Would you change your religious views

[aesthetics]

This isn't meant to create a bunch of conflict between beliefs... it's simply inspired by a book I am reading called Things Fall Apart. (Btw, anyone here read it?) It takes place in Nigeria in a town where everybody worships several gods (ie: earth goddess, thunder god, crop goddess, etc.)

Then later on, white men come and start speaking of the Christian God and start breaking all of the "rules" that are attributed to the many gods of Mbanta.

For example... the 'evil forest' is said to be full of terrible spirits, so the clansmen give the Christians a plot of land in the evil forest, thinking that after 28 days they will be dead. They aren't. Other things like this continue to happen, and as they do, the Mbantan people start to convert.

So the question here is: If some outside people who you've never seen before showed up in your town and started proving all of your religious beliefs false, would you convert? Or would you stick to what you've known all your life, and what your fathers before you had known all of theirs?

 

[Alone]

Since I have no religious beliefs, someone would have to come and prove there was a God. I would welcome that.

 

[Ns1]

Originally posted by: Alone
Since I have no religious beliefs, someone would have to come and prove there was a God. I would welcome that.

This.


And by prove there was a god I mean raise Naploeon from the dead and have him walk on water.

 

[rbV5]

but what if they couldn't provide me with proof of their fairy man in the sky? wut then??

 

[Chaotic42]

It would be hard to prove that the Christian God, an entity who exists by faith alone, doesn't exist.

 

[aesthetics]

Originally posted by: Chaotic42
It would be hard to prove that the Christian God, an entity who exists by faith alone, doesn't exist.

I don't mean that they have proven their religion to be accurate. I just mean if yours had been completely blown out of the water.

 

[SlitheryDee]

Yes. The very fact that I would do that plays a big part in my views on religion. But "converting" for me wouldn't be the same thing as it would for a lot of people. I would merely go from a reasonable certainty of one thing to a reasonable certainty of something else. At no time would I ever admit to absolute certainty.

 

[zinfamous]

Would you continue to troll if there were no internets?

 

[aesthetics]

Originally posted by: zinfamous
Would you continue to troll if there were no internets?

aw. I'm not a troll.

 

[zinfamous]

Originally posted by: aesthetics

Originally posted by: zinfamous
Would you continue to troll if there were no internets?

aw. I'm not a troll.

so you just play one on ATOT?

fair enough.

 

[aesthetics]

Originally posted by: zinfamous

Originally posted by: aesthetics

Originally posted by: zinfamous
Would you continue to troll if there were no internets?

aw. I'm not a troll.

so you just play one on ATOT?

fair enough.

mm no. I don't see how my thread is a troll post... I'm not advocating any particular religion, nor am I downplaying anyone's views. you're the one trolling here, bud...

 

[DaveSimmons]

Originally posted by: aesthetics
For example... the 'evil forest' is said to be full of terrible spirits, so the clansmen give the Christians a plot of land in the evil forest, thinking that after 28 days they will be dead. They aren't. Other things like this continue to happen, and as they do, the Mbantan people start to convert.

Sounds like they just tricked themselves into thinking the Christian god has stronger magic than their own gods. A more rational response would be to question the existence of all gods, not just the ones that failed to kill the Christians.

But yes, if someone offered positive proof of the existence of the Flying Spaghetti Monster I would indeed bow down to his noodly appendage. Ramen.

 

[zinfamous]

Originally posted by: aesthetics

Originally posted by: zinfamous

Originally posted by: aesthetics

Originally posted by: zinfamous
Would you continue to troll if there were no internets?

aw. I'm not a troll.

so you just play one on ATOT?

fair enough.

mm no. I don't see how my thread is a troll post... I'm not advocating any particular religion, nor am I downplaying anyone's views. you're the one trolling here, bud...

who started this religion thread?

just checking....

 

[aesthetics]

Originally posted by: DaveSimmons

Originally posted by: aesthetics
For example... the 'evil forest' is said to be full of terrible spirits, so the clansmen give the Christians a plot of land in the evil forest, thinking that after 28 days they will be dead. They aren't. Other things like this continue to happen, and as they do, the Mbantan people start to convert.

Sounds like they just tricked themselves into thinking the Christian god has stronger magic than their own gods. A more rational response would be to question the existence of all gods, not just the ones that failed to kill the Christians.

But yes, if someone offered positive proof of the existence of the Flying Spaghetti Monster I would indeed bow down to his noodly appendage. Ramen.

Hahah. Mmm, noodles.

 

[TallBill]

Nothing would make be believe that a god exists. Even if I saw a god tear a hole in the sky and come talk to me I'd still realize that I was hallucinating.

 

[Shadow Conception]

I would believe in God if somebody showed me unmistakable, undoubtedly true proof.

 

[HardcoreRobot]

show me one, and i will pay my respects

 

[DaveSimmons]

If I prove that your house is not overrun with badgers, does that provide any evidence that it is filled with snakes instead?

Example

 

[GagHalfrunt]

Originally posted by: Chaotic42
It would be hard to prove that the Christian God, an entity who exists by faith alone, doesn't exist.

It's not our job to prove he doesn't exist, it's his job to prove that he does. So far he's failed miserably.

 

[destrekor]

Originally posted by: TallBill
Nothing would make be believe that a god exists. Even if I saw a god tear a hole in the sky and come talk to me I'd still realize that I was hallucinating.

Yeah, I'd imagine I'd downplay any 'spiritual' event as something I imagined, either a crazy real dream (I have those, and sometimes conversations can go weird when I reference a dream and it didn't actually happen :laugh or had some hallucination.

I'd need something tangible, like a gift was given to me by this 'god' character. If it matched my own personal ideas of what a being that could be called god-like would be, then I might be more inclined to believe it was real.

 

[xSauronx]

Originally posted by: TallBill
Nothing would make be believe that a god exists. Even if I saw a god tear a hole in the sky and come talk to me I'd still realize that I was hallucinating.

seriously. id think i was going nuts.

 

[IronWing]

Originally posted by: aesthetics

So the question here is: If some outside people who you've never seen before showed up in your town and started proving all of your religious beliefs false, would you convert? Or would you stick to what you've known all your life, and what your fathers before you had known all of theirs?

The time-honored answer is: We'd kill them.

 

[RichUK]

?

I have my own religion. In this religion I am God.

°_°

 

[Kadarin]

Originally posted by: Shadow Conception
I would believe in God if somebody showed me unmistakable, undoubtedly true proof.

God either exists, or doesn't, and no amount of belief will change that. If God were proven to exist, you wouldn't "believe in God", you would just accept the fact of God's existence and there would be no point in "belief" or faith.

Christianity (and most other religions) require faith because they're essentially based on nothing other than made-up ideas.

 

[sixone]

My answer applies to all kinds of beliefs: religious, political, cultural, and so on.

Some people will follow the last convincing argument they heard. They're open-minded, but sometimes to a fault. They'll change their mind on little more than which way the wind blows.

And some people will never ever change their mind, no matter what they see first-hand. Sometimes it's because they can't admit that they were wrong before, sometimes it's fear, sometimes it's not in what they think is their best interest to accept something new.

It's nature and nurture, and different for each of us.