When I was a child I read the story in the Bible about Abraham sacrificing Isaac. I asked my father what he would do if he heard a voice from God telling him to sacrifice me. He told me he would see a psychiatrist. Dad had more sense than the Bible or Koran bashers.

david f

Not much longer now before you might be answering for your contempt for religion.

Not sure we see much of this in today's Australian society. Or when Muslims bombed Bali or beheaded Christians in the M.E.

Pretty words are nice, but pointless when not backed by action!
Alan B.

What David f says.
Alan B.

Dear ttbn,

I have no reason to think that I will have any experiences after I die any more than trees or possums have. We can gather rosebuds while we may. Religion is been a solace for some, a justification for oppression by others, a source of education, a source of repression of thought, a justification for violence, a justification for compassion etc. I believe it's very much a mixed bag and has done more harm than good. Others will differ. If the story in the Bible is true, it tells me that Abraham was a fanatic nut.

Religion is a man-made concept.
You won't find the rest of the animal kingdom going to church regularly.
Nor do plants get together for 'devotions'.
It is altogether something peculiar to man.
It was devised by men to exercise control over people, and gain access to their money.
Pure and simple.

Superstition and fear play a big part in any religion.
Superstition is an instinct we need for survival.
It makes us avoid sources of possible danger.
And likewise, fear of immediate harm does much the same.
These instincts have been hijacked.
And it works for the simple minded.

A person dies when his brain ceases to function.
At that point he no longer exists.
The support system used by a living brain still remains.
It will very quickly reduce and be absorbed by the earth?
Then the person will be nothing but a memory for some.
There will come a time when no one living has a memory of him.

So however much you wring your hands, and proclaim eternal life, it won't happen.
When you die, you will cease to exist.
Anything 'bad' or 'good' you did whilst alive might possibly remain.
I note that the religious can be vindictive.
'Look what will happen to you when you die' etc etc etc.
It is a shallow and ineffective remonstrance.
Whilst we are alive, best to live a productive and rewarding life?
Don't be mean-minded or narrow-minded: or vindictive.
Engage responsibly with the world around you?