let's all say a prayer for Bermuda!

Well, now that Gonzalo has passed, I'll wish the Bermudians strength, patience and fortitude to get thru all the aftermath such a devastating hurricane entails. For those of us that endured after the likes of storms such as Hugo and Marilyn (and even lesser ones), we know it won't be fun, easy and they may be in for a very long haul.

Amazing that a tiny island, a speck, in the middle of a vast ocean could get a direct hit and have they eye of the storm engulf the entire island!

God bless!

There's no Easter Bunny, Santa Claus or Tooth Fairy either. Praying to a "God" is just as ridiculous. There's my "not an opinion" statement.

Why do you guys even bother? I could care less about your belief system or lack, thereof.
Why should you care what I or anyone believes in and feel the powerful need to denigrate it.

Am sure your kids enjoyed growing up without Santa, the Easter, Bunny, or the tooth fairy or any other "belief system or superstition." Good Grief. What a bunch of negative morons!
There, that is both my opinion and a statement!

Go step on a crack!

Now don't you all feel better about yourselves? Your prayers and your god have saved the people of Bermuda from certain destruction. It must be god's will.

Why is it that the "good" religious people are the first to start with name calling? Very tolerant of differing opinions. Never discussion, just name calling.

"God answers prayers; therefore, he must be real."

Just as miracles are impossible to prove without resorting to unreliable anecdotes, the power of prayer is certainly not supported by science. Belief in prayer relies on confirmation bias. Essentially, people remember the times that prayer seemed to "work" but conveniently forget the many occasions that they prayed and saw no response or received the opposite result of what they'd wanted. These unwanted results are often ignored completely or rationalized away.

Prayer is a type of magical thinking. Its appeal is undeniable; it feels empowering and makes individuals feel as though they have a measure of control over the world around them. But there is simply no evidence that prayers are anything more than a placebo. And unlike many placebos, prayer can actually be harmful.

The "power of prayer" is one of the most insidious and even harmful beliefs proffered by religion. When faced with any sort of tragedy or misfortune, prayer is one of the least helpful responses imaginable. When tragedy strikes, prayer may make people feel better, but it doesn't actually help the victims.

Donating blood, giving money to the Red Cross or volunteering with a relief organization would all be far more beneficial than praying to the same hypothetical deity who ostensibly caused the disaster in the first place.

Prayer is like Gambling

http://www.atheistrepublic.com/blog/arminnavabi/why-there-no-god-quick-responses-10-common-theist-arguments

Go step on a crack, Rotor.
Bad juju may come your way.

Go step on a crack, Rotor.
Bad juju may come your way.

Superstition doesn't scare me. However it does give me pause when superstitious people respond to discussion with veiled threats.

Why is it that people that do not have a faith feel compelled to ridicule others? It is no different than bullying. The condescending attitude, the "I'm smarter than you" attitude is really no way to make and keep friends. At no time on these pages have I tried to push my beliefs on others, nor have I in public or among friends. But yet a few people feel compelled to let everyone know how stupid they think people of faith are.

Those are the people I feel sorry for. The people with no compassion, no tolerance, and an overbearing desire to 'win' and prove themselves better than everyone else.

When I see you standing outside of a church holding up a sign saying "YOU ARE STUPID FOR BELIEVING IN GOD' at least I'll know that you have the guts to do it in public. But as long as you hide behind a keyboard beating your chest, then you are no better than every other internet troll.

Why is it that people that do not have a faith feel compelled to ridicule others? It is no different than bullying. The condescending attitude, the "I'm smarter than you" attitude is really no way to make and keep friends. At no time on these pages have I tried to push my beliefs on others, nor have I in public or among friends. But yet a few people feel compelled to let everyone know how stupid they think people of faith are.

Those are the people I feel sorry for. The people with no compassion, no tolerance, and an overbearing desire to 'win' and prove themselves better than everyone else.

When I see you standing outside of a church holding up a sign saying "YOU ARE STUPID FOR BELIEVING IN GOD' at least I'll know that you have the guts to do it in public. But as long as you hide behind a keyboard beating your chest, then you are no better than every other internet troll.

Maybe it is because we can finally speak out.

Why is it that people of faith feel free to KILL people who do not agree with their beliefs. We see this going on all over the world in Islamic countries.

But it's not only Islamists. Have you ever heard of the Spanish Inquisition? Or the Italian Inquisition? Or the French Inquisition?

How about the conquering of Latin America by the Spanish? Or the conquering of North America by the British? Forcible conversion is why Latin America is Catholic.

Why do seven states still have a prohibition against atheists holding public office in their state constitutions? Why are they so afraid of people who don't believe their superstition?

Why is it that theists always start spouting off about non-believers going to hell, or that we will find out the truth when we die? Don't you think that we find that bit insulting?

The usual response that I get is that if you don't believe in god then how does it affect you? If you do believe in god then why does our dis-belief upset you so much that you have to pass laws denying us out rights?

Blasphemy was against the law in the US until 1928. Why are religious people so insecure in their beliefs that they have to pass laws making it illegal to discuss whether or not god exists? Several states still have blasphemy statutes (Massachusetts, Michigan, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Wyoming, and Pennsylvania).

The last U.S. conviction for blasphemy—at least that of any significance—was of atheist activist Charles Lee Smith. In 1928 he rented a storefront in Little Rock, Arkansas, and gave out free atheist literature there. The sign in the window read: "Evolution Is True. The Bible's a Lie. God's a Ghost." For this he was charged with violating the city ordinance against blasphemy. Because he was an atheist and therefore couldn't swear the court's religious oath to tell the truth, he wasn't permitted to testify in his own defense. The judge then dismissed the original charge, replacing it with one of distributing obscene, slanderous, or scurrilous literature. Smith was convicted, fined $25, and served most of a twenty-six-day jail sentence. His high-profile fast while behind bars drew national media attention. Upon his release, he immediately resumed his atheist activities, was again charged with blasphemy, and this time the charge held. In his trial he was again denied the right to testify and was sentenced to ninety days in jail and a fine of $100. Released on $1,000 bail, Smith appealed the verdict. The case then dragged on for several years until it was finally dismissed.

Why is it necessary to use the force of government to enforce superstition?

For crying out loud take your rhetoric over to the "coconut" forum where you can expound to your heart's content. All you've done is totally derail this thread by belittling a simple call to prayer for those in Bermuda affected by a hurricane and all you've accomplished is demonstrating your total intolerance and lack of concern. The only people you've belittled are yourselves. This thread has nothing to do with you and your belief system so take your history lessons and pithy comments to a forum more appropriate where someone might give a damn.

Believe what you want to believe but have the intelligence and good grace not to mock those whose beliefs differ from your own.

Amen!

So it is OK to encourage religious thought but it is not ok to discourage religious thought on this forum?

What does praying for Bermuda have to do with moving to the USVI?

This whole thread belongs under the coconut.

R'amen

Maybe it has to do with the devastating impacts that any storm, much less a major hurricane, can have on small islands in the Atlantic ocean. Maybe it has to do with compassion towards those unfortunate enough to find themselves in the path of something that may forever change their lives and cause horrendous damage. And, last but not least, maybe it is about the power of prayer and positive thinking.

Start a new thread and espouse your bs, elsewhere.

What does praying for Bermuda have to do with moving to the USVI?

Those of us who have gone through the horror of major hurricanes in our island homes have empathy with those on other islands facing the same devastation. Living in the path of hurricanes on little dots of land where there is nowhere to flee and where the only choice we have is to hunker down and brave the elements gives us a common bond. Many of those moving to the USVI are interested in this aspect of life here so yes, it is relevant. You and a few others have blown out of all logical proportion the simple use of the word "pray" to mock the very thought that we should show concern and have hijacked the thread to preach your standpoint. That is not relevant.

Isn't there a thread called RESPECTING THE BELIEF OF OTHERS?

JJ story. For those of you that don't know I used to post JJ stories all the time. Some hated them and some loved them. LOL!

JJ is a boy from the states who has been raised on the island of STX since he was two years old. He loves St. Croix and calls it "his" island.

We home school and though I was raised Christian, (father and brother both preachers), JJ has never attended a church. His religious instruction has been history lessons about the 5 major religions. My husband and I have different beliefs. We have taught him that his spiritual, religious journey is his own.

The other day my brother in law came to visit and we were talking about the "state" of the world and news in general. My brother in law is not a religious person. In fact I have never heard him talk about religion.

Out of the blue JJ asked him if he was a Christian. He completely quit talking. The room was silent. Finally he spoke. He said, "Joseph, I have been near death many times and they're aren't any atheist in fox holes." He then continued with the conversation that was taking place before JJ asked the question.

Of course JJ didn't understand but he remained silent and asked me about it later.

In any case. I for one will say a prayer for anyone in harms way including Rotor. I pray without even knowing I pray. If we look at it in a different way we are just expressing hope and good will. Not a bad thing no matter what your belief and lack of belief is.

Rotor. Just think of it as an expression of good will or hopes that things will go better in life. I wish, hope, pray that you are ok, happy, at peace, whatever. It's like just being neighborly or expressing love towards others. It doesn't have to be a bad thing.

Tammy