No, it’s not. You no doubt intend to make a bad comparison between shoulder tapping and religion; I’m not going to play into it. You are the one trying to make a claim, not I; make it yourself.
Can you show me a survey capable of determining what happened experientially to another person - in reality?
Yes, I’ve explored all the world’s major religions. Have you?
What Mr. Barna has proven is that your assertion is erroneous. Clearly, children are no longer following the religion of their parents.
Jesse.
What I intend to do is quite beside the point, Der Trihs. This is a simple question. Why won’t you answer it?
You ask ridiculous questions all the time and expect answers for them. My question is far from ridiculous and it requires an honest response.
Again, were you, or were you not tapped on the shoulder three times?
Oh, and about your having left the US of A?
Jesse.
Can you show me evidence that what they claimed to have experienced was anything other than a lie or delusion ?
Because I see no reason to cooperate with whatever game you are playing.
What ridiculous question ? And yours is most certainly ridiculous, at best.
I’m not playing your game. YOU are the one trying to make a claim, not I; I’m not doing your work for you. Make your point.
I made no effort to support anyone’s claim. I merely said that Mr. Barna’s poll contradicted the assertion put forth by Sage Rat that 99% of all children follow the religion of their parents.
Jesse.
I’m not partial to playing games, Der Trihs. I’m asking a serious question and the rules of debate demand that you answer the question asked - regardless of what you think of it. Your personal preferences are not what we’re debating.
Again, were you, or were you not tapped on the shoulder three times?
Jesse.
I’d be interested in seeing some studies for the US or other modernized countries.
I remember how my son was influenced at five when we lived in FL. There’s no doubt that people are heavily influenced by what they’re taught when they are growing up and the culture and society around them. I think religion is much more layered and nuanced than most of the discussions here. The mythology is only one aspect.
I think this post is a good description. It seems to me that it’s the dogmatic mindset that is the issue rather than religion per say.
Some parents teach their kids their religion but support them in following whatever path they choose for themselves. Others are much more rigid. You see the dogmatic mind set in other aspects of society.
i’ve offerd an explaination and a reasoned chain of events basaed on observed realities, e.g. life comes from life and lesser somethings inability to understand greater ones, no more or less than others i’ve read. imagination can lead to fantastic improbable explainations
http://sda.berkeley.edu:8080/quicktables/quicksetoptions.do?reportKey=gss04%3A1 (select “religious preference” and “highest degree earned”)
Oddly being Jewish makes you likely to be a PHD. 
The data doesn’t correct for income. Jews have an average income like double or triple that of the average protestant, which is probably what we are seeing here.
Ah, you seem to be unaware of abiogenesis.
Life can and does come from nothing. But moreover, why does whether life can/can’t come from inanimate materials have anything to do with why the universe can’t have always existed? If God existed before the universe, where was he? If there isn’t a place for him to be, how can he be? If there’s a place which he is in that is equally as eternal as he, why can’t that place be the Universe?
So it’s just random chance that everyone’s experiential history leads them to following the same religion as their parents 99% of the time?
Experientially most guys would probably waver on whether they would fuck Jessica Alba, but I bet you that if you put them in the lushly furnished bedroom with her just as she began to strip and plead, that you’d see a pretty predictable outcome that had little to do with what most guys answered while sitting in a vacuum. (Most likely the best indicator would be their marital status and satisfaction thereof.)
Are you new here? DT has a well earned reputation of outrageous over the top stances on religion and politics and when challenged on the details he merely asserts it’s correct and obvious and won’t provide actual evidence. In case you missed it IT JUST HAPPENED IN THIS THREAD.
I’ve participated in several discussions with DT in the past and now refrain from wasting the time and energy.
Feel free to check out threads on religion and politics he’s been in.
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virtual particles seemed “close, but no cigar”…
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i suspect not surprisenly given a personal bias…
3 and 4. observable, life comes from life…
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#3 on my list as if you didn’t know…
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observable, i know of no animate something that came from an inanimate something, do you…
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not giving God a free pass, based on facts in human history, plus other animate somethings which have been shown to have intelligence (great apes), what do they think of us…
I have seen no evidence of the veracity of your assertion, quite the opposite. Not that it matters, but my IQ is 164, what’s yours?
Jesse.
Greetings all!
**I’d like it noted for the record that Der Trihs has chosen not to answer a perfectly simple question because he knows if he did this debate would be over.
It’s check mate and game over - and he knows it.
Jesse**.
P.S. He has also chosen not to verify that he’s never left the United States, thus rendering all his opinions about the damage Christianity has done overseas theoretical.
Sorry, I missed the edit window.
I meant to say that Der Trihs’ opinions about the damage that Chrisitianity has caused overseas is purely conjectural - since he’s (apparently) never left the U.S. - Jess.
You misunderstood question #2, Jesse Leigh.
Archaelogical research shows that the deity known as Yahweh began as a Storm God (an elemental god on the order of a volcano god or any other anthropomorphizing of nature), and then became a lesser god in a pantheon like the Greek or Ancient Egyptian pantheons. Later Yahweh was rewritten to be a clone of the Canaanite Baal and made the head honcho of a Jewish pantheon of deities (similarly to how the Romans incorporated a lot of Greek myth while maintaining Roman names.) Slowly these further gods were phased out, but up until the point of the formalization of the Bible (which, remember, was compiled centuries or millenia after God handed down the 10 commandments–which you believe in) when they finally wiped out all traces of other deities in their beliefs.
This all has nothing to do with the Holy Trinity. I’m talking archaeology not doctrinal interpretation.
You can find links in posts 119 and 120.
Life can and does come from nothing?
Prove it! Create something, anything you like, you have a totally free hand here. If life can and does come from nothing then surely an intelligent individual like yourself would have no problem creating… anything.
I’m waiting. (We’ll get to the universal question later.)
Jesse.
Hmmmmmmmm … so maybe the conspiracy theories are true?
Thanks for the links. I do believe that there is a backlash against religion and rightly so. The religious right made a big noise and people responded. I tend to agree with this statement from the link.
It’s a lot more complex than “if you’re smart you won’t believe in God” It’s good to examine religious belief and belief systems in general. I hope what we’ll see in the future is less dogmatic religions. There is certain power and IMO a benefit in people coming together in service to seek to develop the principles that Christ taught regardless of whether they embrace him as a divine figure or not. Although our drive and desire to find meaning and purpose may be misguided at times I think it also accomplishes a lot of good. Moreover, I think it’s an essential part of our humanity and pushes us forward toward personal and cultural growth.
I think the rejection of religious belief will turn out to be a rejection of a certain type of religious belief and certain concepts of God. The cycle is part of the overall growth.