Cyprus-Forum.com

[Maximus]

It's very short-sighted to "curse" religion because the belief system you revere today is the product of religion.

Like I said earlier, the ancient gods and their habits have been influencing philosophy/ethics/morals and science, from early on to this day (with doses of evil injected by the Roman Catholic "Church" and Islam some centuries after inception).

Greek/Hellenic Orthodoxy carries with it all the goodness the ancient philosophers initiated (on which our Western laws are based) - to which has been added over time by wondrous individuals like Epictetus. You need only abandon the brainwashing the Catholics spread which has done so much harm in turning people against their spiritual enrichment, as found in Orthodoxy.

That might be the case but it does not alter the irrefutable fact that ancient man created god.

Did he? or did he discover god like he discovered everything else?

If that is the case then who or what created the earth, the cosmos and the physical laws that bind it all together?

[Maximus]

You're entitled to your opinion of course but what you believein as a universal law does not make it so.

Hope is a perfectly normal human emotion. You do not need religion to be filled with any hope. Atheists hope for betterment and look to the future living their lives as best they can and the vast majority treat their neighbour like they would like to be treated.

Yes, hope is a normal human emotion as I understand it. it is present in all of man.

This is how I see it. Hope = Faith = Religion

If your faith excludes God then your religion is something else. Something else has to answer your hope, your desire, your wish. Something has to deliver from the faith you hold. What or who is that?

[Oceanside50]

You're entitled to your opinion of course but what you believein as a universal law does not make it so.

Hope is a perfectly normal human emotion. You do not need religion to be filled with any hope. Atheists hope for betterment and look to the future living their lives as best they can and the vast majority treat their neighbour like they would like to be treated.

Yes, hope is a normal human emotion as I understand it. it is present in all of man.

This is how I see it. Hope = Faith = Religion

If your faith excludes God then your religion is something else. Something else has to answer your hope, your desire, your wish. Something has to deliver from the faith you hold. What or who is that?

You're on a the edge of a 500 ft cliff, you slip and fall but catch yourself on a broken tree branch, whose roots are breaking. Do you stop and hope and pray or use the last two seconds to pull yourself up to the edge. People that were jumping off the World Trade Center knew their destiny if they stayed in the building ..should they have jumped and given themselves a one in a billion chance or stayed where they were and gotten burned to death? The point is, why is God or religion seen as hope?

[Maximus]

You're entitled to your opinion of course but what you believein as a universal law does not make it so.

Hope is a perfectly normal human emotion. You do not need religion to be filled with any hope. Atheists hope for betterment and look to the future living their lives as best they can and the vast majority treat their neighbour like they would like to be treated.

Yes, hope is a normal human emotion as I understand it. it is present in all of man.

This is how I see it. Hope = Faith = Religion

If your faith excludes God then your religion is something else. Something else has to answer your hope, your desire, your wish. Something has to deliver from the faith you hold. What or who is that?

You're on a the edge of a 500 ft cliff, you slip and fall but catch yourself on a broken tree branch, whose roots are breaking. Do you stop and hope and pray or use the last two seconds to pull yourself up to the edge. People that were jumping off the World Trade Center knew their destiny if they stayed in the building ..should they have jumped and given themselves a one in a billion chance or stayed where they were and gotten burned to death? The point is, why is God or religion seen as hope?

Because when you hope for something you also need to have faith that your desire/wish will be delivered and faith is synonymous with religion.

If your faith excludes God then your religion is something else. Something else has to answer your hope, your desire, your wish. Something has to deliver from the faith you hold. What or who is that?

[Paphitis]

It's very short-sighted to "curse" religion because the belief system you revere today is the product of religion.

Like I said earlier, the ancient gods and their habits have been influencing philosophy/ethics/morals and science, from early on to this day (with doses of evil injected by the Roman Catholic "Church" and Islam some centuries after inception).

Greek/Hellenic Orthodoxy carries with it all the goodness the ancient philosophers initiated (on which our Western laws are based) - to which has been added over time by wondrous individuals like Epictetus. You need only abandon the brainwashing the Catholics spread which has done so much harm in turning people against their spiritual enrichment, as found in Orthodoxy.

You are wrong. There is no "goodness" (not much anyway) in the Orthodox Church and you should stop associating it with the word Hellenic (Hellenism), because it is NOT! Just use Greek because it is not worthy of the other.

One thing I have noticed is that there are usually 3 types of people who attend Church:

1) the sweet old ladies who really are God Fearing, usually widowed and do in fact rely on the institution for comfort. Nothing wrong with that,
2) other so called religious who are among the nastiest people you could ever meet. They truly are materialistic, gossip about others, and wish people harm if they appear to be doing better than themselves. These tend to be the majority hence the use of evil eye (must get a real huge one from Turkey next year),
3) those that are truly humble and God Fearing. Unfortunately, these are a minority.

The Byzantine Empire has destroyed much of the "goodness" of the Hellenic Civilizations. Can you ever begin to imagine the knowledge and wisdom that has been lost for all eternity due to the early Christians destroying our libraries and temples?

[Paphitis]

It's very short-sighted to "curse" religion because the belief system you revere today is the product of religion.

Like I said earlier, the ancient gods and their habits have been influencing philosophy/ethics/morals and science, from early on to this day (with doses of evil injected by the Roman Catholic "Church" and Islam some centuries after inception).

Greek/Hellenic Orthodoxy carries with it all the goodness the ancient philosophers initiated (on which our Western laws are based) - to which has been added over time by wondrous individuals like Epictetus. You need only abandon the brainwashing the Catholics spread which has done so much harm in turning people against their spiritual enrichment, as found in Orthodoxy.

That might be the case but it does not alter the irrefutable fact that ancient man created god.

Did he? or did he discover god like he discovered everything else?

If that is the case then who or what created the earth, the cosmos and the physical laws that bind it all together?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Big_Bang

[Paphitis]

You're entitled to your opinion of course but what you believein as a universal law does not make it so.

Hope is a perfectly normal human emotion. You do not need religion to be filled with any hope. Atheists hope for betterment and look to the future living their lives as best they can and the vast majority treat their neighbour like they would like to be treated.

Yes, hope is a normal human emotion as I understand it. it is present in all of man.

This is how I see it. Hope = Faith = Religion

If your faith excludes God then your religion is something else. Something else has to answer your hope, your desire, your wish. Something has to deliver from the faith you hold. What or who is that?

I have plenty of Hope and fulfillment in my life. I certainly do not need religion to have it or enjoy my life or to try be a good person.

I do not have any other faith, but if I were to have one, then it can only be Hellenic Polytheism like my ancestors before me.

[Paphitis]

You're entitled to your opinion of course but what you believein as a universal law does not make it so.

Hope is a perfectly normal human emotion. You do not need religion to be filled with any hope. Atheists hope for betterment and look to the future living their lives as best they can and the vast majority treat their neighbour like they would like to be treated.

Yes, hope is a normal human emotion as I understand it. it is present in all of man.

This is how I see it. Hope = Faith = Religion

If your faith excludes God then your religion is something else. Something else has to answer your hope, your desire, your wish. Something has to deliver from the faith you hold. What or who is that?

You're on a the edge of a 500 ft cliff, you slip and fall but catch yourself on a broken tree branch, whose roots are breaking. Do you stop and hope and pray or use the last two seconds to pull yourself up to the edge. People that were jumping off the World Trade Center knew their destiny if they stayed in the building ..should they have jumped and given themselves a one in a billion chance or stayed where they were and gotten burned to death? The point is, why is God or religion seen as hope?

Because when you hope for something you also need to have faith that your desire/wish will be delivered and faith is synonymous with religion.

If your faith excludes God then your religion is something else. Something else has to answer your hope, your desire, your wish. Something has to deliver from the faith you hold. What or who is that?

The only entity that can answer your hope is your own instinct of survival (yourself). This instinct of self preservation and survival is primitive, and is prevalent in the animal kingdom. Even bacteria are said to have this instinct. The crocodile is a pre-historic reptile from the age of Dinosaurs and its instinct has resulted in its survival to this day.

Animals have hope and they don't have a God. it's quite amazing that those that do have a God are also responsible for so much damage to the Animal Kingdom, environment and our planet at large. So I really do wonder at times who really is closer to Mother Nature.

[Maximus]

It's very short-sighted to "curse" religion because the belief system you revere today is the product of religion.

Like I said earlier, the ancient gods and their habits have been influencing philosophy/ethics/morals and science, from early on to this day (with doses of evil injected by the Roman Catholic "Church" and Islam some centuries after inception).

Greek/Hellenic Orthodoxy carries with it all the goodness the ancient philosophers initiated (on which our Western laws are based) - to which has been added over time by wondrous individuals like Epictetus. You need only abandon the brainwashing the Catholics spread which has done so much harm in turning people against their spiritual enrichment, as found in Orthodoxy.

That might be the case but it does not alter the irrefutable fact that ancient man created god.

Did he? or did he discover god like he discovered everything else?

If that is the case then who or what created the earth, the cosmos and the physical laws that bind it all together?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Big_Bang

Thank you Paphitis,

What created the big bang? This explanation of what created the universe starts a time = 0.

Something was created out of nothing?

[Paphitis]

It's very short-sighted to "curse" religion because the belief system you revere today is the product of religion.

Like I said earlier, the ancient gods and their habits have been influencing philosophy/ethics/morals and science, from early on to this day (with doses of evil injected by the Roman Catholic "Church" and Islam some centuries after inception).

Greek/Hellenic Orthodoxy carries with it all the goodness the ancient philosophers initiated (on which our Western laws are based) - to which has been added over time by wondrous individuals like Epictetus. You need only abandon the brainwashing the Catholics spread which has done so much harm in turning people against their spiritual enrichment, as found in Orthodoxy.

That might be the case but it does not alter the irrefutable fact that ancient man created god.

Did he? or did he discover god like he discovered everything else?

If that is the case then who or what created the earth, the cosmos and the physical laws that bind it all together?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Big_Bang

Thank you Paphitis,

What created the big bang? This explanation of what created the universe starts a time = 0.

Something was created out of nothing?

It certainly wasn't God!

You guys love changing the goal posts. At first the Universe and planet was created about 7000 years ago by the creator over 7 days and then he created Adam and Eve. What happened to that theory?