Comments on: Cherry Picking http://www.rationalitynow.com/blog/2009/07/12/cherry-picking/ Promoting rational thought above dogma. Mon, 19 Jul 2010 19:42:28 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.2 hourly 1 By: Truth seeker http://www.rationalitynow.com/blog/2009/07/12/cherry-picking/comment-page-1/#comment-657 Truth seeker Fri, 23 Oct 2009 15:42:14 +0000 http://www.rationalitynow.com/blog/2009/07/12/cherry-picking/#comment-657 *spam* I choose God and true biblical religion over any and everthing this world has to offer. I don't have to worry about downloading my memory to a disk before I die because my Creator God has kept an account of my life. I don't need to kill anyone or pay money or anything else to have eternal life. These actions are not God's will. He is against murder and wrong doings. He can't be bought for He owns it all. In order to get God's reward, all I have to do is humble myself before Him. His Word, the Bible, is true and His Word tells me to repent of my sins and seek His will. Why would I want to do anything else? God's inheritance for me is grander than this world and everlasting. Words cannot describe the things He has prepared for those who love Him. To be with Jesus for all eternity, the one who loves me and died for my sins, is beyond riches. Death does not scare me because my Lord and Savior will raise me from the dead to eternal life with Him in paradise. My hope is not in man, but in the one who made man. I encourage you to think outside of your own abilities and the abilities of other humans. God has so much more to offer than anything or person here in this life. *spam*

I choose God and true biblical religion over any and everthing this world has to offer. I don’t have to worry about downloading my memory to a disk before I die because my Creator God has kept an account of my life. I don’t need to kill anyone or pay money or anything else to have eternal life. These actions are not God’s will. He is against murder and wrong doings. He can’t be bought for He owns it all. In order to get God’s reward, all I have to do is humble myself before Him. His Word, the Bible, is true and His Word tells me to repent of my sins and seek His will. Why would I want to do anything else? God’s inheritance for me is grander than this world and everlasting. Words cannot describe the things He has prepared for those who love Him. To be with Jesus for all eternity, the one who loves me and died for my sins, is beyond riches. Death does not scare me because my Lord and Savior will raise me from the dead to eternal life with Him in paradise. My hope is not in man, but in the one who made man. I encourage you to think outside of your own abilities and the abilities of other humans. God has so much more to offer than anything or person here in this life.

]]> By: Dan http://www.rationalitynow.com/blog/2009/07/12/cherry-picking/comment-page-1/#comment-649 Dan Thu, 22 Oct 2009 21:54:45 +0000 http://www.rationalitynow.com/blog/2009/07/12/cherry-picking/#comment-649 I think Isaac Asimov or Robert Heinlein would have had a blast with THAT topic! :-) I think Isaac Asimov or Robert Heinlein would have had a blast with THAT topic! :-)

]]> By: Travis http://www.rationalitynow.com/blog/2009/07/12/cherry-picking/comment-page-1/#comment-648 Travis Thu, 22 Oct 2009 20:12:43 +0000 http://www.rationalitynow.com/blog/2009/07/12/cherry-picking/#comment-648 An interesting, and geeky, thought came to mind after reading my earlier reply ("until Science offers eternal life"). There's a good chance that in our lifetime we will have the option to download our mind onto a storage device. Forgive me, I know this sounds .. but anyways, it brings up an interesting question. If Science DID happen to give people the option to continue living past what their body would allow, would religion fade? An interesting, and geeky, thought came to mind after reading my earlier reply (“until Science offers eternal life”). There’s a good chance that in our lifetime we will have the option to download our mind onto a storage device. Forgive me, I know this sounds .. but anyways, it brings up an interesting question. If Science DID happen to give people the option to continue living past what their body would allow, would religion fade?

]]> By: Dan http://www.rationalitynow.com/blog/2009/07/12/cherry-picking/comment-page-1/#comment-647 Dan Thu, 22 Oct 2009 19:58:55 +0000 http://www.rationalitynow.com/blog/2009/07/12/cherry-picking/#comment-647 I agree. It offers an "answer" to the ultimate unknown. I agree. It offers an “answer” to the ultimate unknown.

]]> By: Travis http://www.rationalitynow.com/blog/2009/07/12/cherry-picking/comment-page-1/#comment-646 Travis Thu, 22 Oct 2009 19:54:57 +0000 http://www.rationalitynow.com/blog/2009/07/12/cherry-picking/#comment-646 But if you were to ask any religious person if they were going to have an afterlife of some form, their response would be "yes". If a person is willing to kill themselves and thousands of others to get to the afterlife, they don't see it as anything other than absolute truth. They have found a relief to that horrible knowledge that they will die someday. This is the driving force behind all religions, in my opinion. But if you were to ask any religious person if they were going to have an afterlife of some form, their response would be “yes”. If a person is willing to kill themselves and thousands of others to get to the afterlife, they don’t see it as anything other than absolute truth. They have found a relief to that horrible knowledge that they will die someday.
This is the driving force behind all religions, in my opinion.

]]> By: Dan http://www.rationalitynow.com/blog/2009/07/12/cherry-picking/comment-page-1/#comment-645 Dan Thu, 22 Oct 2009 19:31:35 +0000 http://www.rationalitynow.com/blog/2009/07/12/cherry-picking/#comment-645 Just as a side note, religion doesn't offer eternal life, either. It offers the *idea* of eternal life, but that's a very different thing. ;-) Just as a side note, religion doesn’t offer eternal life, either. It offers the *idea* of eternal life, but that’s a very different thing. ;-)

]]> By: Travis http://www.rationalitynow.com/blog/2009/07/12/cherry-picking/comment-page-1/#comment-644 Travis Thu, 22 Oct 2009 19:19:57 +0000 http://www.rationalitynow.com/blog/2009/07/12/cherry-picking/#comment-644 It all comes down to what is the meaning of life. Life has one goal. To live. An important difference I see between humans and the rest of life on this planet, is the knowledge of our lifespan. We know we will die. It is this knowledge that pushes us to try and survive even when we know that the end is unavoidable. If you are about to be attacked by a bear, you will do anything to survive. Because that is the goal. Stay alive. So we find a way to survive, and we develop a way to live after we die. Accepting ones end as the absolute end is an incredible task. Instincts kick in and refusal to give up are at full force. The imagination throws all options at you and you will accept anything rewarding you with more life. Religion is born. So until Science offers eternal life, religion will reign supreme. It all comes down to what is the meaning of life. Life has one goal. To live. An important difference I see between humans and the rest of life on this planet, is the knowledge of our lifespan. We know we will die. It is this knowledge that pushes us to try and survive even when we know that the end is unavoidable. If you are about to be attacked by a bear, you will do anything to survive. Because that is the goal. Stay alive. So we find a way to survive, and we develop a way to live after we die. Accepting ones end as the absolute end is an incredible task. Instincts kick in and refusal to give up are at full force. The imagination throws all options at you and you will accept anything rewarding you with more life. Religion is born. So until Science offers eternal life, religion will reign supreme.

]]> By: Richard http://www.rationalitynow.com/blog/2009/07/12/cherry-picking/comment-page-1/#comment-590 Richard Sun, 11 Oct 2009 21:53:00 +0000 http://www.rationalitynow.com/blog/2009/07/12/cherry-picking/#comment-590 What do you mean by "just have a better time in this life?" If the God Hypothesis is false, then this life is all that there is. If those who embraced science lived peaceful and fruitful lives, then they were successful. It follows that the other camp is merely deluded. Although faith in some cases may bring happiness, I don't believe that ignorance is bliss. Besides, even if the science group is wrong and there is an afterlife, it would be absurd to suggest that such a brilliant creator of the universe would punish his people for using their own rationality. What do you mean by “just have a better time in this life?” If the God Hypothesis is false, then this life is all that there is.
If those who embraced science lived peaceful and fruitful lives, then they were successful. It follows that the other camp is merely deluded. Although faith in some cases may bring happiness, I don’t believe that ignorance is bliss.
Besides, even if the science group is wrong and there is an afterlife, it would be absurd to suggest that such a brilliant creator of the universe would punish his people for using their own rationality.

]]> By: Ken http://www.rationalitynow.com/blog/2009/07/12/cherry-picking/comment-page-1/#comment-432 Ken Sun, 13 Sep 2009 03:26:59 +0000 http://www.rationalitynow.com/blog/2009/07/12/cherry-picking/#comment-432 Sadly, Religion Island would still consider themselves to have led the better lives as they will feel that their supposed eternal souls have been taken care of while we over on Science Island just have a better time in this life. Sadly, Religion Island would still consider themselves to have led the better lives as they will feel that their supposed eternal souls have been taken care of while we over on Science Island just have a better time in this life.

]]> By: Dan http://www.rationalitynow.com/blog/2009/07/12/cherry-picking/comment-page-1/#comment-251 Dan Thu, 16 Jul 2009 00:27:17 +0000 http://www.rationalitynow.com/blog/2009/07/12/cherry-picking/#comment-251 LOL! I love it. Practically speaking, it'd be tough to pull off, but I think I can still determine what the outcome would be with pretty good certainty. ;-) LOL! I love it. Practically speaking, it’d be tough to pull off, but I think I can still determine what the outcome would be with pretty good certainty. ;-)

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