ok.first to of all i am not christain. i am jewish. just to inform you.
second of all,i dissagree with your statement,"praying to god does nothing."because praying to god does something.
As does meditation ... but it's not supernatural and the benefits are neurological and internal not external.
now for all we know,god could be imaginary. he could not exist.that i agree on.
The deists might be right ... but only because the god they postulate is not personally involved and active in the world. The problem is, that god also doesn't show itself so it can't be proven either.
The Christians posit an active god that is personally involved, yet they show no evidence for that active personal god.
but, i think praying to god is kinda like adrenaline. like you pray. and you believe that he will answer your prayers. lets say you pray for a promotion. this gives you hope. you go to work happy,because you believe that you will get a promotion. you are more upbeat than usual, and you do your work well instead of drudging through it everyday.
a week later,you get your promotion.
because praying to god gave you the hope to carry through.
Did you see the part in the videos that shows it is detrimental for cancer patients to be prayed for?
How do you address that and the results of other prayer studies that have been performed?
now, even if god is imaginary,i really dont think you should go around making videos like this. i know,people have to know the truth.its important. but if the truth makes them lose hope.....
sometimes optical illusions help people.
and it wont hurt anyone if it stays that way.
Think about two things;
1. Is religion really harmless?
As a Jew, you know what the costs are of religious groups -- both those who are for Jewish people and those who are against Jewish people -- and that the reasons these people give for acting as they do. Speaking up for any religious group at the detriment of others ... or speaking against any religious group at the detriment of others is bigotry. You know this. Religion fractures and makes us move into cliques where both ignorance and this bigotry thrives.
As a non-religious person, I can appreciate and criticise all groups. If I am mistaken, people need only show me that I am wrong and as I have no stake in any religion I have no automatic defences to protect one group from valid criticism or to insist that one group or another should be criticized more than another.
2. Do you like to be able to speak your mind?
If you do, and do not deny anyone else that ability, then we are in agreement. If you do think these videos and people who do not think religion is entirely positive -- and has many many negatives -- should be silent I have to say that we are not in agreement.
I speak out against the negative aspects of religion vigorously since I have the right to do so. This is not hate. This is not dogmatic. This is not a clique. I look, I see, I judge as do we all and I am using my rights to speak.
If you don't like the message, you can use your right to speak about it and change my mind or talk about the style used to convey that message. I encourage you to do so; we both may learn something.
now i may not know a thing about what im talking about,but I just had to say this
That's fine. If you do learn something you think I don't know, please drop by the forums. I'm always interested in learning about reality.
