play4fun : I was raised for over a year by my fundamentalist grandparents, who even did morning devotionals every morning. For three years after, I lived with my dad (they were his side) for three years, just down the road. We went to church every Sunday, except that one Sunday I was sick, and she made us watch a tellevised church service. I also went to Christian schools until third grade. So, I know even the most obscure of bible references/trivia. As for empirical proof, if you have some, please present it.

thelastrequim :

What reason do you have to restrict your web of belief to only that which can be empirically proven? Do you believe in cause and effect? Because that cannot be empirically proven. All you get is statistical correlation. Read David Hume for an actual philosopher to discuss such things.

Also, every bit of quantum physics is done without empirical proofs. The entire thing is a set of equations. According to quantum mechanics, the real things that exist are equations. That's Pythagorianism. And that info is from my atheist philosophy professors, not from Christian propaganda.

Txgangsta : For whast purpose would I believe in something which has no evidence? By that logic, I should believe in Space Monkeys that live in my attic...not that I have proof, I just felt like believing it. Why believe in anything that is not measurable, observable, or testable? Also, empirical evidence is evidence from observation, and/or experimentation.  We've observed time and time again that cause and effect is real. Also, how are equations not evidence? These equations weren't just made on a whim.                 By the way, forming beliefs on proof is NOT restricting my beliefs. Believing in something in the face of mounds of evidence to the contrary?  Sounds pretty restricting to me.

I'm not the biggest fan of talking about religion, especially since I at times have very...unique ideas, I'll say, on matters, but allow me to say this much...

All I know at present, is that I'm a theist. There is plenty of logical proof of a God, and logical proof of a lack of one, in all the time I've spent trying to look through proof and evidence of events relating to religion. So, ultimately, the idea that we're even certain of a God existing from a logical standpoint is impossible. I mean, that's why we call religions beliefs.

Also, I'd just like to add to the original post that talking about who terrorized what is generally not a good argument when talking about religions. While I'm sure there are some violence-oriented beliefs, I can say that Catholicism as a whole is not a belief grounded in violent behavior, and actions such as terrorism are frowned upon by the religion. I might be misunderstanding it, but that's what I gathered when you briefly went over terrorist acts.

There is no "true" religion since all are man-made. There's five main world religions, forty-two hundred if one includes all sects and splinter groups, so how can all of them be correct? Almost, if not all of them claim, to be the one true religion so that means all of them are wrong.

We're all human beings and the world would be much more pleasant if the barriers came down and religion is one of the biggest barriers. We have to unite and be peaceful or we will destroy this world and ourselves!

True religion is love and compassion and respect for all things.  There is no name for that.  Religion is a man made fear monger to control us and keep us separated and in wars with each other so they can continue to profit from our lives.  I can't say there is or is not a god of some sorts, but I will not worship something that will not even acknowledge our existence.  I would not even consider my self an atheist, because even they are an organized "religion".  I would say to all of you, that you should be who you were meant to be, with love and respect in your hearts for all things living and not.  That is my "religion"

Bafara : True Religion is designer, high fashion brand clothes, particularly known for there jeans, but assuming your not talking about fashion lol,there is no true religion that can be proven to be true entirely by science alone and honestly you can't mix religion and science simply because science is in the realm of possibility and provable facts while religion is just faith, mere belief in something. I personally feel arguing over which religion is true is rather pointless because every religion at it's core is the same, basically states the exact same story's/ moral guidelines and followings but with a different spin on events, and different interpretations of the same events and people involved(for example in some religions Jesus is just a prophet, where in others he is the son of "God"). I feel as though every religion is just used as a tool of war, and to keep humanity divided and in conflict and I also feel that the main reason for the creation of religion in general was to provide a sort of moral code or "law" in/for a time where humanity was rather savage and barbaric with regards to how people treated and interacted with one another(basically religion was created to uphold a morals and create a form of civilized law and order).

But this is just my thoughts...

Science and religion are two separate entities, and even they are trying to merge.  Wake up already and get rid of your hate barriers of race, sex and religion.  You guys are killing us off in the name of a faceless "god" called profit...

Celestial Knight : What you don't know is a lot friend. Every religion is not the same. At all. But I was an atheist too when I was 18 so my advice would be to not burn too many bridges. I didn't  just decide that God didn't exist someday and be done with it. I learned and studied and followed scientific advances in biology(my major in college), cosmology, and particle theory for years to try to find a way to disprove God. Eventually I realized that there aren't any. Atheists like to tell theists that it's on them to prove that there's a God. Is that because when they try to prove there isn't one they always fall short? I'm not trying to bust your chops on this last remark you made but you said religion provided a moral code for "a time where humanity was rather savage and barbaric" as opposed to when? Certainly not today. Peace.

Ferdinand : I meant the time of earlier man(let's say for argument sakes from about from 1 A.D to the end of the middle middle ages) by when I made the comment (and a side note if your going to quote someone use the whole sentence of what they said not bits and pieces of the sentence) " religion provided a sort of moral code or "law" in/for a time where humanity was rather savage and barbaric with regards to how people treated and interacted with one another(basically religion was created to uphold a morals and create a form of civilized law and order)."I didn't mean this day in age (the 21st century obviously), and quite frankly I feel as though we are so civilized we don't need religion anyone and I say that from the view point of the fact that religious teachings are really teaching moral values/a way of life to it's followers.But this is just my opinion.

Celestial Knight : Humanity has always been savage and barbaric. I didn't include the rest of what you said for brevity and the fact that it didn't matter. I will disagree and say that mankind is just as savage and barbaric as ever. If not worse. Atheistic societies(like China) included. If God doesn't grant you rights who does? A government that is more than willing to sacrifice it's citizens for "the greater good"? Go ahead and ignore the rest of my post and focus on trivia though. G'day mate.

Edit: anyone notice that the guy who started this thread only posted here twice and hasn't been back on the site since? lol

i think religion is the problem with the world i am a atheist and i think without religion the world would have less murders and suicides 

thelastrequim :

No proof is ever entirely material. The scientific method is a formal system that doesn't have materials to observe. You instead use the scientific method based on formal evidence (look up Aristotelian forms for my train of thought), not on material evidence.

Personally I really don't care what is the true religion or what is not, everyone can believe what they want if I can believe what I want. I personally am Christian, though I really am not that religious about it. So to be honest I really don't care what the true religion is because there is no true answer there is only opinion, or at least there is no answer for the people who are living.

Nevermind my last comment on this thread.

Really, the true religion is the one that makes you a better person.

maguc :

Ooohhh, I like this. This is a beautiful transition from metaphysics to ethics.

But what does it mean to be "better", and what does it mean to be "person"?