I do not think that seeing that religion and everything else results from brain chemistry is ‘kinda weak’ at all. I find it tremendously exciting, satisfying and awe-inspiring. So much food for brain chemistry to get to work on with that idea.

You might not insist, but there are other Christians who do insist and who would like to force their standards on the rest of us. Your comment about the voting power of your church seems to me to signify that you also will insist that I do things your way. For example, I suspect that you would vote to deny me an abortion.

I do, whenever possible, just pat Christians on the back and send them on your way, but you would be amazed at how rude, insensitive and insistent some of them are and how difficult it is to ‘get rid off’ evangelising little old ladies without being quite rude oneself.

I can accommodate you in my heart, even sad bitter ones like Aslan and Numbat, but not in my mind. My rationality tells me that religion has been one of the major problems in the past and will be again if we do not keep an eye on your well-meaning fervour to ‘save us from our selves’.

To JRM, I am quite happy to die eternally. If your God does not want me as I am then I do not want to be with him (or her or it?) for eternity. Personally, I do not find immortality to be a desirable state. There is a time to simply not be.

JRM wrote "...despite what the Baptists might say (that's a joke)."

This is a perfect example of the kind of thinking that drives agnostics (like myself) to distraction. Why do a Baptist's beliefs have any less legitimacy than your own? They are based on the same evidence. As far as I can tell, the only difference between a cult and a religion is the number of people you can convince.

BOAZ_David wrote "MORGAN (cheeky look on me now) sure 37,000 may be typical of a footy crowd, but do they all vote the same way ?"

I realise this was said in jest, but it still frightens me for the simple reason that it is (to a degree) true. The thought of somebody else's religion-driven party gaining legislative control of my life choices...

BOAZ_David, JRM is this the best you can do at least the Catholics have some intellectual rigor.

Always amusing to see the various Christian sects saying-
“ no no we have the truth you are deceived by the devil”
“ no no we have it you haven’t opened your heart to the true teaching of Christ.”
“ Believe us”
“,no, no don’t listen to them they are in bed with the devil”

Those of you that rely on revelation and internal mystical confirmation fail to see that you have no way of telling even if there was a true teaching or revelation, that yours would be it and not delusion like all the other Christian sects. Not to mention all the other religious faiths.

Boaz you say the evidence is out there the Muslim would say the same thing, so convert now or go to hell. Who’s to say you haven’t a unredeemed heart or mind that stops you from seeing Islam as the ‘true faith’?

Boaz-
(.yes, u can yell 'brainwashed' if u like :)

Well the shoe fits, but I prefer extreme confirmation bias myself, as you are incapable of changing your mind.

OTOH if a 100m tall God avatar came down and said hey I’m God I’m pretty sure I’d believe him as would most if not all atheists.

But again who’s to say it would be your ’God’.

In response to Enaj:

The irony of your comment regarding my analysis of this discussion is that you and not I, have incorrectly assumed that I refered to Christians in my article. Kindly read through my neutral take on the matter and you will note that there is absolutely no mention whatsoever of any religious denomination, let alone Christianity. Being of the Jewish faith, I would not dare to comment or ridicule the faith of my own or other peoples' beliefs.

"One thing annoys me a little, Brett's assumption that all Christians feel content because their belief in God nurtures and sustains them."

Thank you for your insight anyway, Brett.

To jrm: Your “Oh, get real! Please!” is very dismissive of a central point in this discussion which is: How does our mind have all its thoughts, memories and images? I accept that it is the result of the activity of the billions of cells in the brain. If you have a damaged brain you will have damaged thoughts. If you have no brain you have no thoughts. There are many scientists who are trying to unravel what goes on. I have tried to explain that the thoughts come from the external world we live in. The belief in spiritual beings which many people have now is because the nature of those images has evolved over many thousands of years just as the nature of the external society has evolved.

You and others obviously don’t accept that. It would help if you would explain how you think your thoughts occur if it is not from the “matter” in the brain.

When humans with the aid of computers create thinking,reasoning,emotional robots, our own importance in terms closeness to god will be brought into question.Will the robots now have a soul and thus achieve immortality?