[Phaethon]

(Original post by Bokurano)
I'm new here so don't hate.
I believe religion is a beautiful thing and although I'm atheist, I think faith is wonderful and something I sadly do not have the mentality for.

but then again, I think that let's say the Bible for example tells a great numerous stories. But the more I think about them. a lot are not wise words. It's common sense.

"Treat others as you wish to be treated"...yeah...wise and revolutionary....or simply an age old piece of common sense?


Sorry, moany thing over.
Any other biblical/other religious stories that you think are purely common sense yet somehow pose "deep meaning" to religion?

No, the "treat others as you wish to be treated" is quite basic, nothing revolutionary...
...which doesn't mean that the Bible doesn't bring anything new, particularly the Gospel, unlike our friend Martyn would say

Jesus completely overturned the morals of the time, which definitely contributed to his execution. It's hard to resume his philosophy in a few words, but here are the main ideas:

-Men do not need religion/tradition to reach God.
"Jesus declared, "Believe me, woman, a time is coming when you will worship the Father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem." " John 4:21.
Sacrifices are rendered futile: "I desire mercy, not sacrifices", and Jesus himself is accused of breaking Jewish Law on several occasions.

-"Treat others as you wish to be treated" is good, but not enough. In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus prones unconditional and unbending love for all, especially for one's enemies: "You have been told, an eye for an eye etc but I tell you, bless those who curse you, turn the other cheek..."

-Jesus was also in direct opposition with other Jewish groups, like the Zealots, who called for direct action against the Roman oppressors. Instead of a political revolution, which as the 'Messiah', he was thought to bring, Jesus taught an 'inner' revolution, and focused on the individual (that said, he repeatedly commanded his followers to help the poor). This is explicit when the disciples ask when the Kingdom of God will come to earth, and he answers that the Kingdom is actually "already here, for the Kingdom of Heaven is within you"
In fact, some see in the very famous "To Caesar what belongs to Caesar, and to God what belongs to God" (which Jesus said when asked whether the Jews should pay taxes) some sort of separation between Church and State.

-This brings us to an equally important aspect: the universality of God's Love. The ethnic 'Yahweh' of the Jews is replaced by a God who wishes to reconcile all humans to him, including Pagans (Jesus preaches to Samaritans, Romans and Canaanites, considered enemies of the Jewish people), women (the scene with the Samaritan woman) and even children, in his own way. This is one of the reasons why Christianity spread so fast.

There's much more, but that's already a significant piece

[Banishingboredom]

(Original post by Thebigfudge85)
I have actually read that book, It was quite a tome but I enjoyed it a lot, In essence I agree with pretty much everything you said in your post. Science has been stiffled by religion however that doesnt change the fact that the first hospitals in the west were established by religion, same with Charity and social aid, A lot has been done mathematically by religious people in a religious culture ( newton for one) there. There is no black and white

I dont think that you can only gain morals through the Bible, i don't think you need the Bible to be moral, I just feel that there are a few very good moral examples, Self sacrifice for the good of man in the case of Jesus , sticking to your guns and fighting for yourself in the case of Moses. Bravery for a cause in the case of Daniel. Fighting for what you believe even if the odds are greater than you could handle ( David and Goliath) etc.

hundreds of thousands of paid man hours, of people earning a wage and jobs you could argue .... which are always good

I agree with a lot of what you've said, good post.