A lot of those adults that converted had substance abuse problems. How many times as a child did hear adults testifying to their faith get up and at I used to be a drunk but then I found God. They had turned one addiction into another. Although the religion wasn't damaging physically It is damaging to mental faculties Organized religion like to get them right about the start of puberty when their little minds are a blank slate and cram them full of a lot of nonsense. Bronze age Jiberish. atheists and agnostics do not behave less morally than religious believers, even if their virtuous acts are mediated by different principles. They often have as strong and sound a sense of right and wrong as anyone, including involvement in movements to abolish slavery and contribute to relief efforts associated with human suffering. The converse is also true:

A second problem is that there are no moral principles shared by all religious people (disregarding their specific religious membership) but no agnostics and atheists. This observation leads to a second: atheists and agnostics do not behave less morally than religious believers, even if their virtuous acts are mediated by different principles , including involvement in movements to abolish slavery and contribute to relief efforts associated with human suffering. The converse is also true: religion has led people to commit a long litany of horrendous crimes, from God’s command to Moses to slaughter the Midianites, men, women, boys and non-virginal girls, and save the virgins for them selves, through the Crusades, the Inquisition, the Thirty Years War of the 17th century, innumerable conflicts between Sunni and Shiite Moslems, and terrorists who blow themselves up in the confident belief that they are going straight to paradise.

The third difficulty for the view that morality has its origin in religion is that despite the sharp doctrinal differences between the world’s major religions, and for that matter cultures like ancient China in which religion has been less significant than philosophical outlooks like Confucianism, some elements of morality seem to be universal. One view is that a divine creator handed us the universal bits at the moment of creation. The alternative, consistent with the facts of biology and geology, is that we have evolved, over millions of years, a moral faculty that generates intuitions about right and wrong. For the first time, research in the cognitive sciences, building on theoretical arguments emerging from moral philosophy, has made it possible to resolve the ancient dispute about the origin and nature of morality.

If I was the Devil, you know what I'd do? I'd not only try to convince people that there is no God but also convince them that I don't exist. I would do this by any means available. Get them young enough and you can convince them of anything. I would teach children in Kindergarten about sex and homosexuality. I would teach those in elementary school about Islam. When they get to high school I would fill their minds with the theory of evolution. Once they get to college I would complete their education by making them good little Marxists. A few manage to escape, but no worries. Most of them stay. Their destruction so easy. They believe that they are masters of their own fate, but they are mine. They argue with my own voice, my own words, and they don't even know it. The poor fools. I pull their strings and they dance like good little puppets.

Yep. If I was the Devil, that is exactly what I'd do. So my question to you is this. Why don't you believe in God? Is it because you actually took a good look at the evidence and rejected it? Or is it what you've been told all your life? Perhaps it's time to re-evaluate what you believe.

A lot of those adults that converted had substance abuse problems. How many times as a child did hear adults testifying to their faith get up and at I used to be a drunk but then I found God. They had turned one addiction into another. Although the religion wasn't damaging physically It is damaging to mental faculties Organized religion like to get them right about the start of puberty when their little minds are a blank slate and cram them full of a lot of nonsense. Bronze age Jiberish. atheists and agnostics do not behave less morally than religious believers, even if their virtuous acts are mediated by different principles. They often have as strong and sound a sense of right and wrong as anyone, including involvement in movements to abolish slavery and contribute to relief efforts associated with human suffering. The converse is also true:

A second problem is that there are no moral principles shared by all religious people (disregarding their specific religious membership) but no agnostics and atheists. This observation leads to a second: atheists and agnostics do not behave less morally than religious believers, even if their virtuous acts are mediated by different principles , including involvement in movements to abolish slavery and contribute to relief efforts associated with human suffering. The converse is also true: religion has led people to commit a long litany of horrendous crimes, from God’s command to Moses to slaughter the Midianites, men, women, boys and non-virginal girls, and save the virgins for them selves, through the Crusades, the Inquisition, the Thirty Years War of the 17th century, innumerable conflicts between Sunni and Shiite Moslems, and terrorists who blow themselves up in the confident belief that they are going straight to paradise.

The third difficulty for the view that morality has its origin in religion is that despite the sharp doctrinal differences between the world’s major religions, and for that matter cultures like ancient China in which religion has been less significant than philosophical outlooks like Confucianism, some elements of morality seem to be universal. One view is that a divine creator handed us the universal bits at the moment of creation. The alternative, consistent with the facts of biology and geology, is that we have evolved, over millions of years, a moral faculty that generates intuitions about right and wrong. For the first time, research in the cognitive sciences, building on theoretical arguments emerging from moral philosophy, has made it possible to resolve the ancient dispute about the origin and nature of morality.

It is very simple,,,,, it hasnt anything to do with what a person knows,,,, it cannot be "learned",,,, it is counter intuitive,,,,it cannot be "felt" first,,,,,, it isnt a feeling.. nor an emotion,, it is not a human attribute,,,,,,,

John 11:40

Then Jesus said, "Did I not tell you that if you believe, you will see the glory of God?"

It does not tell you to think about it,,, study really really hard,,, and then you will get it,,,,

Thats why so many people say after baptism,, "I dont feel any different" your feelings have nothing to do with it,,, and people somehow think it should,,,,,,,,

Beleive,,, and you will see,, frankly,, most people are just doing it wrong,,, ie they dont follow directions,, they do what THEY want ,,, which is where Cain went wrong,,,,,


It is actually very simple

A lot of those adults that converted had substance abuse problems. How many times as a child did hear adults testifying to their faith get up and at I used to be a drunk but then I found God. They had turned one addiction into another. Although the religion wasn't damaging physically It is damaging to mental faculties Organized religion like to get them right about the start of puberty when their little minds are a blank slate and cram them full of a lot of nonsense. Bronze age Jiberish. atheists and agnostics do not behave less morally than religious believers, even if their virtuous acts are mediated by different principles. They often have as strong and sound a sense of right and wrong as anyone, including involvement in movements to abolish slavery and contribute to relief efforts associated with human suffering. The converse is also true:

A second problem is that there are no moral principles shared by all religious people (disregarding their specific religious membership) but no agnostics and atheists. This observation leads to a second: atheists and agnostics do not behave less morally than religious believers, even if their virtuous acts are mediated by different principles , including involvement in movements to abolish slavery and contribute to relief efforts associated with human suffering. The converse is also true: religion has led people to commit a long litany of horrendous crimes, from God’s command to Moses to slaughter the Midianites, men, women, boys and non-virginal girls, and save the virgins for them selves, through the Crusades, the Inquisition, the Thirty Years War of the 17th century, innumerable conflicts between Sunni and Shiite Moslems, and terrorists who blow themselves up in the confident belief that they are going straight to paradise.

The third difficulty for the view that morality has its origin in religion is that despite the sharp doctrinal differences between the world’s major religions, and for that matter cultures like ancient China in which religion has been less significant than philosophical outlooks like Confucianism, some elements of morality seem to be universal. One view is that a divine creator handed us the universal bits at the moment of creation. The alternative, consistent with the facts of biology and geology, is that we have evolved, over millions of years, a moral faculty that generates intuitions about right and wrong. For the first time, research in the cognitive sciences, building on theoretical arguments emerging from moral philosophy, has made it possible to resolve the ancient dispute about the origin and nature of morality.

This is pure stupidity,,, conjecture,,, and a whole pile of false assumptions,, that cannot be backed up........

For one,,,, Religious "christians" are number one in donations to charity,,, they dont need a natural calamity,,,, you are wrong,, aetheists and agnostics,,, do not contribute even remotely close to the christians numbers,, regardless of the reason.....

Then you have liberals,, like you,,,, bottom of the gracious pile,,, more stingy,,, however there are standouts like the clintons,,, who flat steal the money from the victims

"The Clinton family’s charitable work in Haiti has been a mix of success, disappointment and controversy. As our Washington Post colleagues reported, some Clinton-backed projects didn’t come through, such as a $2 million housing expo for thousands of new housing units. The Government Accountability Office found poor planning and unsustainable outcomes for taxpayer-funded projects through USAID, such as a $170 million power plant and port for the Caracol Industrial Park, which the Clinton Foundation promoted."

"And literally within the year, Tony Rodham is placed on the board of VCS Mining,” despite Rodham’s lack of a background in either Haiti or mining.

The report concluded with Caracol Industrial Park, that received “more than $100 million” in US taxpayer money. According to Schweizer, “the three biggest beneficiaries [from the cheap labor the park provides] are actually three retailing companies closely tied to the Clintons. Gap, Target, and Wal-Mart."

That's why you demonstrate no free will,, you are a liberal robot

I agree that Christians are charitable and giving But it comes with a caveat a sandwich in one hand and a bible in the other. Both of the spinoffs of Judism Christianity and Islam are the most expansionary religions on earth and is the reason they are so big. Who says Athiest and Agnostics aren't as charitable. I don't know much abut Islam and charitable giving. But Christians are expected to give 10 % of their incomes to their church and that is what constitutes their giving. Another factor in religion is an inordinate obsession with sex and sexual matters and male domination. I have no free will ??? That's a laugh. At the age of 11 My 9 year old sister and I were staying with our Maternal grand mother when an itinerant Evangelist came to town and put on a revival on a Wednesday evening at the local Pentecostal church. The preacher began speaking softly then picked up the intensity until we were threatened with hell fire and brimstone for eternity if we didn't have faith in the vengeful God. Ah but---- For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. Then he swept his hand across the congregation and in a quavering voice he made the call for Christ saying " The spirit move's among you " The place went bananas. People leapt out of their seats punching the air and shouting praise the lord and halleluja Two men that I believe were two of our Grand ma's nephews leaned forward and began whispering in our ear to open up our hearts to Jesus and surrender to the lord. I thought I'm only 11 --I don't want to surrender to any body but my dad. Then I saw a kid about my age in front of the podium with tears streaming down his face and about five guys jumping up and down shouting, and these two guys wouldn't leave my sis and I alone so I got up and headed for the bench to escape these two guys and see what that kid was crying about. My sis hjumped up and followed, she didn't want to be left behind. We knelt at the bench and put our heads down but There wasn't anything to cry about. After a while the crowd began quieting down, falling back in their seats, tongues hanging out panting for breath. The congregation had had had a religious orgasm. 40 years later my sister was killed in a private plane crash and one day I realized that in all of the 40 years we had never discussed what had happened to us in that church that night. In retrospect to me it was child abuse plain and simply. Two years later the same thing happened In a Church of the Nazarene . I was 13 years old And I've never been in another church for the purpose of being preached too. Only for wedding's and funerals, When I discovered science it was an epiphany a great sense of freedom from the yoke of superstition. And you want to talk free will. Religion enslaves human beings to the perpetuation of ignorance and superstition

"To the one who has faith, no explanation is necessary. To one without faith no explanation is possible." Thomas Aquinas At some point in your life you dealt with the existence of God. Being confronted by God's Holy Spirit you rejected the gift of grace offered by God through His Son Jesus Christ. To continue in this only leaves one alternative. You'll have to stand before God and give account for your self. You will have no one to stand with you on your behalf. Thank God that Jesus Christ God's Son gave all the opportunity to have their sins forgiven,if they will only place their faith in Him,by trusting Him with their life. What a satisfying comfort.