Secular Discussion Thread

[Kowani]

Seems kind of complex, however I find it a lot better than modern Christianity. Thank you for sharing this with me.

You're most welcome. Theres a number of similar concepts, basically the idea is that they reject the Old Testament or the God thereof. Gnosticism might also be relevant to this.

We used to have a gnostic on here, but I haven’t seen ‘em for a while.

[Confederate Norway]

Seems kind of complex, however I find it a lot better than modern Christianity. Thank you for sharing this with me.

You're most welcome. Theres a number of similar concepts, basically the idea is that they reject the Old Testament or the God thereof. Gnosticism might also be relevant to this.

Gnosticism seems very complex to me, I have never seen a Christian religion like it. It's very interesting, especially with the similarities it has with Buddhism.

[Confederate Norway]

You're most welcome. Theres a number of similar concepts, basically the idea is that they reject the Old Testament or the God thereof. Gnosticism might also be relevant to this.

We used to have a gnostic on here, but I haven’t seen ‘em for a while.

Is Gnosticism still some what popular?

[The Liberated Territories]

Meta but do we need to have a discussion thread for literally everything? What exactly is there to talk about here?

[Kowani]

We used to have a gnostic on here, but I haven’t seen ‘em for a while.

Is Gnosticism still some what popular?

No. The early Catholic Church made them heretics, and then proceeded to do…well, you know.

[Confederate Norway]

Is Gnosticism still some what popular?

No. The early Catholic Church made them heretics, and then proceeded to do…well, you know.

Thats too bad. It seemed like a really nice religion.

[Kowani]

No. The early Catholic Church made them heretics, and then proceeded to do…well, you know.

Thats too bad. It seemed like a really nice religion.

It was actually not terrible.

[Nakena]

No. The early Catholic Church made them heretics, and then proceeded to do…well, you know.

Thats too bad. It seemed like a really nice religion.

Theres also the Cathars against whom the Catholic Church launched a genocidal crusade.

[Confederate Norway]

Thats too bad. It seemed like a really nice religion.

Theres also the Cathars against whom the Catholic Church launched a genocidal crusade.

Not at all surprised that the "Holy" Catholic Church would do something like this. They always have to kill everything good in this world.

[Vivolkha]

Staunch atheist here, and grew up in an environment where only my grandmother was religious (Catholic Christian). Literally only 2/30 of my classmates in secondary education believed in God, then I switched to a religious school (for unrelated reasons, there is not much choice in my town) and that number actually dropped to just 1/30. Compulsory religion classes where also a joke: we were supposed to watch a film related to religion or with religious symbolism and then reflect on it. But due to time constraints the reflection part was skipped, and so the teacher had to give everybody the maximum grade as we had literally done nothing other than just watch films, ranging from passable, to actually good (Matrix).

As somebody who has been very interested in science since I was a kid, it is very difficult for me to believe in God at all, though it is hard to disprove its existence (yet I do firmly believe that God does not exist). I just feel there is no need for any God at all to explain what happens around me, and religious doctrine just comes across as mostly arbitrary, frequently unjustified restrictions (of course, some morality must exist, I just don't think it requires religion).

Just let everyone be, I guess, and hence why I think state and religion should be strictly separate. There are a lot of different religions out there, and probably there is no "correct" one. I would not be necessarily against the government engaging with religious faiths but surely against a government endorsing any particular one.

[Kowani]

Staunch atheist here, and grew up in an environment where only my grandmother was religious (Catholic Christian). Literally only 2/30 of my classmates in secondary education believed in God, then I switched to a religious school (for unrelated reasons, there is not much choice in my town) and that number actually dropped to just 1/30. Compulsory religion classes where also a joke: we were supposed to watch a film related to religion or with religious symbolism and then reflect on it. But due to time constraints the reflection part was skipped, and so the teacher had to give everybody the maximum grade as we had literally done nothing other than just watch films, ranging from passable, to actually good (Matrix).

As somebody who has been very interested in science since I was a kid, it is very difficult for me to believe in God at all, though it is hard to disprove its existence (yet I do firmly believe that God does not exist). I just feel there is no need for any God at all to explain what happens around me, and religious doctrine just comes across as mostly arbitrary, frequently unjustified restrictions (of course, some morality must exist, I just don't think it requires religion).

Just let everyone be, I guess, and hence why I think state and religion should be strictly separate. There are a lot of different religions out there, and probably there is no "correct" one. I would not be necessarily against the government engaging with religious faiths but surely against a government endorsing any particular one.

Welcome aboard, my atheist friend!

[Dangine]

Staunch atheist here, and grew up in an environment where only my grandmother was religious (Catholic Christian). Literally only 2/30 of my classmates in secondary education believed in God, then I switched to a religious school (for unrelated reasons, there is not much choice in my town) and that number actually dropped to just 1/30. Compulsory religion classes where also a joke: we were supposed to watch a film related to religion or with religious symbolism and then reflect on it. But due to time constraints the reflection part was skipped, and so the teacher had to give everybody the maximum grade as we had literally done nothing other than just watch films, ranging from passable, to actually good (Matrix).

As somebody who has been very interested in science since I was a kid, it is very difficult for me to believe in God at all, though it is hard to disprove its existence (yet I do firmly believe that God does not exist). I just feel there is no need for any God at all to explain what happens around me, and religious doctrine just comes across as mostly arbitrary, frequently unjustified restrictions (of course, some morality must exist, I just don't think it requires religion).

Just let everyone be, I guess, and hence why I think state and religion should be strictly separate. There are a lot of different religions out there, and probably there is no "correct" one. I would not be necessarily against the government engaging with religious faiths but surely against a government endorsing any particular one.

I never was really religious myself. I could never focus on anything I was not interested in and Church was one of those. It was so boring.

[Hakinda Herseyi Duymak istiyorum]

The sacredness of the land,not religion ''Vatican Secular Nationalism''

…And what makes the land sacred besides religion?

people in the state and flag representing the people

[Iciaros]

Staunch atheist here, and grew up in an environment where only my grandmother was religious (Catholic Christian). Literally only 2/30 of my classmates in secondary education believed in God, then I switched to a religious school (for unrelated reasons, there is not much choice in my town) and that number actually dropped to just 1/30. Compulsory religion classes where also a joke: we were supposed to watch a film related to religion or with religious symbolism and then reflect on it. But due to time constraints the reflection part was skipped, and so the teacher had to give everybody the maximum grade as we had literally done nothing other than just watch films, ranging from passable, to actually good (Matrix).

As somebody who has been very interested in science since I was a kid, it is very difficult for me to believe in God at all, though it is hard to disprove its existence (yet I do firmly believe that God does not exist). I just feel there is no need for any God at all to explain what happens around me, and religious doctrine just comes across as mostly arbitrary, frequently unjustified restrictions (of course, some morality must exist, I just don't think it requires religion).

Just let everyone be, I guess, and hence why I think state and religion should be strictly separate. There are a lot of different religions out there, and probably there is no "correct" one. I would not be necessarily against the government engaging with religious faiths but surely against a government endorsing any particular one.

I never was really religious myself. I could never focus on anything I was not interested in and Church was one of those. It was so boring.

For me, it was also being bored, but also with a little added spite - the religious school I went to kept forcing me to do religious stuff instead of fun things (like going home). If what you want to tell me isn't compelling enough for me to listen, I'm gonna leave. If you don't let me leave, I definitely won't be happy with you.

Sometimes I thank that rebellious phase of mine. I'm not sure anything else except the instinctive teenage need to disobey authority would have gotten me to actually think more about religion and morality. It got me to discard a lot of abhorrent latent worldviews, like passive homophobia.

[Nakena]

Staunch atheist here, and grew up in an environment where only my grandmother was religious (Catholic Christian). Literally only 2/30 of my classmates in secondary education believed in God, then I switched to a religious school (for unrelated reasons, there is not much choice in my town) and that number actually dropped to just 1/30. Compulsory religion classes where also a joke: we were supposed to watch a film related to religion or with religious symbolism and then reflect on it. But due to time constraints the reflection part was skipped, and so the teacher had to give everybody the maximum grade as we had literally done nothing other than just watch films, ranging from passable, to actually good (Matrix).

As somebody who has been very interested in science since I was a kid, it is very difficult for me to believe in God at all, though it is hard to disprove its existence (yet I do firmly believe that God does not exist). I just feel there is no need for any God at all to explain what happens around me, and religious doctrine just comes across as mostly arbitrary, frequently unjustified restrictions (of course, some morality must exist, I just don't think it requires religion).

Just let everyone be, I guess, and hence why I think state and religion should be strictly separate. There are a lot of different religions out there, and probably there is no "correct" one. I would not be necessarily against the government engaging with religious faiths but surely against a government endorsing any particular one.

Thanks for sharing. Also, sounds very reasonable to me.

[Dangine]

I never was really religious myself. I could never focus on anything I was not interested in and Church was one of those. It was so boring.

For me, it was also being bored, but also with a little added spite - the religious school I went to kept forcing me to do religious stuff instead of fun things (like going home). If what you want to tell me isn't compelling enough for me to listen, I'm gonna leave. If you don't let me leave, I definitely won't be happy with you.

Sometimes I thank that rebellious phase of mine. I'm not sure anything else except the instinctive teenage need to disobey authority would have gotten me to actually think more about religion and morality. It got me to discard a lot of abhorrent latent worldviews, like passive homophobia.

Luckily I did not have to go to a religious school, that must of sucked.

[Aozora Blu Sky]

2 Kings 2:23-25;
23 Then he went up from there to Bethel; and as he was going up by the way, young lads came out from the city and mocked him and said to him, “Go up, you baldhead; go up, you baldhead!” 24 When he looked behind him and saw them, he cursed them in the name of the LORD. Then two female bears came out of the woods and tore up forty-two lads of their number. 25 And he went from there to Mount Carmel, and from there he returned to Samaria.

Thanks for the quote.

You won't hear your pastor quote this one.

[Confederate Norway]

Thanks for the quote.

You won't hear your pastor quote this one.

Yep, people won't acknowledge things that don't support their narrative.

[The New California Republic]

Thanks for the quote.

You won't hear your pastor quote this one.

Actually I do seem to remember it being mentioned in church once.

[Jean-Paul Sartre]

This seems to be a good thread to ask in: Has anyone read Richard Carrier’s works about the Christ Myth Hypothesis? What was your opinion of it? I’m wary of the hypothesis, but interested in learning more if it seems to be at least somewhat supported.

[Highever]

…And what makes the land sacred besides religion?

people in the state and flag representing the people

Which again, are all clergy or employees of the church. So technically the flag is spot on in representing the Vatican empolyees "people".

[Castelia]

Budding atheist here.

I say "budding" because I'm not fully atheist, yet. "What do you mean by this?", you ask? Well, I mean that I've long since understood and accepted the fact that God doesn't exist. However, due to my strict Roman Catholic upbringing, I'm still having trouble leaving behind the Roman Catholic worldview. I still sometimes think and respond to topics as a Catholic would. My personal beliefs on morality is still very much Catholic-based.

I'm trying my best to leave religion entirely, of course, but when you've been raised and currently live in what is one of the biggest Catholic countries in the world, it's kinda hard to do so. Not to mention I haven't "come out" as an atheist to anyone else yet, except here in NationStates.

[Neutraligon]

Budding atheist here.

I say "budding" because I'm not fully atheist, yet. "What do you mean by this?", you ask? Well, I mean that I've long since understood and accepted the fact that God doesn't exist. However, due to my strict Roman Catholic upbringing, I'm still having trouble leaving behind the Roman Catholic worldview. I still sometimes think and respond to topics as a Catholic would. My personal beliefs on morality is still very much Catholic-based.

I'm trying my best to leave religion entirely, of course, but when you've been raised and currently live in what is one of the biggest Catholic countries in the world, it's kinda hard to do so. Not to mention I haven't "come out" as an atheist to anyone else yet, except here in NationStates.

Just a quick thing, but being an atheist means one thing, that you do not believe in a god. Everything else is not really part of atheism, so the fact that you do not believe make you an atheist. You can easily still be culturally Christian without accepting the existence of a god. Actually a good part of the Jewish community are what are called cultural Jews. That is they observe the holidays and traditions, but do not believe in a god.

[Trollzyn the Infinite]

My current beliefs are agnostic since I believe there is simply no way to know for sure whether God exists or not.

See, this may sound weird as I am a Christian and thus fervently believe in God, but I've always found the Agnostic stance to be the wisest personally. It just seems like the most humble option; like you just accept it's beyond your capability to understand and you're okay with that (which is basically how I view math). Humility is of course a virtue in my religion so naturally I view what I see as humility - a trait I believe is intrinsic to wisdom - I tend to view positively.

It sounds weird when I think about it, but whatever.

[Kowani]

This seems to be a good thread to ask in: Has anyone read Richard Carrier’s works about the Christ Myth Hypothesis? What was your opinion of it? I’m wary of the hypothesis, but interested in learning more if it seems to be at least somewhat supported.

Ahistorical fiction.