They're just dumb when it comes to religion.

So they are essentially followers, which is fine, I don’t think I am better than religious people, I just wish people had more evolved critical thinking skills.

DP: Don't you think it odd to just assume highly intelligent people are dumb about one thing? Has it occurred to you that maybe they've studied and thought about it more than you have? Maybe they have a better and more nuanced understanding of their own beliefs than whatever it is you are assuming they believe?

I hear you, pp. Most of the people arguing against religion on this forum have a third grade education in it or less.
Why would OP assume that adults believe in things the way they were explained to them when they were eight?

I cannot fathom how anyone on modern day earth literally believes stories from ancient times, like word for word. Learned adults are doing this. I may not be a religious scholar but this seems insane to me. It’s fine to learn ethics and cautionary tales, etc., but not literally following these texts.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Another religious freak died, scammer, creeper bit golly gee wiz he was a church going dude!

The Louisiana native was best known for being a captivating Pentecostal preacher with a massive following before being caught on camera with a prostitute in New Orleans in 1988, one of a string of successful TV preachers brought down in the 1980s and ’90s by sex scandals. He continued preaching for decades, but with a reduced audience.

Religion is always the scam. And it’s never been the drag Queens.

OPPs why do people stay religious?? They are either stupid or scammers or child molesters or morally corrupt. Or all of the above.

There are lots of religious people who are educated. They're intelligent and have good jobs and are decent people. They're just dumb when it comes to religion.

So they are essentially followers, which is fine, I don’t think I am better than religious people, I just wish people had more evolved critical thinking skills.

DP: Don't you think it odd to just assume highly intelligent people are dumb about one thing? Has it occurred to you that maybe they've studied and thought about it more than you have? Maybe they have a better and more nuanced understanding of their own beliefs than whatever it is you are assuming they believe?

I hear you, pp. Most of the people arguing against religion on this forum have a third grade education in it or less.
Why would OP assume that adults believe in things the way they were explained to them when they were eight?

I cannot fathom how anyone on modern day earth literally believes stories from ancient times, like word for word. Learned adults are doing this. I may not be a religious scholar but this seems insane to me. It’s fine to learn ethics and cautionary tales, etc., but not literally following these texts.

+1

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Another religious freak died, scammer, creeper bit golly gee wiz he was a church going dude!

The Louisiana native was best known for being a captivating Pentecostal preacher with a massive following before being caught on camera with a prostitute in New Orleans in 1988, one of a string of successful TV preachers brought down in the 1980s and ’90s by sex scandals. He continued preaching for decades, but with a reduced audience.

Religion is always the scam. And it’s never been the drag Queens.

OPPs why do people stay religious?? They are either stupid or scammers or child molesters or morally corrupt. Or all of the above.

There are lots of religious people who are educated. They're intelligent and have good jobs and are decent people. They're just dumb when it comes to religion.

So they are essentially followers, which is fine, I don’t think I am better than religious people, I just wish people had more evolved critical thinking skills.

DP: Don't you think it odd to just assume highly intelligent people are dumb about one thing? Has it occurred to you that maybe they've studied and thought about it more than you have? Maybe they have a better and more nuanced understanding of their own beliefs than whatever it is you are assuming they believe?

I hear you, pp. Most of the people arguing against religion on this forum have a third grade education in it or less.
Why would OP assume that adults believe in things the way they were explained to them when they were eight?

I cannot fathom how anyone on modern day earth literally believes stories from ancient times, like word for word. Learned adults are doing this. I may not be a religious scholar but this seems insane to me. It’s fine to learn ethics and cautionary tales, etc., but not literally following these texts.

+2 But I think I know why they're doing it -- because they like the idea of going to heaven when they die and it's still culturally acceptable to believe in God.

[Anonymous]

It’s lonely to have no place, not fitting in anywhere, no tribe. It takes a much stronger person to deviate from the norm, become an individual, be confident in one’s own beliefs. You may be ostracized and disowned by the majority and that hurts. I agree that humans need a guide to life regarding ethics etc. but narrow minded religious practices aren’t it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Another religious freak died, scammer, creeper bit golly gee wiz he was a church going dude!

The Louisiana native was best known for being a captivating Pentecostal preacher with a massive following before being caught on camera with a prostitute in New Orleans in 1988, one of a string of successful TV preachers brought down in the 1980s and ’90s by sex scandals. He continued preaching for decades, but with a reduced audience.

Religion is always the scam. And it’s never been the drag Queens.

OPPs why do people stay religious?? They are either stupid or scammers or child molesters or morally corrupt. Or all of the above.

There are lots of religious people who are educated. They're intelligent and have good jobs and are decent people. They're just dumb when it comes to religion.

So they are essentially followers, which is fine, I don’t think I am better than religious people, I just wish people had more evolved critical thinking skills.

DP: Don't you think it odd to just assume highly intelligent people are dumb about one thing? Has it occurred to you that maybe they've studied and thought about it more than you have? Maybe they have a better and more nuanced understanding of their own beliefs than whatever it is you are assuming they believe?

I hear you, pp. Most of the people arguing against religion on this forum have a third grade education in it or less.
Why would OP assume that adults believe in things the way they were explained to them when they were eight?

I cannot fathom how anyone on modern day earth literally believes stories from ancient times, like word for word. Learned adults are doing this. I may not be a religious scholar but this seems insane to me. It’s fine to learn ethics and cautionary tales, etc., but not literally following these texts.

+2 But I think I know why they're doing it -- because they like the idea of going to heaven when they die and it's still culturally acceptable to believe in God.

It’s believing in an afterlife for some but many don’t even believe this. It’s simply to go with the flow. They do what they’re told to do and believe.

[Anonymous]

It’s all about control and conformity. Again, nothing inherently wrong with this but when multiple religions and belief sets mix together, problems may arise.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Another religious freak died, scammer, creeper bit golly gee wiz he was a church going dude!

The Louisiana native was best known for being a captivating Pentecostal preacher with a massive following before being caught on camera with a prostitute in New Orleans in 1988, one of a string of successful TV preachers brought down in the 1980s and ’90s by sex scandals. He continued preaching for decades, but with a reduced audience.

Religion is always the scam. And it’s never been the drag Queens.

OPPs why do people stay religious?? They are either stupid or scammers or child molesters or morally corrupt. Or all of the above.

There are lots of religious people who are educated. They're intelligent and have good jobs and are decent people. They're just dumb when it comes to religion.

So they are essentially followers, which is fine, I don’t think I am better than religious people, I just wish people had more evolved critical thinking skills.

DP: Don't you think it odd to just assume highly intelligent people are dumb about one thing? Has it occurred to you that maybe they've studied and thought about it more than you have? Maybe they have a better and more nuanced understanding of their own beliefs than whatever it is you are assuming they believe?

I hear you, pp. Most of the people arguing against religion on this forum have a third grade education in it or less.
Why would OP assume that adults believe in things the way they were explained to them when they were eight?

I cannot fathom how anyone on modern day earth literally believes stories from ancient times, like word for word. Learned adults are doing this. I may not be a religious scholar but this seems insane to me. It’s fine to learn ethics and cautionary tales, etc., but not literally following these texts.

The words of the Bible are true.

And every word Jesus said is true. Jesus quoted from the book of Genesis and other books which means they are true: on the 6th day of creation, God made man and woman. They did not evolve over millions of years from a lower primate.

If you discard the Bible as “just tales” or “good suggestions but optional to follow” you completely undermine the faith of Jesus.

Here is why we who trust in Jesus follow the texts word for word:

Here is the patience of the saints: here are they that keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus. — Revelation 14:12

And Jesus said unto him, No man, having put his hand to the plough, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God.
— ] Luke 9:62

Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock —Matthew 7:24

Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God. — John 3:3

All of these texts are true. They are the foundation of the Christian faith, which is why the Bible is continuously attacked and even banned in some countries.

Do you think intelligent people, some who are among the most skeptical on Earth, just blindly believe these texts? No, they have scrutinized and weighed in the balance and all the evidence points to Jesus being who he said he was.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Another religious freak died, scammer, creeper bit golly gee wiz he was a church going dude!

The Louisiana native was best known for being a captivating Pentecostal preacher with a massive following before being caught on camera with a prostitute in New Orleans in 1988, one of a string of successful TV preachers brought down in the 1980s and ’90s by sex scandals. He continued preaching for decades, but with a reduced audience.

Religion is always the scam. And it’s never been the drag Queens.

OPPs why do people stay religious?? They are either stupid or scammers or child molesters or morally corrupt. Or all of the above.

There are lots of religious people who are educated. They're intelligent and have good jobs and are decent people. They're just dumb when it comes to religion.

So they are essentially followers, which is fine, I don’t think I am better than religious people, I just wish people had more evolved critical thinking skills.

DP: Don't you think it odd to just assume highly intelligent people are dumb about one thing? Has it occurred to you that maybe they've studied and thought about it more than you have? Maybe they have a better and more nuanced understanding of their own beliefs than whatever it is you are assuming they believe?

I hear you, pp. Most of the people arguing against religion on this forum have a third grade education in it or less.
Why would OP assume that adults believe in things the way they were explained to them when they were eight?

I cannot fathom how anyone on modern day earth literally believes stories from ancient times, like word for word. Learned adults are doing this. I may not be a religious scholar but this seems insane to me. It’s fine to learn ethics and cautionary tales, etc., but not literally following these texts.

The words of the Bible are true.

And every word Jesus said is true. Jesus quoted from the book of Genesis and other books which means they are true: on the 6th day of creation, God made man and woman. They did not evolve over millions of years from a lower primate.

If you discard the Bible as “just tales” or “good suggestions but optional to follow” you completely undermine the faith of Jesus.

Here is why we who trust in Jesus follow the texts word for word:

Here is the patience of the saints: here are they that keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus. — Revelation 14:12

And Jesus said unto him, No man, having put his hand to the plough, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God.
— ] Luke 9:62

Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock —Matthew 7:24

Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God. — John 3:3

All of these texts are true. They are the foundation of the Christian faith, which is why the Bible is continuously attacked and even banned in some countries.

Do you think intelligent people, some who are among the most skeptical on Earth, just blindly believe these texts? No, they have scrutinized and weighed in the balance and all the evidence points to Jesus being who he said he was.

I don’t believe in this, sorry. Yes, I believe most people are blindly following religions.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Another religious freak died, scammer, creeper bit golly gee wiz he was a church going dude!

The Louisiana native was best known for being a captivating Pentecostal preacher with a massive following before being caught on camera with a prostitute in New Orleans in 1988, one of a string of successful TV preachers brought down in the 1980s and ’90s by sex scandals. He continued preaching for decades, but with a reduced audience.

Religion is always the scam. And it’s never been the drag Queens.

OPPs why do people stay religious?? They are either stupid or scammers or child molesters or morally corrupt. Or all of the above.

There are lots of religious people who are educated. They're intelligent and have good jobs and are decent people. They're just dumb when it comes to religion.

So they are essentially followers, which is fine, I don’t think I am better than religious people, I just wish people had more evolved critical thinking skills.

DP: Don't you think it odd to just assume highly intelligent people are dumb about one thing? Has it occurred to you that maybe they've studied and thought about it more than you have? Maybe they have a better and more nuanced understanding of their own beliefs than whatever it is you are assuming they believe?

I hear you, pp. Most of the people arguing against religion on this forum have a third grade education in it or less.
Why would OP assume that adults believe in things the way they were explained to them when they were eight?

I cannot fathom how anyone on modern day earth literally believes stories from ancient times, like word for word. Learned adults are doing this. I may not be a religious scholar but this seems insane to me. It’s fine to learn ethics and cautionary tales, etc., but not literally following these texts.

The words of the Bible are true.

And every word Jesus said is true. Jesus quoted from the book of Genesis and other books which means they are true: on the 6th day of creation, God made man and woman. They did not evolve over millions of years from a lower primate.

If you discard the Bible as “just tales” or “good suggestions but optional to follow” you completely undermine the faith of Jesus.

Here is why we who trust in Jesus follow the texts word for word:

Here is the patience of the saints: here are they that keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus. — Revelation 14:12

And Jesus said unto him, No man, having put his hand to the plough, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God.
— ] Luke 9:62

Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock —Matthew 7:24

Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God. — John 3:3

All of these texts are true. They are the foundation of the Christian faith, which is why the Bible is continuously attacked and even banned in some countries.

Do you think intelligent people, some who are among the most skeptical on Earth, just blindly believe these texts? No, they have scrutinized and weighed in the balance and all the evidence points to Jesus being who he said he was.

I don’t believe in this, sorry. Yes, I believe most people are blindly following religions.

You are accurate to a degree: there are many (maybe most?) who blindly follow a faith, usually because they were born into the faith, so they do not question it but say, “If it is good enough for my parents and grandparents, it is good enough for me.”

I can see how you would come to your conclusion: you see a broad path of religion with many walking blindly upon it.

Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat: —Matt. 7:14

I assure you there are some on the narrow path, and I include myself in that number, prople who do not blindly follow the religion but truly believe Jesus and love Jesus for what he did on the cross.

Jesus says something interesting about Christians who do this:

And have no root in themselves, and so endure but for a time: afterward, when affliction or persecution ariseth for the word's sake, immediately they are offended.. — Mark 4:27

The Bible speaks of a time when there will be a great falling away from the faith of Jesus. Something is going to cause this, perhaps because so many have no root but just blindly believe.

A Christian is not to just blindly believe but think and study.

Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth. — 2 Timothy 2:15

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Another religious freak died, scammer, creeper bit golly gee wiz he was a church going dude!

The Louisiana native was best known for being a captivating Pentecostal preacher with a massive following before being caught on camera with a prostitute in New Orleans in 1988, one of a string of successful TV preachers brought down in the 1980s and ’90s by sex scandals. He continued preaching for decades, but with a reduced audience.

Religion is always the scam. And it’s never been the drag Queens.

OPPs why do people stay religious?? They are either stupid or scammers or child molesters or morally corrupt. Or all of the above.

There are lots of religious people who are educated. They're intelligent and have good jobs and are decent people. They're just dumb when it comes to religion.

So they are essentially followers, which is fine, I don’t think I am better than religious people, I just wish people had more evolved critical thinking skills.

DP: Don't you think it odd to just assume highly intelligent people are dumb about one thing? Has it occurred to you that maybe they've studied and thought about it more than you have? Maybe they have a better and more nuanced understanding of their own beliefs than whatever it is you are assuming they believe?

I hear you, pp. Most of the people arguing against religion on this forum have a third grade education in it or less.
Why would OP assume that adults believe in things the way they were explained to them when they were eight?

I cannot fathom how anyone on modern day earth literally believes stories from ancient times, like word for word. Learned adults are doing this. I may not be a religious scholar but this seems insane to me. It’s fine to learn ethics and cautionary tales, etc., but not literally following these texts.

Yeah. It’s really easy to not understand something that you know almost nothing about.

It’s also very easy to be sure that you are right about something when you don’t know much about the subject. That’s why anti-vaxxers are so confident in their rhetoric while medical research papers end with a discussion of where they might have been wrong. It’s easy to feel certain that you are right when you have a simplistic view of a subject.

If you think that educated adults believe the Bible stories in the way you were taught them when you were eight, you are mistaken.

And the Bible is liter-ary. It isn’t liter-al. If it were literal, it wouldn’t make any sense. But there is more than one kind of truth than a description of literal facts. If you were to describe a rainbow to someone who had never seen one by talking about the different light waves bouncing off water droplets in the air and hitting your retina, you would be describing a literal event, but you would be missing something essential about the rainbow. Same thing if you only talked about its beauty. You need to understand some things in multiple ways before you can start to grasp the truth of what they are.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Another religious freak died, scammer, creeper bit golly gee wiz he was a church going dude!

The Louisiana native was best known for being a captivating Pentecostal preacher with a massive following before being caught on camera with a prostitute in New Orleans in 1988, one of a string of successful TV preachers brought down in the 1980s and ’90s by sex scandals. He continued preaching for decades, but with a reduced audience.

Religion is always the scam. And it’s never been the drag Queens.

OPPs why do people stay religious?? They are either stupid or scammers or child molesters or morally corrupt. Or all of the above.

There are lots of religious people who are educated. They're intelligent and have good jobs and are decent people. They're just dumb when it comes to religion.

So they are essentially followers, which is fine, I don’t think I am better than religious people, I just wish people had more evolved critical thinking skills.

DP: Don't you think it odd to just assume highly intelligent people are dumb about one thing? Has it occurred to you that maybe they've studied and thought about it more than you have? Maybe they have a better and more nuanced understanding of their own beliefs than whatever it is you are assuming they believe?

I hear you, pp. Most of the people arguing against religion on this forum have a third grade education in it or less.
Why would OP assume that adults believe in things the way they were explained to them when they were eight?

I cannot fathom how anyone on modern day earth literally believes stories from ancient times, like word for word. Learned adults are doing this. I may not be a religious scholar but this seems insane to me. It’s fine to learn ethics and cautionary tales, etc., but not literally following these texts.

Yeah. It’s really easy to not understand something that you know almost nothing about.

It’s also very easy to be sure that you are right about something when you don’t know much about the subject. That’s why anti-vaxxers are so confident in their rhetoric while medical research papers end with a discussion of where they might have been wrong. It’s easy to feel certain that you are right when you have a simplistic view of a subject.

If you think that educated adults believe the Bible stories in the way you were taught them when you were eight, you are mistaken.

And the Bible is liter-ary. It isn’t liter-al. If it were literal, it wouldn’t make any sense. But there is more than one kind of truth than a description of literal facts. If you were to describe a rainbow to someone who had never seen one by talking about the different light waves bouncing off water droplets in the air and hitting your retina, you would be describing a literal event, but you would be missing something essential about the rainbow. Same thing if you only talked about its beauty. You need to understand some things in multiple ways before you can start to grasp the truth of what they are.

I am guessing you are the same guy that repeats this trope when challenged by the obvious problems with the Bible. Why not just describe the methodology to know what is true and what is metaphorical? Telling people “you just don’t understand” is a clear cop-out.

If it is all literal, then, well no it can’t be as any thinking person can see.

If it’s all metaphorical, then who gives a hoot what it says because it’s no different from any other fiction?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Of course God is explained in stories. Do you expect that He should have explained Himself to a group of rural peasants 2,000 years ago in terms of quantum mechanics?

Not sure if serious…

I am serious.

Wow. Then the answer is twofold: Yes he should have explained things in ways that would stand scrutiny, since he knew what was coming, and if he didn’t want to do it then because people wouldn’t understand then he should do it now since they will. But instead… crickets.

And stop using phrases like quantum mechanics to make yourself look smart. You have no idea what quantum mechanics is let alone an understanding deep enough for it to be used in a sophisticated expression of logic.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Another religious freak died, scammer, creeper bit golly gee wiz he was a church going dude!

The Louisiana native was best known for being a captivating Pentecostal preacher with a massive following before being caught on camera with a prostitute in New Orleans in 1988, one of a string of successful TV preachers brought down in the 1980s and ’90s by sex scandals. He continued preaching for decades, but with a reduced audience.

Religion is always the scam. And it’s never been the drag Queens.

OPPs why do people stay religious?? They are either stupid or scammers or child molesters or morally corrupt. Or all of the above.

There are lots of religious people who are educated. They're intelligent and have good jobs and are decent people. They're just dumb when it comes to religion.

So they are essentially followers, which is fine, I don’t think I am better than religious people, I just wish people had more evolved critical thinking skills.

DP: Don't you think it odd to just assume highly intelligent people are dumb about one thing? Has it occurred to you that maybe they've studied and thought about it more than you have? Maybe they have a better and more nuanced understanding of their own beliefs than whatever it is you are assuming they believe?

I hear you, pp. Most of the people arguing against religion on this forum have a third grade education in it or less.
Why would OP assume that adults believe in things the way they were explained to them when they were eight?

I cannot fathom how anyone on modern day earth literally believes stories from ancient times, like word for word. Learned adults are doing this. I may not be a religious scholar but this seems insane to me. It’s fine to learn ethics and cautionary tales, etc., but not literally following these texts.

Yeah. It’s really easy to not understand something that you know almost nothing about.

It’s also very easy to be sure that you are right about something when you don’t know much about the subject. That’s why anti-vaxxers are so confident in their rhetoric while medical research papers end with a discussion of where they might have been wrong. It’s easy to feel certain that you are right when you have a simplistic view of a subject.

If you think that educated adults believe the Bible stories in the way you were taught them when you were eight, you are mistaken.

And the Bible is liter-ary. It isn’t liter-al. If it were literal, it wouldn’t make any sense. But there is more than one kind of truth than a description of literal facts. If you were to describe a rainbow to someone who had never seen one by talking about the different light waves bouncing off water droplets in the air and hitting your retina, you would be describing a literal event, but you would be missing something essential about the rainbow. Same thing if you only talked about its beauty. You need to understand some things in multiple ways before you can start to grasp the truth of what they are.

I am guessing you are the same guy that repeats this trope when challenged by the obvious problems with the Bible. Why not just describe the methodology to know what is true and what is metaphorical? Telling people “you just don’t understand” is a clear cop-out.

If it is all literal, then, well no it can’t be as any thinking person can see.

If it’s all metaphorical, then who gives a hoot what it says because it’s no different from any other fiction?

I don’t normally post on this forum, so I’m not familiar with who you are talking about. I’m a doctor, and I find this same kind of thinking frustrating when talking to people about science and medicine.

I thought my rainbow analogy was pretty good on describing why both the literal and metaphorical descriptions are needed to understand something. I’m sorry you didn’t find it helpful.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Another religious freak died, scammer, creeper bit golly gee wiz he was a church going dude!

The Louisiana native was best known for being a captivating Pentecostal preacher with a massive following before being caught on camera with a prostitute in New Orleans in 1988, one of a string of successful TV preachers brought down in the 1980s and ’90s by sex scandals. He continued preaching for decades, but with a reduced audience.

Religion is always the scam. And it’s never been the drag Queens.

OPPs why do people stay religious?? They are either stupid or scammers or child molesters or morally corrupt. Or all of the above.

There are lots of religious people who are educated. They're intelligent and have good jobs and are decent people. They're just dumb when it comes to religion.

So they are essentially followers, which is fine, I don’t think I am better than religious people, I just wish people had more evolved critical thinking skills.

DP: Don't you think it odd to just assume highly intelligent people are dumb about one thing? Has it occurred to you that maybe they've studied and thought about it more than you have? Maybe they have a better and more nuanced understanding of their own beliefs than whatever it is you are assuming they believe?

I hear you, pp. Most of the people arguing against religion on this forum have a third grade education in it or less.
Why would OP assume that adults believe in things the way they were explained to them when they were eight?

I cannot fathom how anyone on modern day earth literally believes stories from ancient times, like word for word. Learned adults are doing this. I may not be a religious scholar but this seems insane to me. It’s fine to learn ethics and cautionary tales, etc., but not literally following these texts.

Yeah. It’s really easy to not understand something that you know almost nothing about.

It’s also very easy to be sure that you are right about something when you don’t know much about the subject. That’s why anti-vaxxers are so confident in their rhetoric while medical research papers end with a discussion of where they might have been wrong. It’s easy to feel certain that you are right when you have a simplistic view of a subject.

If you think that educated adults believe the Bible stories in the way you were taught them when you were eight, you are mistaken.

And the Bible is liter-ary. It isn’t liter-al. If it were literal, it wouldn’t make any sense. But there is more than one kind of truth than a description of literal facts. If you were to describe a rainbow to someone who had never seen one by talking about the different light waves bouncing off water droplets in the air and hitting your retina, you would be describing a literal event, but you would be missing something essential about the rainbow. Same thing if you only talked about its beauty. You need to understand some things in multiple ways before you can start to grasp the truth of what they are.

I am guessing you are the same guy that repeats this trope when challenged by the obvious problems with the Bible. Why not just describe the methodology to know what is true and what is metaphorical? Telling people “you just don’t understand” is a clear cop-out.

If it is all literal, then, well no it can’t be as any thinking person can see.

If it’s all metaphorical, then who gives a hoot what it says because it’s no different from any other fiction?

I don’t normally post on this forum, so I’m not familiar with who you are talking about. I’m a doctor, and I find this same kind of thinking frustrating when talking to people about science and medicine.

I thought my rainbow analogy was pretty good on describing why both the literal and metaphorical descriptions are needed to understand something. I’m sorry you didn’t find it helpful.

What is a metaphorical description of a rainbow?

Why bother with all that anyway? Why not just describe the process used to tell what parts of the Bible are truth and which are metaphor? And don’t just respond with “textual criticism” because that has been done by experts and shows the many flaws in the Bible.

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Anonymous wrote:Another religious freak died, scammer, creeper bit golly gee wiz he was a church going dude!

The Louisiana native was best known for being a captivating Pentecostal preacher with a massive following before being caught on camera with a prostitute in New Orleans in 1988, one of a string of successful TV preachers brought down in the 1980s and ’90s by sex scandals. He continued preaching for decades, but with a reduced audience.

Religion is always the scam. And it’s never been the drag Queens.

OPPs why do people stay religious?? They are either stupid or scammers or child molesters or morally corrupt. Or all of the above.

There are lots of religious people who are educated. They're intelligent and have good jobs and are decent people. They're just dumb when it comes to religion.

So they are essentially followers, which is fine, I don’t think I am better than religious people, I just wish people had more evolved critical thinking skills.

DP: Don't you think it odd to just assume highly intelligent people are dumb about one thing? Has it occurred to you that maybe they've studied and thought about it more than you have? Maybe they have a better and more nuanced understanding of their own beliefs than whatever it is you are assuming they believe?

I hear you, pp. Most of the people arguing against religion on this forum have a third grade education in it or less.
Why would OP assume that adults believe in things the way they were explained to them when they were eight?

I cannot fathom how anyone on modern day earth literally believes stories from ancient times, like word for word. Learned adults are doing this. I may not be a religious scholar but this seems insane to me. It’s fine to learn ethics and cautionary tales, etc., but not literally following these texts.

Yeah. It’s really easy to not understand something that you know almost nothing about.

It’s also very easy to be sure that you are right about something when you don’t know much about the subject. That’s why anti-vaxxers are so confident in their rhetoric while medical research papers end with a discussion of where they might have been wrong. It’s easy to feel certain that you are right when you have a simplistic view of a subject.

If you think that educated adults believe the Bible stories in the way you were taught them when you were eight, you are mistaken.

And the Bible is liter-ary. It isn’t liter-al. If it were literal, it wouldn’t make any sense. But there is more than one kind of truth than a description of literal facts. If you were to describe a rainbow to someone who had never seen one by talking about the different light waves bouncing off water droplets in the air and hitting your retina, you would be describing a literal event, but you would be missing something essential about the rainbow. Same thing if you only talked about its beauty. You need to understand some things in multiple ways before you can start to grasp the truth of what they are.

I am guessing you are the same guy that repeats this trope when challenged by the obvious problems with the Bible. Why not just describe the methodology to know what is true and what is metaphorical? Telling people “you just don’t understand” is a clear cop-out.

If it is all literal, then, well no it can’t be as any thinking person can see.

If it’s all metaphorical, then who gives a hoot what it says because it’s no different from any other fiction?

I don’t normally post on this forum, so I’m not familiar with who you are talking about. I’m a doctor, and I find this same kind of thinking frustrating when talking to people about science and medicine.

I thought my rainbow analogy was pretty good on describing why both the literal and metaphorical descriptions are needed to understand something. I’m sorry you didn’t find it helpful.

What is a metaphorical description of a rainbow?

Why bother with all that anyway? Why not just describe the process used to tell what parts of the Bible are truth and which are metaphor? And don’t just respond with “textual criticism” because that has been done by experts and shows the many flaws in the Bible.

I am not familiar with the “process”you are talking about.

If you were to describe a rainbow to an alien who had never been to earth, you would describe light waves, but that’s not all, right? There is more to a rainbow than that. It is beautiful. It makes you feel a certain way.
I’m not sure why you say that a metaphor isn’t true. Would you say that a poem is a less true description of love than an article about oxytocin and dopamine release?