Dutch Clergy drop God and Heaven.

[modeller]

Many Dutch clerics are agnostic or even atheist .

http://www.bbc.co.uk/...world-europe-14417362

Is this a dose of common sense in our century or should we continue to believe in the old myths .

Some pedantic ABers may say this should be in Religion but I feel it is Newsworthy as it could have a major political influence in the world not just in Holland.

[RATTER15]

I like his thinking to a point but im not really sure he knows what he is saying himself!

I see it as a positive step!!

[woofgang]

whatever next???? religious atheists???????

[RATTER15]

"Is this a dose of common sense in our century or should we continue to believe in the old myths"

Yes

No

[Frank97]

I agree Ratter!

[RATTER15]

When atheism sweeps the world it will be a breath of fresh of air and a far nicer place to live.

It will happen!!

[Frank97]

I wish it would!

[Sqad]

RATTER....can you really expect the Muslims to let "atheism sweep the world??

It is not religion that is the problem only the people that need it.......and they will always need something to justify their existence.

[Aquagility]

Let us have no doubt that GOD exists. The mistake is to think of him/her as a benign elderly person in human form.
Ratter is quite right - there are many, maybe most, people who need religion. So we should let them define the deity according to their needs - I like to think of it as nature.

[Sqad]

Aqua..

<<<Let us have no doubt that GOD exists>>

But that is the "rub"....there is doubt and even what form he takes.

<<< The mistake is to think of him/her as a benign elderly person in human form. >>>

No, I think that you may well be underestimating peoples intelligence. You refer above to God as him/her....... humanising him which you object to.....why not describe God as "it?" which would remove all human connotations.

[Aquagility]

If you read my post again, Squad, you'll see that is exactly what I do!

[beso]

Aquagility // Let us have no doubt that GOD exists. //

I agree. Man has made God over and over again to justify all kinds of bigoty.

[emmie]

Many religions aren't going to take a backseat any time soon, just look at the world we live in, it gives many of those who believe, a reason to live, take away that belief for many, what do they have left? I am an atheist and care not a jot for any deity, dogma, and can never understand why i would need to wear certain clothes or eat or not certain foods, in order to be a good person, surely that can happen without being told what to do and how to do it.

[modeller]

em10 You are right many people need the crutch of religion to get them through life. It gives them hope when common sense tells them there isn't any.

I was surprised to learn that Japan with all its disasters is almost the least religious country in the world but when you think about it that may be the reason . They know that all the praying in the world doesn't stop the next earthquake. I learnt that when I was 7 years old and every year that goes past reinforces that lesson.

[Coldicote]

I feel a need for something to believe in to give life a purpose, if it is not to be meaningless and pointless. Can anyone suggest something I could believe in?

[modeller]

Yes ! You live in a wondrous world which needs looking after. It's there .
It's reality . It needs eco-warriors . The environment is constantly being damaged it needs your help. It's real it's not mumbo jumbo .
I think that's enough to keep going for the rest of your life and it will give you far more satisfaction than living in never never land.
Good luck !

[RATTER15]

Well Sqad Atheism is actually gaining a lot of ground, it is sweeping across the world although slowly, in just the last few years the "new age Atheists" like Richard Dawkins, Sam Harris etc are really getting their message across.

Coldicote, only a believer could ask such a silly question!

as an Atheist, I believe in morals, love, fun, my family enjoying life, the future, the present. Most of all I enjoy being free of any religion or God that tells me I should kill anybody that doesnt follow him!

[birdie1971]

I stumbled across a rather good website the other day - http://www.thethinkingatheist.com/

One particularly amusing video of theirs is this one...
http://www.youtube.co...ature=player_embedded

[RATTER15]

Great links Birdie, I have known of the thinking Atheist for a while, love the site lol.

[Coldicote]

Yes, the world is real and needs looking after. 'No' ratter15, I don't speak as a believer - just looking for something to give life an on-going sense of purpose. Love, fun, family enjoying life, etc. are, like life itself, all too brief and transient. With so many people being killed every day I wonder how many killers are atheists and maybe find killing easier than it might otherwise be.

[Kromovaracun]

"Let us have no doubt that GOD exists."

Why not? If God exists, then it and its followers should have nothing to fear from the idea being questioned.

Coldicote: Personally? I believe in life. It's capable of extremities - it can't not be. But while it's full of extreme horror, it's full of extreme good as well - for every gunman shooting up camps of young people, there's a multitude of nurses who stay up through the night to help with a transplant, or a volunteer staying on the phone overnight purely to be there for someone who can't take it anymore (I myself have been one of the latter). Despite what religious leaders will tell you (and remember they have a vested interest in doing so), people don't fall in love any less than they used to - they still do it and sometimes it's still just as beautiful as it always was. There's a wealth of information and research teaching us to heal the sick, about the world and about ourselves - and it's always growing.

What more do you need?

Yes the other extremity exists too - I'm not sure you could have the good in the world without the bad.