Religion

[Lusankya]

Originally Posted by Scourge of Amaranth

Uh, no, Hell as punishment for sin is not originally a Christian concept. Pre-Christian Rome believed in a tiered afterlife. The bottom layer was Tartarus, where those who had offended the gods (which is the idea upon which the very word "sin" is based etymologically--a transgression) were sent. Their punishment was contingent upon their sin (which later was also a traditional Christian belief), and they were able to ascend to higher rings of the afterlife after their debts to society had been paid (again, this was later a traditional Christian belief). And that's only one example of a pre-Christian afterlife that involved condemnation for those who displease their gods.

Then, how do you explain the concept of hell in the Jewish faith (which of course, Christianity evolved from and retained most of their core beliefs)? I don't think they got that idea from the Romans. Sure, the idea may have originated elsewhere, but that doesn't mean there was already hell in the Christian faith when it started. As far as I'm concerned, if Christianity had hell when it started, then it's enough to consider it a Christian concept, as opposed to a belief that was added in later.

[Ceromax]

Originally Posted by Retro-Smasher

Pagans are cool, but those Christian and Catholic douches mistreated and abused them for hundreds of years. I've got a Pagan friend, he's chill about religion though.

Why are you putting down religions?

[Lusankya]

Originally Posted by Ceromax

Why are you putting down religions?

He's not, just Christianity.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paganism

Pagans have religion too.

[Teddiursa of the Sky]

You can have both. I trust Science to the fullest, however I also believe my religion. If you notice, I am not living in a hut, I am not preaching the Lord, and I do not respect religious officials. You can have both, there are religious scientists. Stop making such generalizations, when you have no proof to back up your answer.

As for proof of Science. There is no such thing as proof. A fact is even only considered true because so far, nothing has proven it wrong. The only things that can be taken as solid evidence are the Scientific Laws. That is why Steven Hawking, the brilliant mind that he is, can explain the creation of the Universe, or at least theorize, via physics.

I do realize that there are people who cannot keep their overly offensive mouths shut, that is why their anger-sparking comments should be kept to themselves.

And I do respect the writers of the Bible. Even if the Bible cannot be taken at face value and many Christians come up with some pretty ludicrous ideas on how each thing written in the Bible is true, I do think it takes some guts to write such a long and powerful book. It can be considered an Epic, the same with the Ramayana, or the Odyssey. In that respect, all those writers can deserve respect no matter how clouded their vision may or may not have been.

Do not let hatred or your biased opinion get in the way of an argument. Look at both sides before you make a valid statement.

[Lusankya]

Scientific laws are no more solid evidence than scientific theories. A scientific law is a simple, basic concept around which a science revolves. But they're not any more "evidence" than a scientific theory. That's why Einstein's "theory" of General Relativity supersedes Newton's "law" of Gravity.

Also, if you mean the literary definition of an "epic", the Bible is not one. For one, epics are specifically poems, like the Odyssey.

[GallantlyGlaceon]

Eh, I don't really have much to say about this. My father and older brother are Christians, so that's how I got into Christianity and became a Christian. However, my mother, stepdad, and half-sisters are all somewhat not Christians, as in, I can't exactly say that they're atheists, agnostic, or some other thing, but I can't say that they're Christians either :/

I have to say, though, if my dad and brother hadn't raised me to be a Christian, then I probably wouldn't be one. If anything, I'd most likely be into Greek Gods and the like, mostly because I'm a Rick Riordan fan.

[Teddiursa of the Sky]

Originally Posted by Lusankya

Scientific laws are no more solid evidence than scientific theories. A scientific law is a simple, basic concept around which a science revolves. But they're not any more "evidence" than a scientific theory. That's why Einstein's "theory" of General Relativity supersedes Newton's "law" of Gravity.

Also, if you mean the literary definition of an "epic", the Bible is not one. For one, epics are specifically poems, like the Odyssey.

Theories are scientific hypotheses based on facts and laws. Laws are set-in-stone facts. Facts change quite often, for instance: Science taught that matter could not be destroyed, stated as a fact. However, scientists have now found that it can be destroyed. Facts are based off of theories that have been tested repetitively and show no signs of contradiction at that moment, but can still change if another fact is uncovered that contradicts the previous. If said fact has no contradictions, and can be proved time and time again, it is considered law.

Final Summatiawn

Laws must be used under the same conditions, and cannot be changed no matter the circumstance. Facts change often, and are based of theories. Theories are based off of previous facts that have been tested to be true during that moment. Facts are based off of theory and law, of which the latter is the only completely true proof. I believe facts, however I acknowledge that they may become untrue. I completely trust law, for it is completely true, without any contradiction. I trust a theory somewhat, for it is based off of facts that I believe to be true until proven otherwise. It is a big cycle.

See: Law
See: Fact

[Megiddo Flame]

Originally Posted by Professor Geoffrey

Methinks there is a God.

Well, God can't answer all prayers. God will answer yes or no, won't answer at all, or will provide you with something else He thinks is better for you in His scheme of things. His plan for the world may not be perfect to us, but it's the best possible way for things to unfold. Don't rule me out as the typical Christian. Yes, people die. People starve. People suffer. After death, you go to Heaven or the Lake of Fire (I don't believe in Hell, or Hel as they call it in Norse mythology; yes, Hell is a pagan concept, popular Christians!), and that's that. Case closed. You believe in God or you don't, and you accept Jesus or you don't. No, I don't know about aborted babies or people who were never exposed to Christianity, but I'd be willing to bet that aborted babies go straight to Heaven or may be reborn (since somewhere in the Bible states that life officially begins a month after the baby is born) and that Jesus would give unexposed people a second chance of some sort, since He did give a second chance to people in what used to be Purgatory (but now does not exist; yes, it is a Catholic concept, but they believe it still exists), since Jesus came after all of the other humans that died over the course of the past few hundreds of thousands of years. As you can tell, I have a very, very different view of Christianity than most believers, but I can tell you that more nonbelievers I've met have had more tolerance of my beliefs. I'm mostly pro-choice (though I wouldn't do it if I were a woman; I just support the freedom), I believe in evolution, and I do believe - to an extent - that religion and science can go along hand-in-hand.

Regarding scientific proof, if God created science (and I do believe He did), then wouldn't he be able to use it to cloak himself and render himself unprovable? The only possible proof is infinity, and even we can't prove that.

But if there IS a God of some sort, he ALWAYS ignores me.

I might start my own little religion: The Church of Arceus!

[Teddiursa of the Sky]

Actually, technically, looking back on my post, not even Newton's Law is completely correct because his physics is totally flawed when it comes to quantum physics. So one could say that we have not found the definite laws of the natural universe. Search on scientists, search on!

[fullmetal]

Lucifer is the almighty

satan 2012!