Because there is religion.
Originally posted by Frogger
The vast majority of people who post here (I would estimate 95%) are atheists. They don't believe in any God or gods, so why even have a religion forum? Its just the same old bashing this and bashing that. It's pointless.
Just because you don't understand the point does not mean there is isn't one.
Religions, regardless of their veracity, have a powerful impact upon society. Philosophy, science, education, economics... every human endeavor throughout history has been affected in some way by religion. Most of mankind continues to believe in religion in one form or another. Asking why it should be a topic of discussion seems incredibly naive to me.
Further, atheists tend to differ from theists in a particular attribute known as skepticism. We tend to be skeptical of most everything or, at least, open to the possibility that what is thought to be true might not be. For skeptics, the discussion is never finished; no belief is so secure that it cannot be questioned. Thus the discussion continues.
The repetitive bashing does indeed get tiresome but it is generally in reply to the seemingly endless supply of theists that pop on in carrying the same-ol' tired and broken arguments; generally posted under exclamatory headings such as,
"New Irrefutable Proof of God".
While I tend to agree with Tiassa in that Atheists should take some responsibility in driving more progressive discussions I also need to take issue with Theists. I mean, is there anything new that Religion has to offer or did Theistic philosophy reach its peak during the protestant reformation? The cutting edge of the creationist argument (definitely a philosophical backwater) is simply a switching of labels and purported "evidence".
Still, I await further "revelations" from any arena. What happened to this infinite fount of knowledge and wisdom? Is God so satisfied that his message was communicated perfectly so that there is no misunderstanding and nothing further to teach? Why is it that it supposedly flowed so freely thousands of years ago and that those who declare their revelations today generally turn out to be nutters (or at least have a perturbed perception of reality)? Would you believe me I claimed to be struck blind by Jesus on the road to Decatur and given new revelations about God?
~Raithere