something we can all agree on :)

[OMGBanana]

http://www.cracked.com/article_15759_10-th...t-agree-on.html

i think this is interesting, and is pretty much what i believe as well-that nomatter what you believe in, we are not that different.

i think i would extend this to more than just christians and atheists-i think it can also include people of any other religion and other people who believe but do not follow a religion.

for those who dont want to read the whole thing, heres a summary of the main points:

1. you can do terrible things in the name of either one people have done terrible things in the name of god, but there are also people who have done similar things who dont believe in god. if the other side wasnt there, there would still be as much evil in the world cause the people who do these horrible things would just use another excuse for murdering eachother.

2. both sides actually believe what they are saying some people think that the people they disagree with are just lying about it or disagreeing just to annoy them, as their own belief system is so obvious to them they think it has to be to other people too. i think this is the cause of a lot of arguments and hate towards the other side. the answers to things like "is there an afterlife?" arent always as straightforward and obvious as people think they are, if they were, there would be no questions.

3. in everyday life we arent that different nomatter what we believe in, we are all similar when it comes to everyday life. we all use logic to solve other problems. we all still have a sense of morality and want justice when we are wronged. morality isnt just something that you get from following a religion, its something most of us develop and its not just exclusive to one religion (see point 1).

4. there are good people on both sides even though on both sides there are a small number of people who are evil and a slightly bigger small number of people who arent evil but are just plain not nice, the majority of both sides are decent, honest, normal people, with a few special people who go beyond that and do very special things to do very good things like saving lives, changing the world or raising millions for charity.

5. your point of view is offensive to them people dont like being told they are going to hell for not following the right religion, even if they dont believe in hell, its still a mean thing to say. people also take a good deal of comfort from their beliefs about the afterlife and will get a bit offended if someone suggests that there is no afterlife and once they are dead, they are dead. even if its true (we dont know which one is true, but there are people who completely believe either one) its still not something people want to hear. most people dont really hate the idea that there is a heaven where everyone can be happy forever, but they hate the way people tell good decent people they are going to hell because they dont believe, they hate the way people use their beliefs as an excuse to hate. believers real problem with non believers is that they dont like being told that there is nothing after we die and there is no eternal reward for living a good life and everyone, whether evil or good just dies.

6. we exaggerate about the other side people look at this in a black and white way, instead of the shades of grey it really is. we tend to think, this side is bad and this side is good. people take things to the most extreme conclusions-some christians do reject evolution, but if the christians did take over the world in some way, the world probably wouldnt go back to praying illnesses away and go back to the 1600s. if everyone was an atheist, we wouldnt all start killing eachother, take drugs and sleep with anything that moves and all go gay and extinct humanity.

7. in debates we exaggerate ourselves when we are debating with someone who believes the opposite to what we do, and believe very strongly or start being pushy with it, we respond by going in the opposite direction and being very defensive of our beliefs. even i do the same things-if someone turns to me and says "IT IS SOOOOOOO OBVIOUS THAT GHOSTS EXIST, OK? SCEPTICS ARE JUST STUPID IDIOTS WHO ARE LYING" i will probably respond by taking the sceptic side, even when im pretty much sitting on the fence. then again, if someone comes to me and says "WHY ARE PEOPLE WHO BELIEVE IN THE AFTERLIFE SO STUPID, ITS OBVIOUS THAT IT DOESNT EXIST, THEYRE JUST DELUDED" i will generally defend that bit of belief i have that maybe there is an afterlife. the best way to debate is to be respectful and stop acting superior to the other people who dont agree.

8. we focus on the extremist minoritypeople tend to remember the extremists. we remember the people in debate threads who really really annoyed us with the way they were closed minded and angry and proved the negative steroetypes who exist of that group of people, not the ones who respectfully disagreed with us and gave their point, or dont bother debating as they dont feel strong enough about it. we remember the people who became well known all over the world for doing bad things, the terrorists, the people who started wars over beliefs, the people who think its ok to protest at funerals cause they dont like gay people. we arent all like that, most groups are made up of a small number of people who are extremists, and a large number of good people (most of whom dont even agree with the extremists and think they are going too far and ruining their cause).

9. both sides have brought good to the table rational thinking and science are the reason why we know germs cause illnesses, not sin, or demons. the people who are sceptical bring good by helping debunk hoaxes and stop believers getting ripped off by people who claim to cure peoples cancer with prayer, or pretend to be able to speak to your dead grandma. peoples religion and belief about the afterlife brings people great comfort and helps them deal with death better. it also was created to fight evil and encourage people to have self control and not do things that are wrong. it teaches us that humanity is sacred and we should treat eachother better, and most people believe that and use their religion for good.

10. you will never harass the other side out of existence when you are hateful and angry with pushing your message to the world, its not a good idea. people look at you and think your cause is about being evil and intolerant, and go over to the other side, and makes normal people who happen to be part of your group want to switch over to the other side. the best way to make people think your belief system is the best way to live is to lead by example and live a great life, and show people that you are a good person and are happy and dont kill others or want to force your beliefs on someone because of the group you happen to be a part of. that will make people be more likely to realise you have a point or even listen to you.

[Les]

Brilliant Kayls. I'm going to add this to my favourites list. Thanks.

[zombie444]

Some good points there kayls.

[sherry]

Thanks Kayls. Very good

[roman67]

Wonderful thread. Beautifully written. Thanks for sharing it with us.

[Ron55]

Well I think that sums it up nicely! Well done that poster.