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richardhutnik on 19 April 2013
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dsgrue3 said:

 

And your assumption that my meaning was to address the existence of God is entirely misguided. This was simply a rebuttal to the "God of the gaps" argument that has become ubiquitous.

I don't go to Sony US headquarters every Sunday and listen to the VP talk about how great it is and how it is a way to salvation. Loose definitions of worship won't save you here I'm afraid. That's called being a fan - no different from supporting (not worshipping) your favorite sports team.

richardhutnik said:

Problem in this individualistic culture, about the only thing that unites people now is human tragedy.  On the religious front, at least you get some positive fellowship, rather than that of suffering.  You get some unity that does't require a bomb going off.

And pardon my being very blunt here, but I am disappointed by threads like this.  They are generally simplistic in their views and really are just rehashing.  I can run the book of Job ending and have people get back to me when they understand everything.  Issues in regards to theological stuff generally is far more involved with limits of human reasoning and capacities than with the God side.  Free will vs determinism?  Where did everything come from?  Where are we heading?  Is there life after death?  Why is there evil in the world?  All these also show how stupid and weak humans are in the big picture.  Plug in other ones also.

lolwut, suicide bombers are exclusively theistic.

Questions such as those are best left to philosophy, not to theology as you're making quite the assumption to state that they are theological by nature.

Following a sports team is very much a religious experience.  The way it manifests itself involves rituals and so on.  There is irrational reverence for things, based mainly in the emotional area.  Following sports is very much a religious experience, and it can be argued that sports serves the roll that nationalism and religious fellowship belonged to.  It is a similar thing, showing the complete and irrational fanboyism you see towards consoles.  This religious impulse doesn't have to do with salvation or eternity either.  But it fills a similar need that religious fellowship does.

And my bomb reference was to Boston and how that united a city.  I don't see atheists forming community at all.  They just don't.  There is nothing positive there at all to be able to unite people on things.  Atheism is a negation.  What ends up taking its place is individualism and personal preferences that would unite people and form community.  Communities don't consist of groups of people doing their own thing.  You see what happened to Occupy after they lost the parks, as an example.  Humans without a positive belief will only come together when facing a tragedy.

And your last comment is an interesting snotty shot at things.  The reality is that, because people don't have answers to these great questions, it is was said to show that they wouldn't even be able to answer questions about there being a God or gods.  Like, exactly how could one tell if there is a God or not?  Seriously doubt you could answer this.