....

Not another one...

Go hand out jesus pamphlets at rock concerts.

these discussions go on forever and go absolutley no where.

Go hand out jesus pamphlets at rock concerts.

 

lulz

The difference between belief and fact

 

To believe in something is not the same as knowing something.

Intrinsic to the concept of belief is implication that there is an opposite to belief, disbelief. Not everyone will believe something is true, but all sane and rational people will acknowledge an observable fact.

 

I can claim that I believe that it will rain at 3:00 AM, six years from today, and someone may agree with me and believe the same thing. If I hold a rock, and drop it, all who are present will acknowledge that a rock had been dropped...unless they are just choosing to be childish, whimsical, or are a philosophy major.

 

The difference between the matter of the rock and the matter of the rain, is the difference between an observable fact, and a thought accepted as a fact. One is present, provable, undeniable and concrete, the other, howsoever fervently believed, is not. The rain could come, my belief about it could be true enough, but there is no observable proof. There is nothing to point to, nothing to show, nothing to touch, nothing to smell, nothing to be experienced by the senses of myself or others.

 

The only way belief can be experienced is in the mind. Facts can be experienced both in the mind and by the senses...and what is more, unlike a mental hallucination, the sensory experience can be shared with others.

 

It is a common error of human beings to allow belief, to allow a mental construct accepted on faith, to become so important, so obsessive, that it is taken as the same thing as fact. Indeed, there are many emotional reasons why a person might be driven to do this, but it still remains that any belief is purely mental whatever it's origin, and the mind can be mistaken. This means that all beliefs have as part of them an implied doubt. Facts cannot be doubted, they are observably real.

 

When belief is assumed to be fact, when this mistake is made by a mind clouded by a motivation to assume belief as fact, that belief is considered beyond doubt, just as is a fact. Beliefs beyond doubt are inherently dangerous. They are dangerous because they are often acted upon as though they were facts, and the inherent weakness of this is that a belief is not a fact.

 

Beliefs can be, and often are, wrong.

 

Children in our culture often believe in Santa Claus, in the Easter Bunny and the Tooth Fairy. To them, with their simple minds, these beliefs are facts. This is because very young children may not have developed sufficiently to discriminate between belief and fact. However even adults can fall prey to such immature thinking, because they are afraid, because they are disturbed, because they are mentally ill, because they are filled with excitement, or a whole host of reasons. Hallucinations can occur that seem so real that they convince the brain that it has experienced observable fact. Such events add false certainty to beliefs.

 

Understanding always that beliefs are not facts, is the fundamental component of sanity. Confusing the two inevitably leads to catastrophe.

 

If I believe that by rubbing a hunk of quartz I will gain the Power of Absolute Indestructibility, and I act on this belief as though it were a fact, I will quickly die under the metal onslaught of the first train I attempt to block. My belief might be true, but I have no proof. Acting as though I did have proof would lead to my destruction. When any belief is accepted as fact, catastrophe is inevitable.

 

We are constantly bombarded by ideas, facts and beliefs in a muddled, often confusing mess. To make matters worse, we all must accept the experiences of others as facts simply to survive. There are so many facts now that for any individual to test even a fraction of them would be the work of a lifetime. There would be no time to live, if we had to prove even a portion of the collected facts of humanity.

 

In order to be able to cope with life, we have to have facts to make decisions on. But mixed into these facts that we learn... and take on faith are real... are also many examples of nonsense and arbitrary belief, promoted as fact, by fanatical individuals. Fanatics are driven to promote their beliefs because of the conflict that occurs for them whenever their beliefs are challenged. To stop the feeling of conflict, the fanatic becomes compelled to convince everyone that their belief is fact, or, failing that, to destroy those who threaten the belief.

 

Fanaticism is a dangerous mental illness.

 

There is then a primary question to the individual, how to separate fact from belief, when so much of our knowledge is taken essentially on faith, on the assumption that we are being told factual things? There are some quick and simplistic tools that you can use to analyze information in order to roughly guess whether the information is fact, or truth.

 

DANGEROUS BELIEFS

 

Many of them are religious, some are purely social. Accepting these beliefs, or failing to question and discard them, can kill you.

 

Morality is derived from religion, unlike ethics.

There is no proof of the existence of any religion. That is why religions are called FAITHS. Religion is taken on faith, because it is impossible to prove: indeed some religions require absence of proof, in order to validate the importance of faith itself. Regardless of the religion, no matter what it may be, there is no way to put a soul in a jar and measure it, or to dissect god on a table. Devoid of proof, religions are beliefs. This means that any rules or laws or morality are not based on fact. Such things are arbitrary.

 

Absolute Truth Exists. Why this is a Belief and Not a Fact:

 

"Truth" is a mental definition. Truth cannot be pointed at, touched, or put in a jar. Truth is a concept, not an actual thing. Truth can be based on emotions, as in 'Emotional Truth', or even on best guesses. All truth is is an emotional measure of the veracity of information. Truth does not even automatically imply facts.

 

What does this all mean?

 

The beliefs that you hold, if unquestioned, can control your life, destroy your own happiness and the happiness of others, and lead to your own end. Only by keeping a flexible mind, devoid of any absolutes whatsoever, mindful that all information is questionable, and by remaining aware of the difference between belief and fact, can any person hope to function in a sane and rational manner. To the objectional person , this rejection of any absolute truth becomes vital. We exist in a world often controlled by arbitrary belief, and many of those beliefs are destructive and filled with mindless hate. To survive, one must never assume.

 

It is important to remember that you alone own your own mind, and it is your responsibility to determine what information you act on. You must take responsibility for your own collection of facts and beliefs, and it is to your advantage to reject beliefs, however appealing or ingrained, that would lead to your own misery or destruction.

This isn't the fucking 18th century anymore people with the slightest bit of a brain should be able to realize that there isn't one.

 

btw you should've made the poll public so we can see who the dumbasses are.

I believe in Satan. He sent his only son Jesus Satan to save us from Ignorance. He died on a cross and was sent to hell. He was resurrected days later to exact revenge on those who killed him.

 

Satan exists.

God doesn't.

You're a fag.

Die.

Yes. I believe in g0d.

i dont believe in all that jibber jabber.

REJECT CHRIST RECEEV BACON!

REJECT CHRIST RECEEV BACON!

 

 

OH LAWDY I FEEL THE POWER!

beleef in god is like beleef in santa claus bcuz they r ent reel

beleef in god is like beleef in santa claus bcuz they r ent reel

 

what the fuck are you talking about?

Santa is real.

Yes

Haven`t you faggots read the bible?

Yes

Haven`t you faggots read the bible?

 

It's such a repetitive story, the author should have thought before writing.

I got bored after the first chapter.

Yes

Haven`t you faggots read the bible?

 

That's the primary reason for NOT believing in god. Only children and idiots believe that garbage.

2012 11:11 IS COMING

Yes

Haven`t you faggots read the bible?

 

From front to back.

 

It's the biggest pack of fallacies loaded into a single stack of paper ever.

Myriad;573253']The difference between belief and fact

 

To believe in something is not the same as knowing something.

Intrinsic to the concept of belief is implication that there is an opposite to belief, disbelief. Not everyone will believe something is true, but all sane and rational people will acknowledge an observable fact.

 

I can claim that I believe that it will rain at 3:00 AM, six years from today, and someone may agree with me and believe the same thing. If I hold a rock, and drop it, all who are present will acknowledge that a rock had been dropped...unless they are just choosing to be childish, whimsical, or are a philosophy major.

 

The difference between the matter of the rock and the matter of the rain, is the difference between an observable fact, and a thought accepted as a fact. One is present, provable, undeniable and concrete, the other, howsoever fervently believed, is not. The rain could come, my belief about it could be true enough, but there is no observable proof. There is nothing to point to, nothing to show, nothing to touch, nothing to smell, nothing to be experienced by the senses of myself or others.

 

The only way belief can be experienced is in the mind. Facts can be experienced both in the mind and by the senses...and what is more, unlike a mental hallucination, the sensory experience can be shared with others.

 

It is a common error of human beings to allow belief, to allow a mental construct accepted on faith, to become so important, so obsessive, that it is taken as the same thing as fact. Indeed, there are many emotional reasons why a person might be driven to do this, but it still remains that any belief is purely mental whatever it's origin, and the mind can be mistaken. This means that all beliefs have as part of them an implied doubt. Facts cannot be doubted, they are observably real.

 

When belief is assumed to be fact, when this mistake is made by a mind clouded by a motivation to assume belief as fact, that belief is considered beyond doubt, just as is a fact. Beliefs beyond doubt are inherently dangerous. They are dangerous because they are often acted upon as though they were facts, and the inherent weakness of this is that a belief is not a fact.

 

Beliefs can be, and often are, wrong.

 

Children in our culture often believe in Santa Claus, in the Easter Bunny and the Tooth Fairy. To them, with their simple minds, these beliefs are facts. This is because very young children may not have developed sufficiently to discriminate between belief and fact. However even adults can fall prey to such immature thinking, because they are afraid, because they are disturbed, because they are mentally ill, because they are filled with excitement, or a whole host of reasons. Hallucinations can occur that seem so real that they convince the brain that it has experienced observable fact. Such events add false certainty to beliefs.

 

Understanding always that beliefs are not facts, is the fundamental component of sanity. Confusing the two inevitably leads to catastrophe.

 

If I believe that by rubbing a hunk of quartz I will gain the Power of Absolute Indestructibility, and I act on this belief as though it were a fact, I will quickly die under the metal onslaught of the first train I attempt to block. My belief might be true, but I have no proof. Acting as though I did have proof would lead to my destruction. When any belief is accepted as fact, catastrophe is inevitable.

 

We are constantly bombarded by ideas, facts and beliefs in a muddled, often confusing mess. To make matters worse, we all must accept the experiences of others as facts simply to survive. There are so many facts now that for any individual to test even a fraction of them would be the work of a lifetime. There would be no time to live, if we had to prove even a portion of the collected facts of humanity.

 

In order to be able to cope with life, we have to have facts to make decisions on. But mixed into these facts that we learn... and take on faith are real... are also many examples of nonsense and arbitrary belief, promoted as fact, by fanatical individuals. Fanatics are driven to promote their beliefs because of the conflict that occurs for them whenever their beliefs are challenged. To stop the feeling of conflict, the fanatic becomes compelled to convince everyone that their belief is fact, or, failing that, to destroy those who threaten the belief.

 

Fanaticism is a dangerous mental illness.

 

There is then a primary question to the individual, how to separate fact from belief, when so much of our knowledge is taken essentially on faith, on the assumption that we are being told factual things? There are some quick and simplistic tools that you can use to analyze information in order to roughly guess whether the information is fact, or truth.

 

DANGEROUS BELIEFS

 

Many of them are religious, some are purely social. Accepting these beliefs, or failing to question and discard them, can kill you.

 

Morality is derived from religion, unlike ethics.

There is no proof of the existence of any religion. That is why religions are called FAITHS. Religion is taken on faith, because it is impossible to prove: indeed some religions require absence of proof, in order to validate the importance of faith itself. Regardless of the religion, no matter what it may be, there is no way to put a soul in a jar and measure it, or to dissect god on a table. Devoid of proof, religions are beliefs. This means that any rules or laws or morality are not based on fact. Such things are arbitrary.

 

Absolute Truth Exists. Why this is a Belief and Not a Fact:

 

"Truth" is a mental definition. Truth cannot be pointed at, touched, or put in a jar. Truth is a concept, not an actual thing. Truth can be based on emotions, as in 'Emotional Truth', or even on best guesses. All truth is is an emotional measure of the veracity of information. Truth does not even automatically imply facts.

 

What does this all mean?

 

The beliefs that you hold, if unquestioned, can control your life, destroy your own happiness and the happiness of others, and lead to your own end. Only by keeping a flexible mind, devoid of any absolutes whatsoever, mindful that all information is questionable, and by remaining aware of the difference between belief and fact, can any person hope to function in a sane and rational manner. To the objectional person , this rejection of any absolute truth becomes vital. We exist in a world often controlled by arbitrary belief, and many of those beliefs are destructive and filled with mindless hate. To survive, one must never assume.

 

It is important to remember that you alone own your own mind, and it is your responsibility to determine what information you act on. You must take responsibility for your own collection of facts and beliefs, and it is to your advantage to reject beliefs, however appealing or ingrained, that would lead to your own misery or destruction.

 

You are too smart to be on these forums. I'm probably one of less than 10 people who read the majority of that.

 

 

Anyway, I have read about 60% of the bible and laughed at it. The concept that people still believe in it baffles me. One must be an idiot to believe in it. There are lessons to be taken from it but few, ESPECIALLY in modern day society. PLEASE give it a second thought before placing faith in it.

CJ;573490']2012 11:11 IS COMING

 

shits so fake lol its not gonna happen in the year 2000 the world was supposed to "end" but it didnt

this shits pointless, theres like 1,000,000 other religions with MORE than ONE god in them, such as peopls, objects, things in space and live creatures that thrive in our world... everyone wont convert to one religion. Its stupid to have these, ''Religion Rage Wars''

 

I think we should al have a Battle Royal and the last Religion standing with the most people that are still living and not dead should be the main religion.

 

nof said :O_o:

Either way there has to be some sort of higher power. Earth and the universe didn't just create itself.

:bj:

LOL RELIGION

LOL RELIGION

LOL RELIGION

LOL RELIGION

LOL RELIGION

LOL RELIGION

LOL RELIGION

LOL RELIGION