Showing posts with label religion. Show all posts
Showing posts with label religion. Show all posts

Saturday, March 26, 2011

Religion is Weakening But It Will Not Die

The world is at war between those who believe in God and those who do not. Christianity is becoming less relevant to some as they lead busy lives. Islam is still strong and growing. The other religions are still important to many, particularly when there are hardships in life.

All religions are under threat as people clamber for democracy in countries where whole societies revolved around the dictates of the prevailing religion. From census data taken in 85 Western nations, it was found that the number of people ticking "unaffiliated" is increasing. Though the formula predicts total extinction of religious belief it is doubtful that this will actually occur. Even when a religion is outlawed people tend to go underground with their beliefs. It comes to life again when circumstances improve.

The thing is, we will never really know if there is a God. Many go to church as "insurance", just in case there is life after death. Religious books give us answers to the questions in life. Science may "disprove" such things as Adam being created just five thousand years ago but these books are so complex that a reader will find an answer somewhere in there amongst the complicated and confusing text.
~~~~~Religion~~~~~
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Religion is Weakening But It Will Not Die

The world is at war between those who believe in God and those who do not. Christianity is becoming less relevant to some as they lead busy lives. Islam is still strong and growing. The other religions are still important to many, particularly when there are hardships in life.

All religions are under threat as people clamber for democracy in countries where whole societies revolved around the dictates of the prevailing religion. From census data taken in 85 Western nations, it was found that the number of people ticking "unaffiliated" is increasing. Though the formula predicts total extinction of religious belief it is doubtful that this will actually occur. Even when a religion is outlawed people tend to go underground with their beliefs. It comes to life again when circumstances improve.

The thing is, we will never really know if there is a God. Many go to church as "insurance", just in case there is life after death. Religious books give us answers to the questions in life. Science may "disprove" such things as Adam being created just five thousand years ago but these books are so complex that a reader will find an answer somewhere in there amongst the complicated and confusing text.
~~~~~Religion~~~~~
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Wednesday, March 2, 2011

The Government Is Wrong to Fund Chaplaincy in Schools

Most people don't attend church, synagogue or mosque yet Nations pander to those who hold religious beliefs with outdated ceremonies. It seems one hasn't the right not to believe in anything other than accepting the fact that humans live and die.

Ron Williams tried to send his children to a school that taught all religions but also taught secularism. He couldn't find one. Schools identified with one faith and virtually condemned all others. He saw requests for gold coins to fund scripture union classes as offensive and something he wasn't going to give. Indeed, chaplains seemed to be at war with teachers over the minds of students. What he found most difficult of all to accept was that the government was already partially funding Access Ministries which were "transforming the nation for God." Adolf Hitler tried similar brain washing systems to control the Hitler Youth.

What is driving the wads of cash? All political parties need the support of the church to win elections. Indeed, it is the silence of the churches that is the objective.

The issue is now being taken to the High Court by Ron Williams with the intent of stopping the funding. He probably won't win. His attempt is worth loud applause from the community.
~~~~~Religion~~~~~
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

The Government Is Wrong to Fund Chaplaincy in Schools

Most people don't attend church, synagogue or mosque yet Nations pander to those who hold religious beliefs with outdated ceremonies. It seems one hasn't the right not to believe in anything other than accepting the fact that humans live and die.

Ron Williams tried to send his children to a school that taught all religions but also taught secularism. He couldn't find one. Schools identified with one faith and virtually condemned all others. He saw requests for gold coins to fund scripture union classes as offensive and something he wasn't going to give. Indeed, chaplains seemed to be at war with teachers over the minds of students. What he found most difficult of all to accept was that the government was already partially funding Access Ministries which were "transforming the nation for God." Adolf Hitler tried similar brain washing systems to control the Hitler Youth.

What is driving the wads of cash? All political parties need the support of the church to win elections. Indeed, it is the silence of the churches that is the objective.

The issue is now being taken to the High Court by Ron Williams with the intent of stopping the funding. He probably won't win. His attempt is worth loud applause from the community.
~~~~~Religion~~~~~
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Sunday, February 6, 2011

Anglican Website to Debate Atheism Is a Waste of Time

Anglican Church tries to convert the unconvertible. A website has been launched in an attempt to make those who see no gods, accept one god. Giving reasons for why one should believe in a creator god is an irrational attempt to make the unbelievable, believable.

A read of the bible shows Yahweh to be a very angry god. Testing a father by making him sacrifice his son is hardly rational behavior even for a human, let alone a god. Telling a tribe to go forth and slaughter everyone in the land in order to have the land is a silly directive, indeed.

Just how a university professor can teach while having a strong belief in God is quite "unbelievable". The website has been set up by Professor John Pilbrow. Surely, teaching requires an open attitude to just about everything in life. Does this professor also question evolution?

The website is intended to "bring a more thoughtful and constructive quality to the debate." For atheists there is not debate - there is no god, full stop!
~~~~~Religion~~~~~
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Anglican Website to Debate Atheism Is a Waste of Time

Anglican Church tries to convert the unconvertible. A website has been launched in an attempt to make those who see no gods, accept one god. Giving reasons for why one should believe in a creator god is an irrational attempt to make the unbelievable, believable.

A read of the bible shows Yahweh to be a very angry god. Testing a father by making him sacrifice his son is hardly rational behavior even for a human, let alone a god. Telling a tribe to go forth and slaughter everyone in the land in order to have the land is a silly directive, indeed.

Just how a university professor can teach while having a strong belief in God is quite "unbelievable". The website has been set up by Professor John Pilbrow. Surely, teaching requires an open attitude to just about everything in life. Does this professor also question evolution?

The website is intended to "bring a more thoughtful and constructive quality to the debate." For atheists there is not debate - there is no god, full stop!
~~~~~Religion~~~~~
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Monday, November 29, 2010

Ethics as a Subject in Schools

According to the NSW government, ethics is the nearest thing to religion. There is an admission here that religion somehow dictates the mode of behavior in adulthood. In centuries past this was most definitely true. You have only to read the accounts of people who were at deaths door, like being adrift at sea in a boat, to perceive that life after death was paramount in people's thinking. Not going to hell was also important.

Teaching ethics as an alternative to religious education in schools seems to be a logical option. Next year the NSW government will allow parents to choose secular ethics as a subject for their children instead of religion. Some would argue that religion does not really teach people how to behave in society. It is more important than that. Believing in God is paramount, not how one behaves toward his/her fellow Man. Behavior is secondary to being submissive to God.

The problem with ethics is the supposition that there is a correct way of social interaction. Stealing and lying, for example, are condemned. But business is part of our daily lives. Isn't the act of selling really stealing? There is something unethical about buying a tonne of apples on the cheap, then putting them is small bags and selling them at a high price. That is basically what all trade is - the act of buying in bulk and selling individually. To live in an ethical manner would involve the adoption of non-market principles of activity. Living in a commune where everything is bartered would be ideal.

The NSW Government has confused ethics with abiding by state laws and the rights of people as determined by the state. If ethics as a subject is to be a building block of education there will inevitably be calls for the "correct' curriculum. There will be difficulties because what is right for one person is wrong for another. Is it wrong to take a life for example? Most governments "dictate" that doctors shall not take a life under any circumstances. If you are a soldier though it is perfectly okay to kill someone.

Ethics then is similar to religion in that the most important facets of the "subject" are hard to pin down. And like religion, ethics is a battleground for differing views. Making ethics a school subject is not going to be a simplistic way of "settling" the issue of religion vis-a-vis society. Indeed, it may cause more problems.
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Ethics as a Subject in Schools

According to the NSW government, ethics is the nearest thing to religion. There is an admission here that religion somehow dictates the mode of behavior in adulthood. In centuries past this was most definitely true. You have only to read the accounts of people who were at deaths door, like being adrift at sea in a boat, to perceive that life after death was paramount in people's thinking. Not going to hell was also important.

Teaching ethics as an alternative to religious education in schools seems to be a logical option. Next year the NSW government will allow parents to choose secular ethics as a subject for their children instead of religion. Some would argue that religion does not really teach people how to behave in society. It is more important than that. Believing in God is paramount, not how one behaves toward his/her fellow Man. Behavior is secondary to being submissive to God.

The problem with ethics is the supposition that there is a correct way of social interaction. Stealing and lying, for example, are condemned. But business is part of our daily lives. Isn't the act of selling really stealing? There is something unethical about buying a tonne of apples on the cheap, then putting them is small bags and selling them at a high price. That is basically what all trade is - the act of buying in bulk and selling individually. To live in an ethical manner would involve the adoption of non-market principles of activity. Living in a commune where everything is bartered would be ideal.

The NSW Government has confused ethics with abiding by state laws and the rights of people as determined by the state. If ethics as a subject is to be a building block of education there will inevitably be calls for the "correct' curriculum. There will be difficulties because what is right for one person is wrong for another. Is it wrong to take a life for example? Most governments "dictate" that doctors shall not take a life under any circumstances. If you are a soldier though it is perfectly okay to kill someone.

Ethics then is similar to religion in that the most important facets of the "subject" are hard to pin down. And like religion, ethics is a battleground for differing views. Making ethics a school subject is not going to be a simplistic way of "settling" the issue of religion vis-a-vis society. Indeed, it may cause more problems.
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Monday, July 19, 2010

Young People Are Too Busy for Religion

Tony Abbot is acting like John Howard and is indicating that social engineering is on the cards. Toward the end of John Howard's "reign" he got a little bit carried away with his power and ignored advice from fellow members of his Coalition. He did things without consulting his cabinet. Kevin Rudd got the power bug very early in his time as prime minister. Support from the people soon wanes when they feel they are not being listened to.

Tony Abbot said the young are "dismissive" of the "fundamental views of our society." He aims to remould them in the "proper" way. However, stopping homosexual behavior is really beyond his capability, as is the prevailing sentiment toward religion. Two thirds of teenagers in the UK do not believe in God. It is probably the same in Australia. Julia Gillard does not believe in God. In a survey of Americans, 53 percent said they would not vote for an atheist candidate for President. Voters in Australia now have a clear choice, an atheist versus a Roman Catholic. Maybe because she is the country's first female prime minister she will make it over the line.

It has not been made into an election issue by Tony Abbot, yet. As the election deadline approaches this could change. The debate could become very hot indeed. The Coalition leader has already alienated the younger generation with unplanned remarks, like his opinion on abortion. Some young people have said they find his walking in public in a bathing costume is offensive. It seems they hold some values that are more to the right than Tony Abbot's. They even used the strine phraseology of "budgie smugglers".

Unfortunately, people don't change. Attempts to rehabilitate prisoners have in large part failed in the past. Perhaps Tony Abbot should leave things there - in the past. For most people today practising a religion is not on. They are too busy.
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Young People Are Too Busy for Religion

Tony Abbot is acting like John Howard and is indicating that social engineering is on the cards. Toward the end of John Howard's "reign" he got a little bit carried away with his power and ignored advice from fellow members of his Coalition. He did things without consulting his cabinet. Kevin Rudd got the power bug very early in his time as prime minister. Support from the people soon wanes when they feel they are not being listened to.

Tony Abbot said the young are "dismissive" of the "fundamental views of our society." He aims to remould them in the "proper" way. However, stopping homosexual behavior is really beyond his capability, as is the prevailing sentiment toward religion. Two thirds of teenagers in the UK do not believe in God. It is probably the same in Australia. Julia Gillard does not believe in God. In a survey of Americans, 53 percent said they would not vote for an atheist candidate for President. Voters in Australia now have a clear choice, an atheist versus a Roman Catholic. Maybe because she is the country's first female prime minister she will make it over the line.

It has not been made into an election issue by Tony Abbot, yet. As the election deadline approaches this could change. The debate could become very hot indeed. The Coalition leader has already alienated the younger generation with unplanned remarks, like his opinion on abortion. Some young people have said they find his walking in public in a bathing costume is offensive. It seems they hold some values that are more to the right than Tony Abbot's. They even used the strine phraseology of "budgie smugglers".

Unfortunately, people don't change. Attempts to rehabilitate prisoners have in large part failed in the past. Perhaps Tony Abbot should leave things there - in the past. For most people today practising a religion is not on. They are too busy.
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Friday, March 26, 2010

Dinosaurs Found in Australia - What is Fact?

Australia is a very old continent. It seems the ancestors of Tyrannosaurus rex lived here. A hip bone has been found here that dates to 110 million years ago which is 40 million years before T.rex roamed elsewhere on earth. Until now it was believed that T.rex only lived on Northern continents.

Many of the things stated as fact by scientists are indeed just matters of faith until they are proven otherwise. Scientists argue about when dinosaurs developed feathers and why. They claim that birds today are direct descendants from dinosaurs. This is like saying humans are descended from dinosaurs. Much evidence points to birds having a line of descent completely separate from dinosaurs.

The same rings true with the Hobbit people of Flores Island. Some scientists will not accept that people different from humans survived until 18,000 years ago alongside humans. Neanderthals lived until 50,000 years ago, so why not another type of human? Science is much like religion. What is just theory is put forth as fact. Ah, the dangers of religion - and science!
. . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Dinosaurs Found in Australia - What is Fact?

Australia is a very old continent. It seems the ancestors of Tyrannosaurus rex lived here. A hip bone has been found here that dates to 110 million years ago which is 40 million years before T.rex roamed elsewhere on earth. Until now it was believed that T.rex only lived on Northern continents.

Many of the things stated as fact by scientists are indeed just matters of faith until they are proven otherwise. Scientists argue about when dinosaurs developed feathers and why. They claim that birds today are direct descendants from dinosaurs. This is like saying humans are descended from dinosaurs. Much evidence points to birds having a line of descent completely separate from dinosaurs.

The same rings true with the Hobbit people of Flores Island. Some scientists will not accept that people different from humans survived until 18,000 years ago alongside humans. Neanderthals lived until 50,000 years ago, so why not another type of human? Science is much like religion. What is just theory is put forth as fact. Ah, the dangers of religion - and science!
. . . . . . . . . . . . . .