Group's new Christmas message: Be good, not godly

Originally posted by mmariebored
reply to post by Striker122

 

Perhaps he's speaking to people just coming out of controlled religious groups. You wouldn't believe how many of them are out there. They teach their people not to watch TV and only to read certain news papers etc. You'd be surprised.

These ads could hit the children who were forced into religious groups from birth, who found an escape and now seek reassurance they made the right choice.

Then again, it may make them think, because it's anti-God not anti-religion, that the world is evil and it may have the opposite effect and cause them to go running back into the arms of their old "faith". Which is bad. But every good has its bad and every bad has its good.

Wait, I was a little confused with what you said there. What controlled religoius group? The AHA? I didn't know they were a religious group.

I might sound kind of stupid right now with my questions lol, but could you clarify a little. I did not understand what you were trying to say.

reply to post by xxpigxx

Religion -

4: a cause, principle, or system of beliefs held to with ardor and faith

Let's examine "faith" then.

2. belief that is not based on proof: He had faith that the hypothesis would be substantiated by fact.
3. belief in God or in the doctrines or teachings of religion: the firm faith of the Pilgrims.
4. belief in anything, as a code of ethics, standards of merit, etc.: to be of the same faith with someone concerning honesty.

No 4 sums up atheism quite well, but it's not a religion is it? A code of ethics or an offshoot of philosophy is what it is but if you have faith in it, it becomes religious does it? Since people put "faith" in the daftest things, then every sports team must harness quite a large audience then many many churches and Barack Obama is the Messiah.

Atheism is the doctrine (principle or system of belief) that there is no supernatural deity.

Therefore atheism is a religion.

Let's play a game where I swap atheism with a random word.

Jediism is the doctrine (principle or system of belief) that there is no supernatural deity.

Therefore Jediism is a religion.

Oh wait, it's not because it's not recognised as one by anyone. I'm looking at a list of religions and I can't find Atheism anywhere. Perhaps they should apply for tax exempt status or something.

reply to post by HunkaHunka

It's obvious they have not really studied existentialism.

People have jobs and may have missed the philosophy lectures.

If you take Atheism to it's extreme, and call all the God talk illusion, then you really have to understand that the concept of Self is also an illusion. Most Atheists don't like this concept though, because it undermines individuality, which they strongly believe in. :-)

There are alot of personality types who have similar traits. Why do you think Derren Brown can make them do his bidding?

The thought manifests as the word; The word manifests as the deed; The deed develops into habit; And habit hardens into character. So watch the thought and its ways with care, And let it spring from love Born out of concern for all beings.

Originally posted by Striker122
Wait, I was a little confused with what you said there. What controlled religoius group? The AHA? I didn't know they were a religious group.

I might sound kind of stupid right now with my questions lol, but could you clarify a little. I did not understand what you were trying to say.

By "controlled religious groups", I mean groups such as the FLDS, who secluded their people and preached against allowing their children to watch TV, use computers and even limited their education. There are many closed religious groups like this, this one recently famed because they were marrying their little girls off to old men by telling them they wouldn't go to Heaven if they didn't.

Read up on it yourself.
Then you'll have a little bit of a clue as to why people breaking out of these groups might do well with some reassurance that even people who do not worship God can be good and nice to them, because it's in our human nature to be good, whether or not we believe in God.

Originally posted by Daniem
reply to post by xxpigxx

 

So atheism is a religion? Let me tell why your post is stupid nonsence.

What you're saying is that christians (who are atheistic to other gods) have 2 religions since they are both christian and atheistic.

In fact they probably have many many religions.. why? because you say that a religion is a cause, principle, belief you have.
That means that if you are:

A vegetarian, thats a religion.

If your a democrat, thats a religion.

If you dont believe in the tooth fairy, you, like all the other non believers have that as a religion.

But they are clearly NOT religions.

Exactly.

I had planned on making an obnoxious post to demonstrate the ridiculousness of saying that Not believing in God is, in itself, a religion, but you and MacDonagh pretty much covered my whole point.








[edit on 14-11-2008 by mmariebored]

Originally posted by citizen smith
reply to post by mmariebored

 

If the 'christ' is dropped from christmas it becomes 'xmas'

The 'mas' bit is an indication of a 'mass' in the religious sense of gathering it should also be dropped

That leaves us with 'X' and as theres always such panic and turmoil around this part of the year, we should just call it for what it is...

'Situation X'

This thread really isn't about the name of the holiday. For the record, I have no problem with the name "Christmas", I think it's a lovely name, beautiful, in fact. I never understood why people would go so up-in-arms about a name; we all know the history...

reply to post by mmariebored


Yes it's called, Jesus vs Satan......Satan vs. Jesus... Christmas is totally about Christ and no one will take that away from me or my grandchildren. If someone has a problem with a certain religion than they need to take their beef up with that group. Christmas is not about religion it is about Christ, love, and peace.

Peace to All
Grandma

Originally posted by MacDonagh
reply to post by HunkaHunka

 

It's obvious they have not really studied existentialism.

People have jobs and may have missed the philosophy lectures.

What are you saying? I've never stepped foot into a college, and have been working since 10 years old.

Are you calling atheists stupid and uneducated? One would think that if someone were driven to doubt the existence of God, then they would also be driven to question the existence of reality in general, not simply trade one groups beliefs for another.

I still have no idea what you mean by "people have jobs and may have missed the philosophy lectures".

As a matter of fact, I have found that those who were schooled in philosophy in a formal manner, typicaly have no real grasp of existentialism because they were not driven to it by the malasie of their own existence, but because someone put it in front of them and told them they had to read it.

Bah...

If you take Atheism to it's extreme, and call all the God talk illusion, then you really have to understand that the concept of Self is also an illusion. Most Atheists don't like this concept though, because it undermines individuality, which they strongly believe in. :-)

There are alot of personality types who have similar traits. Why do you think Derren Brown can make them do his bidding?

Similar traits to what? Understanding that the Self is an illusion?

Once again, I'm not really sure what you are attempting to say. How does a magician have anything to do with an Atheist questioning the existence of the illusion of self?

Originally posted by Grandma
reply to post by mmariebored

 

Yes it's called, Jesus vs Satan......Satan vs. Jesus... Christmas is totally about Christ and no one will take that away from me or my grandchildren. If someone has a problem with a certain religion than they need to take their beef up with that group. Christmas is not about religion it is about Christ, love, and peace.

Peace to All
Grandma

Guess what though Grandma....

Even if your Children and Grandchildren had no concept of Jesus, they would still celebrate during that time of year. (At least if they are in the northern hemisphere.

It's a cultural response to the biological change that occurs when the level of light reaches it's lowest level in the Northern Hemsiphere. With the lower levels of light, vitamin D becomes lower as well, which means the sense of well being also plummets, so this time of year is when it is literally darkest right before the dawn, both literally, physiologically and pscyhologically. This is why Chrisitianity hijacked the Yule Holiday to begin with... because it made the most sense, as Christ is the "Light of the world".


Don't be so wrapped up in the trappings of Christianity and it's culture that you miss the underlying truth that exists without any books or philopsophies. That would be like getting a gift for christmas and being only concerned with the shiny paper it's wrapped in.

Go on.. enjoy the actual gift. You'll be happy you did.





[edit on 14-11-2008 by HunkaHunka]

reply to post by HunkaHunka

Hey HunkaHunka,

Help me out here. I am not sure what you are pointing out to me. I hope I don't get all caught up in the Christmas rush to where I don't humble myself and remember the reason I am celebrating that day with my family.

Yes, I realize that Christmas Day is not the actual day of Christ's birth, but that is all right. The day is what we make it and how we choose to celebrate it or observe it. I choose to remember that a little baby was born under a beautiful star and angels singing. I remember, Christ my Lord. There couldn't be any more prettier wrapping paper than that.

Peace and Love,
Grandma

Originally posted by Grandma
reply to post by mmariebored

 

Yes it's called, Jesus vs Satan......Satan vs. Jesus... Christmas is totally about Christ and no one will take that away from me or my grandchildren. If someone has a problem with a certain religion than they need to take their beef up with that group. Christmas is not about religion it is about Christ, love, and peace.

ALL religion is bullcrap and, believing in "Satan" is as immature and insane as believing in Santa. But this thread isn't about those childish fantasies, read the OP and please stay on topic.

reply to post by Grandma


Grandma, yes I'd have to agree that it is very pretty wrapping paper... I was just wondering, if you had ever looked at the gift independent of the wrapping paper.

Personally, I am moved the deepest when I view it from that perspective.


c.S.Lewis had a theory about this as well..

Originally posted by mmariebored

Originally posted by Grandma
reply to post by mmariebored

 

Yes it's called, Jesus vs Satan......Satan vs. Jesus... Christmas is totally about Christ and no one will take that away from me or my grandchildren. If someone has a problem with a certain religion than they need to take their beef up with that group. Christmas is not about religion it is about Christ, love, and peace.

ALL religion is bullcrap and, believing in "Satan" is as immature and insane as believing in Santa. But this thread isn't about those childish fantasies, read the OP and please stay on topic.

I'm sorry to say, but you are incorrect.

Religious notions are cultural interpretations of common human experiences.


That's far from bullcrap.

Originally posted by HunkaHunka
I'm sorry to say, but you are incorrect.

Religious notions are cultural interpretations of common human experiences.

That's far from bullcrap.

Yes but humans are not perfect, even in groups. I prefer to acknowledge and respect the provable documentations in our history books, if I'm going to take someone's word for anything, not some dead guys glorified for preaching the unprovable in attempts to control the will of the masses.






[edit on 14-11-2008 by mmariebored]

This man's teachings, Richard W. Wetherill, fits perfectly within this thread:

www.alphapub.com...

Originally posted by xxpigxx
So don't they make an e Atheist holiday . . . since Atheism is a . . . you know . . . religion?

Whatever floats their boat, I guess

I believe Christmas, itself, has roots in pagan practices and customs. People just don't like to talk about it.. Nobody knows if December 25th is even the actual birthdate of Jesus. Christmas is usually heralded as a religious celebration but there ARE people who simply celebrate Christmas because of tradition (more as a kind of festival). Therefore, saying Christmas is a religious holiday is not exactly correct. It depends on who you ask and from my growing up I can say that some families acknowledge its religious attributes more than others.. The only religious thing about Christmas in my house growing up was the words in some of the Christmas songs.. December 25th has been celebrated over the centuries by many cultures not necessarily because of the birth of Christ but because of astrological significance...

I like the ad in a way. If god really does work on earth through other people, then you should "be good". The problem is everyone has their own definition of what "good" is... The message is just vague enough to get away with not sounding too condescending but still poking fun at religoius nuts nonetheless. I think alot of people are taking this way too seriously.. But I could see why someone would be easily offended I guess..

-ChriS

Originally posted by HunkaHunka
reply to post by mmariebored

 

First of all... this is not an ANTI-GOD Ad campaign.

It doesn't deny God, it simply encourages people to do good things regardless of their relgious affiliation.

This actually allows those agnostics, atheists, and followers of other faiths to be included in the spreading of joy during the holiday season.


Even though I am a Christian, I find this to be a great thing. I get tired of people using religious reasons for being kind to our fellow man. This isn't a religious issue but a basic humanist value.

Humanism > Religion


[edit on 12-11-2008 by HunkaHunka]

Man, don't try to rationalize the ad campaign!
IT IS NOTHING BUT ANTI-GOD!!!
I'm surprised a "Christian" such as you would agree with something as wicked and evil as this ad campaign!

This ad campaign does not just simply ask the question, "Is there a God?", it makes the following question AND statement, ""Why believe in a god? Just be good for goodness' sake,".

By combining the question with that statement those who are displaying the ad are saying quite clearly that since there is no God just be good. This is a totally antichristian tactic, and there is NOTHING about it that is encouraging or nice. THERE IS NOTHING NICE ABOUT THAT AD!!!

If you were a Christian you would NEVER say that it is a "GREAT THING". It is far from GOOD, and much less a "GREAT THING"!

How dare you say you are a Christian openly in public and then claim that an antichristian ad is a great thing! Who do you think you are fooling? YOU ARE ON THE SAME SIDE AS THE ANTICHRISTIANS WHEN YOU CLAIM AN ANTICHRISTIAN AD IS A GREAT THING!!!

As "Christians" we are told by Jesus Christ to tell the TRUTH, and that ad has nothing about it that is true! Maybe if the ad just simply made the statement OR just simply asked the question by itself, them MAYBE, MAYBE it MIGHT be considered ACCEPTABLE BY CHRISTIAN STANDARDS! But, by combing both the question and the statement those displaying the ad are telling everyone who sees the ad that God does not exist, so be good ON YOUR OWN! THAT is antichristian, because Christianity proclaims that each Christian is NOT expected to be good on their own! TRUE CHRISTIANS DEPEND COMPLETELY ON JESUS CHRIST FOR EVERYTHING!!!

So, don't try to be a LUKEWARM CHRISTIAN in such an open discussion when there are REAL CHRISTIANS following Jesus AS THEY SHOULD DO!!! Lukewarm Christians love to defend antichristian things because they feel secure when they stand on both sides of the fence at the same time!

But, let me share this with you "Christian", Jesus will VOMIT OUT ANYONE who thinks they can safely stand on both sides of the fence at the same time to be secure! What does VOMIT OUT mean? It simply means that Jesus will tell EVERYONE just how hypocritical the lukewarm a Christian truly is! And, not only that, but VOMIT OUT also means that Jesus will throw EVERY LUKEWARM Christian into the lake of fire to continually die over and over for ETERNITY!!!

I suggest you stand on one side of the fence and not try to stand on both sides of the fence at the same time, BECAUSE YOU WILL BE FOUND OUT!
Talk about CONSPIRACY THEORIES!!! Lukewarm Christians ARE THE CONSPIRACY!!!

This is about the third or fourth posting I have read of yours and I find you guilty of trying to please EVERYONE while at the same time trying to OFFEND EVERYONE!!! Man, the only way we are supposed to please antichristians is to remain STRONG in Jesus Christ, so that the antichrists will have TRUTH to ponder! How are antichristians going to know what is true if lukewarm Christians keep giving MIXED SIGNALS?!

IF you are a Christian stand on the Christian side. If you are NOT a Christian then stand on the antichristian side! Don't post conflicting arguments, or I will be on you like water on a duck!

For all you antichristians, I love you!

Hell yes! "God is good" is one of those phrases long misunderstood. It's not describing what God is. It's describing what Good is. MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!!!!

reply to post by SaintlyMic


Simmer down, buddy. See how crazy religion makes people?

It should be stricken from mankind's concepts. It only hinders us as a people from making true progress in the universe. Yet somehow you people believe faith should lead you to the promised land. If faith was removed from the equation, people would have to find a dignified purpose for their lives.

Religions are a farse. Research the story of Jesus and you'll see that it was a story taken from the Egyptians that has been changed over time.