Yes but science also offers real help to those with illness, it helps feed the world with better agriculture and warm the cold with power. Yes science has aided the advancement of weapons to kill, but it has saved millions more than it has killed.

Let me know when religion cures cancer.

And no, many are not capable of making that decision. For example the poor in Africa don't know about Charles Darwin, they're too busy dying of hunger, and when someone is there handing out food saying "Compliments of Jesus Christ" then they're probably not going to stop and consider the pros and cons. They're gonna go with the thought that this person has wealth and happiness, if I follow his religion, maybe I'll get those things to. It destroys local religions, and can often be more damaging when the Pope waltzes in and says how bad condoms are when they save thousands each year from AIDS, oh and by the way it was science which first came up with a treatment for that.

Humans should not live beyond their means. I take no medication, I don't need it. I am not weak enough to rely on medicine.

But some people ARE! And what's your response to them? To pray and not take medicine!? Science does not make humans live beyond their means, it merely increases their means. If people choose to be greedy and selfish, that's their decision, science has no part in that.

They should allow their bodies to fight any illness, if they survive, they are fit enough to survive and if they perish then as sad as that is, that's a fact of life. Death is the final stage of the circle of life, it's totally natural.

Well apparently Jesus didn't think so or he wouldn't have gone round healing people. I highly doubt anybody's response to the ill should "I'm sorry but you're too weak to be worth living"

This is where me and a majority of religious people differ. I don't believe in medicine as such I have said to my doctor that if I happen to fall ill with a disease like cancer that I wish not to seek any treatment and I will not enter hospital. Instead I will allow God to cast my final stone and decide whether I should live or die through how my body reacts to the disease.

Originally Posted by C.E.F

This is where me and a majority of religious people differ. I don't believe in medicine as such I have said to my doctor that if I happen to fall ill with a disease like cancer that I wish not to seek any treatment and I will not enter hospital. Instead I will allow God to cast my final stone and decide whether I should live or die through how my body reacts to the disease.

If only all religious zealots thought like this. Natural selection and evolution at its finest (assuming you believe the evidence of evolution against the 'word of god' as written by some random Middle Eastern guy and heavily revised by some Roman bishops).

Originally Posted by DougieG

If only all religious zealots thought....

Nuff said

Religion for many people is an easy way to avoid having to think about the really tricky and important stuff. Stops you going mad, perhaps

Originally Posted by DougieG

If only all religious zealots thought like this. Natural selection and evolution at its finest (assuming you believe the evidence of evolution against the 'word of god' as written by some random Middle Eastern guy and heavily revised by some Roman bishops).

Havent you seen a religion interpreter that come on air and started saying wrong things to the audiences, which is dishonest according to religion philophy, some of them talk like God, who knows everything about mankind, my advise to them is to ''repent'' and obey God not their desire in this life or their expectations.

Originally Posted by C.E.F

Religion offers comfort to people, it offers hope to people

Totally correct.

I've discussed religion with many people of differing faiths, and it usually boils down to this. They want comfort or hope.

People don't like not understanding things, especially what happens when they die. Fear of death is the most common and long-standing fear. The idea of not knowing what happens afterwards is terrifying. Religion gives you a pair of blinkers so you don't have to worry about it anymore, or even look forward to it.

It's really sad, but I've met people who I am almost positive could not live without religion. They've lost someone close to them or some such unfortunate event, and the only way they could come to terms with it was to imagine they went to 'heaven'.


An atheist war on religion would fare as well as the war on drugs/terror have. All we can hope to do is educate, and prevent indoctrination, especially of children.

Originally Posted by FactOrFiction

I've discussed religion with many people of differing faiths, and it usually boils down to this. They want comfort or hope.

People don't like not understanding things, especially what happens when they die. Fear of death is the most common and long-standing fear. The idea of not knowing what happens afterwards is terrifying. Religion gives you a pair of blinkers so you don't have to worry about it anymore, or even look forward to it.

It's really sad, but I've met people who I am almost positive could not live without religion. They've lost someone close to them or some such unfortunate event, and the only way they could come to terms with it was to imagine they went to 'heaven'.

All that might well be so, yet there is absolutely no reason why, with the correct education, belief in the very tangible and real human spirit couldn't replace belief in the fictitious and supernatural religious spirit, and give people just as much hope and comfort, perhaps more in fact because they'd be believing in reality rather than in deception.

Originally Posted by FactOrFiction

Totally correct.

I've discussed religion with many people of differing faiths, and it usually boils down to this. They want comfort or hope.

People don't like not understanding things, especially what happens when they die. Fear of death is the most common and long-standing fear. The idea of not knowing what happens afterwards is terrifying. Religion gives you a pair of blinkers so you don't have to worry about it anymore, or even look forward to it.

It's really sad, but I've met people who I am almost positive could not live without religion. They've lost someone close to them or some such unfortunate event, and the only way they could come to terms with it was to imagine they went to 'heaven'.


An atheist war on religion would fare as well as the war on drugs/terror have. All we can hope to do is educate, and prevent indoctrination, especially of children.

I dont think you're up to date with faith and the reasons why people choose their faith, however, we have people in hospital right now toward the end of their life span and if you take religion to them to spear them of hellfire, i dont think they'll listing to you anyway, is like a person trying to find anothet person to fight for them to get their freedom while not paying cognisance that, freedom is what you have to fight and get for yourself and know the price to pay for that freedom.

Fact or fiction, how old are you now ?

Originally Posted by angelcountry

I dont think you're up to date with faith and the reasons why people choose their faith, however, we have people in hospital right now toward the end of their life span and if you take religion to them to spear them of hellfire, i dont think they'll listing to you anyway, is like a person trying to find anothet person to fight for them to get their freedom while not paying cognisance that, freedom is what you have to fight and get for yourself and know the price to pay for that freedom.

Please enlighten (pardon the pun) me as to these modern reasons to why people choose their faith?

I didn't understand the rest of your post past the first comma. Probably my fault, it's late and I'm rather tired, but if you could rephrase it that would be appreciated