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Old 11-06-2003, 12:52 PM   #3 (permalink)
phukraut
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One of the fundamental questions of philosophy since at least the Greeks was the nature of God (or gods), death and the afterlife. This is not too surprising to see still today because God is still the easiest and most comprehensible way to think about how the world works and how human behaviour ought to be dictated. Until recently, religion and God have been linked.

At the same time, the development of empiricism and the like has really bled into popular culture and so the debate between thinking about the world in terms of a God (in a religious structure) and thinking about it without the need for God is a natural point of debate. of course that's not new, but obviously it's unresolved.

secondly, not throwing my personal convictions in, i will say that the nature of life and death, as well as the ethics of life, can be an important issue for many people. that means people will want to talk about it. when someone believes that God or a religious structure is responsible or in some way plays a part in those things, those will obviously be the points of argument.

thirdly, religion and a belief in God is generally assumed to require faith. this is not considered a rational approach but something else althogether, in the realm of feeling and emotion. Is it then surprising that people want to talk about this, and express their passions?

fourthly, some religions, particularly modern-western religions, have a tradition of "spreading the good news". hence we see some posts about it here.

one thing that i cannot explain is why atheists or even agnostics feel the need to argue over God still today. someone once told me they believed that belief in christianity (or a similar religion) is harmful to a person's wellbeing and development. that MAY a bit too socratic for today (debatable), but it could help explain why these arguments still rage on?
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