@DrNazus  
If you have suggestions for where to hide, I’m all ears.
 
 
@Lawful Girly  
The problem is this: you can’t just choose to believe something. You can choose to act like you believe something, but a drastic change to your way of thinking is not so simple.
 
And even if it was, there are so many religions with so many denominations that you also have to choose what to believe and how to believe in it. And once you take one, you’re basically stuck with it unless you move to another. I got baptized Catholic as a teenager ‘cause I thought it’d make my dad happy, but I don’t share any real ground with them, so if there is a God, I’m going to Hell for being baptized. Kinda ironic.
 
 
@Lawful Girly  

 
One difference between “the will of God” and “the will of the people” is that we can only fear God in an abstract sense, but we have tangible proof that the people are dangerous.
 

 
@amantes  
Did we ever actually have freedom from religion? We should, but I don’t think we do or ever will.
 
 
@Shooting Dust  
If you didn’t see it coming, might I ask, with all due respect, how you managed not to?

@Shooting Dust  
Hey… at least we don’t argue about Mormons.

Remind me not to use any religion for a quick gag anymore. Dear Celestia, I could have gone quite happily without seeing this argument pop out again for the millionth time.

At least they picked Mormon’s and not Muslims. Wouldn’t want DHX’s HQ blown up by extremists.  
I mean.. I like my pony episodes :).

@Lawful Girly  
Yes, yes it is. Sure, I believe in dragons and mermaids, so I can’t deny anyone the right to believe in fairytales. _{No really, I’m being serious.} However, when you start using said belief to try and control how other people live their lives, it’s no longer ok. And that is exactly what organized religion is doing.
 
These messages can be taught without the need of faith. A good story can teach morals without having to believe that the story is true. “Because God” is a failure to convey a moral lesson. It’s the equivalent of your parents saying “Because I said so” when they forbid you from doing something without explaining why it’s bad. And no, I don’t speak from experience.
 
You didn’t say that was coming?… You linked Pascal’s Wager which is all about how that is coming. And it even says on the page the wager is mostly based on Christianity.  
Well whatever joke you were going for, I interpreted your avatar as you being a very republican brony, so sorry about that.
 
This doesn’t exactly answer my question…  
You lost me on that second part. Please clarify.
 
I feel I should add, whatever your beliefs I have nothing against you. As much as I’m against religion _{And I’ve received a lot of hatred from a certain catholic} I have friends who are very Christian and I can accept that. I treat people for what they do, not what they believe in, even if I strongly resent that belief.

@amantes  
It’s not going away…and if you want it to, aren’t you denying them their freedom?

@amantes  
And, once again, it comes down to faith and personal choice. You have to choose the ones which seem correct. Of course, I’m well aware of the edits made over the years, but does that mean that the message is wrong at heart? Messages such as “turn the other cheek” and “love thy neighbor” don’t exactly seem to be a cynical power play. Further, consider a course in comparative religion, and you’ll find the same messages echoed.
 
Nor did I say that was coming, again an imposition. I actually prefer to believe in a case of universal reconciliation, punishment a self-imposed separation, and incidentally the avatar was a very sarcastic joke in response to my preference for Imperial units, if (likewise) you genuinely care.
 
You can do bad deeds in the name of a noble cause, and good deeds in the name of an evil one. Further, a person can transcend being a person and become a rallying cause. And if you’re saying “you’ll become a major world religious icon”, regardless of what I may have said, well…bad example.

@Lawful Girly  
Btw, choose one that’s right for me? Yeah I forgot, freedom of religion is not the same as freedom FROM religion. Well then, I choose Pastafarianism.

@Lawful Girly  
And you trust these messengers why? You know they’re really his messengers because? You are basically having faith in them and not in God himself. If God created you and he gave you the power to reason, you are insulting him by not using that power to question those who say “God told me that”. Anyone can pretend to be a “messenger”.  
Let me also remind you the books in the bible were “authored” by people who died centuries BEFORE the books were written. Then they were translated and edited by the church as they saw fit. And you STILL trust them to pass God’s word to you.
 
Yes, you never mentioned Christianity, but not every religion has the same infinite bliss in heaven/ infinite burning in hell you know, so the choice is relatively narrow. I saw you have the American flag on your profile so excuse me if I jumped to conclusions.  
If you genuinely care, my family baptized me but they are not very religious and never tried to impose religion on me.
 
The will of X usually has something to do with what X said or did in their lives. How would you like if I do things in your name based entirely on what I was told about you with ZERO proof any of it is actually true? Would you like my deeds blamed on you?

@amantes  
And you don’t think that any deity would allow people to be His messengers, even unawares? For all you know, the shock of seeing a god in all its glory would destroy you utterly, and thus couldn’t be given in person. Also, you’ll notice that I never mentioned Christianity specifically. I could equally make the same statements about any and/or all religions. Could it be that you are…projecting? I don’t want to make assumptions, but I wonder what your family’s religion is… Choose one that is right for you, and believe in it.  
_{Also, just to be a pedant, it doesn’t matter if you worship Odin hard enough, you have to die in battle gloriously to go to Valhalla.}
 
 
@amantes  
No more so than “the will of the people”, or “the will of X”, or any other ideology.

@Lawful Girly  
Furthermore many people like to justify their actions while they claim they’re doing God’s will. How would you like it if I put words in your mouth to make what I’m doing look ok?

@Stotter  
Thanks.
 
@Lawful Girly  
Grateful for what? You haven’t done anything for him. You followed the words of people, not the word of God. If he is all-powerful and wanted you to obey his instructions, you think he couldn’t just give them personally?  
And no, I don’t KNOW that he would be angry, but I see no reason to expect him to be happy either. Tell me again what makes Christianity so special and why I shouldn’t worship Odin? What if I die and I don’t go to Valhalla because I did not worship Odin enough?

@Lawful Girly
 
@amantes  
Certainly I can see the appeal of taking the position of apatheism. Quote: “An apatheist has no interest in accepting or denying claims that a god or gods exist or do not exist. An apatheist considers the very question of the existence or non-existence of gods or other supernatural beings to be irrelevant and not worth consideration under any circumstances.”

@amantes  
And how would you know that he would be angry instead of grateful, given your own argument?

@amantes  
Well put. Hard to believe anyone still uses Pascal’s wager after everyone and their grandma has ripped apart the premise.

@Lawful Girly  
Belief in God has hurt plenty of people…  
The problem with the “what if you’re wrong” approach is that even if there is a God, it’s impossible to know what he would want from you. There are hundreds of religions and they all have their ideas of what God “wants”. The truth is that if there IS a God and he finds out you trusted any of those people without hearing directly from him, he would be very pissed off.

@Stotter  
Morality, of this realm, does not require belief. This is true. However, as per Pascal’s Wager, it certainly couldn’t hurt to believe.

@Lawful Girly  
There, something that meets the criteria for a moral character inducing deity. Of course, if you have that moral character without believing in any of them, it would defeat the purpose of faith regardless of which one you project your ego onto.

@amantes  
likewise

@Lawful Girly  
Resisting urge to debate

@Stotter  
Behavior = virtue. Belief implies a sense of self-restraint and conviction = part of virtue  
>implying you won’t be praying so hard when you’re on your deathbed

@Lawful Girly  
>implying belief=virtue

@Stotter  
Well, it’s hardly proof of moral character to believe in something you can literally see. :/

@Lawful Girly  
>implying it is a problem when the purpose of faith is defeated.