Why aren't religious claims subject to the kind of criticism we apply to every other kind of factual claim?

Question

This is a follow-up to a question I asked yesterday:
http://uk.answers.yahoo.com/question/index;_ylt=Ag8N4gcnTumjSJTCIbLkTaEgBg

Tho I obviously knew that question might offend some people it wasn't my intention to be needlessly controversial or offensive, I asked it because I'm legitimately terrified of this phenomenom.

If I make a factual claim, that something exists, or that some course of action is the right course of action, I'll naturally be expected to justify my claim with argument or evidence. Yet it seems we give religion a free pass on this. We have Moslems strapping bombs to themselves, Jews colonizing the west bank and gaza in a 40 year war because they believe god promised them the Palestinian territories, Christendom spreading superstitious dogma throughout the third world and perpetuating human suffering. Yet we still view religion as being somehow exempt from having to defend their claims in a way no other kind of truth-claims are. Why do we allow this?

Answer 1

How many things do you believe with little on no evidence? Evolution is based on "evidence" which can be explained differently, The information on how dinosaures hunted on the basis of their skelitons. There is no God / god. etc.



Christians make factual claims, some on the basis of fact and some on the basis of faith.



The Jewish people colonised the land of Israel long before Palistine was even thought of FACT.

The original Temple (Solomon's) was on the some sight as the Dome of the Rock FACT, no matter what the arabs say.

REAL Christianity uplifted and improved the lot of all the nations it was introduced to.FACT

AIDS/HIV is spredaing fast throughout many nations because in these nations sufferers are told by their sharmans to have sexual relations with a child and the purity of the child will cleans the impurity of the sufferer FACT.



You prove what you say with evidence but this means no faith, what a loss.

Answer 2

We need to look at the whole issue from a different perspective.



The religions you see today are the excretion of a function to develop few spirituals. Some religions are totally just imitations and they don't produce anything useful. Let us call them the futile religions.



Each religion is trying to prove they are the best and in the process they are using all their abilities to disprove the rest. There is the religious wars going on around the world.



Let us come to Jews. Muslims cannot accept Jews as an authentic religion because they are the imitation of Jews. So the aim of Muslims will be destroy Jews. If Jews are allowed to live peacefully in their land the whole middle east will have peace. But the Muslims will not allow that.



Secondly the growth of Israel is another issue and it is attracting the jealousy of their neighbouring countries.



Read this Bible Verse (Zech. 12:3)



On that day, when all the nations of the earth are gathered against her, I will make Jerusalem an immovable rock for all the nations. All who try to move it will injure themselves.



I am not a supporter of any religions as it is today. But I observe happenings in comparison to any religious books. That is the reason I quoted above Bible verse.

Answer 3

I criticise and question it regularly. Then people accuse me of being offensive/ insensitive to others' beliefs. But I'm not the one knocking on people's doors selling Watchtower, or hassling them in the streets, or telling them how to live their lives... I'm simply disagreeing or questioning that which they cannot prove.



Since the existence of God cannot be proved by any scientific measurement or observance through any of the five senses, it is logical to presume a lack of God, rather than an existence of God. All our knowledge about the world - and indeed the universe - is based on providing a hypothesis, testing that hypothesis and revising the hypothesis where it appears to be wrong. At every turn, where "God" has been the theory explaining a phenomenon and later it turns out to be something else, religous types twist the story so that God cannot yet be ruled out. Seems like clutching at straws to me. I'm happy in the knowledge that I will not ever know everything and will one day be gone - and probably forgotten. Perhaps that is why I don't need God.



It seems to me that many religious people are, in fact, characteristically atheist. When you consider that in pursuit of their own monotheistic beliefs, they immediately disregard and reject the beliefs of every other religion and therefore the existence of many other Gods, they actually do not believe in a lot more God related material than the ammount they do believe in. Consequently, we are not so different - I simply reject one more God than they do!

Answer 4

The more I read the answers the more I realize yours is a non question. There are no claims that go criticized, religious or scientific. Criticisms rise out of opinion. Religion rises out of opinion.



Your problem is that religion has been around longer, more people have those opinions, children all over the world are raised with them. I assume your opinions are based on science you were raised with. It will change as new knowledge comes along. Its a principle of scientific research that theories can not be proved right, only tested to see if they are wrong. I think few people question the laws of gravity. It seems self evident. It is also self evident that we did not create ourselves, I think its obvious to most people that the universe enjoys order but if you think its just a big accident, I am free to critize and say I find that opinion to be irrational. Its my opinion, you are free to criticize it in turn.

Answer 5

Well I'm a Born-Again-Christian and I can gladly claim that Jesus is real and alive in my life today. Some people are blinded by the devil so the truth is distorted. I can't say I'm surprised, just look at the world today and you can see how everything is getting out of hand.



The most important thing you have to do is put your faith in Jesus Christ, not a thing for the weak or cowardly. I served in the Armed Forces and have had near death experiences both in civilian life and in the Army. I am not afraid of death, because I know because Jesus is alive in me that whatever happens to me, I shall be with Him in Heaven, for Eternal Life. I have seen atheists, read the Bible and end up being Saved, but then there is no such thing as an atheist, because when you are in a life or death experience, guess who they call on?......Yes...The Lord Jesus Christ. I've seen it all too often



Also, nobody can tell me that there is no god, because I have a personal Relationship with Christ and you have to experience that to know The Lord. Forget muslims, and any other false religions, the only true way to Heaven and to God is through Jesus Christ. You can go to the graves of Mohammed, Buddha or any other false prophets and dig up there remains, but go to Christ's Tomb and it's empty, why?....Because He Rose From The Dead. There is too much proof of His existence, that only "The Fool Says in His Heart, There Is No God" Psalm 14 verse 1. You have to get right with God if you want answers.

Answer 6

There is a school of thought - the late Steven Jay Gould was one proponent - that simply because religion is faith based and counter-factual, it lies outside of the realm of science and is therefore not subject to critical thinking. Many other sceptics hedge around challenging religious assertions for fear of giving offence, or feel that there is just no point engaging with theists and credophiles because they are impervious to logic and arguments, and just deny any obligation to justify their beliefs and claims.

I myself fall into the other camp. Douglas Adams made a very good speech once, quoted by Richard Dawkins, pointing out the inconsistency that it is perfectly okay to challenge someones thoughts on politics, economics and other big issues, but apparently not on religion. As you say, religion is impacting on our lives more and more in the 21st century, from the faith-inspired policies of neo-cons, to the anti-science wedge tactics of the Intelligent Design proponents, thorough to terrorist atrocities. Given this, it is not okay to just say a persons religion is a personal thing and leave it at that. We should be challenging and exposing, and supporting others in so doing.

Answer 7

It is very obvious; most of these aswers reveal a total lack of historical knowledge. The belief that the only source of information concerning religion, is to be found in the Bible. A very inacurate conclusion One must remember all of the dealings with Jesus (the Christ) took place during the Roman Empire.. There are records from that era which indicate what was taking place. To the extent, there is a description of Jesus given by Pontius Pilot. A very concise one at that.

To answer your question; there are very few (if any) factual claims which are of the specificity of singular involvement.. They usually involve theory or a law of nature.. When dealing with belief, it remains a very personal thng. It has no need of evaluation or scrutiny.

Answer 8

guesswest777 poses a valid question; one that is desireous of sound reasoning backed by a thorough scientific double checking of sources in order to come to a logical conclusion that can be independently verified by another's observations.



Given: "There is nothing in this world that divides humanity more than religion. And there is no religion that divides humanity more than Christianity. These are not words to offend, these are words of truth, and behind these words of truth lie the truest understanding of humanity you may ever hear." Didymos Judas Thomas



Having said this, I think it appropriate, that in order to arrive at a conclusive study of religious claims being held to a higher standard, then it would be appropriate to go to the source of the creator of the Scientific Method. Surely one capable creating so sound a tool; an Occums Razor if you will, that would enable mankind to go to the moon, create the micro chip, make great strides in science, medicine and technology, sure this mind is of sound ability to determine what is real in religion and what are factual events that can be determined by others as well.



Of course that abilty goes to none other than the father of Science himself, Isaac Newton, who more than any other in the last millenium, literally moved man out of the cave: horse and buggy, candle light and a short life span.



Given that back drop of achievement, shall we then assume so credible a character should not possess the ability to deliver sound reasoning to satisfy even the most skeptical among the masses? Of course one would have to preclude that the one reading the material is both intellectually honest and curious enough to read the entire document, in order to arrive at a rational and just conclusion.



Newton spent fifty years of his very productive life in studying the codes of the Bible. Some (a brief sketch can be found toward the end of this ten page document on-line here). I pray that you do take the time to read it.



http://www.triumphpro.com/2006,_bible_codes,_newton.htm

Answer 9

What sort of proof do you want. I can tell that all the fact in the Bible have been proved true including the fact that there is one day that took longer than it should have. Proof can also be found by the aplication of the priciple. I cannot see gravity but I can prove does exist. The difficulty that we have is accepting the evidence that is there to prove that all that is written is true!



As for the land of Isreal think of it...If God does exist and we know he does and you can prove that. And He did give that land to Isreal which he has, perhaps that's why to this day, that although they are outnumbered...they are still there inthe 1st and only nation ever restored to a people!

Answer 10

You seem like a very determined person, and this is a huge debate that, had it not been in a religious context, should have belonged in the Philosophy section.



Personally, I believe that people are free to practise their own beliefs and faiths up to the point where it affects someone else in a negative manner, at which point they need cold, hard, solid evidence to justify their actions. Bringing human suffering on the world for one's own biased, shaky reasons is intolerable, but sadly prevalent in today's society.

Answer 11

Guesswest, that is a terrific question. Are you a Richard Dawkins fan?



I can only surmise that it is because religious people and non-religious people simply do not speak the same language, in that they literally attach different meanings to the same words. Religion is predicated upon a decision to stop thinking in order to believe; to have faith is to stop looking for answers and deliberately choose to accept a set of ideas that logically cannot be true.

Therefore when scientific minds ask for answers from religious minds, there is simply no common ground on which they can meet, and therefore any questions just fall into a sort of pit in between them.

We don't give religion a free pass, it just insists upon asserting itself without having to provide justification. And it tends to be the religious community which insists on asserting itself using violence, not the scientific community. They are prepared to kill and die for God; we find that a bit harder to do, since we have no Heaven for bribery.

Answer 12

Pure faith demands a lack of evidence. It's the very foundation upon which it is based. Nothing.



Sadly, it is the belief that something substantual can be built on this nothingness that makes faith so strong. The strength of faith is actually ignorance of overwhelming, dissenting evidence.



The irony is actually found in scripture. The parable about building a house on a rock is actually pretty funny when you consider that the foundation for absolute faith is a complete and total lack of evidence.



-SD-

Answer 13

IMHO, RELIGION is simply a set of laws we created to control social behaviors. It is an alternative form of government. As such, it could therefore become misguided and abused when the "wrong people" are taking the lead -- much like real governments with un-desirable leaders / politics.



So long as there is dogma, there are those who would exploit rigid behaviors and situations. Unfortunately many people are born into such dogmatic conditioning. Without a chance to conceive a different perspective and question validity of their predicament in an objective manner, they became manipulated into dogmatic zombies.



I do not blame the puppets, but the puppet masters, for they are the ones to be held accountable for ill conceived deeds -- in the name of whatever "God" they might believe in.



Then again, who am I as one single voice to question society as a whole -- and not to mention misinterpreted words of a higher power?

Answer 14

This is precisely wha I said recently. Any other scientific or historic fact needs to be backed up with at least one other independent source, whereas religion relies on the argument, "it's in the Bible/Koran/Torah so it has to be true becasue it says in the Bible/Koran/Torah that everything in teh Bible/Koran/Torah is true". Mind blowing illogical logic. The probelm is that even though these are all variations on the same theme, there are some differences and therefore not all three can be true and I guess that's where faith comes in.

Answer 15

Your question is too generalised and needs qualification. You need to specify what particular religious claims you are talking about. Take the Bible for instance. A lot of information contained therein are available for verification because it purports to be a historical record in many instances. Any statement made by the Bible like any other fact can indeed be checked out like any other fact. The claims of truth in the supernatural realm may however not be subject to such things. But like Jesus said, if we can trust the earthly things then we can also believe in the heavenly things said.

Answer 16

Scientists believe that a photon can exist as a wave or a particle or a string with ZERO mass. Asking for proof does not necessarily resolve the contradiction about how anything can exist without any mass.



A lot of problems are caused by LACK of debate and social conditioning rather than any logic. Would you call the japanese kamakazi pilots or the tamil tigers' human bombs "Bhuddist" or "Hindu" suicide bombers? What about the glorification of the suicidal "charge of the light brigade"?



I think your question is valid and one we should take seriously. Click on the first link below for debates between christian, muslim and jews about various aspects of their faiths.

Answer 17

With respect, I think that you have a fundamental misunderstanding of what religion is meant to be. Religion, is about faith and belief in something greater than ourselves. It is a difficult arena for human beings, particularly left wingers and academics who don't believe there can be anything greater than themselves. The scientific world, by way of contrast, operates in a man made world where facts and evidence are required in order to prove that our understanding of the physical world is correct. One relates to the physical world whereas the other operates in a mainly spiritual dimension.



If you could prove religious belief by employing scientific method, it would no longer be religion, it would have entered our world of science. Being able to explain faith in that way, debases it. You have to remember that science is a man made thing and it only answers the questions that we choose to ask.



Your approach seems to be, that everything can be explained and understood by science. To try to bring us down to earth a bit, it is worth pointing out that we can't even measure the area of a circle exactly, pi is an approximation. I mention this because everything in nature is rounded, the planets, animals, plants, trees and human beings. Even if something is angular to start with, gravity, wind and tide will round it over time. Science has discovered forces in nature and has given names to them, gravity, centrifugal force, electricity etc. are examples, but it doesn't mean that we understand what they are or who/what put them there. You should at least be very sceptical about human and scientific potential.

Answer 18

We have allowed this because rational man is wary of magical-thinking man. Magical-thinking man is primitive and fear based. They are prone to violence, such as, when Christians burned and destroyed the libraries of Alexandria, or, when Christians in Germany let Hitler talk them into the genocide of millions of people, or Muslims on 9/11 and their "jihad of madness". It is useless to speak about rules of reason with the feeble-minded, dogmatic and superstitious. But, rational man is finally, rationally, considering how to deal with the suffering and imbalance that these feeble-minded primitive-thinking people cause in the world. Do not waste your energy on the hopeless ones. Seek out rational men and join them in their intelligent plans for making this a healthier world, rather than try to enlighten the followers of shamans everywhere and their morbid visions of gods and fear.

Answer 19

I agree with you totally, people are living their lives and basing their religion on the fact that its something they've been told and they have no proof of what so ever.

They use the Bible, Koran etc as proof but who wrote these books? and don't they ever stop to think that during translation of these works people may have added their own bits to make it sound more interesting?

I am not knocking people believing in whatever they chose and in a way I think its nice that people have religion but as you say where are the facts? and how do they know its not all fiction?

Answer 20

Along these same lines, something I'd like to see are public debates (like the presidential debates we have in the US, but less staged) among/between religious leaders (especially thought leaders like theologians) and also including atheists, especially those who are also scientists like Richard Dawkins. These debates should be civil (no name calling etc.) but frank and direct with no "pulled punches". That process would hold these beliefs up to scrutiny. One rule I'd like to see is that when a debater makes a factual claim, he or she must cite the source in a way that would allow anyone to go and read it for themselves.



I feel like religion as we've known it has seen its day and it's time to relegate it to the past with other ancient false beliefs like "the world is flat". I'm tired of political correctness. I strongly support religious freedom, but that doesn't mean that we can't debate these beliefs in public. I'd love to see newspaper articles attacking the unjustified beliefs of all religions - Islam,Christianity, Judaism, Hinduism, .....

Answer 21

First things first, I am a Christian. I will therefore talk mainly about Christianity as opposed to other religions.



Maybe it is just because you are not yourself a Christian, that you don't realise all of the critcism that Christians get.



I think most sane people will agree that religion cannot be completely proved or disproved, it is not falsifiable, as one answerer was talking about. It is also true that there will always be some people who believe that religion is false, completely missing the step about falsifiablity.



I think that Christians should not make a factual claim about their faith. It is, as much as I like to think otherwise, just a faith.



Another thing is that I am only 16 years old. My faith may be very strong, but I am not able to attempt to justify my faith with a 30 year old scientist, who has been an atheist all his life. I wouldn't know whether every claim that he made was true or false.



Also, many atheists simply do not want to know about Christianity and hate us for trying to spread God's word, maybe in the same way, admittedly, that I don't want to know about Islam or Buddhism.



In addition, it is not true that if something is not falsifiable, it can also not be proven? In truth I don't know, perhaps I am just too young and uneducated to answer your question properly. I think I am right in thinking that your question goes deeper.



The fact is, that if Christianity or whatever religion, had been proven then it would in fact contradict what all Christians stand for. I think that if you enter into a relationship with God, not knowing for 100% that he exists but you still are willing to do it, and still love Him, and know that He loves you, it will be much stronger than if religion were proven.



I think that criticising my religion can only make it stronger. For instance, I think my faith has become far stronger since I have been using this site! In a similar way to how I.D. Scientists help to keep science moving.



I think that I thought your question from the other day was ridiculous, and I probably was offended, now that I understand that maybe you are just trying to figure things out, I can at least respect you a little better.



In response to your reply to icecream, is that not because religion is not a scientific theory? Religion does not claim to be science, or a replacement to science. I believe that science only reinforces religion, whereas you might think the converse.



What I really feel is that it benefits no one to prove or disprove religion. I have a relationship with God based on Love and it also relies on faith. I do not see what I would gain from God being proven to exist, as I already know (which you can read as 'believe') that He does!



Religion is so huge (both in complexity and in numbers of people) and established that it would be so much more difficult to have a debate about it than on a scientific theory, so maybe it is just better left alone, and that way to benefit everyone.



I hope that this answers your question. Please send me a message via Yahoo! Answers if you see any flaw in my argument. A good question, and thanks for not offending.



Chris







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Thanks for your reply.



I don't understand why you disagree with me that religion is not falsifiable. I also do not think that it is grounds for beleiving it, and I'm sorry that you had that impression.



One problem that I have with this debate is that I think that religion has so much to do with your personal relationship with God and I don't think that is something that can be discussed easily, as it is different for each person.



The thing is that religion is not based on fact by any means and it is really all about that relationship.



You said, and I quote "You need to demonstrate evidence that something does exist to believe it, not that it doesn't exist." I don't think that anyone has (or ever will be) presented that evidence. Believing in something is all about trusting and loving something that you can't say for 100% exists, even though I most certainly BELIEVE that!



The other Abrahamic religions do not get as much criticism as Christianity, because it is seen as being racist. I think that this is very offensive and racist in itself. People in school or wherever are completely allowed to say whatever they think about my religion and can insult me as they wish, but as soon as someone says something about a Muslim then you are racist and will get in serious trouble. Though I have noticed a change, perhaps due to all the recent terrorist attacks. England is a Chrisitan country, and America for that matter, so if anything Christians should be protected from such insults, not because we need to be, but it is offensive and no body should have to go through that in any way.



I will say that because I am not a 'foreigner' in this country I don't really know just how much racism there is towards such people. I figure it is probably fairly bad. In a similar way to that, you are not religious, therefore you do not understand how much stick relgious people get. Though I do understand you mean criticism in the constructive form, in debates etc.



I think that public criticism (construcitve and otherwise) of religion is certainly not a bad thing. I think that many people are severly uneducated in this field, including myself. Many people I speak to don't really understand the basic concepts of religion, and although I understand those of Christianity, I do not of Islam, Buddhism etc.



I'm not sure what else to add. I think that if everyone was taking the same steps as you are (and perhaps myself) then the world would certainly be a better place, in the sense that everyone would have the sense to make a decision about such an important thing and also perhaps everyone would be decent people like yourself, and we would avoid a lot of confrontations. Of course that will never happen. A lot of people just grow up into the religion that they have been brought up with, and I think this is tragically wrong.



Another thing, I think that religion is a very important thing, and is a crucial decision in anyone's life. However, perhaps people who have been brought up to not care, think otherwise, and I think that that is also a bad thing.



Perhaps also Atheism should be criticised in the media as well, although I know that it is not officially a religion.



Many people in the media are very anti-christian and that is clear form many articles and general views, perhaps you don't notice it as much because you are not a Christian yourself.



Ok I think that is all. By the way, spell checker didn't work so apologies for any mistakes.



Chris

Answer 22

Feel ! sense the life force thats in you !

Think ! Well done ! There is some intelligence in humans after all ! Look ! Touch ! what is all around you ?Hear !Speak! Taste some thing !

Life comes from life ! Life has different levels of intelligence ! Who created you ? Who created the home that you dwell in ?Who created the design and built your home ect,ect,ect. Your very intelligent,though intelligence doesnt count for much if your arrogant proud and boastful it will narrow your field of view and you wont see or realise the big picture,i pray that you gain at least some wisdom and understanding and plenty of things more to think about and change your life in this world and others for the better,Amen

Answer 23

Religion is a matter of faith or belief.Belief does not require any proof.All religions say there is a creator called God who created us all.If all religions truely believe that we are all brothers/sisters or same family members.If we all learn to love and stop hating,

World will become heaven.But we are not true to the fundamentals of religion.We are wrong there,we forget to live and fight for God and God doesnot want fight.

Answer 24

The people and events that are recorded in the Bible have been proved to have existed and the events to have happened . According to the evidence that is left in good enough condition to be read and traced that is.And more is being found as we dig beneath the sands.The Floods have been proved to have happened. There was a King called David . the name of Jesus is recorded as being a RABBI. MOHAMMAD did exist.

Answer 25

I suppose religion is based on faith in that religion and that it would be considered a sin to question that faith, therefore it is above anything factual, concrete and oh yes - the law to some as well it seems.

Answer 26

I've no idea how they've got away with it for so long! To me it's all a fairy story designed to keep people in ignorance and fear of hell and damnation, so they know their place in the strata of society - usually at the bottom. As for the way that organised religions treat women - don't get me started!



None of their claims can be substantiated - it's all a question of blind faith - with the emphasis on 'blind'.

Answer 27

Because there's nothing factual about religion in the first place. People HAVE tried searching for evidence, like the Noah's Ark, Jesus etc, but religion is something we're founded on really, and who wants to dispute that?

Answer 28

Faith. unless you become as a little child (i.e completely trusting)you may not enter into the kingdom of heaven. All i need to do to prove Gods existence is look around. in my opinion anyone who honestly believes the world created itself out of nothing is kidding themselves.people deny God because if they were to admit he exists it would make them responsible for what they do wrong.people want to do as they please an not have to answer to anyone. the devil is doing a 'great' job in the world he knows hes gonna get his butt kicked by God an he wants to take as many humans as he can with him an so many of them are following him gladly!its so sad

Answer 29

Are you serious?! Religion is constanly asked to prove itself with factual evidence! The reason it has a 'free pass' is that evidence is irrelevant. You can't prove that God does or doesn't exist so it's pointless trying to.

Okay, violence caused by misguided members of religions is obviously a problem, but I'm tired, and ain't goin' into it now ;)

The point is that if you aren't willing to believe without evidence then you can critisise all you want but it won't change the fact that God does (or doesn't) exist.

Answer 30

Because we can't touch faith. Its that simple. Faith is intangible, its like trying to prove that you love someone. Have you ever tried to tell a teenager that he or she really doesn't love the person they are infatuated with? Good luck with that! Its like the matrix, we need to unplug these people, one at a time if necessary, but it must be done.

Answer 31

Because as soon as a religion is questioned it falls apart.



If people read all the Bible instead of the bits that suit, they would soon find out that it consists of lies, errors, and contradictions.



The Bible also advocates lies, deceit, rape, murder and genocide in the name of a fictitious god.

Answer 32

What like the aged old fantasy of evolution, and those incredibly unincredible carbon dating devices that are soo often wrong and cannot even date a kentucky fried chicken wing.



Esspecially those amazing computers that put flesh on the bones of found skeletons. I always found it weird that the people who put faces on neanderthal bones always ended up modeling copies of themselves, its true its stupid.



these are all to dependant as we all are on human perception and narrow-minded (human) conclusion, we are limited in thought and imagination and have thrived on devine inspiration.

Answer 33

Religion is your view of how life started we had the Greeks,Romans,communism, and all various secular views extremely intolerant of ideas these are faiths also.

Answer 34

"we" don't

Unfortunately, religion and politics-especially in the Middle East- are an evil combination...And when "g-d" is on my side is the mantra for all three religions....reason, logic, evidence, truth gets reinterpreted, and often lost...



also ...perhaps, even more so....the pervasive mentality of "martyerdom" for ones faith actually gives emphasis and rationale' for the rampant bloodshed...



thinking people normally stop doing what they are doing if it hurts too much...if it is too bloody...too wasteful....too horrific...



so much for "thinking"



If you are a religious person...pray for the innocent civilians-all of them- that are paying with their lives because of the decisions of their leaders.....sad...



Strange, all three of these religions hold that life is among the most sacred of all things

Answer 35

I guess .... some people do, and some don't. I did some thorough research on likewise claims ... palmists claim to be able to 'read' hands. Check out my findings on the psychology of handanalysis: http://www.handresearch.com/hand/Evolutie/psychoEngels.htm .

Answer 36

It's called a FAITH for a reason.



You get the truth only when you die.And when that happens, you can't tell anybody or if you believe in God, you can't tell a SOUL.

Answer 37

Because the church makes money, it is the highest corporate money making business. you can find this out on line. People crave the power they have over the brainwashed Catholics. They hide their dirty little secrets in small town parochial school. We allow this because there is not one damn thing we can do about it.

Answer 38

In my experience, religious claims are the ones that are most subject to crictism.

Answer 39

Try disproving Santa Claus to someone who truly believes in him... that is why. It is impossible.



Think about it - "if he exists, then why hasn't anyone discovered Santa's lair yet?" Well, because you are not one of his special helpers. "We all know parents give you the presents, not Santa..." Well that is because Santa is working through them. "Well then why doesn't everyone get presents?" Thats easy - either because Santa knows they have been bad, or because they don't believe in him.



You try it... Except change "Santa" to "God".

Answer 40

I dont know... i suppose because we all deep down hope/think that there is a god or something out there

Answer 41

maybe criticism (asking for proof) as media or government is seen as giving power and reality to their cause that it does not deserve?

Answer 42

Religion in our head and in the heaven

Answer 43

It is...if you dont questions the really big things in life, what a boring life it would be.

Answer 44

Ido not know how it is that we allow this my son

but the same ?'s have been asked 4 centuries

no answers avail us ... as of yet

but the truth will soon be shown

in the glass that is blood stained

Answer 45

I have now lost the will to live officially zzzzzzzzz

Answer 46

I'm knackered after reading all that I haven't got the strength to reply

Answer 47

Doesn't matter if you don't believe in God. But it sure is good that He believes in you.

Answer 48

Thats a very good question?

Answer 49

How is "Love all, forgive all, show mercy, judge no-one" superstitious dogma?

Answer 50

In a one word they are stupid.

Answer 51

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Falsifiability



read that and understand it. your question will be answered.

Answer 52

Wow, yes, why not?

Answer 53

what is this all about?