Is it ever okay to lie?
What should we think of terrible disasters or plights, natural or man-made?
When does an alternative lifestyle go too far?
What happens after this life?
How should children be raised in terms of choosing a religion?
Does free will exist and can it coexist with a higher being?
Are actions more important than beliefs?
My own question as I consider myself much more of a moderate after watching this guy's take on atheism (mostly because he makes a lot of assumptions about religious people and those who do not believe in a certain God per se):
How important should religion be in society? How important should science be to society? And How can they coexist?
I don't support this guy's tone or thoughts:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DaOVPaYf780
I don't support this guy's tone or thoughts:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DaOVPaYf780
Featured asshole of the day...YOU!
ReplyDelete1 person slipped and missed the like button.
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ReplyDeleteOh, bee-tee-dubs....free wheezy...yo. Man's wrongfully imprisoned. (One LOVE)
One problem I have with this guy is that he totally disregards Christians that incorporate science, tolerance and other viewpoints on suffering, etc.
ReplyDeleteIt reminds me of people raggin' on Muslims because of al Qaeda...
-Nesbit
As for the questions...
ReplyDeleteIs it ever okay to lie?
Yes. Moral absolutism gets you into trouble (e.g. abortion and saving the life of mother, Nazis...)
What should we think of terrible disasters or plights, natural or man-made?
I don't know exactly where I lie on the religious spectrum, if there's a God, I don't think he's intrinsically involved in every event that occurs. Whatever he/she/it is clearly operates outside of a timeline/space that we understand.
If you attribute events as God-given then you run into problems when it comes to disasters because it makes God seem like a total douche. So to me, I think shitty events are just shitty events. I don't think there's something pulling different strings above making things happen... just doesn't make sense.
When does an alternative lifestyle go too far?
What happens after this life?
I almost think that we would be better off if we decided to not care for this question. If we all lived morally then the rest would take care of itself. Let's say that an atheist lives his whole life morally, doing great things, contributing to society as a whole. I don't think a just God would send this guy to hell seeing as his actions spoke for his soul (IMO). If God does send this guy to hell, then I'm not sure I really want to be in heaven because it's clearly not all it's chalked up to be.
Anyways - if you stay present (Eastern philosophy, yadda yadda) then details take care of them - including the afterlife.
How should children be raised in terms of choosing a religion?
Present them with options and have a frank dialogue. We know too much about the way parents influence children in terms of religion and politics to do otherwise.
Does free will exist and can it coexist with a higher being?
Free will does exist. So I recently thought of a funny way to think of this... bear with me:
Think about the infinite universe theory: every action that everything takes spawns another universe and so on. Like I said previously, I don't think God exists (if He does) on a timeline/place we understand. I think that God would always be present, i.e. in OUR present. But, he would also exist in every other possible universe. I'm not sure there's a future, or a past. There's only now, and if God (and all of us) only exist in the moment, then His existence can't conflict.
Are actions more important than beliefs?
Yes. Because without actions that verify that belief, beliefs are nothing.
How important should religion be in society?
Dogmas are as useful as their effect. If everyone believes in something and that belief makes our actions toward one another kinder, more compassionate and understanding, then I vote that it should be very important.
However, belief systems don't always translate as such.
How important should science be to society?
I forgot where I read it, but someone once said that science is like a flashlight on a beautiful canvas - it allows us to see the wonders of the universe.
Whether you think there's a God or not, allowing that light to shine and put us in a state of awe can never be a bad thing.
And How can they coexist?
Time. More moderate people on both sides of the spectrum that understand that the two (science/faith) can compliment one another.
-Nesbit