[mcgooglian]

What could possibly be more damaging to a child than telling him over and over from the time he's an infant that there exists an invisible person who is unwilling to prove he exists watching him every second of every day and reading his thoughts and if he doesn't believe in the invisible person he will be tortured for eternity? Yet we tell that same child that monsters don't exist so it's silly to be scared of monsters.

Religion is one of the most serious mental illnesses of today. It is the inablity to face the reality of life and the finality of death. It affects as high as 85% of the American Society. Approximately 75% of the American victims of this mental illness are Christians. The more pathetic and desperate a persons life, the more likely they are to believe in a god. Typically, people with otherwise empty lives, are the stongest believers. It gives them the false hope that there is a higher meaning to their sad and pathetic lives. The strongest of believers would admittedly be suicidal without religion and/or a god in their lives providing a mental safety valve.

Christians would have you believe atheists do not have as high as morals as Christians. They want you to believe they are somehow better people than atheists. Yet, the Federal Bureau of Prisons 1997 statistics show that a Christian is 50 times more likely to end up in prison than an atheist.

Many Christians have made statements like, "Doctor Smith is a good man, he is a Christian". If a doctor believed in the Easter Bunny, would you allow this doctor to operate on you? The belief in the Father, Son and Holy Ghost is no more than the adult version of Santa Claus, the Easter Bunny, and the Tooth Fairy. The next time you go to a doctor, you may want to consider if you want to put your health in the hands of a delusional person.

Temporal Lobe Epilepsy disorder has been linked to extreme religious experiences. Patients who have TLE may have sudden and dramatic spiritual changes. There are many instances of these patients converting from agnostic or atheist beliefs to strongly active religious faiths. TLE causes abnormal electrical activity in their temporal regions and has been directly linked to these radical changes in religious belief and personality changes. Curiously, religious chanting and meditation reduce the activity of frontal lobe activity, which heightens Temporal Lobe activity. Further research in this area has uncovered that electrical stimulation of areas in the Temporal Lobe also produce these spiritual experiences. The electrical stimulation caused the control group to report feelings of "well being" euphoria and a feeling of a "presence".

Being a formal military pilot, it is amusing to hear people attribute seeing a light in a tunnel to a god when experiencing near death experiences. This is often accompanied by feelings of euphoria. Coincidently, military pilots experience the same feelings when taking oxygen deprivation training. When the brain is deprived of oxygen, the first thing that happens is all colors fade to gray. Soon after, experiences of euphoria and well being are felt. Finally, all light closes in to a pinpoint, like a light in a tunnel just before the loss of consciousness.

It is a statistical fact that the higher your education, income, and intelligence, the more likely you are not to believe in a god. For every college student that converts to a religious belief system, 17 college students convert to secular or atheist beliefs. "Secular Humanists" have an average intelligence of 25 I.Q. points above their Christian conterparts. Studies have shown the average atheist to have an I.Q. of 19 points higher than the typical Christian.

A religion by definition is a superstition. A religion is the belief in a supernatural being or beings. A superstition is the belief in magic or phenomena beyond or outside of nature. A religious belief then is a superstitious belief.

Religions seem to usually require a God, Prophets and Profits. God is usually very powerful. Not too powerful because that messes up convenient concepts like free will. Too much God power makes bad things hard to explain. The optimum amount of power can be vague and variable but usually permits granting of certain perks, like an after life. This provides a useful motivational tool. God supposedly talks through Prophets. Prophets are like schizophrenics but since most lived before psychiatrists diagnosed schizophrenia they were believed to be really talking to God. Nowadays they would be sent for treatment.

A common symptom of religion is delusion. Often including notions of resurrection. But face it, you are not coming back. Well, no one has yet, with any convincing evidence, and an awful lot of people have died.

Religious people are dangerous. They can not think for themselves, but instead cling to every word the bible says. Religious fanatics can somehow throw out all scientific evidence and replace it with the word of one book that has no credibility. They want to spread their illness to the rest of the world and contaminate the remaining 10% to 15% of the sane population. Atheists usually know and understand what is written in the bible better than those who claim to follow its word. Religious fanatics want to convert your children and will stop at nothing. They want the right to force you to follow their ideas and beliefs and restrain any conflicting beliefs or activities.

Recognizing religion as a class of mental illness would be a start in curing this disease. We should develop support groups, maybe along the lines of Alcoholics Anonymous - “My name’s Mike and I’m a recovering Christian ..

Be a "free thinker". Read and question what is written. Blind faith is for people who can not think for themselves.

[gOpheR]

I find the article you copied to be kinda offensive and jumps from facts to speculation with no discernable intent to sperate the two. It villifies the individual unjustly... I'm obviously biassed by my spiritual beliefs, but still, this article comes off as trash...

[Jrquinlisk]

This reminds me of a radio show I heard the other day. (Wish I could remember what it was... To the Best of Our Knowledge, perhaps?) Anyway, it made a point of distinguishing between "religious people" and "fundamentalists". "Religious people" are...well, exactly what they sound like. People for whom religion plays a significant role in their life. Whether this is a good or bad thing depends. Religion has been a powerful motivator for both good and evil. And I know good people – as I'm sure you do – who owe a great deal to their religion.

"Fundamentalists", on the other hand, tend to believe in only the strictest interpretations of their religion – or lack thereof – and try their hardest to force others to follow their ridiculously draconian codes of belief and behavior.

Unfortunately, many commentators confuse the two types of people, assuming them to be one and the same. The author of your article seems to have done the same, lumping well-meaning church-goers together with fire-and-brimstone demagogues.

I won't argue with the fact that religion was and is used to justify some truly horrific things. Does this mean we should abandon it altogether? Hardly. It's inspired great works of self-sacrifice and compassion, and provided the last hope for people in dark times. The problems usually arise when these people try to force their beliefs on others, behavior I've seen from self-professed atheists as well.

The following comments are directed more at the author of the article:

Typically, people with otherwise empty lives, are the stongest believers. It gives them the false hope that there is a higher meaning to their sad and pathetic lives. The strongest of believers would admittedly be suicidal without religion and/or a god in their lives providing a mental safety valve.

And who are you to decide that these people would be better off killing themselves? Are you truly qualified to be arbiter of who lives and who dies? Is anybody, in fact, truly qualified? If religion is the one thing that gives reason and purpose to their lives, why shouldn't they go? Hell, I'll take them to church myself!

Many Christians have made statements like, "Doctor Smith is a good man, he is a Christian". If a doctor believed in the Easter Bunny, would you allow this doctor to operate on you? The belief in the Father, Son and Holy Ghost is no more than the adult version of Santa Claus, the Easter Bunny, and the Tooth Fairy. The next time you go to a doctor, you may want to consider if you want to put your health in the hands of a delusional person.

If they can accurately diagnose and treat me, they could believe the moon is made of cheese, for all I care. The doctor is there to heal me; religious beliefs shouldn't be a factor.

Temporal Lobe Epilepsy disorder has been linked to extreme religious experiences. Patients who have TLE may have sudden and dramatic spiritual changes. There are many instances of these patients converting from agnostic or atheist beliefs to strongly active religious faiths. TLE causes abnormal electrical activity in their temporal regions and has been directly linked to these radical changes in religious belief and personality changes. Curiously, religious chanting and meditation reduce the activity of frontal lobe activity, which heightens Temporal Lobe activity. Further research in this area has uncovered that electrical stimulation of areas in the Temporal Lobe also produce these spiritual experiences. The electrical stimulation caused the control group to report feelings of "well being" euphoria and a feeling of a "presence".

And sex stimulates other parts of the brain. And a good run stimulates others. And chocolate, still others. Temporal lobe epilepsy may be a condition worth treating. That doesn't mean we should seek to cut out the temporal lobe of every person who expresses any religious belief

It is a statistical fact that the higher your education, income, and intelligence, the more likely you are not to believe in a god. For every college student that converts to a religious belief system, 17 college students convert to secular or atheist beliefs. "Secular Humanists" have an average intelligence of 25 I.Q. points above their Christian conterparts. Studies have shown the average atheist to have an I.Q. of 19 points higher than the typical Christian.

Okay, a 20-point difference on IQ tests. You know what that means? Nothing. IQ was originally devised as a test to determine which school students would be better helped by a special education regimen. Since then, it's been appropriated by every group under the sun to prove whatever they want it to prove. Show me a correlation between IQ and life satisfaction, and then I'll be willing to consider it. Until then, stick to statistics that actually mean something.

A common symptom of religion is delusion. Often including notions of resurrection. But face it, you are not coming back. Well, no one has yet, with any convincing evidence, and an awful lot of people have died.

No one's come back yet. Okay, I'll give you that one. So what does happen after you die? I'm willing to bet you don't know what happens to your consciousness after death. I'm willing to bet you can't even precisely define "consciousness". No one can, because no one knows exactly what it is. A soul? An emergent phenomenon? Nobody knows; don't go claiming you do.

Religious people are dangerous. They can not think for themselves, but instead cling to every word the bible says. Religious fanatics can somehow throw out all scientific evidence and replace it with the word of one book that has no credibility. They want to spread their illness to the rest of the world and contaminate the remaining 10% to 15% of the sane population. Atheists usually know and understand what is written in the bible better than those who claim to follow its word. Religious fanatics want to convert your children and will stop at nothing. They want the right to force you to follow their ideas and beliefs and restrain any conflicting beliefs or activities.

Religious people are dangerous? So are atheists. This sheep-like attitude is disturbingly common regardless of religious beliefs. A man who blindly follows every word written by angry men like Richard Dawkins can be just as amoral and dangerous as a man who blindly follows every word written in the Bible. And let's not forget all the militant atheists who accuse any outward display of religious faith as being a harmful assault on their beliefs. They're being far more offensive and oppressive than the lady who wears a cross on her necklace and just goes about her business. Just like religious fanatics, these militant atheists want to convert your children and will stop at nothing. They want the right to force you to follow their ideas and beliefs and restrain any conflicting beliefs or activities.

Be a "free thinker". Read and question what is written. Blind faith is for people who can not think for themselves.

This is the one point of this little rant I actually agree with. Unfortunately, I'm not convinced you yourself believe it. Your tirade seems just as oppressive as the fundamentalists you're claiming to fight.

[Ungweliante]

The more pathetic and desperate a persons life, the more likely they are to believe in a god. Typically, people with otherwise empty lives, are the stongest believers. It gives them the false hope that there is a higher meaning to their sad and pathetic lives.

I think this paragraph nullifies any and all valid points the article would otherwise have.

[musicalpyramid]

Well, rightly or wrongly I consider myself to be an intelligent man. Free thinker, happiest when I dont conform to the sheep mentality of the masses.

But I belive in life after death, that when I am dead and gone I will be reunited with those that I love. I do believe in God, but organised religion is never much of a priority for me - rather it is a private matter of my own mind and soul.

I can't prove to anyone that what I believe is true - I dont care what anyone else thinks, frankly, I sumply know that I belive in life after death - I know it to be true in the centre of my very being. Now, I am impartial enough to fully accept that I may believe this because I dont like the thought of the absolute finality of death and this just makes me feel better. Equally, as someone who always needs to see the value in his life and his actions, perhaps i am attracted the notion of a higher power with a set of values as this makes my life more meaningful.

In truth, I could simply be deluding myself, and tagging on to many things that do make this existance easier for me. If I'm wrong it doesn't matter - no harm is done and I wont find any life after death. I will have lived by the principles of respect and duty and compassion and my life will have been better for it.

But, ultimately, religion is about faith. I have faith in the things I believe in. I would never make an attempt to 'convert' an atheist - religion for me as i said is a private matter for the individual - but simply because i take a different outlook to an atheist is no grounds for an atheist to question my sanity or mental health.

After all, political differences are as profound as religios ones, but in a free country with freedom of conscience you are entitled to believe what politics you want. If someon dislikes religion, or religious people, that is their right, i have no problem with that. What i do object to is when one group of people dismiss another and ridicule them because they live by different codes. Yes, in some cases religion is used to justify terrible things. So what! So has nationalism, socialism, communism, liberalism, individualism, conservatism... Well meaning ideas can be twisted to any end by the already twisted mind. But telling a child 'there is no god so you must not be religious' is as stupid as saying to a child 'there is only god and no other route'. Let the child have exposure to both and in due course they will make up there own mind, in their own good time.

[Psilocin]

Be a "free thinker". Read and question what is written. Blind faith is for people who can not think for themselves.

That statement goes both ways.

Think about it.

[starri]

“Nothing is more revolting than the majority; for it consists of few vigorous predecessors, of knaves who accommodate themselves, of weak people who assimilate themselves, and the mass that toddles after them without knowing in the least what it wants” - Goethe

yet

When you hear a man say, "I hate," adding the name of some race, nation, religion, or social class, you are dealing with a belated mind.

I believe in a superior being, energy, diety be it as it is. A spiritual force that not only guides us but is guided by us. A mystical energy that forces things and objects to not only be things and objects, it is our souls and our free will and it's combined by the energy of the universe. One who waits for a God to make his life better, or to stop wars, doesn't grasp the concept of who he is, and is just too lazy. Also ones that fight in the name of religion have wronged religion more than anything. Not because the energy is superior, that getting close to it means you have become superior and obtained special privileges to hurt man kind. If anything, becoming more religious = becoming more compassionate.

Until those (my ideals) are found in one of the religions, i too object to the concept of organized religion. One can be religious and still not cancel his mind, and manage to be guarded by his heart. I believe in a supreme being, in religion, but not in the religious advocates of today. I also will never advocate for my faith, as it belongs to me and me alone.

[Kysinor]

Well I'm an atheist and I think Buddhism is a very "good" religion. Actually many of my values, principles and so on might actually come from Buddhism; but not actually because I'm a Buddhist; but that I found my values when closely tied to this religion when I happened to research about it. So I don't know really; there defiantly religious fanatics which I can't stand (sorry, but they exist); but there are also spiritual people which I respect (see dalai lama 14th).

I personally think that the most important thing what comes from religion is it's philosophy as well as principles and so on; but sort of corrupted people regardless religious or not use it as a thing in a way; a way to manipulate. This doesn't necessarily have to mean that religious people automatically are corrupted; but nasty people give it a bad name if you get what I mean (aka psychopaths, who knows?). Then again imagine a world without any spiritual activity -- I'll leave that to the reader to ponder on. A lot of aesthetics; art and so on comes from religion etc; humanism and so on.

If you think about it; there is actually very little we know. Yep; we can't disprove any deity nor can we prove it; but it doesn't really matter does it?

[Schwarz]

Think for myself? Never tried it, lad. Thanks for the suggestion.

[BehindSmile]

I stay away from religious conflict. All I will say is that I believe religion is a personal choice and personal. Those who want to share with others that have the same beliefs, great...but I do not believe in forcing religion on others. I also don't believe in baptism until the child is old enough to choose their religion. I am sure more "educated people" go towards the agnostic/atheist realm because of the evolution theories, etc, which make perfect sense. It would make sense that those whom have been educated would lean towards those theories. It is important to note also, that the Bible isn't necessarily autobiographical or biographical, that it is stories teaching lessons, etc.

I used to be atheist, then agnostic, and now I am on the fence of Christianity all because I've been learning more and more. It seems the more educated I get, the more I lean towards God. I find nothing wrong with those who don't believe in religion, but I do not believe in bashing those who do. The same goes for those who do believe, and forcing their beliefs on others.