Anonymous wrote:Religion was created as to answer the unanswerable, provide rules and control society. This is not limited to Judeo-Christian religions.
Example - Confucianism taught followers to be content with their current situation - as in don’t question the authorities or try to become wealthy. Works very well in an authoritarian regime.
Wars have been raged based on religion, or so we’re told. Wars are always about gaining wealth and resources, religion is listed as a reason so the poor people that are being sent to the front lines don’t question why they are dying for their leaders to be richer. If Hitler didn’t have the Jews to shift blame to - he would have found some other trait on people to annihilate. Jews were the scapegoat because he felt they controlled the money. So take the Jewish religion out of the equation - he would have annihilated those that control money.
Bad people will be bad with or without religion.
Good people will be good with or without religion.
But the vast majority of use are neither wholly good or wholly bad. We are human.
I was raised Catholic but am more “Mother Nature” atheist now. I volunteer and donate - not because some imaginary God’s ancient scriptures tell me to, but because I want to help people in need and alleviate suffering. It’s called empathy and understanding. And there are many people that have no empathy. Even people who believe in the ancient scriptures and proclaim to follow their God often are not people that help. They take without giving.

Anonymous wrote:Religion was created as to answer the unanswerable, provide rules and control society. This is not limited to Judeo-Christian religions.
Example - Confucianism taught followers to be content with their current situation - as in don’t question the authorities or try to become wealthy. Works very well in an authoritarian regime.
Wars have been raged based on religion, or so we’re told. Wars are always about gaining wealth and resources, religion is listed as a reason so the poor people that are being sent to the front lines don’t question why they are dying for their leaders to be richer. If Hitler didn’t have the Jews to shift blame to - he would have found some other trait on people to annihilate. Jews were the scapegoat because he felt they controlled the money. So take the Jewish religion out of the equation - he would have annihilated those that control money.
Bad people will be bad with or without religion.
Good people will be good with or without religion.
But the vast majority of use are neither wholly good or wholly bad. We are human.
I was raised Catholic but am more “Mother Nature” atheist now. I volunteer and donate - not because some imaginary God’s ancient scriptures tell me to, but because I want to help people in need and alleviate suffering. It’s called empathy and understanding. And there are many people that have no empathy. Even people who believe in the ancient scriptures and proclaim to follow their God often are not people that help. They take without giving.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Christians are the highest contributors to charity and community volunteering. Life would a lot different without them.

Without Christians giving to Charities, we'd just have good people giving to charities which would hopefully include the former Christians. Could be, though, that Christians only would give to and volunteer for CHRISTIAN causes, thus helping them get into heaven, which is every Christian's goal.

Are you genuinely uninformed or just make up stuff like this for fun? Are you the Santa fairy person too? Tinkerbell died because you didn't clap. Mary Martin was very sad.

Are you suggesting that getting into heaven is NOT every Christian's goal? Granted, some people are just plain good. However, if they are also Christian, they believe that their good works will get them into heaven when they die. Somehow, they think they're different from other living things, like their precious pets that they "put to sleep" when they're old and sick.

DP

You are incorrect concerning the true fundamentals of Christianity:

For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:
Not of works, lest any man should boast. (Ephesians 2:8)

Nobody is “just plain good”.

…there is none good but one, that is, God. (Mark 10:18)

And we are different from animals (which we did not evolve from):

All flesh is not the same flesh: but there is one kind of flesh of men, another flesh of beasts, another of fishes, and another of birds. (1 Corinthians 15:39)

God sees is as more valuable than animals because we are made in the image of God.

Fear ye not therefore, ye are of more value than many sparrows. (Matthew 10:31)

The other religions are the ones that depend upon a person’s good works, not grace.

Hinduism: heaven (svarga) is achieved through performing good deeds.

Buddhism: Nirvana is achieved by doing good deeds and practicing compassion.

Islam: Jannah is achieved by faith in Allah and doing good deeds.

Reformed Judaism: there is no heaven.

Orthodox Judaism: One gets to heaven by good works (mitzvahs).

There are not multiple paths to heaven, only one:

Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me. (John 14:6)

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Christians are the highest contributors to charity and community volunteering. Life would a lot different without them.

Without Christians giving to Charities, we'd just have good people giving to charities which would hopefully include the former Christians. Could be, though, that Christians only would give to and volunteer for CHRISTIAN causes, thus helping them get into heaven, which is every Christian's goal.

Are you genuinely uninformed or just make up stuff like this for fun? Are you the Santa fairy person too? Tinkerbell died because you didn't clap. Mary Martin was very sad.

Are you suggesting that getting into heaven is NOT every Christian's goal? Granted, some people are just plain good. However, if they are also Christian, they believe that their good works will get them into heaven when they die. Somehow, they think they're different from other living things, like their precious pets that they "put to sleep" when they're old and sick.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Christians are the highest contributors to charity and community volunteering. Life would a lot different without them.

You probably think missionaries are "good" and "charity."

(they're not).

Missionaries have been a net positive for good, continuing the work of the apostles who obeyed the command of Jesus, saying in Acts 10:42

And he commanded us to preach unto the people, and to testify that it is he which was ordained of God to be the Judge of quick and dead.

It is because of missionaries:

-The Irish do not burn people alive in great whicker Burning Man structures to appease false gods.

-People in India have become enlightened by the light of Jesus, no longer drinking cow urine and smearing feces and the ashes of dead people on their bodies to appease false gods.

-Enlightened by Jesus, some Africans are not practicing witchcraft, voodoo, and slavery.

-North American aborigines have learned that it is wrong to raid other tribes, kill their men and kidnap women and children to be traded as slaves.

It looks like missionaries will need to be sent to Minneapolis to teach the leftists and liberals there that it is wrong to celebrate sexual perversion, marching in parades proud of their sin. They will also need to be taught that it is wrong to harbor fugitives from justice, aiding and abetting criminals then obstructing agents of the law who attempt to deport them from our land so as to maintain law and order.

Thank you for proving my point that missionaries are among the worst of humanity.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:John Lennon tried to imagine this 50 years ago and all he got out of it was a sh!tty pop song.

Tell us more about your own musical accomplishments!

So we can compare, here's a roster of what Wikipedia has on Imagine:
BMI named "Imagine" one of the 100 most performed songs of the 20th century. In 1999, it was ranked number 30 on the RIAA's list of the 365 "Songs of the Century", earned a Grammy Hall of Fame Award, and was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame's "500 Songs that Shaped Rock and Roll". Rolling Stone ranked it number 3 in its 2004 list of the "500 Greatest Songs of All Time", repositioned to number 19 in the 2021 revision. Meanwhile, a UK survey conducted by the Guinness World Records British Hit Singles Book in 2002 named it the second-best single of all time. Since 2005, the song has been either played or performed in the final minutes leading up to the New Year's Times Square Ball Drop event in New York City. In 2023, the song was selected for preservation in the United States National Recording Registry by the Library of Congress as being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant".

"Imagine" has sold more than 1.7 million copies in the UK. More than 200 artists have performed or covered the song, including Madonna, Stevie Wonder, Joan Baez, Lady Gaga, David Bowie, Elton John and Diana Ross. After "Imagine" was featured at the 2012 Summer Olympics, the song re-entered the UK Top 40, reaching number 18, and was presented as a theme song in the opening ceremony of the 2022 Winter Olympics. The song has remained a source of controversy since its initial release over its lyrics.[5]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Christians are the highest contributors to charity and community volunteering. Life would a lot different without them.

Without Christians giving to Charities, we'd just have good people giving to charities which would hopefully include the former Christians. Could be, though, that Christians only would give to and volunteer for CHRISTIAN causes, thus helping them get into heaven, which is every Christian's goal.

Are you genuinely uninformed or just make up stuff like this for fun? Are you the Santa fairy person too? Tinkerbell died because you didn't clap. Mary Martin was very sad.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This question was posed in another thread.

One response was: "Depends - It would certainly be the end of the "I'm destroying the world because God told me to" syndrome. But people would likely find some other reason to do evil things."

What do you think?

All religion exists to manipulate people and control behavior. People made up a bunch of stories about sky fairies and zombies to make them fearful about what happens when they die. The holy books also were useful for teaching basic food hygiene lessons, such as eating shellfish and pork. So, if you took away the superstitions that made humans behave more civilly, yah, you'd probably have more "evil things" happening.

Except people are still doing these "evil things" that there are superstitions related to. In the thread about some pastor cheating on his wife someone wrote "christians are people too, we all sin!" so they will find any excuse to justify it. Or say that you just need to beg jesus' forgiveness after and youre square. Why are there so many religious people that molest children? They literally teach biblical "morals" and are committing horrific acts.

I believe the world would be a better place without religion. Because at least people would have to own their shitty behaviour instead of hiding behind a facade.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Christians are the highest contributors to charity and community volunteering. Life would a lot different without them.

You probably think missionaries are "good" and "charity."

(they're not).

Missionaries have been a net positive for good, continuing the work of the apostles who obeyed the command of Jesus, saying in Acts 10:42

And he commanded us to preach unto the people, and to testify that it is he which was ordained of God to be the Judge of quick and dead.

It is because of missionaries:

-The Irish do not burn people alive in great whicker Burning Man structures to appease false gods.

-People in India have become enlightened by the light of Jesus, no longer drinking cow urine and smearing feces and the ashes of dead people on their bodies to appease false gods.

-Enlightened by Jesus, some Africans are not practicing witchcraft, voodoo, and slavery.

-North American aborigines have learned that it is wrong to raid other tribes, kill their men and kidnap women and children to be traded as slaves.

It looks like missionaries will need to be sent to Minneapolis to teach the leftists and liberals there that it is wrong to celebrate sexual perversion, marching in parades proud of their sin. They will also need to be taught that it is wrong to harbor fugitives from justice, aiding and abetting criminals then obstructing agents of the law who attempt to deport them from our land so as to maintain law and order.

Thank you for proving my point that missionaries are among the worst of humanity.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Christians are the highest contributors to charity and community volunteering. Life would a lot different without them.

You probably think missionaries are "good" and "charity."

(they're not).

Missionaries have been a net positive for good, continuing the work of the apostles who obeyed the command of Jesus, saying in Acts 10:42

And he commanded us to preach unto the people, and to testify that it is he which was ordained of God to be the Judge of quick and dead.

It is because of missionaries:

-The Irish do not burn people alive in great whicker Burning Man structures to appease false gods.

-People in India have become enlightened by the light of Jesus, no longer drinking cow urine and smearing feces and the ashes of dead people on their bodies to appease false gods.

-Enlightened by Jesus, some Africans are not practicing witchcraft, voodoo, and slavery.

-North American aborigines have learned that it is wrong to raid other tribes, kill their men and kidnap women and children to be traded as slaves.

It looks like missionaries will need to be sent to Minneapolis to teach the leftists and liberals there that it is wrong to celebrate sexual perversion, marching in parades proud of their sin. They will also need to be taught that it is wrong to harbor fugitives from justice, aiding and abetting criminals then obstructing agents of the law who attempt to deport them from our land so as to maintain law and order.

Thank you for proving my point that missionaries are among the worst of humanity.

And you prove Isaiah 5:20

Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light, and light for darkness; that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter!

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Christians are the highest contributors to charity and community volunteering. Life would a lot different without them.

You probably think missionaries are "good" and "charity."

(they're not).

Missionaries have been a net positive for good, continuing the work of the apostles who obeyed the command of Jesus, saying in Acts 10:42

And he commanded us to preach unto the people, and to testify that it is he which was ordained of God to be the Judge of quick and dead.

It is because of missionaries:

-The Irish do not burn people alive in great whicker Burning Man structures to appease false gods.

-People in India have become enlightened by the light of Jesus, no longer drinking cow urine and smearing feces and the ashes of dead people on their bodies to appease false gods.

-Enlightened by Jesus, some Africans are not practicing witchcraft, voodoo, and slavery.

-North American aborigines have learned that it is wrong to raid other tribes, kill their men and kidnap women and children to be traded as slaves.

It looks like missionaries will need to be sent to Minneapolis to teach the leftists and liberals there that it is wrong to celebrate sexual perversion, marching in parades proud of their sin. They will also need to be taught that it is wrong to harbor fugitives from justice, aiding and abetting criminals then obstructing agents of the law who attempt to deport them from our land so as to maintain law and order.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Christians are the highest contributors to charity and community volunteering. Life would a lot different without them.

You probably think missionaries are "good" and "charity."

(they're not).

Missionaries have been a net positive for good, continuing the work of the apostles who obeyed the command of Jesus, saying in Acts 10:42

And he commanded us to preach unto the people, and to testify that it is he which was ordained of God to be the Judge of quick and dead.

It is because of missionaries:

-The Irish do not burn people alive in great whicker Burning Man structures to appease false gods.

-People in India have become enlightened by the light of Jesus, no longer drinking cow urine and smearing feces and the ashes of dead people on their bodies to appease false gods.

-Enlightened by Jesus, some Africans are not practicing witchcraft, voodoo, and slavery.

-North American aborigines have learned that it is wrong to raid other tribes, kill their men and kidnap women and children to be traded as slaves.

It looks like missionaries will need to be sent to Minneapolis to teach the leftists and liberals there that it is wrong to celebrate sexual perversion, marching in parades proud of their sin. They will also need to be taught that it is wrong to harbor fugitives from justice, aiding and abetting criminals then obstructing agents of the law who attempt to deport them from our land so as to maintain law and order.

Thank you for proving my point that missionaries are among the worst of humanity.

And you prove Isaiah 5:20

Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light, and light for darkness; that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter!

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Christians are the highest contributors to charity and community volunteering. Life would a lot different without them.

You probably think missionaries are "good" and "charity."

(they're not).

Missionaries have been a net positive for good, continuing the work of the apostles who obeyed the command of Jesus, saying in Acts 10:42

And he commanded us to preach unto the people, and to testify that it is he which was ordained of God to be the Judge of quick and dead.

It is because of missionaries:

-The Irish do not burn people alive in great whicker Burning Man structures to appease false gods.

-People in India have become enlightened by the light of Jesus, no longer drinking cow urine and smearing feces and the ashes of dead people on their bodies to appease false gods.

-Enlightened by Jesus, some Africans are not practicing witchcraft, voodoo, and slavery.

-North American aborigines have learned that it is wrong to raid other tribes, kill their men and kidnap women and children to be traded as slaves.

It looks like missionaries will need to be sent to Minneapolis to teach the leftists and liberals there that it is wrong to celebrate sexual perversion, marching in parades proud of their sin. They will also need to be taught that it is wrong to harbor fugitives from justice, aiding and abetting criminals then obstructing agents of the law who attempt to deport them from our land so as to maintain law and order.

Thank you for proving my point that missionaries are among the worst of humanity.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Christians are the highest contributors to charity and community volunteering. Life would a lot different without them.

You probably think missionaries are "good" and "charity."

(they're not).

Missionaries have been a net positive for good, continuing the work of the apostles who obeyed the command of Jesus, saying in Acts 10:42

And he commanded us to preach unto the people, and to testify that it is he which was ordained of God to be the Judge of quick and dead.

It is because of missionaries:

-The Irish do not burn people alive in great whicker Burning Man structures to appease false gods.

-People in India have become enlightened by the light of Jesus, no longer drinking cow urine and smearing feces and the ashes of dead people on their bodies to appease false gods.

-Enlightened by Jesus, some Africans are not practicing witchcraft, voodoo, and slavery.

-North American aborigines have learned that it is wrong to raid other tribes, kill their men and kidnap women and children to be traded as slaves.

It looks like missionaries will need to be sent to Minneapolis to teach the leftists and liberals there that it is wrong to celebrate sexual perversion, marching in parades proud of their sin. They will also need to be taught that it is wrong to harbor fugitives from justice, aiding and abetting criminals then obstructing agents of the law who attempt to deport them from our land so as to maintain law and order.