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  1. TheTrendyCynic

    Religion: Evolution Of The Perfect Lie

    This is what happens when you summarize your objection in a single sentence; I did the best I could and addressed all possible objections you could have meant. I posted the definition of compel not to patronize you, but to explicitly define it such as to rule out any possible semantic confusion...
  2. TheTrendyCynic

    Religion: Evolution Of The Perfect Lie

    Because they will respond "On the existence of God, an objective truth of which I am certain." I could respond to that by saying 'prove it,' but that leaves me with the negative claim of atheism, and I am attempting to make a positive claim: That I can prove religion is an idea that is not based...
  3. TheTrendyCynic

    Religion: Evolution Of The Perfect Lie

    Then allow me to enlighten you: The mechanism of natural selection is certainly irresistable; observe the structure of Darwin's own description of the phenomenon. There is no exception. If an organism meets the conditions set out by the four premises, the conclusion is inescapable: It will be...
  4. TheTrendyCynic

    Right and wrong, Good and evil,

    Perhaps. If I came to your house and stole one of your cars, would you hand me the keys to the other one if I asked? If I took those keys, then smacked you in the face, would you smile and let me do it again? [color=black] You're working on a computer right now... talk about untold riches, you...
  5. TheTrendyCynic

    Atheist Checking In

    Thanks everyone -- sorry I hadn't returned to this thread since my first post :) My initial avatar (the cross with the red 'no smoking' sign over it) was not there solely to offend; it's a symbol that challenges the social convention that rejecting religion is morally wrong. I had not...
  6. TheTrendyCynic

    Religion: Evolution Of The Perfect Lie

    I agree that the use of the words 'truth' and 'lie' was ill conceived. I believe the argument remains intact and is, in fact, improved if I reword it to refer to 'ideas based on objective facts' and 'ideas not based on objective facts.' Both types of ideas can be true and both types of ideas can...
  7. TheTrendyCynic

    Right and wrong, Good and evil,

    I disagree that there are not set guidelines for right and wrong -- just because one set of absolute guidelines has proven unworkable does not mean the concept of absolute morality should be discarded. An absolute moral code is problematic when it is logically inconsistent. The problem with...
  8. TheTrendyCynic

    Religion: Evolution Of The Perfect Lie

    Fair enough; upon revisiting my point, I suppose I am primarily concerned with dispelling religion as a lie -- the structured belief system by which one 'knows' the unknowable, the belief systems which present answers to objective questions, the identification of a supernatural moral imperative...
  9. TheTrendyCynic

    Religion: Evolution Of The Perfect Lie

    Prove with what? Catholicism praises faith, and faith is belief in the unproven. Explain to me how one can prove everything and still possess faith? The very nature of faith is antithesis to true questioning, which requires ultimate intellectual freedom. 100% faith is considered a virtue. 100%...
  10. TheTrendyCynic

    Religion: Evolution Of The Perfect Lie

    Thanks everyone for your interest -- I appreciate how you all waded through the wordiness to get to my point. I'm leaving work now, but will get back on here tonight and answer those posts I've yet to get to; please, tear this argument to pieces, because I want it to be as strong as possible...
  11. TheTrendyCynic

    Religion: Evolution Of The Perfect Lie

    Mainly for the reason I cited: The increased intellectual maturity of today's believers. Back in the day, when the Church went 'woops, the Earth rotates around the Sun,' its believers were quite willing to smile and go 'alright, well, let's keep praying.' Today, if science made a truly...
  12. TheTrendyCynic

    Religion: Evolution Of The Perfect Lie

    I've heard this theory before; Time magazine ran a feature article on it recently, I believe? The 'God' gene and how faith in a higher power affects our brain in a way that is either pleasing or affirming of that faith? The thesis itself would be largely unchanged, as I'm focusing on the...
  13. TheTrendyCynic

    Religion: Evolution Of The Perfect Lie

    Religion has been following a steady trend of lost relevance; it's constantly adapting itself into a smaller and smaller corner framed by those few questions we've yet to answer. Given the increased intellectual awareness of modern generations, I can't imagine the more traditional religions like...
  14. TheTrendyCynic

    Religion: Evolution Of The Perfect Lie

    So there you have it -- evidence, clearly presented, of how ideas evolve like organisms, how lies will evolve differently from truth, and how religion has evolved like a lie and not like the truth. It has displayed infinite flexibility, not to a changing truth, but to a changing society. It has...
  15. TheTrendyCynic

    Religion: Evolution Of The Perfect Lie

    The Greatest Lie Ever Told Religion has been around in one form or another since the dawn of human civilization. That's one overarching idea of a higher power feeding many thousands of sub-ideas branching outwards to form the various religions of the world. The idea of a higher power...
  16. TheTrendyCynic

    Religion: Evolution Of The Perfect Lie

    What Are Adaptive Traits? In the animal kingdom, an 'adaptive trait' is a trait that helps an organism adapt to its environment. A porcupine developed quills to adapt to an environment filled with predators. Amphibians developed air-breathing lungs to adapt to an environment...
  17. TheTrendyCynic

    Religion: Evolution Of The Perfect Lie

    I realised after I'd gotten going that this got quite long. Hopefully there are a few interested people who'll give this a go. Regardless, I've posted my main point first so you can decide if you're interested in reading more: THESIS: The concept of religion shares many...
  18. TheTrendyCynic

    Atheist Checking In

    Hi all, just making a quick post here to say hello -- I look forward to all the stimulating debate I can get here.
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