Again, this is why I hate forum debates. Sorry Ghost, but your Cosmic Humanist beliefs, which you insist on calling "Christianity" is exactly why these people have the canned response of "religion is a fairytale used to control us".
This is a long post, I'm sorry, but I just want to get my point across, whether you agree or disagree.
I'm sorry, but not believing in God counts as religion too. All people have worldviews, or a set of beliefs that govern their lives. Atheism is just man-worship rather than God-worship. There is no neutrality on the subject of worldviews.
I seem to be hearing too much "there's evidence for the contrary" crap going around.
First off, evidence for what? Atheism? You can't have evidence for a religion. You've been saying that for other religions, and you can't have a double standard.
Evolution? Oh yeah, lots of evidence for that. Paraconformities, hoaxes, dirty deals, manipulated data, and more!
Seriously, people around here seem to think "religion" was created by man. In a sense, yes. It was created by man's mind, as it is obvious (or should be) to everyone that they all have a system of beliefs, whether that system of beliefs involves a God, or any kind of deity. There is no neutrality. Your godless religion of Atheism is just as controlling (our minds controlling our behavior) as any other religion does.
In some religions, however, instead of mind controls man, it becomes man controls man, as WRB852 has perfectly described. A perfect example, the Catholic church. It has gotten a little better nowadays, but if you look in the doctrines, the priest and pope have total control over your lives. There is no choice for you at all. Fallible controlling fallible man (or, the blind leading the blind) results in the terrible hypocrises you see today.
Another example is Islam, where you can declare yourself a prophet and be worshipped by fellow man, where punishments are made up if you fall out of line in worship. Where you can burn the other 300 versions of the koran to make sure your one version is the one that everybody reads.
Sadly, this man-worship has crept into Protestant Christianity quite a bit, resulting in many sub-divisions, where most of you folks get your horror stories. "God moments", "miraculous conversions", labeled as emotions caused by your own mind has been pushed by the many liberal and conservative sub-divisions of Protestantism, and this has been what has created the terrible image Christians are given now. Sadly, most "Christians" deserve it. That's what they do. It's all a fantasy to them, they know it, and they choose to be controlled by their pastor and their emotions rather than themselves.
I'm trying to say that I'm not one of them. I choose to believe what I believe, because the other religions just don't hold up. There's no such thing as having "no religion". Humanism, atheism, agnosticism (or is it?), just doesn't cut it. You still have no choice.
"The only thing non-conformists hate more is someone who does not conform to their non-conformity."
And that's exactly what happens in atheism. You are being controlled and you don't even know it. You all act the same, all know the same, and it's really sad.
I would rather be in a system of beliefs that lets me be my own person, where I am not alone, where there is hope. Everybody needs an authority figure. Everybody. Most authority figures chosen by folks are unhealthy. My authority is God.
What is your authority? What the consensus of scientists said? What you yourself say? Anarchy is not a good result, so nobody is a good final authority to themselves. We need a counterpoint, someone to balance ourself on. For me, that is God.
That's why I am a Christian. It is really the only option, versus the other hopeless religions. Christianity, I have found to be so much more fulfilling than any other religion.
And I know most of you still disagree with me, but please remember that is my belief, and as I respect, while disagree with, your beliefs, you also have to respect mine.
/longpost
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