Since we've gotten told to stop talking generally about religion twice in the Homosexuality and Religion thread and were told that, if we want to talk generally about religion, we need to make a new thread, I have made a new thread.
Full disclosure: I am an agnostic atheist and anti-theist, but I'm very interested in theology and religion.
Mod Edit: All right, there are a couple of ground rules here:
- This is not a thread for mindless bashing of religion or of atheism/agnosticism etc. All view points are welcome here. Let's have a civil debate.
- Religion is a volatile subject. Please don't post here if you can't manage a civil discussion with viewpoints you disagree with. There will be no tolerance for people who can't keep the tone light hearted.
- There is no one true answer for this thread. Don't try to force out opposing voices.
edited 9th Feb '14 1:01:31 PM by Madrugada
United Earth
I did drugs for my sins.
They are worthless, compared to True Love. That's the most powerful drug there is.
The second most powerful drug is SUCCESS.
Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.
The law in the night
Ahem:
United Earth
Dionysos called, he wants his portfolio back.
Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.
![[up]](https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/smiles/arrow_up.png "[up]"){kind=icon}
Nah-uh. Snark doesn't count as mania. 
I'm Ruthless.
Since I heard about Baachae, I want distance from the wine guy.
The god of tits may be Hera, but she is the godddess of the maternal tits. Aphrodite is the sexual tits.
Of course, Aphrodite is also the goddess of sexuality, so her dominion can cross over with the other...
edited 6th Oct '15 5:25:18 PM by MeetTheNewBoss
You claim that God is opressing us, but I see you opressing others without needing a God.
Ninkasi
sounds like a good fit... I'm sure she could expand the portfolio a little, given that wine wasn't common in Sumerian at the time, yet seems right up her alley. 
Also, I love her name. Sounds so... African. 
Continential Africa has some badass religion, and slang for that matter.
Seriously, South African slang can sound so menacing and so jovial at the same time. It's delightful!
The Dogun people's rites, the Youraba Orishas, Somali Animism, Benin body urns, (sigh)
It is a religious studies scholar's goldmine you can just go crazy in...
I love it...
"Psssh. Even if you could catch a miracle on a picture any person would probably delete it to make space for more porn." - Aszur
A nice butterfly
What are these benin body urns
It has always been the prerogative of children and half-wits to point out that the emperor has no clothes
Here is a good introduction to the lovely wares...
A good place to start to hear their story if you need an English source to start
Benin is home to some of the most well preserved and still practiced pottery methods, and their work is just amazeballs...it's gorgeous and sturdy.
Burial urns could mean everything from pottery housing offerings and either placed with the grave or over it to receive further offerings (as with say a family plot instead of an individual plot) and sometimes, not often, but in cases of children who died the body would actually be placed within the pottery in order for their death not to be in vain and they could be one with the spirits.
Very much like how various peoples of coastal and island part Southeast Asia buried their children who died in trees because their spirits were still pure and hopeful.
"Psssh. Even if you could catch a miracle on a picture any person would probably delete it to make space for more porn." - Aszur
So yet another "end of the world" prediction failed to materialize yesterday. This one was courtesy of that same group that predicted the end in May 2011 (and revised it to October).
Okay, this has been going on for the better part of my life (literally- in 1994 I was hearing predictions about how the end was nigh), and I'm sick of it. To those of you religious groups who pick specific dates for the end or the rapture or whatever: KNOCK. IT. OFF. This only creates a Crying Wolf situation: People won't take Christianity seriously if you're pulling this crap.
edited 8th Oct '15 7:37:57 AM by speedyboris
Lost in Space
Remember, these aren't predictions in the sense that they are saying, "This thing is going to happen on this date because we have impartially analyzed the available information." They are predictions in the sense that they are rooting for it to happen. Their role is that of cheerleaders, not forecasters. "Bring on the apocalypse, God! We want to be taken back to Your bosom and away from this sinful world! Gimme a J! Gimme an E! Gimme an S-U-S!"
The reputation of Christianity is irrelevant to them.
edited 8th Oct '15 7:39:03 AM by Fighteer
"It's Occam's Shuriken! If the answer is elusive, never rule out ninjas!"
A nice butterfly
I'd watch that if they wore skimpy clothes and shaked their pompoms
From what I can read, that technique was pretty advanced for that era...dayum
Considering we'll all be judged then - hence the "Last Judgement" - I really don't know why these guys are looking forward to it. Calm down, guys. Eternal damnation will come soon enough.
edited 8th Oct '15 7:46:22 AM by DrunkenNordmann
Welcome to Estalia, gentlemen.
Lost in Space
As amusing as it would be to have Judgment Day come and those assholes be sent screaming to the fires for their arrogance, I'm enjoying my own life on this world too much to want it to end.
"It's Occam's Shuriken! If the answer is elusive, never rule out ninjas!"
I'm Ruthless.
I have no idea. Revelations is almost as confusing as NGE. It is really fire?
edited 8th Oct '15 9:10:04 AM by MeetTheNewBoss
You claim that God is opressing us, but I see you opressing others without needing a God.
Visiting from the Hoag Galaxy
And, of course, the "it'll happen when no one is expecting it" thing basically guarantees that the Second Coming won't happen on any of the predicted dates. Or any day when people think it will happen.
Maybe that's why it's taken so long? People have expected it to be "any day now" for almost the entire history of Christianity.
A nice butterfly
The End of the World already happened, and it was The Spanish Inquisition
I recall hearing that the Apocalypse will not occur until sometime after the entire world has heard the proverbial good news. As that hasn't quite happened yet, it would mean that the return of Christ will not occur for some time.
"Any campaign world where an orc samurai can leap off a landcruiser to fight a herd of Bulbasaurs will always have my vote of confidence"
Or, indeed, ever.
This would be hilarious since, even if everyone hears of the good news, they might not think of it as the best news. The Apocalypse would be on eternal hold.
Si Vis Pacem, Para Perkele
"The reputation of Christianity is irrelevant to them."
And that's a mistake, because logic would say that if Christianity is in decline in the U.S., you would do better to make the church more open to others, not look like a crazy doomsday cult that only digs yourself deeper into a niche.
edited 8th Oct '15 9:59:08 AM by speedyboris
United Earth
Did somebody say "End of THE WORLD"?
Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.
The people who declare that the world is going to end at a certain date are generally not particularly rational people.
"Any campaign world where an orc samurai can leap off a landcruiser to fight a herd of Bulbasaurs will always have my vote of confidence"
Well when there are as many Handle imitators as there are Elvis impersonators, yes
Until then, hi there. Do you have a moment to discuss about Elvis Presley? He did drugs for your sins.
It has always been the prerogative of children and half-wits to point out that the emperor has no clothes