10-13-2006, 12:14 AM
I scanned the study but didn't really read it because... well... I'm too apathetic, so for all I know they may have went over this in the study.----> In the article you included it says:
"All this information points to a strong correlation between faith and antisocial behavior"
This is just a correlation, there is no causation proven. religion can not be seen as the variable to cause the antisocial behaviour. Other factors within the western culture could be causing or influencing these larger rates of behaviour.
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I see nothing wrong with people believing what they will, I do however find it all empirically impossible that there is a god, a heaven, a hell and our spirits which will live forever in one of the two worlds. I stress the word forever because if we did not exist before birth or before all life itself how is it possible to continue existing after death; what begins must end. Although, DragonLady has pointed out to me not too long ago that my own views come in conflict with each other. I do find supernatural happenings (such as ghosts and the like) plausible because there have been a few instances where I've had what I believe to be first hand experiences (which I try to explain to myself as being shadows, products of visual hallucinations [no I wasn't high] or gusts of wind somehow in places where there is no real air source). I am not talking about aliens when I mention that because I don't "think" they exist, I am almost certain that they do exist. In a universe as vast as this it seems highly unlikely or even impossible that there is no other life out there.
God, as I see it is just the personification of one's parents (specifically the father) in adulthood (this view I stole from freud, he's the man). As a child we look to our parents for protection, they may or may not provide and the experiences we have in youth with relation to our parents has a fairly strong affect on how we see 'god' as we get older. If one was abused or neglected as a child god might be viewed through hate filled eyes or simply not viewed at all. In a loving relationship, God could be seen as the protecter and through hard times is someone to turn to. In contradiction to this theory, however, I've had a great relationship with my parents and don't believe in God, but perhaps that's in part to being raised by agnostics giving me the freedom to choose what I believe.
Children, as was already mentioned, are much more impressionable than adults and this is a large problem factor in this Jesus Camp thing. If you go to church or a christian school, whatever. Yes of course religion is pushed in these environments but to train a child for use in whatever religiously maniacal events you have planned is just wrong. How is it any different than terrorism. Not to racially mark "terrorism", but as it is seen by the majority, "terrorism" mostly comes from the middle east. This Jesus Camp crap is just terrorism from the west.
To summarize, I believe in no God and see religion in its entirety to be complete bs.
"Don't wanna be in the ground, cremate me when I expire. Since I'm gonna burn in hell I should get used to the fire." -Cage, Waterworld
"All this information points to a strong correlation between faith and antisocial behavior"
This is just a correlation, there is no causation proven. religion can not be seen as the variable to cause the antisocial behaviour. Other factors within the western culture could be causing or influencing these larger rates of behaviour.
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I see nothing wrong with people believing what they will, I do however find it all empirically impossible that there is a god, a heaven, a hell and our spirits which will live forever in one of the two worlds. I stress the word forever because if we did not exist before birth or before all life itself how is it possible to continue existing after death; what begins must end. Although, DragonLady has pointed out to me not too long ago that my own views come in conflict with each other. I do find supernatural happenings (such as ghosts and the like) plausible because there have been a few instances where I've had what I believe to be first hand experiences (which I try to explain to myself as being shadows, products of visual hallucinations [no I wasn't high] or gusts of wind somehow in places where there is no real air source). I am not talking about aliens when I mention that because I don't "think" they exist, I am almost certain that they do exist. In a universe as vast as this it seems highly unlikely or even impossible that there is no other life out there.
God, as I see it is just the personification of one's parents (specifically the father) in adulthood (this view I stole from freud, he's the man). As a child we look to our parents for protection, they may or may not provide and the experiences we have in youth with relation to our parents has a fairly strong affect on how we see 'god' as we get older. If one was abused or neglected as a child god might be viewed through hate filled eyes or simply not viewed at all. In a loving relationship, God could be seen as the protecter and through hard times is someone to turn to. In contradiction to this theory, however, I've had a great relationship with my parents and don't believe in God, but perhaps that's in part to being raised by agnostics giving me the freedom to choose what I believe.
Children, as was already mentioned, are much more impressionable than adults and this is a large problem factor in this Jesus Camp thing. If you go to church or a christian school, whatever. Yes of course religion is pushed in these environments but to train a child for use in whatever religiously maniacal events you have planned is just wrong. How is it any different than terrorism. Not to racially mark "terrorism", but as it is seen by the majority, "terrorism" mostly comes from the middle east. This Jesus Camp crap is just terrorism from the west.
To summarize, I believe in no God and see religion in its entirety to be complete bs.
"Don't wanna be in the ground, cremate me when I expire. Since I'm gonna burn in hell I should get used to the fire." -Cage, Waterworld