Physicist Stephen Hawking has dismissed religion once again as he deemed heaven a "fairy story" aimed at appeasing those afraid of death.
The author of 1988 international best-seller "A Brief History of Time" said in an interview with The Guardian that his views were partly influenced by his battle with motor neuron disease.
"I have lived with the prospect of an early death for the last 49 years. I'm not afraid of death, but I'm in no hurry to die. I have so much I want to do first," he told the newspaper in an interview published on Monday.
"I regard the brain as a computer which will stop working when its components fail. There is no heaven or afterlife for broken down computers; that is a fairy story for people afraid of the dark."
Hawking's stance on religion has hardened since the publishing of his seminal work.
Previously, he wrote that the laws of physics meant it was simply not necessary to believe that God had intervened in the Big Bang.
He wrote in A Brief History ... "If we discover a complete theory, it would be the ultimate triumph of human reason -- for then we should know the mind of God."
In his 2010 book, "The Grand Design" he said the 1992 discovery of a planet orbiting another star other than the Sun helped deconstruct the view of the father of physics Isaac Newton that the universe could not have arisen out of chaos but was created by God.
"That makes the coincidences of our planetary conditions -- the single Sun, the lucky combination of Earth-Sun distance and solar mass, far less remarkable, and far less compelling evidence that the Earth was carefully designed just to please us human beings," he writes.
Since 1974, the scientist has worked on marrying the two cornerstones of modern physics -- Albert Einstein's General Theory of Relativity, which concerns gravity and large-scale phenomena, and quantum theory, which covers subatomic particles.
IMO, Religion is nothing more than a control system to keep the sheeple on the reservation......Stephen Hawking agrees. Not bad company to have on an idea.
And what about all the non Christian scientists that are believers?
Isn't burning at the stake SOP?
Personally, I think we should eat them. Waste not, want not.
Godfrey Smith: Mike, I wouldn't worry. Prosperity is just around the corner. Mike Flaherty: Yeah, it's been there a long time. I wish I knew which corner. My Man Godfrey (1936 2011)
I think the difference is in the semantics. Religion is a faith based dogma which governments HAVE and DO use to control the general populace.
Corrected.
No it is not really a matter of semantics. Religion, at its basis, is an attempt to explain life and the universe in which we live. It is an attempt to answer and explain the most fundamental questions of existence. Different religions have arrived at different answers and yet each is a complete system of thought aimed at answering man's most basic wonderings. The province of religion are such questions as:
Who am I?
What am I? Am I a body, a spirit, or a unity of spirit and body?
What is the nature of right and wrong?
What is right?
What is wrong?
How do I distinguish between the two?
In the West religion has become confused, and yes it is subject to manipulation, as only being "worship" of some kind, as well as being a subject dictated purely from authority. But that is not the only aspect of religion and it is a subset of a greater subject. Religious Philosophy is the study of those questions of existence which fall within the purview of religion. Some examples would be morality, and ethics that can be taught either from an authoritarian point of view or founded upon reason. Yet both are within the boundaries of what is called religion. The "Golden Rule" is a religious doctrine founded upon reason.
Buddhism is a Religion and yet, in its pure form, as taught by Gautama Siddhartha whom we today call THE Buddha (there was more than one) has not one single worship service within its doctrines or teachings.
Taoism is as well accorded the status of being A religion and yet it as well contains no form of worship.
The Western religions of today have at the root of their dogma, belief bereft of reason and dictated by another, authoritarianism founded upon a materialist viewpoint.
Eastern religions tend more toward the spiritual acknowledging "Man" as a spiritual being and not merely a hunk of mobile meat.
Each religion, in its own school, seeks to answer all of the fundamental questions of existence. However, it is reason that leads us to choose and to decide which path we wish to follow.
I had a long standing debate, never completely settled, with a couple of friends who were pastors. One argued from authority i.e., the laws of the Bible are to be followed without question or analysis. The other, with whom I was more sympatico, took a view closer to my own - that Biblical Laws are founded upon ultimate reason, and that they were laid out so as to be understood. The question which I posed, and still unsettled, is who is the more moral man? The man who follows dogmatically what he perceives to be "the law" without question? Or is it the man who seeks to understand those laws and why they are good and wholesome, who then follows them because reason suggests that they are wise laws?
Yes, in many cases, religion has been used as tool to shackle man, but that does not have to be so and it is not always so. Religion in the West has largely become dictatorial and as such based upon authoritarian pronouncements it has departed from reason and become a vehicle for small and venal men to whom the true subjects of religion are a foreign matter.
"Believe nothing merely because you have been told it. Do not believe what your teacher tells you merely out of respect for the teacher. But whatsoever, after due examination and analysis, you find to be kind, conducive to the good, the benefit, the welfare of all beings - that doctrine believe and cling to, and take it as your guide. ~ Gautama Siddhartha The Buddha
Godfrey Smith: Mike, I wouldn't worry. Prosperity is just around the corner. Mike Flaherty: Yeah, it's been there a long time. I wish I knew which corner. My Man Godfrey (1936 2011)
You have no proof of that what so ever. All the ones I know are not only believers but one is a minister.
Is proof needed? I could probably dig some up if you insist. We could play Battle of the Links and Sources.
And the minister is positive that his insignificant little jealous insecure psychopathic hypocritical murderous jew desert tribal god is the real creator god? He is indeed a man of (blind) faith.
AS for the other scientist believers (!) I dont have a problem with them. They probably haven't even read the bible. It's like a license agreement for installing software. No one reads them. They just click "I Agree" and away you go. So they have an excuse that the 'minister' doesn't have, since I presume he has read the bible and studied it.
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Click for Privacy and Preparedness files Satanism is about walking against the grain and going against what is considered acceptable by society. Therefore, it is impossible to make it socially acceptable, because when it is accepted by society it is no longer Satanism. -Unknown
Unlike Hawking you fail to grasp the size of the universe.
And you base that assertion upon what?
Have I ever said the physical universe was not vast in extent? NO.
In fact I have even entered into the argument that universe in which we currently exist is not the only universe.
Infinite galaxies, producing infinite planets will produce infinite Earth type planets where life can evolve.
And you know that there are infinite i.e., numbers without bound, galaxies how?
And how does simple quantity of matter beget life? Simply saying the universe is of great extent does not answer that fundamental question, and when you assert it does you are arguing from the authority of your own personal dogma.
Note to thumpers: - There is irrefutable proof that extraterrestrial intelligent beings exist that are vastly superior to us. Did your "god" make them too?
Superior in what way? And what do you mean by superior? Simple technology?
Morally?
Intellectually?
Spiritually?
You are offering assertions but no reason why anyone should accept them for anything more than the comments of someone who is hostile to the subject of religion. Certainly you offer no more basis to accept them as valid than that which is offered up by some backwoods hustler in a black Frock Coat.
"Believe nothing merely because you have been told it. Do not believe what your teacher tells you merely out of respect for the teacher. But whatsoever, after due examination and analysis, you find to be kind, conducive to the good, the benefit, the welfare of all beings - that doctrine believe and cling to, and take it as your guide. ~ Gautama Siddhartha The Buddha
the rejection of the existence of our Creator..if evidenced only by the creation..boggles the mind.
"If you love wealth more than liberty, the tranquility of servitude better than the animating contest of freedom, depart from us in peace. We ask not your counsel nor your arms. Crouch down and lick the hand that feeds you. May your chains rest lightly upon you and may posterity forget that you were our countrymen.Samuel Adams
"If you love wealth more than liberty, the tranquility of servitude better than the animating contest of freedom, depart from us in peace. We ask not your counsel nor your arms. Crouch down and lick the hand that feeds you. May your chains rest lightly upon you and may posterity forget that you were our countrymen.Samuel Adams
It's good that most scientists are atheists. Else we'd remain in the christian-generated dark ages.
Ever hear of Georges Lemaître? He was the Jesuit priest and astrophysicist who came up with the "Big Bang" theory (so named by Fred Hoyle, mocking the idea). The scientific establishment at the time mocked the idea. Even Einstein disliked it. Eventually the discovery of cosmic microwave background radiation validated his ideas.
Good thing too, else we'd remain in the atheist-generated dark ages of astrophysics.
So much for that. You speak of theory. Here is an example based on fact:
Ever hear of Galileo? lol. Fucking christians forced him to recant when he was right. Well, at least they didn't burn him alive, or stretch him on the rack, or rip his balls off. I suppose they'd call that an act of christian charity...
He stayed under house arrest for life.
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Click for Privacy and Preparedness files Satanism is about walking against the grain and going against what is considered acceptable by society. Therefore, it is impossible to make it socially acceptable, because when it is accepted by society it is no longer Satanism. -Unknown
I think I have discovered the reason why the Bible can contain contradictions, inconsistencies and absurdities and yet remain the immutable word of God. If God has infinite wisdom and infinite intelligence, then, He is capbable of an infinite range of compartmentalisation and rationalisation.... lol
Solutions for Ireland. Say NO to the IMF/World bank. Default on our debt. Print our own debt free currency. Nationalise the trillion euros worth of gas and oil off our west coast. Take back our fishing (200 billion worth). Get our farmers growing again. Done deal if our politicians had the backbone. ~ Jim Corr
So much for that. You speak of theory. Here is an example based on fact: Ever hear of Galileo?
Peerhaps you are unaware of how science is supposed to work (AGW not withstanding). Dont worry, I'll educate you. Theorys are formulated, tested, and accepted if found to be in agreement with observation. Thus far, the "Big Bang" theory is still the accepted standard. There are ideas in competition with it. They have their own problems and are still being tested.
Funny, you have to go back to the 1600's to Galileo, while my example was from the relativly recent 1960's. Atheists just love Galileo, Georges Lemaître and others not so much. LOL.
That Hawking is the most qualified person on this planet, and the rest of us are unable to comprehend the universe as he does.
And you know that there are infinite i.e., numbers without bound, galaxies how?
A quick look at most Hubble photos show billions of galaxies....that's how. To me with my puny earthling brain, that's infinite.
And how does simple quantity of matter beget life? Simply saying the universe is of great extent does not answer that fundamental question, and when you assert it does you are arguing from the authority of your own personal dogma.
Dogma? You're kidding, right. The shear mathematics make life on other planets a guaranteed event.
Superior in what way? And what do you mean by superior? Simple technology?
All that matters is the technology. Were the Spanish superior morally to the Indians they tortured to convert to Heysus? It doesn't matter, they had superior technology in the form of guns and steel swords and we able to impose their will with impunity.
You are offering assertions but no reason why anyone should accept them for anything more than the comments of someone who is hostile to the subject of religion.
Believe what you wish, I'm not here to convert you to anything.
Don't forget to tithe, Heysus needs money
"The person who agrees with you 80 percent of the time is a friend and an ally not a 20 percent traitor" - Ronald Reagan
It was written by men and edited by kings....enough said.
I think Saul was a Roman psyop.. lol
Solutions for Ireland. Say NO to the IMF/World bank. Default on our debt. Print our own debt free currency. Nationalise the trillion euros worth of gas and oil off our west coast. Take back our fishing (200 billion worth). Get our farmers growing again. Done deal if our politicians had the backbone. ~ Jim Corr
I'm not an atheist. But it seems silly to say that one must believe in the kike 'god' or one's an atheist. It's a big universe. Too big for a pissy nutty little desert god.
Funny, you have to go back to the 1600's to Galileo, while my example was from the relativly recent 1960's
That is not relevant to the discussion. But lets go with it, shall we? Let's talk modern times.
The church has advanced! Congratulations! They no longer burn people alive or torture them. Well, at least not in the open. They have their sheep do it for them, by proxy. The pope and the rest of that bunch don't like blood in their robes. It's a PITA to clean the stains off of them.
So here is an example. 500,000 Iraqi kids died from sanctions. That kike cunt Albright said it was worth it. I'm sure you've seen the video of that. If not, let me know and I'll post it.
Tell me. Where was the 'church' when that was happening? Was there an outcry? Protest? I don't remember any such actions. I don't even remember hearing about that story as it was happening.
500,000 is just a number though. Let's put it in terms that are more easy to imagine.
Assume an average height of 2 feet per dead kid. That is a total of 1,000,000 feet in length, stretched out head to toe. You would make a line of baby corpses 189 miles long. That is a conservative estimate. But it was worth it. And the fucking church said nothing?
So where was the mighty righteous christian church? Tell me. maybe I missed something?
Useless motherfuckers. The further away I get from christianity, the shittier it looks.
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Click for Privacy and Preparedness files Satanism is about walking against the grain and going against what is considered acceptable by society. Therefore, it is impossible to make it socially acceptable, because when it is accepted by society it is no longer Satanism. -Unknown
"Believe nothing merely because you have been told it. Do not believe what your teacher tells you merely out of respect for the teacher. But whatsoever, after due examination and analysis, you find to be kind, conducive to the good, the benefit, the welfare of all beings - that doctrine believe and cling to, and take it as your guide. ~ Gautama Siddhartha The Buddha
(contd from below), rape, steal, lie, etc serves no 'controlling' purpose, but rather benefits all the world.
Actually I don't even know who Hawking is.The notion that religion (moral law) is to "control the masses" is propogated by the very elite tyrants who we oppose & who seek to destroy goodness,& liberty.Encouraging people to love one another & not murder,
"Even to the death fight for truth, and the LORD your God will battle for you".Sirach 4:28
They were the "angels" whom spoke to the "prophets", if an entity of any sort did.
They are not God though. God is everything, and all of us, and beyond.
"The real deal is this: the royalty controlling the court, the ones with the power, the ones with the ability to make a difference, with the ability to change our course, the ones who will live in infamy if we pass the tipping points, are the captains of industry, CEOs in fossil fuel companies such as EXXON/Mobil, automobile manufacturers, utilities, all of the leaders who have placed short-term profit above the fate of the planet and the well-being of our children." - James Hansen
Religion, at its basis, is an attempt to explain life and the universe in which we live. It is an attempt to answer and explain the most fundamental questions of existence. Different religions have arrived at different answers and yet each is a complete system of thought aimed at answering man's most basic wonderings.
On one hand, yes. Religion exists for all of what you mention. However, religion is just an unreasonable belief in a story one has been told to believe.
Spritual Paths, such as Budhism and Taoism, do not consider themselves a religion. They view their beliefs as a learning experience, and meditate to receive further enlightenment.
There are MANY beliefs, but only one Truth. That which is found by seeking and being of pure spirit, will be that Truth.
"The real deal is this: the royalty controlling the court, the ones with the power, the ones with the ability to make a difference, with the ability to change our course, the ones who will live in infamy if we pass the tipping points, are the captains of industry, CEOs in fossil fuel companies such as EXXON/Mobil, automobile manufacturers, utilities, all of the leaders who have placed short-term profit above the fate of the planet and the well-being of our children." - James Hansen
That which lies beyond our understanding, yet existed before existence itself.
Like I said, beyond our understanding, since there can be an infinite number of existences, ie. other universes, which exist in parallel with our own.
"The real deal is this: the royalty controlling the court, the ones with the power, the ones with the ability to make a difference, with the ability to change our course, the ones who will live in infamy if we pass the tipping points, are the captains of industry, CEOs in fossil fuel companies such as EXXON/Mobil, automobile manufacturers, utilities, all of the leaders who have placed short-term profit above the fate of the planet and the well-being of our children." - James Hansen
Actually I don't even know who Hawking is.The notion that religion (moral law) is to "control the masses" is propogated by the very elite tyrants who we oppose & who seek to destroy goodness,& liberty.Encouraging people to love one another & not murder,
That is true as well. The Psychs who run the manipulation show and cultural destruction operations for the psychotic banksters absolutely hate religion - much as a Vampire shown a cross. Religion teaches us that their are limits and that there is such a thing as good and decent behavior. To the "if it feels good do it" crowd that is an anathema. After all what if pedophelia is what makes them "feel good", but religion teaches us to protect, rear (as opposed to rear end), and nurture children. there is no room for their twisted behavior in that.
It is no secret and a matter of public record that Psychiatrists have the highest suicide rate of any medical specialty. They also have the highest conviction rate for financial fraud, and patient sexual abuse. Says a lot about how effective their quackery is.
"Believe nothing merely because you have been told it. Do not believe what your teacher tells you merely out of respect for the teacher. But whatsoever, after due examination and analysis, you find to be kind, conducive to the good, the benefit, the welfare of all beings - that doctrine believe and cling to, and take it as your guide. ~ Gautama Siddhartha The Buddha
The notion that religion (moral law) is to "control the masses" is propogated by the very elite tyrants who we oppose & who seek to destroy goodness,& liberty
What sort of people are the hard core Bush and Cheney supporters? Buddhists?
Which sort of folk want to anhilate those "muzzies" over "there" before they come here?
"The real deal is this: the royalty controlling the court, the ones with the power, the ones with the ability to make a difference, with the ability to change our course, the ones who will live in infamy if we pass the tipping points, are the captains of industry, CEOs in fossil fuel companies such as EXXON/Mobil, automobile manufacturers, utilities, all of the leaders who have placed short-term profit above the fate of the planet and the well-being of our children." - James Hansen
The Psychs who run the manipulation show and cultural destruction operations for the psychotic banksters absolutely hate religion - much as a Vampire shown a cross.
Well that's a leap. You could say that satanists hate christians, and yeah, the reverse is true.
However, religion is a drug. It deludes one's mind with things that the REAL mind controllers wish, in order to yank that person around with deep rooted fear if they don't do as they're told to do by those in "authority".
In the not too distant past, people were tortured to death if they did not "believe" properly.
That is a work of evil, not one of good.
"The real deal is this: the royalty controlling the court, the ones with the power, the ones with the ability to make a difference, with the ability to change our course, the ones who will live in infamy if we pass the tipping points, are the captains of industry, CEOs in fossil fuel companies such as EXXON/Mobil, automobile manufacturers, utilities, all of the leaders who have placed short-term profit above the fate of the planet and the well-being of our children." - James Hansen
2. What we as humans perceive to be God and the Devil are of the same thing.
3. Our Creator, our Father has more intelligence and love for us than we can begin to imagine...
I believe God is closer than that. WE are ALL part of God, and that is why it is such an evil thing to corrupt or hurt another being, and NOT just humans, as ALL living beings are ALSO part of God.
God is not evil by nature, so God is not the Devil. There IS no devil, but there IS evil. And that is the flip side of everything, there is a positive and a negative. God represents a positive constructive force, whereas evil represents a negative destructive force. Yet, without both, there could not be life, since destruction clears the way for construction many times each second in the form of cell life and death for instance.
So evil is not the destructive force of God, evil is just a human trait which creates harmful energy which feeds on itself to grow stronger.
It's much easier to think that is true, rather than to view the universe as a balancing act between a Good God and a Bad Devil, where for everything to work out, it has to be that way.
"The real deal is this: the royalty controlling the court, the ones with the power, the ones with the ability to make a difference, with the ability to change our course, the ones who will live in infamy if we pass the tipping points, are the captains of industry, CEOs in fossil fuel companies such as EXXON/Mobil, automobile manufacturers, utilities, all of the leaders who have placed short-term profit above the fate of the planet and the well-being of our children." - James Hansen
"To achieve world government, it is necessary to remove from the minds of men their individualism, loyalty to family traditions, national patriotism and religious dogmas..." G. Brock Chisholm, psychiatrist and co-founder of the World Federation of Mental Health
"I regard myself as one of the most dangerous enemies of religion." Sigmund Freud
"In short, the nature of the hallucinations of Jesus, as they are described in the orthodox Gospels, permits us to conclude that the founder of the Christian religion was afflicted with religious paranoia." Psychiatrist Dr. Charles Binet-Sangle: La Folie de Jesus (The Madness of Jesus), 1910
"We can therefore justifiably stress our particular point of view with regard to the proper development of the human psyche, even though our knowledge be incomplete. We must aim to make it permeate every educational activity in our national life . We have made a useful attack upon a number of professions. The two easiest of them naturally are the teaching profession and the Church: the two most difficult are law and medicine." Dr. John Rawlings Rees, "Strategic Planning for Mental Health", June 18, 1940
"It was only through the political work of Hitler that the meaning of racial hygiene has become publicly manifest in Germany, and it is only due to him that our thirty-year-old dream to put racial hygiene into practice has become a reality." Dr. Ernst Rudin, Nazi psychiatrist, explaining how psychiatrists in Germany originated the ideas of genocide which Hitler later executed. Note: Planned Parenthood founder Margaret Sanger published Rudin's article in the U.S.: "Eugenic Sterilization: An Urgent Need"
"Believe nothing merely because you have been told it. Do not believe what your teacher tells you merely out of respect for the teacher. But whatsoever, after due examination and analysis, you find to be kind, conducive to the good, the benefit, the welfare of all beings - that doctrine believe and cling to, and take it as your guide. ~ Gautama Siddhartha The Buddha
Do you think the Iraq and Afghan wars would have been possible without religion involved? If the "terrorists" had been Christians from Spain, would we have declared war on Spain? That and France just for good measure?
How many Buddhists supported either war? Or, on the other hand, who DID support it, cheer it on, and want MORE MORE MORE????
"The real deal is this: the royalty controlling the court, the ones with the power, the ones with the ability to make a difference, with the ability to change our course, the ones who will live in infamy if we pass the tipping points, are the captains of industry, CEOs in fossil fuel companies such as EXXON/Mobil, automobile manufacturers, utilities, all of the leaders who have placed short-term profit above the fate of the planet and the well-being of our children." - James Hansen
OI, did you dig deep for those quotes? I thought you were a Scientologist? Don't you view volcanoes as the source of all life?
"The real deal is this: the royalty controlling the court, the ones with the power, the ones with the ability to make a difference, with the ability to change our course, the ones who will live in infamy if we pass the tipping points, are the captains of industry, CEOs in fossil fuel companies such as EXXON/Mobil, automobile manufacturers, utilities, all of the leaders who have placed short-term profit above the fate of the planet and the well-being of our children." - James Hansen
They ARE the founders and initiates of "law" and "medicine", who are you kidding?
"The real deal is this: the royalty controlling the court, the ones with the power, the ones with the ability to make a difference, with the ability to change our course, the ones who will live in infamy if we pass the tipping points, are the captains of industry, CEOs in fossil fuel companies such as EXXON/Mobil, automobile manufacturers, utilities, all of the leaders who have placed short-term profit above the fate of the planet and the well-being of our children." - James Hansen