A non-physical/non-literal male figure (big brother/God/Allah etc) knows what every person is doing at any time - what they are thinking, feeling. Is particularly concerned with who people are loving and having sex with. Is particularly concerned with whether people are following (worshipping) the figure.
Has consequences for good behaviour (heaven/chocolate) and poor behaviour for those who choose not to believe or love or have sex with those who are not allowed (hell/exclusion/torture/death - especially in some ultra conservative theocratic Christian and in particular Islamic countries).
Has a large following of good-willed people (the majority of the world's population) who might otherwise describe themselves as progressive but are willing to turn on their own family, values or ideals in order to hold up the system. Particularly left-wing 'progressives'.
Sanity is not statistical.
Holds ideas that are alternative facts or lies. Two plus two does not make four - people were created not evolved. Made up texts that are used to manipulate and influence behaviour.
Those that know the truth (the brotherhood/scientists/atheists) are ridiculed, can't become elected officials in the world's most powerful country, are beaten or killed in some Islamic countries or isolated in other countries. Are treated as intellectually inferior (when the opposite is true) or are accused of being racist, bigoted, xenophobic when it has nothing to do with race.
2017 is 1984. How many gay people and women have to suffer? How many planes have to be flown into buildings and children blown up at concerts? How many scientific truths have to be ignored or denied? How many children have to be indoctrinated to believe two and two does not make four?
I often post here on my phone, so please excuse issues with grammar, paragraphing and spelling :).
I know better than to get in a religious debate with qolbinau (no disrespect to him).
But as a theist, I feel a need to defend my stance somewhat, particularly when I get indirectly accused of being illogical. Yes, many organized religious followers do distort the truth to suit their own agenda. That is self-service, it is awful, and it's the reason people like me get ridiculed.
However, based on the facts I have been presented in this life, I've concluded that there is some sort of "higher power." Call it what you want. But metaphysical philosophy maintains that nothing comes from nothing. Matter cannot be created or destroyed by any means that we know of. Therefore, to me, it follows that some force or entity set it in motion without itself needing creation.
Before you start throwing tomatoes, please know that I have taken many philosophy courses and am a firm believer in science. Theism and evolutionism are NOT mutually exclusive.
I am not a robot. I am not brainwashed. I do know that the God I believe in does not hold me to a "system," and I would never abandon my ideals/morals to maintain its order. At the end of the day, we just need to be good to people. Respect them. Do unto them as we'd want to us. At our cores, we all want the same basic things. If only everyone recognized their shared humanity- despite their differences- that's how bridges would be built.
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joined:6/29/08
joined:
6/29/08
Posted: 7/29/17 at 6:48pm