Prayers and praying.......

[laoislad]

Can never understand why those who don't believe always feel the need or feel they have the right to mock those that do believe.

We've people on this board from both sides - some who believe and who think they are better than those who don't and some who don't believe and think they are better than those who do.

Both are equally annoying.

True,anyone who thinks they are better than the other is equally wrong I agree completely with you ,though you will have to point out to me who those posters are that do have faith who think they are better than those that don't.
Send me a PM if you wish.

I don't really care what anyone believes btw each to their own and all that,but IMO some of those who have no faith are often very smug and arrogant about the fact they think they are far more intelligent and wise than those who do have faith.

I'm sure it's often vice versa as well as you get c***ts in all walks of life,I'm just saying I find it more evident in those that have no faith.

[Maguire01]

Can never understand why those who don't believe always feel the need or feel they have the right to mock those that do believe.

My political beliefs are often mocked. Can you understand that?
What about my deeply held opinions on sport and music - should they be off-bounds too?

[ziggysego]

I follow The Church of LaoisLad's teachings.

[Cold tea]

Can never understand why those who don't believe always feel the need or feel they have the right to mock those that do believe.

Typical crap, if you question religious views it is taken as mocking!

[laoislad]

Can never understand why those who don't believe always feel the need or feel they have the right to mock those that do believe.

Typical crap, if you question religious views it is taken as mocking!

That's not what I said.

[laoislad]

I follow The Church of LaoisLad's teachings.

You will go far my son.

[whiskeysteve]

dont know why folks bother with these threads... driven by the boards captain counterpoints to massage their intellectual egos, but with enough fresh contributers drawn in each time to provide grist for the mill. Ad nauseum bullshit

[The Iceman]

Can never understand why those who don't believe always feel the need or feel they have the right to mock those that do believe.

Because the vast majority are no better than domesticated sheep when it comes to your faith. Its a routine of life learned before youse were encouraged to question and youse still havn't examined it. Quite happy to stay safe with your primary school indoctrination and not ask questions.

I think people like Iceman (who questions but has came to a different conclusion than me) is bound to see this in a lot of folk who like to say they believe but dont back it up with an real commitment.

I do agree in many ways with you skull. But I also think that although people do not necessarily back up their "faith" with any real commitment, that something is better than nothing.
If you really took the time to put the work in and read through things and came to the opposite conclusion than me then I'm sorry to hear that. Scott Hahn is a great man to read about if you had a few minutes I'm sure you'll find him on Wiki or somewhere.

I really can subscribe to the attitude of each to their own. It would be hypocritical of me to stand up and profess my faith and its foremost importance in my life while at the same time say I don't care if others don't believe and suffer the consequences.

[CiKe]

Can never understand why those who don't believe always feel the need or feel they have the right to mock those that do believe.

Because the vast majority are no better than domesticated sheep when it comes to your faith. Its a routine of life learned before youse were encouraged to question and youse still havn't examined it. Quite happy to stay safe with your primary school indoctrination and not ask questions.

Be that true or not and I have no idea how who know this considering the billions of people that do have faith,but how exactly does this give anyone the right to mock people that do believe?

Sure people get mocked for other things on the board and in everyday life, there's no reason religious belief should be exempt

while that is true, it seems to me that in relation to religious beliefs some non-believers consider themselves more intelligent than those who choose to believe for the simple reason that they choose to believe - not sure it happens the other way around though certainly there will be believers who think they are better people tan non-believers because of their faith...

I lean more towards the don't believe camp - not in the church anyway...

[theskull1]

Is it not a fair point to make that the vast majority of "believers" never go beyond that belief system and question the validity or history of their faith?

Do you think my motive is meerly to appear more intelligent by asking a simple question? Can someone address why this is the case rather than evading that unpalatable truth

I just can't understand how something is better than nothing when it comes to faith.

[seafoid]

I think Christianity has a lot to do with our attitude to the environment. It doesn't matter because were are chosen by god. The environment is in an awful state with appalling implications for humanity and I don't expect God to fix it. 

[Hardy]

I think people are confusing intelligence with reason. The difference between belief and non-belief is not between intelligence and stupidity. It's between reason and faith. Faith is unsubstantiated belief; reason requires evidence.

A reasoned approach to deciding what you believe cannot result in a religious belief - i.e. the acceptance of a statement from some third party without supporting evidence. A faith-based approach to deciding what you believe does not employ reason as a factor in reaching a decision.

The obvious difficulty with the latter approach, for a rationalist, is the question of how you decide which third party statements to believe. Perhaps those who profess religious beliefs would state their difficulty with the reason-based approach.

[laoislad]

Is it not a fair point to make that the vast majority of "believers" never go beyond that belief system and question the validity or history of their faith?

Vast majority no but I do agree there is a number of people who are like this,and maybe it was more prevalent back in the day when the Church ruled the roost.
I think you need to give people more credit nowadays,most people are educated enough to be able make up their own minds about things.

Do you think my motive is meerly to appear more intelligent by asking a simple question? Can someone address why this is the case rather than evading that unpalatable truth

No I don't believe that is your motive and that goes for anyone that questions someones faith,but to question someones faith is not the same thing as mocking someones intelligence for holding that faith,having some faith or saying prayers doesn't make you delusional or suffer from a lack of common sense.
I myself am a non believer of a lot of things the religion I was born into teaches,but I do have some faith but I have no problem with anyone that questions me or disagrees with me.
I actually don't really care what anyone else believes in or how they came to that conclusion be it a reasoned approach that means you couldn't possibly believe in anything or a life changing experience that makes you believe that there couldn't possibly not be a God.

I just can't understand how something is better than nothing when it comes to faith.

My interpretation of that is that when in time of need is it not better to think you have something/someone to get you through it rather than nothing?
For example - a couple lose a child but they find comfort in their beliefs that their child is now with God in heaven surely if it helps them isn't it better for them to have their faith than not have it?

[J70]

Can never understand why those who don't believe always feel the need or feel they have the right to mock those that do believe.

Because the vast majority are no better than domesticated sheep when it comes to your faith. Its a routine of life learned before youse were encouraged to question and youse still havn't examined it. Quite happy to stay safe with your primary school indoctrination and not ask questions.

Be that true or not and I have no idea how who know this considering the billions of people that do have faith,but how exactly does this give anyone the right to mock people that do believe?

Sure people get mocked for other things on the board and in everyday life, there's no reason religious belief should be exempt

while that is true, it seems to me that in relation to religious beliefs some non-believers consider themselves more intelligent than those who choose to believe for the simple reason that they choose to believe - not sure it happens the other way around though certainly there will be believers who think they are better people tan non-believers because of their faith...

I lean more towards the don't believe camp - not in the church anyway...

How does one choose to believe in something? You either find the evidence convincing or you don't.

[J70]

Can never understand why those who don't believe always feel the need or feel they have the right to mock those that do believe.

We've people on this board from both sides - some who believe and who think they are better than those who don't and some who don't believe and think they are better than those who do.

Both are equally annoying.

True,anyone who thinks they are better than the other is equally wrong I agree completely with you ,though you will have to point out to me who those posters are that do have faith who think they are better than those that don't.
Send me a PM if you wish.

I don't really care what anyone believes btw each to their own and all that,but IMO some of those who have no faith are often very smug and arrogant about the fact they think they are far more intelligent and wise than those who do have faith.

I'm sure it's often vice versa as well as you get c***ts in all walks of life,I'm just saying I find it more evident in those that have no faith.

You may find it more evident because the view those sort of people (like me, I'm assuming) are contrary to your own and so you notice them or take offense more. We're all much more forgiving of perceived arrogance in those who are on our side of an issue.

This thread is an internet discussion of praying and prayer, is it not? If you're offended by the tone of the discussion, then ignore the thread or don't read the offender's posts. Personally, I think religion and faith and prayer gets far, far more respect than it is due at this point in our history, and I'm going to point that out in discussions like this. And yes, I absolutely feel that many, many people are simply indoctrinated into religion, and whether out of fear or superstition or a passive contentment in their worldview, simply never seriously consider that the beliefs in which they've been brought up might not bear scrutiny. If you find those views debateable, well then address them and have a discussion, but spare us the complaining because a tiny minority of non-believers have lately begun to assert themselves and challenge the hegemony of religious belief.