god is not Great: How Religion Poisons Everything

[columbusdude82]

I just got done reading Christopher Hitchens' latest book. I bought it on Wednesday and was hardly able to put it down.

Damning condemnation of monotheism and oriental spirituality in particular, and all religion. His perspective on evolution and discrediting of "intelligent design" won me over.

Great book. Highly recommended.

[Hustle Man]

I just got done reading Christopher Hitchens' latest book. I bought it on Wednesday and was hardly able to put it down.

Damning condemnation of monotheism and oriental spirituality in particular, and all religion. His perspective on evolution and discrediting of "intelligent design" won me over.

Great book. Highly recommended.

Sounds like something Satan would write or say!

[Colossus_500]

I just got done reading Christopher Hitchens' latest book. I bought it on Wednesday and was hardly able to put it down.

Damning condemnation of monotheism and oriental spirituality in particular, and all religion. His perspective on evolution and discrediting of "intelligent design" won me over.

Great book. Highly recommended.

To get a true objective view of the whole thing, will you now find a book that argues the case for "intelligent design"?  You don't even have to buy a book, check out this site www.icr.org and let me know what you think.  I'll be interested to see what your response is. 

[columbusdude82]

There are as many "creationisms" as there are religions. The site you point me to is about Christianist Creationism. I am sure there are Islamist, Jewish, Buddhist, and other versions of creationism. Which of them is true, I wonder?

[Colossus_500]

There are as many "creationisms" as there are religions. The site you point me to is about Christianist Creationism. I am sure there are Islamist, Jewish, Buddhist, and other versions of creationism. Which of them is true, I wonder?

The only way you can TRULY answer your own question is to investigate them all.  Would you agree that most people would not be willing to fully investigate?  Also, what sparked your interest in Hitchens' book?  Were you looking for a way to find credibility into what you already believe, or were you one who believed in Creationism and then found out after reading his book that you now see it as a crock? 

[columbusdude82]

Investigate them ALL? What about scientology? Christian Science? Jehova's witnesses? The cult of Venus? The gods of the sub-saharan African jungles? The cult of the Spaghetti Monster? ... Do I need to take every course offered at college to have "fully investigated"?

As for Hitchens' book, I've heard about him and read about him all over the web (say, on Andrew Sullivan's blog). I LOVED the way he pwnd Sean Hannity so I picked up the book. I am glad that I did.

I consider myself ambivalent towards religion, in spite of being born, baptized, raised, and schooled Catholic, and then experimenting with very 'Biblical' forms of Christianity until as recently as two years ago.

[ieffinhatecardio]

The term "Intelligent Design" sounds like it was coined to justify something that ultimately makes very little sense outside of religion. The phrase itself is somewhat amusing.

[columbusdude82]

You are right, Sir. The Creationists found they could no longer enforce their dictatorship of (un)reason in the age of waning clerical power and rising scientific advancement, so they resorted to this middle-of-the-road solution. They said, "Fine, we'll accept that the creation account in Genesis is not literal, but we believe that God still created the world. Therefore, we choose to see evolution as an 'upward' trend."

[Colossus_500]

Investigate them ALL? What about scientology? Christian Science? Jehova's witnesses? The cult of Venus? The gods of the sub-saharan African jungles? The cult of the Spaghetti Monster? ... Do I need to take every course offered at college to have "fully investigated"?

As for Hitchens' book, I've heard about him and read about him all over the web (say, on Andrew Sullivan's blog). I LOVED the way he pwnd Sean Hannity so I picked up the book. I am glad that I did.

I expected as much.  You're not really interesting in investigating.  Have you read any of Lee Strobel's books?  There are tons of books, dvd's, etc, summarizing all the different religions/cults. 

What does Sean Hannity have to do with Creation?  LOL 

I consider myself ambivalent towards religion, in spite of being born, baptized, raised, and schooled Catholic, and then experimenting with very 'Biblical' forms of Christianity until as recently as two years ago.

So, what happened two years ago?

[Camel Jockey]

Dawkins, Hitchens and Harris are all best selling authors. 

[loco]

The best-selling book of all time is The Bible.     

http://home.comcast.net/~antaylor1/bestsellingbooks.html

[Colossus_500]

Dawkins, Hitchens and Harris are all best selling authors. 

So is Dr. Seuss.   

[MCWAY]

Dawkins, Hitchens and Harris are all best selling authors. 

So are pastors John Hagee, Joel Osteen, and Joyce Meyers. What's your point?

[columbusdude82]

I expected as much.  You're not really interesting in investigating.  Have you read any of Lee Strobel's books?  There are tons of books, dvd's, etc, summarizing all the different religions/cults. 

What does Sean Hannity have to do with Creation?  LOL 


So, what happened two years ago?

I think you are only looking at one aspect of the book, albeit a big one, the creation myths of the big religions. The book is not just about that. On the whole, it makes the case for anti-theism. As for my 'interest' in 'investigating,' I went to catholic school from kindergarten through graduation and was immersed in Christianity for years after that. I think I know a thing or two about the Judeo-Christian creation myths. If I were to investigate, I would have to read up on Islam, Buddhism, and the rest. Just as all religions are equally valid, so are all their creation myths. But that does not mean that all of them are true, or even just one!

As for Sean Hannity, I like it when he gets pwnd because I feel he is not a true conservative in the sense of Goldwater and Reagan, he is just a Christianist Theo-conservative self-righteous guy.

And about two years ago, long story... maybe I'll tell it later

[Colossus_500]

I think you are only looking at one aspect of the book, albeit a big one, the creation myths of the big religions. The book is not just about that. On the whole, it makes the case for anti-theism. As for my 'interest' in 'investigating,' I went to catholic school from kindergarten through graduation and was immersed in Christianity for years after that. I think I know a thing or two about the Judeo-Christian creation myths. If I were to investigate, I would have to read up on Islam, Buddhism, and the rest. Just as all religions are equally valid, so are all their creation myths. But that does not mean that all of them are true, or even just one!

As for Sean Hannity, I like it when he gets pwnd because I feel he is not a true conservative in the sense of Goldwater and Reagan, he is just a Christianist Theo-conservative self-righteous guy.

And about two years ago, long story... maybe I'll tell it later

Just because you went to Catholic school doesn't mean you were immersed in Christianity.  To be a Christian, in my opinion, means that you have an on-going, very intimate, and personal walk with Christ where you've accepted Jesus as your Lord and Savior and recognized Him as the Son of God who died for your sins and mine.  A relationship with Christ has nothing to do with Catholicism.  Going to Catholic school your whole life just means you were subject to dogmatic views.  Now, it would be totally different if you accepted Christ as your Lord and Savior, but it sounds like you just went to Catholic school.  And if that be the case, it could have been any religious or non-religious school that brought you to the place in which you rest your non-belief.   

You don't have to tell me what happened if you don't want to, bro.  I was just guessing that something happened to put you where you're at today in what you believe.  But I hope you don't mind me praying about your situation. 

[columbusdude82]

Yes I was immersed in Christianity, at school, at Church, at home, all my daily activities, etc. And yes, I was very religious, praying all the time, going to mass daily, reading the Bible and saying the rosary every night, sometimes getting up at 5 am to pray and say the rosary before school...

Any way, I just got tired about feeling guilty all the time. Guilty about every time I had sex, guilty about every hard-on I got when I saw a hot girl, guilty for jerking off... I also disagree with the Church's (and most of Christianity's) stances on contraception, gays, and sex... There's alot more to it than that but I will spare you, these are the main ideas.

[OzmO]

Yes I was immersed in Christianity, at school, at Church, at home, all my daily activities, etc. And yes, I was very religious, praying all the time, going to mass daily, reading the Bible and saying the rosary every night, sometimes getting up at 5 am to pray and say the rosary before school...

Any way, I just got tired about feeling guilty all the time. Guilty about every time I had sex, guilty about every hard-on I got when I saw a hot girl, guilty for jerking off... I also disagree with the Church's (and most of Christianity's) stances on contraception, gays, and sex... There's alot more to it than that but I will spare you, these are the main ideas.

This a BIG problem with Christianity and most organized religions in general.  They want to control what comes natural to you and make it into a sin.   What a bunch of crap.

[Hustle Man]

This a BIG problem with Christianity and most organized religions in general.  They want to control what comes natural to you and make it into a sin.   What a bunch of crap.

What do you want Christianity and organized religion to look like in general? Curious to know your thoughts

[Camel Jockey]

What do you want Christianity and organized religion to look like in general? Curious to know your thoughts

How about religion not infringing upon the rights of women, homosexuals and the nonreligious? How about organized faith respecting the fact that the United States is a secular country?

That'd be a start.

You don't have to tell me what happened if you don't want to, bro.  I was just guessing that something happened to put you where you're at today in what you believe.  But I hope you don't mind me praying about your situation. 

LOL  Pray for him? Just because he doesn't believe your nonsense you automatically assume that there's something wrong with him. Stop thinking that you are right and that if people don't agree with you, then there must be something wrong with them.

You praying for him is pretty funny though.

[columbusdude82]

I agree with cameljockey. There is something very condescending about religious people offering to "pray" for me, each according to his own faith. (Well, except for the muslims, they just wanna blow me up ), although I am certain that Colossus means very well!

If I were to live in accordance with the Bible, I would have to go around butchering homosexual men (but not lesbians, oddly enough), stoning adulterers, chopping off Philistines' foreskins (where can I find me some of them? Gaza?), not getting laid and not jerking off, being very sexually frustrated and constantly torturing myself over the fact that I got a hard on, upholding my own belief in the Resurrected One while putting down everyone else's beliefs as "absurd"... no, wait, there's religious folks of all persuasions already doing most of that!

[Camel Jockey]

Good to see atheists and agnostics on this forum!

columbusdude, faith is losing its grip(atleast in the west). As babyboomer assholes die out, religion will lose more and more followers.

[columbusdude82]

Oddly enough, I never described myself as an 'atheist.' After reading Hitchens' book and reflecting more and more on it, I am starting to feel like an "anti-theist."

As for faith losing its grip, Hitchens puts it eloquently when he says that religion, like all mythology, belongs to the dark infancies of our species, and like all goodbyes, this one must not be protracted.

[Hustle Man]

How about religion not infringing upon the rights of women, homosexuals and the nonreligious? How about organized faith respecting the fact that the United States is a secular country?

I am assuming you mean the right to abortion, same sex marriages and no religion in educational institutions? You know this could be another topic of discussion because everyone's rights are infringed upon at some point and time!

That'd be a start. Sounds reasonable

quoted
You don't have to tell me what happened if you don't want to, bro.  I was just guessing that something happened to put you where you're at today in what you believe.  But I hope you don't mind me praying about your situation. I didn't say this!

LOL  Pray for him? Just because he doesn't believe your nonsense you automatically assume that there's something wrong with him. Stop thinking that you are right and that if people don't agree with you, then there must be something wrong with them.

You praying for him is pretty funny though. I think asking someone can you pray for them is a learned action (Christianese) but I have learned not to ask permission to pray for someone unless they ask first but I am sure whomever this was that offered to pray, his/her intent was to do well not insult or condescend.

[Camel Jockey]

As for faith losing its grip, Hitchens puts it eloquently when he says that religion, like all mythology, belongs to the dark infancies of our species, and like all goodbyes, this one must not be protracted

Unfortunately, it'll take some time before we're rid of religion. In the west atleast! Asia is booming and will take a little longer than the west.

And being an atheist simply means not believing in supernatural things. I don't know why certain people shun labeling themselves as atheists.. If you don't believe in a supernatural creator then you are an atheist.

[columbusdude82]

An atheist could still wish that God existed, or wish they could believe. An Anti-theist is an atheist who is glad that God doesn't exist. If I were to label myself, I'd prefer anti-theist at this stage.

As for religion dying out, the faithful can do whatever they want, as long as they don't kill each other and the rest of us over tribal fights that happened in the near east and Arabia hundreds of years ago...