Over the Hedge by T Lewis and Michael Fry for September 28, 2012

Good luck finding a lawyer to get you out of that contract RJ, they all work for Satan

there is no such thing as heaven or hell. made of concept invented by ancient humans to control society. no afterlife and no soul.

Well said.

@TheTrustedMechanicIf the vocal religious people weren’t the same way, throughout history and on many many issues, I suspect fewer vocal atheists would take that position.

Everyone has the right to believe, or disbelieve whatever they choose. The problem comes in when they decide their particular belief (or non-belief) is the law of the universe and other people must adhere to their particular brand of silliness.

In general; the believers in imaginary friends tend to have a more impressive body count, Stalin & Mao didn’t kill people only on the basis of religious preference, Hitler may or may not have been an atheist, but even if he was, long term results worldwide dwarf his numbers.

Atheists on the other hand shouldn’t follow in the footsteps of those who wish to ban all differing opinion from the public square.

Revenge is the premise that one plus one equals zero.

What are the criteria for proving this? You’ll know when you die, but then you’ll wish you had known sooner.

If you all are wondering why the religious won’t just leave you alone, it might be that they actually care. You have this idea that because you can’t see it, it doesn’t exist. Tell me, how do I know you have a brain? Answer: You are capable of producing specified complexity. (i.e. sentences) We see specified complexity everywhere we look, therefore I conclude that a brain, mind, intelligence, whatever, is responsible for all of creation. Where do you think we came from? Warning: I’ve discovered that I know a lot more about evolution than those who believe it do. Please remember that the Big Bang is obsolete, radiometric dating is completely faulty, and if you want to go into missing links, I’ll be happy to discuss the few fraudulent examples your professors still cling to. I believe the Bible because it has been proven historically, prophetically, and yes, scientifically. You might try reading it. Of course, I will not get yelled at for suggesting you might have the time to read that long of a book. So try starting with John. If I can memorize it, you can read it.

no[w] get yelled at, my mistake.

To @vwdualnomand and @HMunster: I’m not going to take sides here, but this is why religion is referred to as “faith” and not “evidence”. I don’t think either of you can prove anything.

If complexity has to come from a mind of higher complexity, where did that mind come from?

Oh, hey, everybody, let’s face it. R. J. would only be in a theoretical Hell for about 20, maybe 30 minutes, before the theoretical Devil said, “I CAN’T TAKE IT ANY MORE!” If R. J. were a river, he’d make another Grand Canyon! Don’t believe me? Ask Verne.

It must be nice on that planet you’re from, where “the religious” do not deride or belittle.

“The universe is too large for the idea of a human created god. Way too small.”Yup, and covered in the book of Job.

But you’re right at there are lots of athesists who don’t like the crazy nuts who what to shove it down your throat any more than all Christians like Bible thumpers or all Muslims riot or all Pagans are vegans.

I will not debate closed minded people, from either side. It is a waste of time. People on both sides tend to make statements that are (or at least seem) easy to disprove. The other side then picks up that fumble and thinks that, because they scored, the game is over. I will now leave you to your fight.

I’ve met very few actual atheists. I’ve met people who say that they don’t know the answers (agnostics); other people who may or may not be agnostics but mostly find overtly “religious” folks to be pests; and many more who don’t really care one way or the other, some of them with religious labels…because they live the way they feel like, regardless..But actual atheists — people who purely and simply don’t believe and have no emotional investment in such things either way — are rare. They would find discussions like this to be merely boring, and we wouldn’t even hear from them. More often, those who call themselves atheists don’t simply not believe; rather, atheists are angry at the idea of God, and therefore toward religions that are based on that idea, so they feel themselves under attack in any mention of such things and must strike back in self-defence..In fact such “atheism” has no substance in itself; all it ever can be is a negative knee-jerk reaction to something else…ironically, demonstrating only that to them, on some level, God just might exist and they don’t like it one bit. What it comes down to is that, as G. K. Chesterton put it, “If there were no God, there would be no atheists.”.And by the way, any angry responses to this will only prove my point.

Not the ones I’ve met. Tell me about my religion, why don’t you? To clarify, I’m a born again, Bible believing Christian. You can start with the Bible.

Their are religions that are not cults, but all cults are religions. The definition of a cult is a Christian group that denies the deity of Christ or the Trinity.

<facepalm>

You want proof there is a Hell? Remember Junior High School? I rest my case.

In a nutshell, God created Hell for the devil and his fellow rebe;lious angels. He doesn’t want you to go there, because He created you and He loves you. “Hell and destruction are before the Lord: how much more then the hearts of the children of men?” You don’t like that, do you. If God loves you why would He send anyone to burn for eternity? Have you ever been burned? It’s not a good feeling. Being burned to death is a horrible way to die. Burning for eternity… God does love you. But God is also holy. He can’t allow sin in His presence. You are a sinner. You are. Every human on this earth is a sinner. We all deserve an eternity in Hell for rebelling against the Creator of the universe. We have nothing to offer God. How filthy we must appear to a perfectly pure, all-powerful God. If your creation rebelled against you and reviled you and rejected you and hated you, how would you respond? Would you even let them continue to exist? I doubt it. And I KNOW that you wouldn’t die for them. “For scarcely for a righteous man will one die: yet peradventure for a good man some would even dare to die. But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.” Imagine you are walking by a filthy old man sitting in the street, obviously a drug addict, a completely wasted life, and he stops you. He says, “Mister, I have a favor to ask of you. See, my ticker ain’t so good no more, and the doc says if I don’t get me a new heart, I’m gonna die. Would you give me your heart?” Would you? Knowing that he will probably waste it? Not appreciate it for a moment? Do you realize that the almighty Creator of the universe died a most excrutiating death to give you a chance at life? Knowing that the majority of His creation would trample His gift in the dust? What love is this! Jesus Christ, God manifest in the flesh, suffered unspeakable agony, dying of pain and suffocation, only to rise from the dead three days later, so that you could live because He lives, because His incorruptable blood can cover your sins and erase your debt. My favorite verse in the Bible: “I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.” A close second: “Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.” The joy. How can He refer to filthy, worthless, rebellious humanity as His joy? I can only fall on my face in adoration. Because God loves me, and God loves you. You may look at Hell, and spend your eternity there, cursing the God who put you there, but He warned you. To trod underfoot the blood of Christ is a fearful thing. “God is not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.” How shall you escape if you neglect so great a salvation? For their is none other name under heaven given among men whereby we must be saved. The wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. If thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.

I’m not sure how a being who would create such a horrible punishment for, essentially, anyone who disagrees with them can be considered without sin. Particularly the big one, pride.