Discussionator -

Opinion

Belief in god is primarily a way to cover gaps in knowledge.
– Lee J Haywood, 2008-09-05 at 15:19:54 (17 comments)

	On 2008-09-05 at 15:22:18, Patofeo wrote... Thats one reason. The other I often think of is fear of death
	On 2008-09-05 at 15:29:59, Lee J Haywood wrote... Doesn't knowledge help with that too? I know I'm going to die and there's no reason for an afterlife, or evidence for one, so it's better to stay alive as long as possible. And I don't need to fear death, since I won't experience anything at all after it... Anyway, can't stop - I've got a wedding to get to. (-:
	On 2008-09-05 at 15:30:35, Saywhat wrote... Don't know about primarily, but do believe it has strong "control of the masses" origins.
	On 2008-09-05 at 15:32:25, Lee J Haywood wrote... @Saywhat: That's religion, not belief in god. I hate the way the 2 get confused all the time.
	On 2008-09-05 at 15:41:25, Saywhat wrote... OK, I'll bite, isn't "religion a belief in a god, or VV?" I am curious how you delineate the two.
	On 2008-09-05 at 15:46:47, Lee J Haywood wrote... There are plenty of people that go to churches and are involved in religious ceremonies who don't believe in god - they're there because it's a part of their community. On the other hand, when people do believe in a god then it is by definition a personal belief. There are a lot of people who 'believe in something' without necessarily believing in a particular religion, or more importantly in all of the details of that religion.
	On 2008-09-05 at 15:55:47, Saywhat wrote... I guess I have a broader definition of religion. At the same time, I think the "people that go to churches & involved in religious ceremonies" BELIEVE they believe in God, whether they actually do I can not say. Judging by many people's actions , I would tend to agree with you, but maybe they are just catholics that think they only have to regurgitate a few prayers and all their gross actions are forgiven.
	On 2008-09-05 at 15:59:08, Lee J Haywood wrote... Or, to put it another way, say you believe that there's a god and go to church, would you necessarily accept everything that the church tells you about your religion? Or accept everything that a bible tells you as being literally true, rather than recognising it as the collection of myths that was intended? Religions are about getting people to subscribe to a particular god of their design, but you've still got some freedom to modify your beliefs. I saw a good Dawkins video where people agreed that they had been literally afraid to admit no belief in god, thanks to their communities... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qR_z85O0P2M (1 hour 10 min)
	On 2008-09-05 at 16:08:04, Saywhat wrote... Yikes, 1 hour 10 minutes - I will watch when I have more time but not now. BTW, thank you for starting this site. The desire to improve and remain open to change, and learning, is applauded and appreciated.
	On 2008-09-05 at 16:31:15, Lee J Haywood wrote... Any changes will have to be fairly gradual at this point. I'm leaving now for the weekend - back on Monday at the latest.
	On 2008-09-05 at 17:13:45, BorgClown wrote... We always need a surrogate parental figure, to feel protected. If there isn't one, we can imagine it.
	On 2008-09-05 at 17:34:45, Patofeo wrote... Clownfacce will police with his mighty sword
	On 2008-09-05 at 17:36:48, BorgClown wrote... "Clownfacce" - Is that Italian?
	On 2008-09-05 at 17:40:38, Patofeo wrote... @BorgClown: hehehe, I just like how it sounds (fache), though technically it is plural (faces)
	On 2008-09-05 at 17:44:23, BorgClown wrote... <---
	On 2008-09-05 at 17:45:29, BorgClown wrote... I was going to type "Without words", but technically it would not be true.
	On 2008-09-05 at 17:47:31, BorgClown wrote... It's cool how you can change avatars between comments