Hum... I find this rather disappointing. Blind belief is something that causes a lot of harm to society (various apt examples throughout this thread), but nothing I can say will change anyone's mind.

Let us, instead, consider why religion is such a debated topic...

YES I AM

I would like to think i am. But really i'm not. =/
(hopefully it shouldnt affect my afterlife too much:p)

I'm Catholic and I never know how to answer this question. My faith is important to me, but I can't say that makes me a very good Catholic. I believe in all the Catholic church's teachings, but I wish I were more dedicated, a better person who loved God and others more. I wish I could say I was religious, but I'm not sure if that'd be very true. And yes, religion to me is synonymous with having a relationship with God... I don't understand why religion has to be "bad word", even in Christian circles.

I have thought a lot about religion from a philosophical perspective- I like playing mind games. Belief doesn't have to be blind. To me, religion is about seeking what is true, not just believing what I personally want to be true or what I am told. No, I don't think we can prove God's existence, but I feel like there's is a lot of evidence for his existence, both from personal experience and logical thinking.

In the words of Mahatma Gandhi,
"I am a Muslim, and a Hindu, and a Christian, and a Jew, and so are all of you"

I respect all religions out there, but at the end of the day, all religions preach love. :)

im sorry but ' a vast amount of the world's problems' IS NOT caused by religion.. it is caused by mankinds greed for power and control. you cant say that relegion is the cause of the world's problems just because YOU dont believe in God. i never understood how people dont believe in God -no offense- , how could you not believe that there is no creator? how could a ball move without having someone having to kick it first? how did the world start then? a group of people jst popped out of no where?

- and i know that many atheists at some point in their life will think about God. when they are in a deep problem they will look up and say 'Oh God please help me!' and God will always answer their call

You are an idiot.

I don't know what you're doning on this forum, this is for intelligent people who want to go to university, not children who have never picked up a physics book. "how could a ball move without having someone having to kick it first?" HAHAHAHAHA literally one of the funniest arguments for the existence of an omniscient power I have ever heard. Thanks for giving me a good laugh this morning.



Yes indeed, those starving children around the world, those victims of natural disaster, those suffering from terminal illness', those who are persecuted and tortured because of what GOD MADE THEM... God answers their call doesn't he, yeah, he's just great.

IkranArtan, your argument is very weak. Take OscarUK's advice and read some more books. People don't just "pop out of nowhere".

I grew up in a non-religious household where my parents never talked about religion. When I was little, I asked them if there was a God and a heaven, and my dad says, "Maybe". Logically, as I learned more, I eventually believed in the side with more evidence. What I love about being an atheist is that I don't need to conform to any kind of expectations and that there's always reason in what I believe, not because I want to believe.

That's why I'm agnostic.

The biggest problem that I have with religion isn't with the existence of "this" or the cause of "that", but rather the people who blindly misinterpret scriptures and readings and use them to justify their hate and bigotry. When I realized that I was gay a few years ago I had a really hard time negotiating my faith and my sexuality. It bothered me whenever I went to church because I knew that all of these people there who seemed so nice and caring could in an instant change their opinion about me if they were to find out that I was gay. I know not everyone who goes to church is like that, but I just didn't feel comfortable being around people who could potentially act that way, so I stopped going. I still have yet to come out to my parents because they're pretty religious and I don't know how they would take it.

Also, I know LGBT rights and freedoms have already been well established in Canada and that's great, but I go to school in the States and that isn't the case here yet. Politics often comes up during dinner conversations and whatnot so it helps to be aware of certain issues, especially with the upcoming election in November.