Wow, quite the response indeed!
Thanks a lot guys and girls, i wholeheartedly apologise for not finding the time to reply sooner, as im sure everyone knows, Christmas is a busy time of the year. But onto the issues at hand.
Well it took me quite a while to read thru the whole thread, as well as a lot of deletions from an eye character. I have a thousand thoughts running through my head at the moment, so i guess ill just fire them all off and see what people think
Willow - No intention to offend, but you seem quite adamant in your beliefs. The way that i look at it is that your arguing something that cannot be resolved. There is no proof that God indeed existed, but there is no proof that he didn't. I dont think one of the catholics in here yet has stated otherwise (ie: That there is proof). It just seems that you are discussing this with people who believe in the existence of God through their faith, and nothing else.
I mean, people are free to believe what they want. And im sure you have acknowledged that throughout this thread. But i think that dealing with facts is the best way to go about it. Its a bit hard to argue on speculation and 'issues of faith' of such.
Same with everloving and el duque. I dont have no problem with your stance on religion, everyone is different. You could find 1000 people out there, and each person is likely to have a different opinion.
But the point i would make is that some people in this thread have pointed to bad experiences turning them off religion. As i think MFC mentioned somewhere, its important that we don't generalise. Its like encountering one bad Italian and saying that all Italians are
#!#!@$!. Same with religion, just because the catholic faith has a few crooked priests who abuse their powers, it shouldn't be a reflection of the religion. I also think its a case of being independent enough to think for yourself, and if you do follow a religion, question all your beliefs and dont follow something you dont agree with.
What religion/belief you are born into is irrelevant once you hit 16-18. You become old enough to make your own choice, and people should take the time to compare all options. Be it becoming a muslim, catholic or believer in UFOs. Sure, people are influenced by their family, but once a point of independence is reached, the smart thinker will question what they were taught as they were growing up and make an educated decision.
Im not here to compare religions. I think its irrelevant to even list what my particular belief is, it would put a slant on how my argument is analysed.
One last question, do people here think that the religion/belief that they follow is a reflection of their personality? I guess what im asking, is that say for Atheists as an example, do you think they exhibit any common character traits? It may be a sweeping statement, but does anyone think that a persons belief set is a reflection of their personality?
Regards
