The more I read exerpts from the bible, the more I feel sick! Why do people believe in any of this??

[Carakeel]

Example:

I am the bread of life: he that cometh to me shall never hunger and he that believeth in me shall never thirst. - Mark 16:16

Excuse me, but may I just mention the many third world countries, where by sending in missionaries over the past centuries we have managed to convince millions of poor people that their salvation is to believe in this God and in the bible? These people are among the most religious in the world. So, where is this ... "shall never hunger, shall never thirst " that was promissed?

Why on earth do people believe in a book that is so harmful, so full of lies? Why do we have so many people who follow religions based on the bible and yet have never read the dreadful threats whithin, i.e. if your children disobay you, they should be stoned to death etc etc etc.

It all makes me sick!!

[Hopkirk]

It's not just the bible - all religion is jut bunkum.

[flobadob]

To be honest not many people have actually read the thing. As the saying goes most people just go to the end of the bible and click I Agree.

[Carakeel]

"disobey", I mean. Sorry am too tired to be doing this.

[Hopkirk]

...and I meant just, not jut

Time for bed

[flobadob]

I'm pretty happy with my smellings.

[jno]

Just because they don't stone their children to death on a regular basis (a tempting prospect), it doesn't mean they haven't read it. It's likely they've read it and choose to ignore the distasteful bits. In which case people aren't as stupid as you think they are and you've got nothing to worry about.

[craft1948]

If it makes you feel so ill I suggest you stop reading it.........

[beso]

I recently saw a notice encouraging water resource assistance for Africa.

It read:
"We all know that after the knowledge of Jesus Christ, our Lord and Saviour, the next most thing for life is clean water."

How stupid can such people be?

[Ankou]

exactly craft, watching casualty makes me feel sick its made up i know, but it makes me sick. so i don't watch it. not even the bad bits.

[Carakeel]

Well, Craft 1948 and Ankou, I was brought up a Catholic, educated by extremely strikt Ursuline nunns, had a cousin who was a Bishop etc., so there was no getting away from religious matters at that time. But throughout my childhood I experienced many negative things with regard to the church and always questioned what I was being taught to believe. Unlike some, I don't believe ignorance is bliss, so do try to learn as much as I can about how others see the world. We cannot make intelligent informed decisions without being ... informed!! Religion affects us all, whether we believe or not. Throughout history, more people have been and still are killed in the name of religion, more wars are faught in the name of religion than for any other reason. So your comment about Casualty making you feel sick, Ankou ... well, religion has a far more significant affect on people's lives than a TV programme, so no offence, but that was a bit of a silly comment really.

birdie1971, I do agree with what you are saying. As a child, I was in constant fear of doing anything wrong, what with nunns and priests telling me I would burn in hell if I did anything wrong in their eyes. Today I do see religion as somewhat of an excuse not to take full resonsibility for one's own behaviour and decisions. I became a far happier, far more relaxed person once I admitted to myself and to others that in fact I am an atheist.

[RATTER15]

Well I think its great that no Christian in any third world Country or any where else will ever die of hunger or thirst, this really is an end to starvation and dying of thirst.

So all we need to do is send missionaries to all these millions of starving people and they will never hunger or thirst again.

Hang on!! hasnt that ..................... its ok, im probably mistaken!

[Ankou]

so that carakeel can rattle off various verses of the bible one by one and bemoan them on answerbank ?

one small step for man.....

[Mick-Talbot]

I got as far as ... in the beginning, then decided to wash my hair.

[starone]

If you have read the Bible and then made an informed decision you have done the right thing. I had it drummed into me whether i liked it or not when I was a child and can in fact quote bits of it which I had to learn at school. My friend was afraid of telling a lie in case a bolt came from god and killed her. I think I must have not believed even then and my experiences since have confirmed that I am a dyed in the wool atheist. However, there are some good stories there, all right for the cinema if you realise that is all they are - stories. Hollywood made some of them into great epics, which I quite enjoyed.

[Lonnie]

I'd just like to point out, there are some bad things in all holy books, but some people can take a great comfort from their belief also.

I can't bring myself to believe in the God of the Jews and Christians, (being born and brought up in the Jewish faith), but I lost a brother when he was four years old, it was my mothers faith that pulled her through, so I would never, ever, knock someones belief, but I would, without hesitation, knock the way a person carries out their belief.

[Ankou]

lonnie, as an atheist i would agree with you also.