One in four Americans 'doesn't know the Earth orbits the Sun' and only half believe in evolution

[scorpionx]

thats not odd.

what is odd, is that they believe all aliens are going to attack America

I just don't blame them. Our puranas and epics are full of such stories.

 

[Hack-Hook]

If he can explain how absence is a sex position, sure

well the problem is that atheism is not abstinence at all at best you can consider it entering from the back door .

well let be serious ,what's the definition of religion . I wonder why the atheist bunch consider themselves separate from other its the meaning of religion according to Colombia encyclopedia.

"
a system of thought, feeling, and action that is shared by a group and that gives the members an object of devotion; a code of behavior by which individuals may judge the personal and social consequences of their actions; and a frame of reference by which individuals may relate to their group and their universe. Usually, religion concerns itself with that which transcends the known, the natural, or the expected; it is an acknowledgment of the extraordinary, the mysterious, and the supernatural. The religious consciousness generally recognizes a transcendent, sacred order and elaborates a technique to deal with the inexplicable or unpredictable elements of human experience in the world or beyond it."

you see for having a religion you really don't need to believe in a higher deity .
and now look at the categories of religion according to the same source .
"Another frequently used classification is based on the origins of the body of knowledge held by a certain religion: some religions are revealed, as in Judaism (where God revealed the Commandments to Moses), Christianity (where Christ, the Son of God, revealed the Word of the Father), and Islam (where the angel Gabriel revealed God's will to Muhammad). Some religions are nonrevealed, or “natural,” the result of human inquiry alone. Included among these and sometimes called philosophies of eternity are Buddhist sects (where Buddha is recognized not as a god but as an enlightened leader), Brahmanism, and Taoism and other Chinese metaphysical doctrines."
well @Abii @SHAMK9 @notsuperstitious @kbd-raaf let ask you why yo think an atheist can't be summarized in those categories .after all its organized and try to explain the world around us.

and Abii I feel sorry for you because you let your hatred for a group of people blind you toward many other things and made your judgement cloudy.

 

[Hermione]

Oh come on, not Deepak Chopra any more. He terms placebo effect has Quantum Healing and accuses scientists of stealing the term. You should watch the debate between Deepak Chopra and Richard Dawkins, to know where he stands.

Richard Dawkins was an absolute a$$hole. I have seen the debate. In general I don't have an argument with Dawkins as long as he stays on the subject of Abrahamic religions. Neuroplasticity is a reality. Our body and every object in this universe does undergo changes based on intention and other stuff he mentions about.

Tradition and religion is different, i got societal values from my parents not from books. And my parents were illiterate to get any societal values from books. And i judge right and wrong from my consciousness, not religious code of conduct.

Our traditions are based entirely on our Dharma. There is absolutely no variance between the two. All your sanskara were because of the Hindu philosophy that is so deep rooted in the Indian culture. You cannot separate them even if you want to. That is why there are no rules. There is no blasphemy.

 

[Hack-Hook]

Ok now drink from an empty glass and pretend thats in fact a new drink!!!

let's not to pray to a superior being while drowning

 

[Edison Chen]

So what....as long as the people's life is good, why waste time doing such physics quiz? Is there any cash reward when get the correct answer?

 

[Skull and Bones]

Richard Dawkins was an absolute a$$hole. I have seen the debate. In general I don't have an argument with Dawkins as long as he stays on the subject of Abrahamic religions. Neuroplasticity is a reality. Our body and every object in this universe does undergo changes based on intention and other stuff he mentions about.



Our traditions are based entirely on our Dharma. There is absolutely no variance between the two. All your sanskara were because of the Hindu philosophy that is so deep rooted in the Indian culture. You cannot separate them even if you want to. That is why there are no rules. There is no blasphemy.

Not only particularly Richard Dawkins, Deepak Chopra cannot conduct respective debate and has very weak nerves. See this one, few very valid points.

And FYI, i do not see my upbringing any different from any suburban American kid, so Hindu philosophy is not applicable here. Even Muslim kids of our class in school and college has the same culture as i have.

 

[Hermione]

Right...So now what we see is interpreting religious beliefs to fit science, making the religion more 'scientific'. Just like how the Muslims does it with the Quran.

Nope. When you read Vedanta and Upanishads, there is only one truth that comes out. "Tat Tvam Asi" which means That Thou Art. Meaning you are god. That points to the integral unity of the whole cosmos. The entire universe, multiverse is manifestation of god.

Hinduism has always maintained "god is universe" not "god made universe."

Given this definition, everything literally is god. Every atom, every molecule, every quark. Every animate and inanimate object is god.

This is where Hindu worship of everything comes from, trees, rocks, snakes, cows, statues, mountains, rivers. Just about everything.

The principle of Karma is nothing more than cause and affect. Just that it plays out over multiple lifetimes. So saying one can be born as a rat or reincarnate as something else is not out of whack. Everything is sentient and every experience is considered the experience of god.

Another principle of Hinduism is the principle of Maya. Which means all that you see is an illusion. Now fit that in with what you know about the universe, about the constituents of every particle. What are atoms made up of? What is Higgs Boson all about?

So where is this particle which is supposed to give mass.

If you cannot find a particle which gives mass and if an electron placed in an vacuum lapses into a wave instead of being a particle then where is mass? What is mass made up of?

 

[Juice]

What would be the reason for this gap? They have world's best universities, their country have been pioneer in engineering and technology.But why is this ignorance,still? I am not sure but once I read that almost 75% of them believe in supernatural beings.

Not sure where they get these stats. Been living in the US for most of my life. Meet some idiots, to be sure, but none on this level. Are there special villages that contain these guys? I call shenanigans

 

[Hack-Hook]

Ok now drink from an empty glass and pretend thats in fact a new drink!!!

let's not to pray to a superior being while drowning in the middle of pacific

 

[Hermione]

Not only particularly Richard Dawkins, Deepak Chopra cannot conduct respective debate and has very weak nerves. See this one, few very valid points.

And FYI, i do not see my upbringing any different from any suburban American kid, so Hindu philosophy is not applicable here.

I have seen that one too. Actually, Sam Harris concedes every point Deepak makes. Sam himself is a spiritualist and he knows where Deepak comes from. When he argues about religion he is arguing about the Semitic ones and his fear is that Deepak's support for religion inadvertently supports Christian fanatics. Deepak is right. Where is image and memory stored in the Brain. Is it in the neural networks or where? If brain is made up of fat, can a lump of fat of similar composition have memories and dreams and images?

You know how much American culture has been influenced by Indian culture? How far America has traveled from the conservative Judeo-Christian ethos?

Can you make out the difference between Disney cartoons and panchatantra comics? Was animals having soul a Christian narrative?

You grew up in an Indian household in America. Your parents probably never forced any religious stuff on you exactly like millions of parents in India bring up their kids. Not to say American culture is Indian culture, but most probably you never got exposed to much of the difference there is.

Hindu philosophy is not applicable here.

You need to tell me what is it about Hindu philosophy that would be at variance with your suburban culture.

 

[Skull and Bones]

I have seen that one too. Actually, Sam Harris concedes every point Deepak makes. Sam himself is a spiritualist and he knows where Deepak comes from. When he argues about religion he is arguing about the Semitic ones and his fear is that Deepak's support for religion inadvertently supports Christian fanatics. Deepak is right. Where is image and memory stored in the Brain. Is it in the neural networks or where? If brain is made up of fat, can a lump of fat of similar composition have memories and dreams and images?

You know how much American culture has been influenced by Indian culture? How far America has traveled from the conservative Judeo-Christian ethos?

Can you make out the difference between Disney cartoons and panchatantra comics? Was animals having soul a Christian narrative?

You grew up in an Indian household in America. Your parents probably never forced any religious stuff on you exactly like millions of parents in India bring up their kids. Not to say American culture is Indian culture, but most probably you never got exposed to much of the difference there is.

To clarify the facts, i grew up in a village in Northeast India in a poor family till i was 23, not to mention the magnitude of faith increases with poverty (sarcasm).

To clarify your former point, i'm not a biologist to start with, i'm in Nanoelectronics in border with quantum physics and whatever Deepak mentioned about Quantum Physics isn't in sync with anything in reality. And as fact suggest even microbes has a type of primitive consciousness. Deepak terms every non measurable entity as God, does that mean with the increase in the sphere of knowledge, the area of influence of 'God' will decrease?

And no, i don't believe in soul either, we get birth as an intelligent organism and we die as an intelligent organism. That is the end. There is no Afterlife.

"The only plausible reason for people to believe in an after life, is because they are they are too narcissistic to imagine a world without them."

 

[notsuperstitious]

well the problem is that atheism is not abstinence at all at best you can consider it entering from the back door .

well let be serious ,what's the definition of religion . I wonder why the atheist bunch consider themselves separate from other its the meaning of religion according to Colombia encyclopedia.

"
a system of thought, feeling, and action that is shared by a group and that gives the members an object of devotion; a code of behavior by which individuals may judge the personal and social consequences of their actions; and a frame of reference by which individuals may relate to their group and their universe. Usually, religion concerns itself with that which transcends the known, the natural, or the expected; it is an acknowledgment of the extraordinary, the mysterious, and the supernatural. The religious consciousness generally recognizes a transcendent, sacred order and elaborates a technique to deal with the inexplicable or unpredictable elements of human experience in the world or beyond it."

you see for having a religion you really don't need to believe in a higher deity .
and now look at the categories of religion according to the same source .
"Another frequently used classification is based on the origins of the body of knowledge held by a certain religion: some religions are revealed, as in Judaism (where God revealed the Commandments to Moses), Christianity (where Christ, the Son of God, revealed the Word of the Father), and Islam (where the angel Gabriel revealed God's will to Muhammad). Some religions are nonrevealed, or “natural,” the result of human inquiry alone. Included among these and sometimes called philosophies of eternity are Buddhist sects (where Buddha is recognized not as a god but as an enlightened leader), Brahmanism, and Taoism and other Chinese metaphysical doctrines."
well @Abii @SHAMK9 @notsuperstitious @kbd-raaf let ask you why yo think an atheist can't be summarized in those categories .after all its organized and try to explain the world around us.

and Abii I feel sorry for you because you let your hatred for a group of people blind you toward many other things and made your judgement cloudy.

Are you following the religion of islam AND the religion of rejection of Santa Clause AND the religion of rejection of the theory that feathers grow in pillows? are you following three religions or one while rejecting two absurd illogical unsupported theories? You seem to suggest that rejecting the pillow theory is a religion, weird.

That would answer your irrational query.

 

[IND151]

Shocking very shocking.

 

[Hack-Hook]

I get the logic of their argument. Which is more like an own goal.

Which is like this: Atheists believe that there is no god purely based on faith and no evidence. So if it was a religion, then it is an admission by him that the religious believe in gods based on faith, and not on evidence.

I wonder why it's acceptable for atheists to have faith but for the religious it's considered own goal ?

 

[Fukuoka]

Hinduism is growing faster. Most rich educated people either choose Buddhism or new age spirituality which is nothing but variant of Hinduism.

.

Yes but we're are more attractive because we have restaurants and economic growth