Why religion is dumb - reason 6 (Wasted Life)

Originally posted by RBHILL
Yes, religion is a waste of life.

But if you are a Christian you are not in a religion you are in a relationship with the creator made avalible through Jesus Christ.

Semantic arguments carry more weight when they flow from the keyboards of those with some credibility on matters of semantics. Unless you are Bowmann under a different name, you lack such credibility.

Originally posted by Wulebgr
I attest that self-hypnosis is beneficial, and rooted in science.

Prayer to a vague or possibly non-existent entity still benefits you if it is self-hypnosis. This thread began with the presumption that prayer is wasted in the absence of God. I expressed my disagreement. My life as a Christian was not wasted.

You refuse to accept the logic of this thre ...[text shortened]... cs, demonstrate a basic understanding of the rules of argument and evidence, and we shall begin.

I'm not an apologist.

But this is all I know: I have experienced the Bible to be true in every aspect. Let me just share one aspect with you.

The Bible says in Matthew 5, "Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God."

I know atheists who came to know God, after they had started confessing their sins with remorse and separated from their sins.

God says in Isaiah 59:1 "Behold, the LORD's hand is not shortened, that it cannot save; neither his ear heavy, that it cannot hear: 2 But your iniquities have separated between you and your God, and your sins have hid his face from you, that he will not hear."

I have found this verse (among others) to be the truth. I have experienced this in a very practical manner.

Once I admitted that I was a sinner and confessed my sin, the Holy Spirit started working in me and I started to see God. I also received the power of the Holy Spirit to have victory over my sin. I have been totally set free from anger, stealing, lust and lots of other sins. (It didn't happen in one day)

But as God convicted me of my sins and I sought Him for deliverance. The more I committed myself to Him the more He has been able to change my life. I'm not a Saint yet, but I trust Him to continue changing me into His image until the day that I die.

I still make mistakes and it is still a daily struggle, but I still hear His soft voice speaking to me, and He gives me the grace to confess my sin and repent from it.

I know the joy and the peace of being forgiven and I wish the same for everybody else.

Now, one reason I think why many people become Atheists, is because they become disillusioned when they look at the hypocritical lifestyle of "Christians" that go to church and yet still live in sin, and maybe they themselves go to church but are still blinded by sin, and they have never experienced the changing power of God in their lives. This leads to them believing that the Bible is not true and that God does not exist.

It is actually sad to see that there are many Churches that don't preach the truth of God's Word.

To dj2becker and RBHILL:

Try looking up the word 'religion' in a dictionary, and then tell me that christianity isn't a religion.

Originally posted by BigDoggProblem
To dj2becker and RBHILL:

Try looking up the word 'religion' in a dictionary, and then tell me that christianity isn't a religion.

For the onlooker "Christianity" is a religion, as defined in the dictionary. But for those that know God, Christianity is more than a religion, it is a personal relationship with Jesus Christ.

Originally posted by BigDoggProblem
To dj2becker and RBHILL:

Try looking up the word 'religion' in a dictionary, and then tell me that christianity isn't a religion.

I posted the definition here for them but I got the textbook answer devoid of any thought. I think I will start using a cheese grater on my skull when attempting to carry on these type of conversations from now on as I think it might provide more satisfaction.

Originally posted by howardgee
All those hours spent praying to God and praising him are completely wasted.

If God doesn't exist, then clearly it is a waste of time.

Even if you believe that he does exist, then realise that it is still a waste of time:

1. God is supposed to be omniscient, so he knows if you love him or not and he knows your problems without you having to pray ...[text shortened]... ny more of your precious time in prayer or worship.

DO SOMETHING CONSTRUCTIVE WITH YOUR LIFE!

Okay HG - Dude 😛. As all your "why religion is dumb" threads somehow get under my skin, I'll be preparing a list of individuals who were deeply religious and yet managed to do something constructive with their lives. (not despite their religion, but because of their religion) Happy hunting. L8r.

Originally posted by Joe Fist
I posted the definition here for them but I got the textbook answer devoid of any thought. I think I will start using a cheese grater on my skull when attempting to carry on these type of conversations from now on as I think it might provide more satisfaction.

IMO not all "so-called" Christians are followers of Christ. Christianity should extend over and beyond your "Bible-chapter a day to keep the devil away" or the weekly praise and worship service. Christiany does fall in the category of religion, but in essense it has been confused as a shallow platitude of weekly/biweekly boredom.

Originally posted by Halitose
IMO not all "so-called" Christians are followers of Christ. Christianity should extend over and beyond your "Bible-chapter a day to keep the devil away" or the weekly praise and worship service. Christiany does fall in the category of religion, but in essense it has been confused as a shallow platitude of weekly/biweekly boredom.

IMO not all "so-called" Christians are followers of Christ. Christianity should extend over and beyond your "Bible-chapter a day to keep the devil away" or the weekly praise and worship service.

True as anyone of any faith are not necessarily followers or I should say devout followers of what they believe in. In contrast I am confident that they are some "weak atheists" who privately do believe in a higher power.

Christianity does fall in the category of religion, but in essense it has been confused as a shallow platitude of weekly/biweekly boredom.

As in most cases discussed here Hal, you understand the point I was making completely and I am still trying to make a case as you being one of the only spokespersons for Christianity because you are articulate and considerate. I completely understand the devout Christian wishing to express their love and relationship with Christ being to them much greater than a religion. But it is defined as a religion and so many times we end up in semantic arguements over it. For me Agnostism is not simply a belief but I understand that the world and those whom I chose to discuss it with may define it as such.

Originally posted by howardgee
All those hours spent praying to God and praising him are completely wasted.

If God doesn't exist, then clearly it is a waste of time.

Even if you believe that he does exist, then realise that it is still a waste of time:

1. God is supposed to be omniscient, so he knows if you love him or not and he knows your problems without you having to pray ...[text shortened]... ny more of your precious time in prayer or worship.

DO SOMETHING CONSTRUCTIVE WITH YOUR LIFE!

I am surprised all the christians jumped on this. I'm not religious but it makes sense to me. I can't really put it any better than he did, so I'll quote him twice.

"Imagine if you were an omnipotent teacher and you gave your pupils free reign to go out into the world and do good deeds. You would be very disappointed with those pupils who decided to just stay in the class room and tell you how wonderful you were, and plead with you to make the world outside better! God must shake his head in disappointment at those pathetic fawning weaklings in church trying to suck up their way into heaven."

Why do you think God would need any praise or worship from you. To put it more bluntly, why should God be egotistical or give a crap what we think one way or another. Someone all powerful really shouldn't need to hear you talk about how great he is, when you could be spending time acomplishing what he wants you to get done instead?

Originally posted by UmbrageOfSnow
I am surprised all the christians jumped on this. I'm not religious but it makes sense to me. I can't really put it any better than he did, so I'll quote him twice.

"Imagine if you were an omnipotent teacher and you gave your pupils free reign to go out into the world and do good deeds. You would be very disappointed with those pupils who d ...[text shortened]... great he is, when you could be spending time acomplishing what he wants you to get done instead?

I can't believe I am actually doing this but I will attempt to present but not necessarily defend this point of view although I will start by saying I don't agree with it.

I appreciate the analogy of the "teacher" but I am not 100% certain of its accuracy when it comes to some devout Christians and their prayer. I think many Christians are pro-active in their lives as many of us who are not are. Prayer is way of giving homage to Christ and appreciation for all of what they have. Granted I think they are some, not necessarily just Christian but of any faith, who spend way too much time weeping in a church for whatever sins they have committed or they spend too much time praying to God to cure their ills, help them win the lottery, etc.

I do also agree with you and it is also one of the many reasons why I am not Christian that it is extremely egocentric that God demands praise for his creation from his creation. I understand respect for God but constant praise? It's weird.

Originally posted by BigDoggProblem
To dj2becker and RBHILL:

Try looking up the word 'religion' in a dictionary, and then tell me that christianity isn't a religion.

Your stupid if you go by people who can spell, there are more people in thsi word that can't spell then that can.

Look at Mexicans for example.

Is this how you spell religion or is it not?

I was typing in a hury and plus I looked at the way he spelled it in the title of the thread so if he is wrong you can't blame me.

Originally posted by BigDoggProblem
To dj2becker and RBHILL:

Try looking up the word 'religion' in a dictionary, and then tell me that christianity isn't a religion.

It is not a religion, go to a Baptist and a Presy Church or pentacostal and ask them, or better yet give Jesus a try and give him your life and then you will see that it is all about a relationship.

Originally posted by dj2becker
For the onlooker "Christianity" is a religion, as defined in the dictionary. But for those that know God, Christianity is more than a religion, it is a personal relationship with Jesus Christ.

And it is also a way of life.

Originally posted by RBHILL
Your stupid if you go by people who can spell, there are more people in thsi word that can't spell then that can.

Look at Mexicans for example.

Good point. I never met one who could spell worth a lick. It's like they write in a completely different language.