In thinking that people with faith or religion are deluded?

[Alouiseg]

This stems from another couple of threads i'm on but until God can be proven isn't religion just an outdated patriachal method of control?

Yabu.
Some people who follow religion are deluded, some aren't
Sure, it started as a patriarchal method of control, but things have moved on a bit.

I would say that you may think it takes a lot of faith to believe in God but it takes an equal amount of faith to believe your existence is the unraveling of chances and coincidences from a big bang. Take my baby for example. How does something as amazing and wonderful as that come from nothing.

YABVU

I'm not religious. I have absolutely no religious faith AT ALL.

However, I do believe in living and letting live.

If people have different views to me- good luck to them. Just don't expect me to share them.

Does it matter if they are deluded?

Sciencetoligests [sp] are deluded
Rest of us are ok, and may God have mercy on your soul

I do not think I am deluded but you of course are free to think what you want.

I will say a prayer for your soul.

Why are Scientologists more deluded than the rest of them?

• seriously unbothered by flaming, made of asbestos.

Don't agree with it being an outdated partiarchal method of control in all cases, but I do wonder why anyone of sane mind believes in an unproven deity, or accepts what is written in their holy book as being true. But then I'm a confirmed aetheist, as I suspect you are - and by it's very definition, we not supposed to believe or accept.

I do feel some people take religion to seriously, howevever i do believe there is a god, he/she works in there own way, i certainly dont let it run my life, i dont go to church or do anything religious. i think some people could do with relaxing about this sort of thing

We all accept unproven 'facts' as facts.

Have you ever been to Africa?

If not, how do you know it exists? Do you believe in Africa?

i think saying that all people with faith or religion are deluded is unreasonable

i have a faith and i believe to a certain extent, although am not 100 % sure.. i did read the god delusion, and found i really hardgoing but thought provoking.

i believe there is something more out there than people, call it god or a higher power, or mother nature or wahtever..

we all control ourselves to some extent, whether it be via following hte natural law, religion, other faith /belief etc. etc

there has to be some level of control /morality within society

i think a good way to live , generally is, do unto others as you would done utno yourself

can't go far wrong with that

I think we can accept that Africa is probably more real than God. Otherwise Bob Geldof's been wasting his time, hasn't he!

I've seen photos and film of Africa and lots of people have been there. (suspicious of walking into a trap) I've never seen heaven, hell or the pearly gates.

Everyone's deluded about something

you might think you're a nice person instead of a bitch tad pejorative about people's faith/choices

I'm deluded about my ass size

Well obviously you haven't Alouise or you wouldn't be online would you . Or perhaps Jesus has managed to get broadband installed.

If the BBC were to send Orla Guerin to the Pearly Gates then I'd definitely tune in. Perhaps I should write to the BBC?

Maisie, atheists DO believe. Ironically, many of them hold their belief - that there is no God - much more strongly than religious people hold their beliefs.

It's just as much a faith if you ask me.

People who don't believe are agnostic.

No trap, Alouise, promise

It's just that until you go there, you believe the existence of Africa completely on the say-so of others. How do you know what you've seen is Africa?

Would you really believe in the pearly gates if someone showed you film or a photograph of them? If not, why not? After all, that's all it takes for you to believe in Africa....

I have a reasonably strong faith.

I dont think it makes me deluded... thats quite a contentious word tbh.

I like to think my faith makes me a good person and if my faith is not rewarded when I die at least I wil have lived my life dreaming of heaven and not dreading the day I die

I've seen film and photographs of Narnia...

We don't need religion to give us morality or control. Too many religions oppose each other. The state needs to be secular to stop the religions fighting.

yabu and i don't see what its got to do with you anyway, what other people believe

No, I don't accept that being an atheist is comparable to being part of any religion. An agnostic someone who claims that they cannot have true knowledge about the existence of God, but does not deny that God might exist - totally different. I do deny that Gods or deities exist, therefore I am an atheist.

I don't beleive, but I do know people for whom religion and a belief in God gives a great deal of comfort and peace when things happen that are sad or difficult. For those people, it has nothing to do with wanting to be controlled, or living perfectly, it's just the feeling that there is HOPE and something/someone to lean on when they need it. Don't believe it myself, but don't see the harm...