No, I understand what you mean - however, religion can be an "anchor" for some people.

I personally want nothing to do with religion, and I HATE when people try to preach to me -

yeah, like that. in that circumstance, it's taking advantage of people, getting to them with that goddamned religion stuff (irony!) when they are vulnerable. classy, real classy.

Evolution obviously exists. My wife and I don't believe in religion because of the obvious way that it is manipulated. We both have a strong belief that there is a God though.

Sorry, couldn't resist!

A Norwegian talking about fairytales -

http://www.truveo.com/alexander-rybak-fa...2393916207

Sorry, couldn't resist!

A Norwegian talking about fairytales -

http://www.truveo.com/alexander-rybak-fa...2393916207

Can you explain what it is about as I cannot play this on my 2nd world link?

I'm surprised not to find a troll-war.  However, I must comment on the thread title--it is not a question of "belief."  I don't "believe" in science, I understand it in a context of doubt.  

This may seem negative, because most of us are coming from a christian perspective even if we are neither christians nor at all religious.  Christianity has caused the concept of "belief" to recieve a far more elevated position in western society than in my opinion it deserves.  

Doubt to me means asking questions, and far from intending to be in a state of denial a question seeks an answer.  Belief is simply an answer, it is a dead end.  I consider evolution to be true.  We see viruses mutating all the time, we see mutations in all animals and forms of life, I have family members whose uniqueness involves a de-novo mutation (my sister has, in total, more genetic material than most people do, flying right in the face of the creationist arguement that mutation has to be a loss of information).  Your own immune system functions because of mutations.  The simple fact is that while some mutations have no effect, others do cause a change of form, a gain of function, or a loss of function.  Yes, many of the human mutations we know of are deleterious, but that is because we only LOOK for them in a context of abnormal form or development.  And said abnormality is often nothing more than a judgement passed by society, as in so-called "facial deformities."  

It is hardly a leap of faith nor of the imagination to imagine that mutations and the differences in form they create can build up in two separate populations, and over time create entirely different morpho-species.  In addition, many of the chemicals our bodies secrete, for instance in the uterus during fetal development, are likewise susceptible to mutation and differ from one species to the next, meaning that biochemistries that are too different will not be able to produce viable offspring.  

We only find these things out by asking questions, and by clinging blindly to "beliefs" like the idea that the age of the world can be calculated using the obviously fanciful genealogies in the pentateuch stifles our innate ability to explore and transform.

Loved your entire post... loved your opinion on the words belief and doubt. COOL.

@ madmick: It is Alexander Rybak singing the song "Fairy tale" for the Eurovision contest.

Should I have had the choice to choose religion at 12?

Should my parents have tried to stop me because I was too young to fully appreciate religion?

I do understand your point that indoctrinating her son and daughter as Catholics, including Catholic school, against their express will, would be objectionable in your mind. The mother believes she has to or she will lose them (like Chloe and Dad in Left Behind).

My dad did think it was OK when I was 12, but when I hit 20, did wish I would reconsider because of the political ramifications (the so-called Christians who hate)

This will really make you mad.  This is worse.

Go to Wikipedia and type in Flirty Fishing. We used to call it "missionary dating" in our Christian social circles, but 1 in 7 times, it goes "all the way".

[url=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flirty_Fishing]

....



you'd best believe I'm raging.

If the women can hook the men with flirting fine. If they have to employ sex they will.  It was a cult recruitment technique in the 1970s and 1980s. It kind of died in the late 1980s with the spread of AIDS.

@ madmick: It is Alexander Rybak singing the song "Fairy tale" for the Eurovision contest.

What was the link to evolution or religion as I don't know the song? Haven't seen tv for a few years now. I have only just got the internet and now my 2 yr old Toshiba is breaking down.

Skilpadde Wrote:

@ madmick: It is Alexander Rybak singing the song "Fairy tale" for the Eurovision contest.

What was the link to evolution or religion as I don't know the song? Haven't seen tv for a few years now. I have only just got the internet and now my 2 yr old Toshiba is breaking down.

Skilpadde and I clearly have different perspectives on religion, which is fair enough.  In a post a page or so back, she compared religious people to adults who believe in fairytales.

She is Norwegian, and Norway won the Eurovision Song Contest on Saturday with a song called "Fairytale".

madmick Wrote:

Skilpadde Wrote:

@ madmick: It is Alexander Rybak singing the song "Fairy tale" for the Eurovision contest.

What was the link to evolution or religion as I don't know the song? Haven't seen tv for a few years now. I have only just got the internet and now my 2 yr old Toshiba is breaking down.

Skilpadde and I clearly have different perspectives on religion, which is fair enough.  In a post a page or so back, she compared religious people to adults who believe in fairytales.

She is Norwegian, and Norway won the Eurovision Song Contest on Saturday with a song called "Fairytale".

So it was just a private joke then.

Marcia Wrote:

madmick Wrote:

Skilpadde Wrote:

@ madmick: It is Alexander Rybak singing the song "Fairy tale" for the Eurovision contest.

What was the link to evolution or religion as I don't know the song? Haven't seen tv for a few years now. I have only just got the internet and now my 2 yr old Toshiba is breaking down.

Skilpadde and I clearly have different perspectives on religion, which is fair enough.  In a post a page or so back, she compared religious people to adults who believe in fairytales.

She is Norwegian, and Norway won the Eurovision Song Contest on Saturday with a song called "Fairytale".

So it was just a private joke then.

Well, as private as a joke can be on a public forum, referring to information recently given on that public forum and making a connection with a singing contest very recently broadcast on television to at least 25 countries.