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Tink said:
This is what happens when you take religion and God out of the equation, you end up with a cold heartless killing culture, abortion, euthanasia, the list goes on.
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Atheists Against Abortion

https://www.google.com.au/?gfe_rd=c...oG4Dg&gws_rd=cr#q="Atheists+against+abortion"

Abortion Rates Higher for Religious Women

According to the BBC, "Catholic women in the United States are as likely as women in the general population to have an abortion, and 29% more likely than Protestant women." They are quoting research from the Alan Guttmacher Institute.

A survey at an abortion clinic found that 40% of women getting an abortion were Catholic, 40% were from other religions and 20% were non-religious. This is even though only about 25% of US people are Catholics.

http://www.lisashea.com/lisabase/aboutme/abortion.html

Useful Atheism Statistics

I pulled together data on frequency of prayer from over 50 countries, and found that countries where people prayed more frequently had lower life expectancy and scored lower on the Peace Index. They also had higher infant mortality, homicide rates, and levels of corruption, and had more AIDS and more abortion. That's pretty conclusive.

.......

In general, higher rates of belief in and worship of a creator correlate with higher rates of homicide, juvenile and early adult mortality, STD infection rates, teen pregnancy, and abortion in the prosperous democracies. The most theistic prosperous democracy, the U.S., is exceptional, but not in the manner Franklin predicted. The United States is almost always the most dysfunctional of the developed democracies, sometimes spectacularly so, and almost always scores poorly.

http://www.atheistnexus.org/forum/topics/useful-atheism-statistics
 
bellenuit said:
...
I pulled together data on frequency of prayer from over 50 countries, and found that countries where people prayed more frequently had lower life expectancy and scored lower on the Peace Index. They also had higher infant mortality, homicide rates, and levels of corruption, and had more AIDS and more abortion. That's pretty conclusive.

....
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One might want to consider the question of causality before drawing conclusions from statistics such as these.

Are people choosing to pray in an effort to remedy the traumatic imposts of their environment, or did such trauma result from the population's propensity to prayer?
 
Some atheists in here struggle with the distinction between
1) what Christianity teaches.
2) how people who profess to believe in Christianity act in their lives.

Christianity is no more discredited by the lives of hypocritical followers than Pythagoras is if I claim to use his formula to solve mathematics problems, I plug in the wrong formula which isn't actually his, and get the wrong answer.
 
I can also tell you another thing. If I was an atheist I certainly wouldn't be on a forum looking up studies and stats on religion and a concept of god that I see as ridiculous. It would be the last thing is even consider doing!

There is something about God that people just can't shake off.

Guys, seriously.... go out and have fun. Do what you love. Spend time with family. Live your life to the full.
I don't mean this in a condescending way. I just think there are so many better things from your worldviews that you would be doing with your time!!!!!!!
 
pavilion103 said:
I can also tell you another thing. If I was an atheist I certainly wouldn't be on a forum looking up studies and stats on religion and a concept of god that I see as ridiculous. It would be the last thing is even consider doing!
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:confused:

IF you mean that what is the point in arguing it, then yeah i agree....there's no point in trying to change anyone's beliefs...they must come to believe things on their own.
 
cynic said:
One might want to consider the question of causality before drawing conclusions from statistics such as these.

Are people choosing to pray in an effort to remedy the traumatic imposts of their environment, or did such trauma result from the population's propensity to prayer?
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Excellent point Cynic. You beat me to it. :xyxthumbs
 
Wikipedia has an interesting table of weeping statues: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Weeping_statue

The one in Rockingham looks interesting: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/2255713.stm
Sceptics are sure the statue is a fake, but no-one has yet been able to prove it.
Devout Catholic Patty Powell, 47, paid $82 (Aus $150) for the statue in Bangkok eight years ago.
Curtin University X-ray expert Rob Hart could find no cavity or sign of fluid inside the statue, although he reported an unexplained mass at the statue's feet.
Murdoch University chemist Doug Clarke, who tested the oily liquid, told reporters he thought someone had been "very tricky", but he could find no proof the statue was fake.
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There is a link to "Hoaxes Exposed": http://www.randi.org/jr/042304seven.html but it's dead, as is the YouTube link.

Come on skeptics. Surely it wouldn't be difficult to track down the manufacturers of these cheap statues and offer them money to reveal how they did it. Hasn't James Randi got $1 million up for grabs? That would have to put a big smile on the face of an empoverished Thai statue maker, wouldn't it?

Make a documentary exposing the whole business and sell it around the world ... you'd make a fortune! :rolleyes:
 
Chris45 said:
Weeping statues - genuine or fake? :rolleyes:

http://www.news.com.au/world/crowds...-tarshiha-israel/story-fndir2ev-1226824907246

Should be easy enough to prove a hoax I thought, but I have not been able to find any precise explanations of how it's done.

Bellenuit ...?
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Not the one you are referring to (I don't have time to look now and obviously will need to see some reports from other sources), but this is one I remember from last year. Note the role played by the local Catholic laity leaders in promoting the "truth"

Jesus Wept

A skeptic faces possible charges for debunking Mumbai’s miracle statue

http://www.slate.com/articles/healt..._water_an_indian_skeptic_debunks_miracle.html
 
cynic said:
One might want to consider the question of causality before drawing conclusions from statistics such as these.

Are people choosing to pray in an effort to remedy the traumatic imposts of their environment, or did such trauma result from the population's propensity to prayer?
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Yes, of course, correlation is not causation. But at least I have on this and several other occasions at least went to the bother of producing some data to debunk the claims made on this forum. Those making such claims never seem to feel a need to produce evidence in support of their claims. And on previous occasions the data I produced was just summarily dismissed because it came from an atheist or sceptic website, even though for some statistics they were just relaying what had been found by independent bodies.

IMO and statistics also support this correlation (but causation is always difficult to prove) the increased crime rates, abortions etc. are due to the education or in particular lack of education of those in the study groups, which also is correlated to their religiosity.

I am not saying that educated people cannot be religious, but across most of the world (the US being a major exception for reasons mentioned in the previous studies above) religious observance is highest among the less educated in society. There are many studies that also support a high negative correlation between increased education levels and religious observance while at the same time a reduction in abortion and anti-social crimes of that population group.
 
I have a problem with child euthanasia, under 12's, and was expressing my view.
You are entitled to your own.
 
Tink said:
I have a problem with child euthanasia, under 12's, and was expressing my view.
You are entitled to your own.
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Sorry Tink,

I don't mean to denigrate your view.
Until recently, I would have agreed with you.

I don't have a problem with age.
I do however, have a problem with process.

I would happily have flown my mother to Brussels,
if she would have wanted that!
 
That's fine, burglar, I didn't see it that way, we all have differing opinions and its good that we can share them.

My view is --

That country has completely lost the plot.
What is happening in this world.

I see that process as dangerous.
Just my opinion.
 
Tink said:
This is what happens when you take religion and God out of the equation, you end up with a cold heartless killing culture, abortion, euthanasia, the list goes on.

How can we get rid of people we don't need or want in society?
Now Belgium wants to bring in euthanasia with no age limit.

Too bad we don't think the same for criminals.
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Although you have expressed that it is just your opinion, I would take issue with you describing the Belgian situation as cold heartless killing.

For what I understand the legislation to encompass:

1. It must be with the full consent of the parents.
2. It must have the full consent of the child made when that child was in full control of his senses.
3. It must be consented to by 3 doctors, who not only confirm 2 above, but have also determined that the child is in excruciating pain without any chance of recovery.

I am aware that safeguards can sometimes be circumvented, but nothing would be ever legislated if that was an overriding issue.

Sometimes the heartless people are those who think others should live in excruciating pain because of their beliefs rather than those of the sufferer.
 
Yes, lets pull the plug on everyone, its all hopeless, no fight left in you to get through and beat this illness. Lets just give them the option, get the needle its over.
We are talking children here bellenuit, and there is a grey area in the legislation.
You mean to say babies and children can say what they think?

A lot have been diagnosed with debilitating illnesses and have beaten the odds, Jimmy Steins was one that was only given six months to live but lasted three years, and contributed a hell of a lot in life in that time.
Its called the will to live, the will to fight this disease.

Anyway, you are entitled to your views, I dont agree with it.

 
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Tink said:
Its called the will to live, the will to fight this disease.
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It's called a platitude. Try walking into a hospice and looking someone in the eye who is in constant pain with a terminal illness waiting to die so they can be put out of their misery and reciting your trite rejoinder to them.
 
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