Do religions place an emphasis on having 'faith', because their stories are so wacky?
462490
Ha, this could be a little true.\n\nBut there is a faith which is not so wacky.  Think of it like this:\n\nLet us say that you have a friend who has always come through for you.  Then one day, you get stranded and you call your friend to come get you, and they say, "I'm on my way!"  Should you trust your friend?  I say yes, of course!  They have always come through for you in the past, so you should trust them.\n\nI think this is what the proper meaning of faith is.  It is trust.  It is an optimism that everything is going to work for the good.
500122
What's this got to do with religion?
220202
To me it is quite obvious that religions are man made.. all history and facts point to that. For example, the Bible is so scattered. It was written by different people over a long period of time. Anyone could justify an action or belief with a passage in it. \n\nLife is scary and strange and there is a big unknown out there. The idea of a monotheistic male creator and judger seems so silly. However, the interrelatedness of all life is apparent, and that connection with the godlike can happen to anyone, whether religious or not. Of course, those who believe will tell you it's merely a question of faith. Therefore, no consensus can happen. There is no arguement available in response to that.\n\nWhat I find funny is that a lot of typical religious teachings about how to behave in society make logical sense for the survival of the species. We don't need religion to teach us to be "good" people. In fact, many people are killed in the name of "God."
451461
Trying to make sense of religion is like trying to teach a pig to sing.  Don't waste your time with fairy tales.
952062
Every religion has an armageddon story. Every religion promises some sort of ascension... but the details of the story differs... every religion's mystical prophecies is humbug to somebody
1084366
They think religion gives them a pass for idiocy.
884840
Madison Avenue tells us that people tend to accept most readily messages that confirm what they already believe. Secondly, beliefs and facts are two different things. Having a belief, does not constitute knowing a fact. The two are not synonymous.\n\nMany people of faith, for our purposes here faith is defined as the blind adherence to a belief regardless of a lack of supporting evidence, seem to be disturbed in the face of facts that dispute their beliefs.\n\nTake for example stories about the creation of humans and the Earth. Scientific evidence, not available when the early creation stories were written, (I'm not singling out the Bible here, I'm including all creation stories of early origins) disputes these stories and reveals them for what they are, early peoples attempts to make sense of how the earth and humans came to exist. There are, however, many people who have faith in these stories. They are following exactly on the path predicted by Madison Avenue, rejecting messages that cause dissonance with their held beliefs.\n\nPeople who base their spiritual position on facts, are equally subject to the laws of Madison Avenue. They, however, can be swayed given a sufficient body of evidence (compiled and provable facts). What frustrates and mobilizes them is what they see as a rejection of logic and an abandonment of reason by "people of faith." Using beliefs as though they were facts is a habit of "people of faith" that is particularly frustrating for factual thinkers.
424800
I believe religion is fiction.  Emotion shouldn't play a part in it.  There has never been any real evidence that there is a god, the whole point of faith makes that clear.
1021612
Yes I do think they are just stories, just like those of Zeus & Ra, Santa and Postman Pat. (although Mythology stories are alot better than the main religions we have today - and the only difference between mythology and religion is believers of course.\n\nIn answer to the above poster, your whole argument hinges on the fact that some people have contorted sentences and word meanings to get it to fit with science and others still have just got it plain wrong.  Additionally many cultures that pre-date islam had already come up with the same conclusions.  For Example, Heavens and Earth having the same origin for example was already in place by the Tao Te Ching (it refers to Wu Chi) in 600BC, 1200 Years before Islam.\n\nSo we are back at option 1 or 2 since you had incomplete information.\n\nYou can show me any 'science' in the quran and I will show you a fallacy, a twisting of words  or a culture that had come up with first.  I know because I have looked, Have you?  Have you ever tried to be critical of the Quran, or do you read as the Inspired Word of God, i.e., infalliable - therefore skewing your reading of it as you can't concieve that it might be wrong or out of date.\n\nHere is one article to start you off learning the truth about science and islam in general.:\nhttp://www.infidels.org/library/modern/richard_carrier/islam.html
32096
I agree: all religions contains mythologi. Most of the Bible, especially the Old Testament, but also the New Testament consist of legends, myths and fiction. The Holy Quran has a lot of myths too, and the life of Mohammad is mythical. Buddhisme is known to be based on the myth of Buddha (under different names). Hinduism amongst other myths on Krshna. Chinese confuzianism could be interpreted as not based on myths, but it's not a real religion, but a way of life philosophy.\nThe point is rather to what extent the believers in a religion see those myths: as what they are (myths) or historical testimonies. Believers often see those myths as the plain truth, instead of stories that should illustrate a way of seeing world.
572053
It was weird for me as well - and continues to be since the people I cae most about are still believers.  There's a whole horde of such stories at the following site:
578818
its funny how a fictional story can shake there beliefs so much. \n]\nmy guess is they are not really secure in there beliefs.
324924
Yes. And I know the religious arguments set forth by some in certain faiths against such things. But I also know that many religions accept such things as normal, even good. I have experienced, first hand, such communications. I wonder if the religious folks who say its wrong can do that? I mean, base what they say about in on actual personal experience, rather than what someone else said in a book written in a different language, in a different culture, centuries ago? Probably not. But that's OK, they can believe what they want. I do. And I know, from my own experience, that people who have passed on can and do communicate. Spirit communication with departed souls is a very real thing. And can be a very wonderful experience.. And its them, not some "fallen angel" or "evil spirit" pretending to be them. How do I know THAT? I've talked with them.
494052
My interpretation is that religion is not meant to be understood - you believe things on faith.
417448
The bible and blind faith are two concepts I can't believe.  The bible is inaccurate and has been changed.  If you've studied Greek/Roman/Egyptian mythology you will get where all the stories came from.
873343
Yes but I don't think its consciously done by most who are involved. Its memes - ideas which can hook in to people brains and pass on, do survive and pass on. Most people involved in the church have probably been hooked themselves. Even more insidious if you think about it.\n\nOh and don't forget the big one - the absolute glorification of blind faith in what they are told.
949166
Certainly!  But religions use EVERYTHING to scare and manipulate.