Science Saved My Soul

[video=youtube;r6w2M50_Xdk]http/www.youtube.com/watch?v=r6w2M50_Xdk[/video]

This made more sense to me than all the shit I've had to listen to my whole life.

 

This video contains content from EMI, who has blocked it in your country on copyright grounds.

-ok.

 

lol Too bad. Use a proxy site?

 

Try this site if you can't see the video.

http://proxy.org/

 

In what way did it save your soul?

 

Just to view a video? oh yes sure.

 

Well I love how he speaks about science but he is truly a religious hater. He seems knowledgeable about science but knows little of religion.

 

The title of the video is ironic. I do respect his opinion about religion. Although, being an atheist could be considered as a religion since being an atheist also needs faith

 

Let's not take the line literally. Using the word Soul in this context is using a concept one derives from the opposing idea, presenting a beautiful irony.

Just sayin.

He is merely stating what is and what isn't. Hating would be stating subjective opinions. He is stating objective, observable facts about religion. Even my theist friends cannot challenge the ideas he presents here. They even find it somewhat inspiring. I'm definitely curious as to how you came to the conclusion that he knows so little about religion. Please do tell.

Considering atheism as a religion is to consider an empty open container being the same as that of a full brimming barrel of wine. Atheism as a religion is a figment of your imagination. Faith is the denial of observation so that belief can be preserved. Atheism adjusts its views on the grounds of observable objective facts. To think that atheism is akin to religion would be a huge contradiction to what atheism is all about.

 

Well considering he was very descriptive on his love for science but didn't do the same for religion itself and only based it aspects on god, it gave the impression. He probably knows but when you fail to mention certain things, it will ultimately give the impression to the audience. Judging by his character, he seems quite the guy that is based on facts, so he probably found quite a background on 'facts' about religion even though I personally see it as a form of faith that isn't binded by facts. But then again religion (certain ones) tries to make theirs the universal facts about the beginning and deny's all others.

 

I think you just reiterated yourself. I'm curious as to which parts you think lacked a more profound, detailed deduction about religion. What I want to know are the things you think he doesn't know or failed to mention about religion.

 

Before I can answer this, I must ask this before hand so I see a reason to continue, what do you hope to achieve from this discussion? I see your question but it seems you're interested in testing my own understanding of religion by pinpointing the specifics he missed out.

 

There is no test. I merely wish to know what you think about religion and why you think the way you do about it. I maybe an atheist but I find it fascinating to learn why people stick to a religion they feel is a part of their lives. Every theist has their own reasons, some shallow and some so important to them that they cannot imagine living their lives without it. I merely wish to know what it is for each specific person.

It's not gonna give me some profound discovery but it satisfies my curiosity about people's motivations for believing what they choose to believe. As a theist friend said to me once: "You look at me, not judging, but just looking. And hoping to understand a smaller part of a bigger picture."

I am not here to challenge your own beliefs. I am here to try to look at the reasons why you believe what you believe.

 

[video=youtube;VsOPiH-xbRs]http/www.youtube.com/watch?v=VsOPiH-xbRs&feature=related[/video]

science, eh?:w00t:

 

Ah I see. Well I wont exactly call myself religious, I prefer to see myself as a more soulful person but partly influenced by science, religion and philosophy, I have a friend who is heavily influenced by theoretical physics and he is partly the reason why I've came to a better understand of science itself, took some books by Michio Kaku, watched some documentaries by David Cock and read a book called the Ra Materials.

I guess one of my believes is that our souls is in fact intelligent energy in which this energy is love (that burning passion do what you love most whether it's positive or negative) and that beyond our physical dimension were actual one whole intelligent energy that has been separated into individuality but is still a whole of the original energy, so I believe every in encounter with another individual is an encounter with yourself.

My morales are more driving by Buddhism and the Ying Yang theory (well that's more philosophy but religion was born from philosophy so it's okay). How I'll help people and the fact that I'm helping them means I am also helping myself since that person is partly me as I am him. When something goes wrong through a choice I've made I'll try seek something good out of it and learn from that mistake. There are moments were I do mediation, it is a way for me stepping closer to my inner energy and releases the negativity that might dwell within that was influenced by my environment.

I never found that faith to believe that their is a God since it is too bias for me and that it puts God before the Earth's importance, were all children of the Earth and the planetary system and I believe in protection of the planet and it will protect us in return. But in the end I still believe all people need some form of a faith which doesn't necessarily have to be connected to a religion, we all can survive and live without a ​religion but we need our own faith to get through the day and our own belief to get through life.

 

I have to admit you are the first person I've ever had the chance of having a discussion who actually managed to separate and differentiate spirituality from religion. Even though I don't believe in the existence of the soul, I can see the human individual's need to verify his own identity, existence and purpose.

Where I'm from, people tend to go ballistic when I present the idea that the human construct known as the soul does not in any way require religion to assert its existence since spirituality was formed out of the desire to nourish, understand and evolve the individual's own self in contrast to the social nature of religion. I only ever had desirable affirmations on this topic when talking to individuals coming from eastern beliefs, most specifically Buddhism.

In my opinion, spiritualists have a better grasp on the human condition and of morality than religious fundamentalists. This is just of course, coming from an atheist who does not believe in both.

But I have to say that your motivations behind your moral values does not fall far from my own personal moral views. I believe that something is morally right or good when it promotes happiness, health and well-being to a person or a society and prevents unnecessary harm, pain and suffering. Vice versa, something is morally wrong or bad when it induces harm, pain and suffering to an individual or a society and diminishes happiness, health and well-being.

This stems from the human desire for self preservation and is by definition a main driving force in the universal law of morality. "Do to others what you would like others do to you. Likewise do not do to others what you would not want others to do to you." It asserts the human individual's capacity for empathy. We have that ability to understand and feel what it would be like if we were in the same position as someone else. It is of course often subjected to human emotions such as anger, hatred and resentment but the point is, it is there. You treat others the way you do because you want to be treated the same way.

I do agree that abandoning the importance of a god puts focus on the real human issues that actually matter. I have my own beliefs but whether I consider it as faith in something or not, just to make life meaningful is a whole other matter.

 

This was very enjoyable to read with quite a few good points too. I don't know what to even add to it.