Icarus
May 1, 2010 / 17:51

Religion and McDonalds have the same approach. Get 'em while they're young. If you are a 5 year old impressionable youngster then anything a 'grown-up' tells you repeatedly in a serious and solemn manner with an air of earnestness then the possiblity of doubt is never entertained.

Icarus
May 1, 2010 / 18:40

Aargh! Grammar failure.

Buffalo Boy Mike
May 1, 2010 / 18:51

You know were my thoughts are on this issue mike, couldnt agree more, I don't care if my daughter participates in organized religion when she isyoun, my wife wants her to, im not going to balk at that but she will know the difference between fact and fiction so to speak.

Ryan
May 1, 2010 / 20:14

It's like being mentally challenged......... by choice instead of circumstance.

Roshan
May 1, 2010 / 23:34

It's the same everywhere. Every mother or grandmother who brings a toddler to their puja room and makes the child fold it's hands in front of Krishna's idol and makes them repeat 'Krishna, bless me and keep me safe' even before the child can say full sentences, is feeding the bullshit!

Sammi
May 2, 2010 / 07:35

Ok...I will take the other side on this. What is so different in creationism vs any other theory? They are all theories and each one is as valid as the other. How do any of you know what actually happened? Any thoughts or opinions you have are limited to the finite level of your intelligence.

No-one can say for sure what the truth is.

Buffalo Boy Mike
May 2, 2010 / 08:17

hmm lets see there Sammi, the Theory of Evolution has these things called... ready for this....Fossils... and they provide some pretty solid proof of said theory....Christians have one piece of evidence for creationism, it was a book written over 2000 years ago with holes punched all through it for its factual basis.

Argie
May 2, 2010 / 08:40

Its all theories - no one knows for sure. Even the Catholic Church's claim of intelligent design is a theory.

I suppose Mike's post is just another way to attack the one true faith - Christianity. That's OK, go on with your life of blackberry's, Ipods, The Wire, and gay pride week and see where it leads you.

Buffalo Boy Mike
May 2, 2010 / 08:55

Argie, seriously? what makes Christianity any better if you are going to use it to judge other people? Jesus didn't judge, he didnt care if you were gay,black, white, hispanic, atheist or Islamic he loved no matter what, what you just posted judges people dude, either follow your beliefs or can your comment altogether.

Icarus
May 2, 2010 / 09:00

''What is so different in creationism vs any other theory?''

Do you really have to ask?

As Ned Flanders said. I did everything the bible told me to do, even all the stuff that contradicts the other stuff.

Also: The God of the Old Testament is arguably the most unpleasant character in all fiction: jealous and proud of it; a petty, unjust, unforgiving control-freak; a vindictive, bloodthirsty ethnic cleanser; a misogynistic, homophobic, racist, infanticidal, genocidal, filicidal, pestilential, megalomaniacal, sadomasochistic, capriciously malevolent bully.

Buffalo Boy Mike
May 2, 2010 / 09:23

Argie,
You made my blog
http://www.buffaloboymike.com/2010/05/dont-judge-based-on-beliefs.html

CQ
May 2, 2010 / 09:47

For me religion is just man's interpretation. I doubt if there were two kangaroos collected on the ark, for instance. And though unbelieving in Christianity's virgin birth idea, I can at least consider Jesus being great enough to have been adopted. I marvel at those Larry King Live panel shows on the subject that never include anyone who's a First Nations' person from throughout the Americas.
And if I were to "choose a people" it would have been the ancient Hawaiians - think about it: they said forget the long arduous walk over the Bering Strait and instead dugout a few tree logs and, carrying along their women folk, paddled 'blind' across the world's largest ocean filled with sharks and whales. At least the other South Pacific founders could island hop.

That all said, faith in an un-scientific divinity is something I can believe in and to a modest-only extent, most forms of religion might be useful as a beginning point towards any function of personal faith. (so much for a simple Sunday Morning coffee time).

Buffalo Boy Mike
May 2, 2010 / 10:12

Mike I think it already is the basis for the guy in the video

Ryan G
May 2, 2010 / 10:20

wow.

that's really all i can say.

except that i sensed a certain desperation in the guys in that video. as if they realize they're losing their grip, and they've given up having real intelligent debate (since they'd lose said debate). ironically, they seem like predators in the animal kingdom, where they'll go after the young, sick or elderly since they're easiest to capture.

Icarus
May 2, 2010 / 14:29

Hadn't thought about that, Ryan G.
Ironic on many levels, these people are.

Having faith in anything to such an extent that any challenge to it is seen as dangerous, is, (ironically) dangerous. It's the thin end of the wedge of religious fundamentalism.

Il Duce
May 2, 2010 / 16:46

@Toronto Mike

It seems that you point out all the negative parts of religion but never the good. Believe it or not there is a lot of good that religion does for the community and its faithful.

If you're a non-believer than that is you're right. But don't chastise those that wish to believe and live their lives with some form of faith.

Your argument is getting old and stale, move on.

Argie
May 2, 2010 / 20:01

Mike from Buffalo,

You seem to know a lot of what Jesus had to say and think. Let me clarify a few things for you.

Yes Jesus was all about 'love your neighbour' and don't cast a stone if you haven't sinned. But time and time again within the Gospels, his message is this: the only way to eternal life/salvation is through him. God can save you but first you must confess your sins, ask for God's forgiveness and repent. Sins such as murder, stealing, cheating, lying happen to go along sex out of marriage, not believing in God and the like.

In terms of race, I'm not sure why all the talk of blacks, hispanics, etc. Oh and muslims didn't exist in Jesus' time.

Argie
May 2, 2010 / 20:02

Mike from Buffalo,

You seem to know a lot of what Jesus had to say and think. Let me clarify a few things for you.

Yes Jesus was all about 'love your neighbour' and don't cast a stone if you haven't sinned. But time and time again within the Gospels, his message is this: the only way to eternal life/salvation is through him. God can save you but first you must confess your sins, ask for God's forgiveness and repent. Sins such as murder, stealing, cheating, lying happen to go along sex out of marriage, not believing in God and the like.

In terms of race, I'm not sure why all the talk of blacks, hispanics, etc. Oh and muslims didn't exist in Jesus' time.

Ryan
May 2, 2010 / 20:06

@Il Duce

"Old and Stale?"

Funny, i was going to use the same phrase regarding religion. Especially today!! It always has been and always will be a tool to control the masses and brainwash based on OLD/STALE tales and notions.

Icarus
May 2, 2010 / 20:14

''Believe it or not there is a lot of good that religion does for the community and its faithful.''

None of the good things that religion is said to have done can solely be attributed to religion, but instead to the acts of good people. In fact, i'd go further and say I think it is insulting to people (and humanity in general) to say that without religion they would be capable of good and great acts. Aren't Christians, Moslems, Jews, Hindus, Buddists etc... all capable of great acts? Great humanitarian acts are carried out be people of diversely different religious philosophies. What they share is their humanity and the possibility that that provides. Religion is secondary, and can be as easily be attributed to acts of great evil as good, e.g Spanish Inquisition, Crusades, Islamic Fundamentalism, Colonialism in the Middle East..

Buffalo Boy Mike
May 2, 2010 / 22:20

Argie:
"Sins such as murder, stealing, cheating, lying happen to go along sex out of marriage, not believing in God and the like."
First of all Argie, almost ever war man has fought is over religion, Religion is no good.
Honestly how do you know you arent going to hell? How to you know there is life after death? Have you died? Have oit becaue a book tells you and some dude or woman standing up in front of church wearing robes or a dress tells you to.
Guess what, I don't need religion to tell me Not to do all those things you call sins, most of them are things we have called laws, the others are common friggin sense. Religion is a crutch for the week minded, you hide behind it when you have done something wrong but you hold it out in front of you when you have done something right....

Buffalo Boy Mike
May 2, 2010 / 22:23

And ARgie, not believing in God is only a sin if you believe in God, if you don't believe in god then you have no god to answer to, I have no religion to tell me what to believe in, I believe in the religion of being a good person and being myself and not having to answer to some organized spiritual consultant in the sky that I can't see, If I wanted to believe in something invisible and all knowing again Id believe in Santa Claus.

Patrick O'Donnell
May 3, 2010 / 01:10

The possible finding of Noah's Ark is in the news again. Just how big would that thing have been if it held two of every land animal on it? Now consider the storage space for the food they would need on hand to feed them all for 40 days and 40 nights. Noah didn't bring on enough hands to clean up the shit that would have been produced by them all. Of course you won't find dinosaur in the bible - nobody was around when they were here and the bible was written well before the first fossils where found that they knew were "Dinosaurs". If Sarah Palin becomes president down here, you Canadians are going to see an influx of immigrants from your southern border. Can my reciting all the Rush albums in order be good enough to get me in?

Patrick O'Donnell
May 3, 2010 / 01:11

The possible finding of Noah's Ark is in the news again. Just how big would that thing have been if it held two of every land animal on it? Now consider the storage space for the food they would need on hand to feed them all for 40 days and 40 nights. Noah didn't bring on enough hands to clean up the shit that would have been produced by them all. Of course you won't find dinosaur in the bible - nobody was around when they were here and the bible was written well before the first fossils where found that they knew were "Dinosaurs". If Sarah Palin becomes president down here, you Canadians are going to see an influx of immigrants from your southern border. Can my reciting all the Rush albums in order be good enough to get me in?

Ajax Mike
May 3, 2010 / 03:33

Well maybe there just wasn't as many different kinds of animals back then. Oh wait... that would mean Evolution is real...

Jack
May 3, 2010 / 12:47

Fossils? They exist but were created as a result of a giant flood. Sound familiar? The carbon dating used to identify that these fossils come from millions of years ago is flawed as are the data that they use to support it. You'll find circular references between the hypothesis and the proof for the hypothesis...Sounds like the whole global warming debate. Don't worry about the proof - We'll just say it is true, create some proof to prove our case and nobody will ask questions about it. Creationism has at least the same amount of credibility if not more. Believe it, don't believe it, it is your choice (it is called free will - given by God). I'm standing on the side of believing it and feel quite comfortable with that decision. If I'm wrong, no problem, if you're wrong...I wouldn't want to be in your shoes.

Fredericton Steve
May 3, 2010 / 13:14

That was a pretty sad video.

Jesus
May 3, 2010 / 16:24

Man, can't any of you guys cut me some slack. Today's such a nice day I'm going out on my patio and have a beer.

Ajax Mike
May 3, 2010 / 16:54

"If I'm wrong, no problem, if you're wrong...I wouldn't want to be in your shoes."

Let's assume for a moment that you're right. If your God is going to punish me for exercising the free will and critical thinking that He gave me, while otherwise leading a good life... well then He doesn't deserve my worship to begin with.