It is of course possible to study philosophy without needing any belief in the myths and fairy tales that are a part of many religions.

I'm not sure if we have 'free will'. If you regard the human brain as an incredibly vast computer, more powerful than anything we have yet built, then maybe everything we do is the result of the input, what we see, hear and touch, together with the experience gained as we learn. Looked at like that it probably won't be long before we can build computers that are faster and more powerful than a human brain. What that will for for AI is worrying. How would you like Alexa to tell you what to do in every situation, knowing that it is always right? Scary!

It's not often mentioned that the 'discoveries' made by The West were in many cases known about by both Chinese and Muslim scholars hundreds if not thousands of years earlier. It is only the recent ability to share information instantly that has led to a greater knowledge of who first discovered what and when. It should be stated more often but maybe the West are uncomfortable knowing we were not the first.

prepping for CHURCH...Happy Sunday to all

I would agree with most of what Mike has to offer. Do you remember when you were a kid and had Santa Claus, the Easter bunny, and the tooth fairy? When was the last time one of those stopped by your house? Fairy tales to make use feel better, to make us believe in magic that could not really happen. Religion is just cults designed to control people. It's a pyramid scheme that makes promises they can not keep while encouraging people to spread the word. The reason Catholics don't believe in birth control is it's a way to grow their group. Missionary work is done in other countries to gain power in new areas, look how much religion has been spread over time by this. I'm not going to deny there isn't good things about religion, but I will live my life to live and whatever happens to me when I die so be it.

Religion will not save us ,Faith does.My Faith gives me the real deal on how to understand people who says God doesnt exist.Remembering i was created,not just got out and became human by myself.GOD BE PRAISED.

church is not about the building, but when 2 or more people are gathered in his name, so you can hold "church" anywhere anytime, just getting together to discuss your bible, to help you understand it, as well as helping others.

true religion dont force you to believe in God,for u to get saved,true religion dont even teach u to work for your salvation...we are given our own choice whether to believe and follow..God is God,Jesus is still Jesus without us.If the religion u went into forces u otherwise then....its not true.If they claim they are the true religion...then get off.

I admit I have the greatest difficulty in understanding that word 'faith'. I believe in what I can see, as modified by what respected scientists tell me about things like black holes and the Hadron Collider as obviously I cannot 'see' much about the macro and the micro with my own eyes. What does 'believe' actually mean?

Some Americans apparently 'believe' that at the last election there was so much cheating going on that the republicans should have won. This seems to me to be a true and sincerely held belief - but only by some republicans. Naturally, all democrats believe the election was genuine and they truly won. Surprise, surprise!

The thought that belief in a religion can 'force' someone to do something is completely outside my understanding. Nobody can 'force' me to do anything in England, the free world I live in.

Posts about religion all start off with the assumption that there really is a god and then go on to discuss what we should be doing about this existence. Nobody seems able to explain to me what 'god' really is. Children believe in an old man with long grey hair who lives in the sky. Adults naturally don't go along with that, but what do adults believe in instead? Every answer is vague which suggests to me that nobody actually truly understands what they reeally believe in!

The only thing I believe in is human ompassion, being nice to animals instead of the animal reaction to other animals - can I eat this or will it kill me first? Fight or flee? Human beings are above this as we can reason and understand about kindness, helping sick animals to recover for example.

But 'god'? Where does she come into it? Others have described religion as a control system whereby men can control other men and especially women. There's plenty of evidence of that. Look at those religions where women are taught that they are there to keep a nice house for their man, who will have a good job and goes out to that job to earn the money for the family. These beliefs still exist in many religions although the world has changed dramatically since the deays when they were mostly true. Religion has not kept up with the way the world is today. FGM and keeping women in 'their place' is all too common.

That, and wars fought in the 'name' of religion don't do much to recommend the idea to me. Add to that the myths and fairy tales that go with it and is it any wonder that religious adherence is decreasing while aetheists are on the increase - except possibly in areas where men are very much 'in charge' and everyone is scared of doing anything other than what they're told.

Religious people often use the term 'fear the Lord'. If she is so wonderful, why would anyone 'fear' her? I'm not afraid of people who I think are wonderful. I'm only afraid of the baddie who might attack me in order to steal the money in my pocket.

In terms of being interesting to me, religion has a very very long way to go. Why not start off by finding a way to stop the war in Ukraine? It's said that Putin has cancer, but of course that might just be propaganda. Why doesn't this wonderful god give him fatal cancer? It would at least be a start!

God created man and taught him the good way and the way of evil.
God said:
‘’We have created the human from a (sperm) drop, a mixture, testing him; We made him to hear and see. Indeed, We have guided him to the path, he is either grateful or ungrateful. Indeed, for the unbelievers We have prepared chains, fetters and a Blazing (Fire).
But the righteous shall drink of a goblet .a fountain at which the worshipers of God drink and make it gush forth abundantly.
They who keep their vows and fear a Day whose evil is spread; who give food, for the love of Him to the needy, the orphan, and the captive, (saying): 'We feed you only desirous of the Face of God; we seek of you neither recompense nor thanks, for we fear from our Lord a stern Day. '
So God will save them from the evil of that Day and has secured for them radiance and joyfulness and recompense them for their patience with a Garden, and robes of silk.

Some replies to the questions of Mike
Mike
I believe in what I can see, as modified by what scientists tell me about things like black holes.
Me
Scientists know only five per cent of the universe. The remaining 95 per cent is still a mystery
Mike
Nobody can 'force' me to do anything in England, the free world I live in.
Me
If you kill someone, the law force you to go to the prison.
Mike
Nobody seems able to explain to me what 'god' really is.
Me
Logically and scientifically for everything there is creator. So there is a creator for the universe and all things in it.
Mike
Religious people often use the term 'fear the Lord'. If she is so wonderful, why would anyone 'fear' her?
Me
Meaning of fear of God
It is sensing His greatness and standing in front of Him, and that He knows the secret of the man and his public, so if the believer knows that he has angels who monitor his deeds, and that the way to escape from God is blocked, and there is no trick for him except to surrender and obey God, and he does not know when he will die, and God will hold him accountable for his deeds in this world, his thinking will turn towards gaining good and avoiding sins.
One of the prophets said: “Fear God as if you see Him, and if you do not see Him, He sees you.”
Mike
Why God not start off by finding a way to stop the war in Ukraine?
Me
God created man and taught him the good way and the way of evil.
Governments makes wars like the American Involvement in Wars in Libya, Uganda, Syria, Iraq, Yemen etc.

In reply to the above:

How can you say that 95 per cent of the universe is a mystery? If it is a mystery then by definition you don't know that amount, it might be 99 per cent! I quite agree that we don't yet know 'everything' and probably never will. It doesn't matter.

When I said nobody can force me do do something I did of course mean anything legal, obviously I obey the man-made laws of the land.

There is no known scientific explanation of how the 'big bang' created something out of nothing. Scientists argue about this and some believe that the big bang is not the right answer. Inventing some kind of mystical being for which there is no scientific evidence is nothing more than a cop-out. It's part of that 95 per cent that we do not yet understand. Don't forget that the church once held that our planet is the centre of the universe and Copernicus was excommunicated for daring to suggest that our earth revolves around our sun - something that nobody disputes today. In the same way some of our beliefs held today will be regarded as ridiculous and very out of date at some point in the future when we understand a little more of that 95 per cent. If there is an explanation for 'god' then that must also be a part of that 95 per cent.

Your explanation for fear of god is unconvincing. When I was at school as a boy I was taught that god is all understanding and cares for every human being as a parent looks after their child. My experience of the world as an adult makes this so unlikely a theory as to be impossible. I am not in the slightest bit afraid of someone who loves me and cares for me. I was of course a little afraid my Father would punish me if I did something wrong and if he found about about it, but I knew for sure that as long as I was good there was nothing to fear. To suggest that god is watching over us, noting who is good and who is bad and sorting out the appropriate punishment, while not interfering with the dreadful things happening in the world today and throughout history says to me that religious people are struggling to find reasons to explain the total lack of response from this loving and caring being. All this stuff about knowing the secret of man assumes that this mythical being actually 'exists' - whatever 'exists' means in this context. I take the easy solution - there is no such thing and my life is much easier as a result!

Nobody has actually tried to explain to me what god is. Perhaps they don't know? Perhaps they believe in something but don't actually know what it is they believe in? Weird or what!

Of course governments make wars, mostly because they want to grab land and be the chief over a larger area of land than they currently have. Clearly Putin wants the original soviet union to be re-established and he doesn't mind how many people are killed along the way. And 'god' stands by to watch all this!

I'm sorry, you have it the wrong way round. There is no god. The answer is simple. Man created the idea of god in order to control other men - and women. Look at the asians and how their women have to walk along the road behind their man. In some countries women are not allowed to drive a car, or even to leave the house without a male companion. Look at the Catholic church which does not allow women to be their priests. And so it goes on. Women are contolled by a fear of what their 'god' will do - or what their men will do. All this in the name of religion - totally ridiculous!

Who wants robes of silk?

Around 95 per cent of the universe is still a mystery with unknown exotic particles and new forces awaiting discovery

https://pursuit.unimelb.edu.au/articles/exploring-the-most-unknown-universe

Opposition to Big Bang Theory Because of Theistic Implications
Scientists don’t always welcome new scientific theories, especially if those theories lend support to the existence of God. In fact, some scientists can be downright hostile, declaring the theories to be unscientific.
One instance in which this seemed to be the case occurred in 1938. The German physicist, Carl F. von Weizsäcker, delivered a lecture in which he presented a relatively new idea. He proposed that the universe began to exist, which implied that it had been created by God. Listening to Weizsäcker deliver his lecture was a renowned physical chemist named Walther Nernst who became quite upset. He stated that “the view that there might be an age of the universe was not science.” Nernst added that “the infinite duration of time was a basic element of all scientific thought, and to deny this would mean to betray the very foundations of science.” Weizsäcker was quite surprised to hear this and responded that there was nothing unscientific about forming a hypothesis based on evidence. But Nernst would have none of it and responded that no scientific hypothesis could contradict “the very foundations of science.”
Despite Nernst’s deep protestations, this new idea became known as the Big Bang theory and has become accepted by the vast majority of scientists.

https://www.worldviewsummit.org/post/opposition-to-big-bang-theory-because-of-theistic-implications?gclid=CjwKCAjw3K2XBhAzEiwAmmgrAk26xOk6UVoT1bBg1cat48sAI5g1XWa7uMnJvXsL2Lzw97oZ1Eh8whoCYYUQAvD_BwE

Many people confuse the true religion with the mistakes of the clergy, whether in some churches or in some institutions and organizations that take religion as a front for political action. The pure religions are those that were clarified by the prophets and adhered to by a few people, and they are the true believers.
God will punish everyone who violated his commands and the instructions of the prophets. And whoever caused wars and killed people, whether he was an American, a Russian, an Israeli, or an Arab.

people sometimes pretend not to notice that they themselves is God's masterpiece,ignoring the reality that they are breathing...was it manmade...simple....is the air we breathe manmade?even if u try ignoring this reality,Not naming God maybe but i believe and i guess u do too,that thers a higher power .Religion tweaked many things abt my God but we are given wisdom to know the real thing.I believe that i am saved from sin because of Jesus death on the cross.I believe in God the Father,The Son and the Holy Spirit.

people sometimes pretend not to notice that they themselves is God's masterpiece,ignoring the reality that they are breathing...was it manmade...simple....is the air we breathe manmade?even if u try ignoring this reality,Not naming God maybe but i believe and i guess u do too,that thers a higher power .Religion tweaked many things abt my God but we are given wisdom to know the real thing.I believe that i am saved from sin because of Jesus death on the cross.I believe in God the Father,The Son and the Holy Spirit.

You are wrong on so many levels, I studied bible prophecy for 30 years, I give you a hint the world will never get better, and the war, well if you understand its supposed to happen. what you never knew that.

look for more wars soon, why christian bible prophecy. i wont say anything more. I know you dont believe me, yet wait for a year and see then question if the rapture never came yet.

I give you one hint read Mathew 24. if you cant understand it ask a christian adult, not a priest to decipher it for you. one that believes.

It does not matter whether or not a person goes to church, to a mosque, or to a temple. The most important thing is belief in the One Creator, God. Anyone can worship God at home or anywhere. And on any religion he wants, whether on Judaism, Christianity or Islam. It does not matter that he takes from these religions what he believes to be correct, and it is not necessary for him to convert from one religion to another, because his relationship with the Creator, God, is the most important, whether it is open or secret, not revealed to people.

Rightly Said...

God Is In Every Particle
कण कण में भगवान है
Kan Kan Mein Hai Bhagwan

Give me oil for my car, keep it moving
Give me oil for my car I pray
Give me oil for my heater, keep it heating
Keep it heating till the light of day

wooow u know the song Cyrax..u just intentionaly change some words..but u knew

I changed nothing.. That's what we sing in the church since the Russian invasion

Worthy of Your Calling


Today’s Scripture

Therefore I, a prisoner for serving the Lord, beg you to lead a life worthy of your calling, for you have been called by God. (Ephesians 4:1)

Today’s Word

You have a calling on your life, and there is an assignment for you to fulfill. You weren't created to just get by like other people; you have greatness in you. You were created to be disciplined, to stand out, to rise higher, to leave your mark. You were created to keep getting stronger in your character, being a person of excellence and integrity, treating people with respect, giving God praise when you could be complaining.

Right now you are in training. What you do in the seemingly small areas, where nobody will know, will determine whether God can trust you with big things. Are you passing these tests? You can't see it, but every day you stay in faith, do your best at work, have a smile on your face and a song of praise in your heart, you're passing the test. Your spiritual muscles are getting stronger. Be that exceptional person who leads a life worthy of your calling, and God will release new levels of favor, influence, and resources.