Prime Factor

what if your religion states that you have to shout your prayers really loud, so that your god can hear it ? :)

hey F_alk, isn’t this a freedom of speech issue?
you may have a point.

“what if your religion states that you have to shout your prayers really loud, so that your god can hear it ?”

Well, under MY religion I can go out and shoot someone. It’s against my religion to do homework and even go to school! What makes my religion all the more legitimate than the one from above (well, so far I have heard of no religion that requires this)? What I can say is that you better be able to accept the consequences of what your “religion” dictates. However, to answer your question, I would say that the student may leave the classroom and find somewhere to “pray” so he doesn’t disturb the rest of the classes.

well, i think that is a good option. I just found hte thought funny imagining a silent praying class and one student running and shouting around the room :)

Just my point. Could everyone agree on an equal prayer time interval and what it entails? Silent prayer or outloud? Christian, Jewish, Moslem, etc., etc. ??? Can we reach common ground to compromise???

of course you couldn’t call it a “prayer” time. That right there could cause a problem due to separation of church and state issues. You might call it “getting in touch with your inner self” time. (the “getting in touch with your OUTER self” time is, of course, as you are going to bed . . . ) :D

@F_alk:

@HortenFlyingWing:

they are all the same God.
…
I’m pro prayer though.

Then you would accept a muslim prayer in the classroom? I mean, it’s all the same god anyway.

as much as any other prayer. if someone “has to make a scene” than it is contradictory to let someone pray differently. IMO, a school should say, “You could pray when and how you want to” and that is that. Though praying to Mecca is a very open expression of prayer, so is doing the father son, holy, spirit thing. I really just don’t care, but i do believe a school shouldn’t endorse prayer.

“Could everyone agree on an equal prayer time interval and what it entails? Silent prayer or outloud?”

I don’t know about you guys, but here at our school, it’s called 15 minutes of SSR (silent sustained reading for long). This translates to you can take a nap, catch up on your reading assignments, get an early start on your homework, play poker, or pray. While the teachers would like (emphasis on “like”) to see you reading, anything else is fine as long as you keep quiet and don’t disturb the rest of the classroom (ie throwing papers airplanes around). So if you want to pray before you starting reading, go ahead. But if you don’t, hey, more power to ya. :wink:

Sorry, been out of school too long to remember if this was even an issue (Class of 1986). I don’t think it was, Dzertfish do you recall?

I’ll be Russia!

@FinsterniS:

@HortenFlyingWing:

if the majority was atheist, than in a conformist society, atheism would rule supreme.

that is certain

how long would that be certain? It only takes one or two Christians to “infect” a society.

I don’t know, my sister is Christian (and from an athiest family no doubt), and I bet it wasn’t the fear of God and a life long eternity in Hell that made her become one according to her own will. (though I don’t like children being baptized when they have no yet the capacity to choose that religion as their own)

but it is fair to deduct that it is possible that people may be converted through other means then fear and ego. I know of NO converts due to any of the factors that you mention. Moses merely mentioned an example of a person who was not “brainwashed” or “frightened” into faith. What would happen to you if
dun
dun
dun!!!
there was more out there than you can see (or read)?

Clearly religion exists to give it’s follower’s hope for a better life and/or afterlife. Of course this varies from belief system to belief system. Religion, like governments and nations, can be born from the oppression of the former religion, government, etc., etc. Religious groups that use fear or propaganda have let their power and influence become abusive and need reform or revolution. Again, sounds alot like nations or governments. Why? Because they are all made up of PEOPLE who make mistakes or let power go to their heads. Religions are not imune - even if we think they should be - that’s life. Separating the wrongs in the past from the faithful of today can be and is difficult. Try not to hold it against them. I’ll only hate a man (or woman) who wrongs me. Not what someone in their religion did 500 years ago. This is where some “hate atheism” comes from. Some comes from religious oriented people who DO wrong them. Don’t fall into the trap of hating ALL of that group. Fear of different beliefs that you don’t understand covers the rest.

“Remember fear is the first step towards the darkside. Fear leads to anger. Anger leads to hate. Hate leads to suffering…” - Master Yoda.

CC - come out of hiding!!!

@Field:

Clearly religion exists to give it’s follower’s hope for a better life and/or afterlife. Of course this varies from belief system to belief system. Religion, like governments and nations, can be born from the oppression of the former religion, government, etc., etc. Religious groups that use fear or propaganda have let their power and influence become abusive and need reform or revolution. Again, sounds alot like nations or governments. Why? Because they are all made up of PEOPLE who make mistakes or let power go to their heads. Religions are not imune - even if we think they should be - that’s life. Separating the wrongs in the past from the faithful of today can be and is difficult. Try not to hold it against them. I’ll only hate a man (or woman) who wrongs me. Not what someone in their religion did 500 years ago. This is where some “hate atheism” comes from. Some comes from religious oriented people who DO wrong them. Don’t fall into the trap of hating ALL of that group. Fear of different beliefs that you don’t understand covers the rest.

“Remember fear is the first step towards the darkside. Fear leads to anger. Anger leads to hate. Hate leads to suffering…” - Master Yoda.

CC - come out of hiding!!!

Excellent FM. When i go on my rampage, killing people on the street in the name of FinsterniS, then naturally the whole world should be shocked and filled with anger at the daemon FinsterniS. Or pro-life. Or the environment. Or . . . (sub in your religion/politics/ideology here).

And please don’t make me log on everytime i sit at a computer.
and yes, i’m the pro-portuguese, pro-human-removing-aliens, pro-separation-of-anti-federalists, pro-God guest that has been infecting the columns. Stupid computer problems.

• CC

No, not everytime. Just occasionally…

:D
happy FM? :D

“but it is fair to deduct that it is possible that people may be converted through other means then fear and ego. I know of NO converts due to any of the factors that you mention. Moses merely mentioned an example of a person who was not “brainwashed” or “frightened” into faith.”

My sentiments exactly. When I asked my religious friends at the local Christian Club (and this was only about a year ago) what made them become a part of Christianity, it wasn’t their fear of God or terrible vengeance of God that made them do it, but their love of God. I asked them, “Why do you pay homage to God?” None of their answers were, “Well… if I don’t, it’s off to hell for me!” No, it was because they loved God. There was no need for fire and brimstone. Just faith and devotion.

I think that FinsterniS made too much of a generalization saying that it was fear of damnation and no other important factors as the ones mentioned above. Well, unless this Guest and myself live in this “distorted region” where everything is out of proportion. But to be fair, why don’t we have a poll. Everyone who is of religious faith (Christian fits the case more, though all religions are welcome), please answer if it was:
A) Love of God and the faith of him/her/it that made you religious
B) Fear of Eternal Damnation and Wrath of God that made you religious
C) Love of Yoda that made you religious (hey in UK, Jedi is a religion!)
:wink: