Which Religions Will Do Best In The Next Few Centuries?

[Sean Aaron]

misskim86 said:
Well I've heard the same from other Jews but then I've heard the opposite view from yet some other jews so.. shrug.

Orthodox Jews recognise the children of Jewish women (and converts who remain within the faith) as Jews regardless of subsequent conversion or apostasy (ex-communication is a mitigating factor, but I don't believe that's been used for other than political sensationalism since the Middle Ages). Some Jews are more ignorant of the law than others, I guess...

The state of Israel goes a bit further and will grant Right of Return to anyone with a Jewish grandparent, so in the eyes of the Jewish State my daughter is Jewish, but Orthodox Jews wouldn't agree.

 

[Ktrek]

Deks said:
Actually no, our brains are not hardwired to believe.
People are taught to believe in something as it's mostly what others do around them during the process of maturation (when people are the most influential) .

Atheists for example by definition are devoid of beliefs entirely, and since that alone proves what I just wrote in the first sentence, stating that people (as in a universal manner or rule) are hardwired to 'believe' is inaccurate.

I can't go along with the above statement. Atheists do indeed have a belief. It is a belief in the non-existence of God, which they cannot prove. There are and cannot be true atheists only those who claim to be such. However, since they cannot prove that God does not exist they have to allow for the "possibility" that God exists, which actually makes them agnostics. The term atheist is a misnomer.

Kevin

 

[starburst]

Ktrek said:
I can't go along with the above statement. Atheists do indeed have a belief. It is a belief in the non-existence of God, which they cannot prove. There are and cannot be true atheists only those who claim to be such. However, since they cannot prove that God does not exist they have to allow for the "possibility" that God exists, which actually makes them agnostics. The term atheist is a misnomer.

Kevin

Agnostics are those who dont believe in god but are open to the possibility (like me, I think there could be 'something' just not what everyone else goes round banging on about), an athiest doesnt have to allow for anything.

On the flip side, atheists believe there is no god without proof but then all of faith believe with the same amount of proof (only faith and belief that they havent been fed a couple of thousand year old lie), so by what you say it makes everyone agnostic as neither can prove otherwise so the should have to all consider the alternate point of view a possibility which is likely never going to happen with the religious peoples of the world