I really do find that any variation of "I've studied religion" to be....a bit of joke. I know that by definition of the word "study" you can study pretty much anything. Though It's just humorous that some people have pride in knowledge of a "holy" text, and the fact that you can go to college for it is just hilarious to me.

Studying the Bible(just an example), and being able to pull verses out of your ass. Is about as impressive as studying the Harry Potter books(just an example), and finding deep meaning in it, morals, and all that fun stuff, all throughout the chapters of it.

I'm sure there are things I'll want to fix and change here...but I'm getting my drunk ass to bed.

Post edited at 12:58 am on Aug. 20, 2008 by Alabamarama

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Sexual innuendo.

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So I'll be fair, and say that this is somewhat biased. I'm an atheist, and I see all of the religions I am aware of as stupid, pointless, and potentially harmful.  

I really do find that any variation of "I've studied religion" to be....a bit of joke. I know that by definition of the word "study" you can study pretty much anything. Though It's just humorous that some people have pride in knowledge of a "holy" text, and the fact that you can go to college for it is just hilarious to me.  

Studying the Bible(just an example), and being able to pull verses out of your ass. Is about as impressive as studying the Harry Potter books(just an example), and finding deep meaning in it, morals, and all that fun stuff, all throughout the chapters of it.

I'm sure there are things I'll want to fix and change here...but I'm getting my drunk ass to bed.

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Do you feel the same way about studying literature, then? Or, for that matter, history?

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Let yourself be enchanted,
You just might break through
To ever ever after

That you think religion is stupid does not make it any less relevant to the history of the world or to a proper understanding of modern man.

Post edited at 5:52 am on Aug. 20, 2008 by Prince o palities

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"It is the wrong question to ask, and therefore, as one might expect, has
no right answer." - Hans von Campenhausen

This is the philosophy of my life.

I dislike ignorant atheists in the same way that I dislike ignorant religious people; I have no problem with people of any view, but coming to a view without educating yourself is rather asinine.

tk

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"Argentum qui amat, cum argento numquam satiabitur." ~ Solomon

Studying history is different. Religious texts are nothing but ridiculous stories. Where as reading the history of the legacy of the rulers of some civilization is for the most part fact.

You honestly think you can't understand people without understanding their religion? Well Then I suppose you're just bad at reading people.

As for the study of literature. I'm not so much of an..."art" person. I've been in about 6 different operas, and been in a few plays outside of school. I don't find much meaning in these. It's not hard to see a moral if there is one in a story. Though to call it "studying" to me just diminishes the word. Like I said in the OP you can by definition study anything however.

You don't need to spend hundreds-thousands of dollars to study religion academically, to understand this world. I suppose it may help some people, but it's not required. You might as well argue that we should study the fucking birds and the bees, bob the builder, and sesame street. So you can get a good understanding of where the people of today get their morals, and smart making skills(smart making?).

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People don't have to be religious in order to study religion, and they don't need to know the Bible by heart to study it. You are biased, and you don't know what you're talking about, so please, go to sleep.
Edit: And what Bearsy Bitch said. That's true too.

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agreed

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Pandora didn't think outside the box

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Okay So I've read the Bible, I've read the book of Mormom, and I have dabbled in the Qur'an and Torah, So I'm not completely ignorant. I just think it's funny to call it studying. I've said this before, but this was months ago and I assume some of you forgot about this.

Studying history is different. Religious texts are nothing but ridiculous stories. Where as reading the history of the legacy of the rulers of some civilization is for the most part fact.  

You honestly think you can't understand people without understanding their religion? Well Then I suppose you're just bad at reading people.

As for the study of literature. I'm not so much of an..."art" person. I've been in about 6 different operas, and been in a few plays outside of school. I don't find much meaning in these. It's not hard to see a moral if there is one in a story. Though to call it "studying" to me just diminishes the word. Like I said in the OP you can by definition study anything however.

You don't need to spend hundreds-thousands of dollars to study religion academically, to understand this world. I suppose it may help some people, but it's not required. You might as well argue that we should study the fucking birds and the bees, bob the builder, and sesame street. So you can get a good understanding of where the people of today get their morals, and smart making skills(smart making?).

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Just because some area of study doesn't interest you doesn't mean that it's a joke. There are some people, religious and not, who are truly interested in what religious texts have to say, how they are tied to history, and what effects they have had on society. You don't need to understand a person's religion in order to understand the person, but if you understand what religion did to the world, it's easier to understand history.

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Sexual innuendo.

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Okay So I've read the Bible, I've read the book of Mormom, and I have dabbled in the Qur'an and Torah, So I'm not completely ignorant. I just think it's funny to call it studying. I've said this before, but this was months ago and I assume some of you forgot about this.  

Studying history is different. Religious texts are nothing but ridiculous stories. Where as reading the history of the legacy of the rulers of some civilization is for the most part fact.

You honestly think you can't understand people without understanding their religion? Well Then I suppose you're just bad at reading people.  

As for the study of literature. I'm not so much of an..."art" person. I've been in about 6 different operas, and been in a few plays outside of school. I don't find much meaning in these. It's not hard to see a moral if there is one in a story. Though to call it "studying" to me just diminishes the word. Like I said in the OP you can by definition study anything however.  

You don't need to spend hundreds-thousands of dollars to study religion academically, to understand this world. I suppose it may help some people, but it's not required. You might as well argue that we should study the fucking birds and the bees, bob the builder, and sesame street. So you can get a good understanding of where the people of today get their morals, and smart making skills(smart making?).

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The thing is, there's a huge difference between saying "It's not my cup of tea" and "It's not real studying." You've yet to explain why "it's not real studying" for any reason other than "I don't think it's real and I don't like it." Those, frankly, are not good reasons. At all.

Also, just to point out that in a lot of cases, religious texts double as historical texts. It's sheer ignorance (oh the surprise!) to assume that religious texts are solely philosophical or mythological, when they actually serve a variety of different purposes, including literary and historical.

Post edited at 9:13 am on Aug. 20, 2008 by exceedinglyrare

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Let yourself be enchanted,
You just might break through
To ever ever after

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Studying history is different. Religious texts are nothing but ridiculous stories. Where as reading the history of the legacy of the rulers of some civilization is for the most part fact.

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yeah its not like religious texts have been some of humanity's earliest literature or have been a huge influence on the world or anything like that

edit: proofread good

Post edited at 9:12 am on Aug. 20, 2008 by SovSull

Man may live by his many beliefs, but the religious ones are as inconsequential as beliefs in fairies or UFOs.

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Why are we here, if we are here at all?