Ilunga

World's oldest wooden structure discovered in Zambia https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-09-21/worlds-oldest-wooden-structure-discovered-in-zambia/102882164 476,000 years old well before Homosapiens.

I have loved this song since I first heard it as a kid

Dunno about ponder but I have read about this in regards to multiple universe theories. There is just so much knowledge out there, and such a small amount time to accumulate some.

I was indoctrinated from a very young age. How come I am not a believer ? My parents questioned their faith/ belief in a god.

Funny most believers I have known don't question others understanding of not believing. They accept the fact that not all people believe the same things.

So obviously you believe in God because you are blaming him for all the bad sh!t in the world.

I have read Free Will by Sam Harris. It's a good read. Fact of the matter this is another one of those eternal questions we have no answer for. As I stated, I take responsibility for my actions. I make decisions. I am accountable for the consequences of those decisions. Death, dunno about fearing it. They used to call me crazy Dave as an athlete. If people knew how much effort went into being " crazy" they wouldn't have called me crazy. ATM some days I would welcome it.

Don't you think those people will find any reason to do those things ? If we didn't have religion I believe those people would find other reasons to justify their actions. That's what all humans do, religious or not.

That is another great discussion we could have. What I do know is that I make decisions, that sometimes end in me making a mistake. I own those mistakes and try not to make the same mistake again. Since you brought up Epicurus it seems fitting that I mention the Lucretian Swerve....

From the Oxford Dictionary A disbelief or lack of belief in a God. So there is an element of disbelief in the meaning of the word athiest. That's a great post and you have touched upon points I have brought up. You say god is a myth that we can't let go of and accept there is more to learn. I can be only speak for the religious people I know well and they realise acquiring knowledge is an endless task, as my father taught me, Einstein's statement, the more I learn, the more I realise I don't know. My parents were learning until they day they died, in their late 80's. I think you are stereotyping religious people. Who or what created the elements that caused the big bang ? What was there before the big bang ? Can you really comprehend the idea of infinity ? Human beings cannot really grasp the idea of infinity. I know I can't. A God helps some people deal with that reality. As you have stated, we can't prove their is a god and we can't not prove it. Athiests use that argument about extraordinary claims need extraordinary proof. Well to a religious person it is an extraordinary claim that a god does not exist, so they require extraordinary proof. Indeed your posts are respectful and insightful.

I have still got to get my hands on the follow up trilogy you told me about. The Saga of the Shadows. Seriously Rupe you really should check out the Nights Dawn trilogy. Best Sci Fi series I have ever read. Over a 1000 pages each book.

He is an " old school " athiest. As he stated, he did years of background research to come to that conclusion. As PB has posted from his source the Encyclopaedia of Wars, only 6 percent, 121 out of the over 1,763 wars had religion as their primary cause. 11 of the biggest 100. A very small percentage. So have you researched this subject, can provide facts that religion is the cause of most wars. And what about all the good religious people have done/ do ? Or do you just focus on the bad ? My folks were very religious. They donated much of their money and more importantly their time to help others. So did the members of their congregation. Religion doesn't make people do anything. Certain people twist the meanings of the allegories in the various religious texts for their own ends. Most of the time this is to control others. Then people make their own choices. Take for instance LGBTI people. We just had a referendum about gay marriage a few years back. Nearly all the religious people I know voted yes, my very religious mother was going to vote yes however she died before it was held. The biggest group of people I know that voted no were bogans that weren't religious at all. I used to argue with them about. As I keep stating religious people are just like any other group of people, there are good to bad and everything in between amongst them.

" Cut my teeth " on the Foundation series. Liked them better than the Robot series. Big Sci Fi reader Highly recommend P.J.Hamiltons Nights Dawn trilogy, Brilliant. His Void Trilogy is really good as well Kevin J Andersons Saga of the Seven Suns is pretty good as well.

By those very statistics religion has caused a small percentage of the wars our species has fought. However all wars are stupid for whatever reason they are caused, religion included. In the Propagandi song Haile Selassie Up your Arse, which I believe you will like, A few lines F#ck Zionism F#ck Militarism F#ck Americanism F#ck Nationalism F#ck Religion It's Nationalism that I believe is the most devisive. Until we start realising that we are all human beings sharing this planet together, then we are still going to fight these stupid wars.

Wether we like it or not something inside the majority of human beings crave a " spiritual belief " that manifests itself as them being religious. To some of them it is their faith, others being part of a community. Religion has/ is the cause of both good and bad. It has had a negative impact on my life. At our best we are an incredible species, that includes some religious people. At our worst, well you know, without being abusive we are pretty messed up, and that also includes some religious people. What I believe we, as a species and individuals should do is look for what we have in common, not what we don't. We will always find what we are looking for.

He provided facts to back up his assertion. I remember your post, Christians fighting Christians, make that a religious war. As Dominik pointed out it wasn't religious factors that were the reasons for most wars. I get that you want to blame all the bad things that happen in the world on religion however that is simply not true. What is actually to blame is human nature. If we didn't have religion then wars would still happen, bad and good things would still happen. " Bad " and " Good " are concomitants of each other. Human beings would still be human beings with all their faults and foibles.