A less bizarre discussion of religious beliefs.

That seems unlikely given that I'm an atheist.

I had to look up what you'd were so offended by. I inferred you were a deist with added woo! Truth often offends I suppose.

But seriously, you don't believe in Christianity but you keep quoting the bible at us. You must find that hilarious. I know I do.

Especially stupid a hole atheists who do not know much about religions.

Regards
DL

You do know that you can write 'arse' if that's what you mean? A hole atheist seems a bit daft - I live in a very conventional house.

Being baptised a Christian and subject to Christian indoctrination until my teens, I suspect I know at least as much as you about Christianity. As for your bizarre form of it I admit to being more than a little bemused about.

Christianity without god is like discovering a turd that didn't originate from an arse - rather difficult to place.

You could have tried to explain your religion/belief/tradition without alienating the entire board but that's your choice I guess.

I also think this is important.

Not judgement by GOD - that's your faith.
But judgement being a significant factor in determining behaviour - this is important to me, as well.

I simply do not wait for that judgement to come from GOD after I die.
I allow for that judgement to come from the people around me - the ones my actions affect.

I want to fit into my environment.
I want to have prosperous relationships with the people around me.
I like having people around me and being part of a social community.

That being said, I highly value the judgements from all other members of my social community or "tribe" or "any and all people that my actions affect."

Positive judgements affect my behaviour along a path to repeat or enhance such actions in order to repeat or enhance such judgements.
Negative judgements affect my behaviour along a path to reduce or eliminate such actions in order to reduce or eliminate such judgements.

I think the idea we share on "behaviour is affected by our beliefs/experiences and being-held-accountable-for-our-actions is an important aspect" is very similar.

I also don't think it matters that I am 'held accountable' immediately, and you're 'held accountable' when you die.
-I think this will matter for certain individuals
-some will gravitate to one or the other
-some will 'take advantage' of certain things (held accountable by people isn't the same as being held accountable by a supreme-being-GOD... as well, being held accountable immediately is different than being held accountable after death...)

I think what matters is treating others nicely.
-the idea that I appreciate 'being held accountable' in order to influence my desire to be nice to others is inconsequential
-therefore, the idea on 'when' being held accountable occurs is even moreso inconsequential... in a theoretic-sort-of-way.

And I would counter that people are different.
Therefore, speaking in absolutes about how people should think/believe is problematic... at all.

Being extremely rational and looking for evidence on everything can be... bland.
It can also be detrimental to certain people.

I see 3 basic levels of intelligence:

1. Ability to learn based on self-experience.
("I burnt my finger on the flame - don't touch a lit candle.")

2. Ability to learn based on other's-experience or manipulation of self-experience.
("I saw that other person burn their finger on the candle's flame - don't touch an exhaust pipe because sometimes flames come out and it could burn me.")

3. Ability to learn based on imagination.
-I don't have an example for this level, because I don't think I've ever imagined something that's not based on my previous experience in some way
-this would be people we describe as "genius"
-such people have the ability to think of things that no one else can, and no one else ever has before them
-they can be geniuses in art or science or almost anything, but the results are the same - they are capable of learning something that no one else has ever learned before, and no one (including them) has ever witnessed before, either

If what I state above has any connection to reality... how could a genius imagine something not based on their previous experience at all... therefore not based on evidence at all?

Pure genius REQUIRES the ability to have unevidenced, irrational ideas and then make judgements calls to see if they actually can fit into reality and are evidenced and logical.

I will happily admit that such circumstances for when unevidenced, irrational ideas should be used will be extremely rare and only handled by those who can make proper evidenced/rational judgement calls in applying them to the reality we all share....

But to say such things are problematic if they "enter the human mind at all" is just... well... shutting off one of the most amazing parts of being human that's available to us.

As I was saying, people are different.
Many people will think in many different ways.
Some think in text (reading words in their mind as they think about ideas.)
Some think in ideas (flashing images/feelings in their mind and then formulate words/language to express them.)
Some think with one inner voice.
Some think with two inner voices that argue/discuss options.
Some think with multiple inner voices to a level where those inner voices can almost be their own 'separate identity' within the same brain.

To think that because "evidence and rational ideas" lead to many, many good things... therefore "evidence and rational ideas" are the only path to good things, and everyone should only ever follow that path.... to me is just as bad as religious people saying we should all/only follow their ideas.

It's a box.
It's restrictive.
It's oppressing.

May very well be "better" than some other forms of oppression.

But there are still better ways beyond that.

I very much agree with the idea of self-retrospection and in fact it is a significant duty in all three of the Abrahamic/Masoretic religions.

In Christianity specifically it is the Rite of Confession where you are charged to honestly evaluate your behavior, acknowledge your failures, attempt to amend any harm caused and honestly consciously try not to repeat those errors.

Judgement is not only after you die but should be an ongoing repetitive part of daily life.