Religion, science, atheism, and satanism

[dfnj]

What are the primary principles of religion, science, atheism, and satanism?

Religion:
1. Accept Jesus Christ as your own personal Lord and savior.
2. Accept Jesus Christ as the only one true path to salvation.
3. Promote other people's acceptance of Jesus Christ.
3b. Use the words "Jesus Christ" in as many sentences as possible.
4. Go to the church, give money to the church, get more people to attend church, sell Bibles
5. Provide a map for how people are supposed to live their lives with morality.
6. Achieve salvation after death.
7. Do works of charity and caring for others. Promote selflessness over selfishness.
8. Provide answers on how to deal with the four great existential questions (who am I, why am I here, what does it all mean, what is going to happen to me when I die).
9. Develop piety, reverence, empathy, humility, and forgiveness for other people and our place in the Universe.

Science:
1. Identify patterns in nature's behavior, represent those patterns with mathematical equations, then publish the results in peer reviewed scientific journals.
2. Follow strict patterns of behavior with regards to the scientific method.
3. Discredit superstitions with known scientific facts.
4. Be an impartial observer of nature, let the data and evidence drive the conversation.
5. Accept the laws of nature are universal and eternal.
6. Believe there are no mysteries that cannot be explained or understood through science.
7. The purpose of science is personal prestige.
8. The purpose of science is utility to society.
9. There is no purpose to science other than what scientists choose it to be.

Atheism:
1. Act smug while discrediting everyone else's world view as meaningless and irrelevant.
2. Live life with a world view that nothing is meaningful on a cosmic timescale.
3. There is no greater purpose to anyone's life other than what each person decides it to be.
4. God is irrelevant because there is no evidence for his existence.
5. Most atheists don't deny God's existence. Most atheist simply choose to ignore the word God. God is not necessary.
6. Hold the belief that there is virtue in selfishness.

Evil can be found in every organization and at every level and part of society. I don't claim to be an expert on this topic. This is the most evil list I could come up with off the cuff:
Satanism:
1. The purpose of life is to exploit others (including children).
2. Selfishness is a virtue, everyone is selfish, winning is everything. The ends justify the means.
3. Manipulating other people for personal gain while acting innocent about it when confronted.
3. Authority comes from being the biggest bully. Might is right.
4. People are deserving of contempt. People deserve to suffer. People want to suffer.
5. There is no moral consequence to killing people who are not part of the "chosen".
6. People don't want fellowship, people want strong leadership. People are naturally submissive.
7. Power is to be centralized to a single authority. The purpose of power is slavery.
8. Chaos, death, mayhem, and war are fun.
9. There are no moral consequences to greed, gluttony, depravity, and debauchery.
10. Nothing is sacred. No one is holy. Morality is self-defined.

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For religion, science, and atheism which ones are most important? And are there any items missing from these lists?

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[Storyteller]

What are the primary principles of religion, science, atheism, and satanism?

Religion:
1. Accept Jesus Christ as your own personal Lord and savior.Yes but not all religions do.
2. Accept Jesus Christ as the only one true path to salvation.Yes.
3. Promote other people's acceptance of Jesus Christ.Encourage and inform.
3b. Use the words "Jesus Christ" in as many sentences as possible.No.
4. Go to the church, give money to the church, get more people to attend church, sell BiblesNot necessarily.
5. Provide a map for how people are supposed to live their lives with morality.No, concentrate on your own.
6. Achieve salvation after death.Yes.
7. Do works of charity and caring for others. Promote selflessness over selfishness.Yes.
8. Provide answers on how to deal with the four great existential questions (who am I, why am I here, what does it all mean, what is going to happen to me when I die).Yes.
9. Develop piety, reverence, empathy, humility, and forgiveness for other people and our place in the Universe.Yes.

Science:
1. Identify patterns in nature's behavior, represent those patterns with mathematical equations, then publish the results in peer reviewed scientific journals.
2. Follow strict patterns of behavior with regards to the scientific method.
3. Discredit superstitions with known scientific facts.
4. Be an impartial observer of nature, let the data and evidence drive the conversation.
5. Accept the laws of nature are universal and eternal.
6. Believe there are no mysteries that cannot be explained or understood through science.
7. The purpose of science is personal prestige.
8. The purpose of science is utility to society.
9. There is no purpose to science other than what scientists choose it to be.
Not sure about 5 to 9.
Atheism:
1. Act smug while discrediting everyone else's world view as meaningless and irrelevant.Thats not exclusive to atheists.
2. Live life with a world view that nothing is meaningful on a cosmic timescale.
3. There is no greater purpose to anyone's life other than what each person decides it to be.
4. God is irrelevant because there is no evidence for his existence.
5. Most atheists don't deny God's existence. Most atheist simply choose to ignore the word God. God is not necessary.
6. Hold the belief that there is virtue in selfishness.
Disagree with 5 and 6.

Evil can be found in every organization and at every level and part of society. I don't claim to be an expert on this topic. This is the most evil list I could come up with off the cuff:
Satanism:
1. The purpose of life is to exploit others (including children).
2. Selfishness is a virtue, everyone is selfish, winning is everything. The ends justify the means.
3. Manipulating other people for personal gain while acting innocent about it when confronted.
3. Authority comes from being the biggest bully. Might is right.
4. People are deserving of contempt. People deserve to suffer. People want to suffer.
5. There is no moral consequence to killing people who are not part of the "chosen".
6. People don't want fellowship, people want strong leadership. People are naturally submissive.
7. Power is to be centralized to a single authority. The purpose of power is slavery.
8. Chaos, death, mayhem, and war are fun.
9. There are no moral consequences to greed, gluttony, depravity, and debauchery.
10. Nothing is sacred. No one is holy. Morality is self-defined.

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For religion, science, and atheism which ones are most important? And are there any items missing from these lists?

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Love, tolerance, compassion and truth is the most important.

[BGoodForGoodSake]

There are several things encompassed by the categories above, and each item does not include all the things below. There is overlap.

These are:
A Moral guide
World View
Explanatory Instrument
Tools for Discovery
Utility to Society
Channel for Curiosity
Spiritual Nourishment

Therefore I must conclude that that what you are attempting to do is not necessarily constructive. Especially as it seems to me that you may have a bias centering around your own values.

Let's begin the discussion by what you value most. And then we can find categories that people fit into along those values.

For instance if you value interpersonal relationships and intrapersonal harmony then the "buckets" you may want to examine might be.

Humanism
Religion
Institutionalism
Consumerism
Communism

But again I think this list might be incomplete.
Perhaps a survey asking people what guides their moral compass.

[dfnj]

5. Most atheists don't deny God's existence. Most atheist simply choose to ignore the word God. God is not necessary.
6. Hold the belief that there is virtue in selfishness.
Disagree with 5 and 6.

I give you 6. There may be one or two atheists who do not see virtue in selfishness.

Number 5, however, is very true. Here's the problem with not having number 5. Many theist claim that atheists are claiming "God does NOT exist". The arugument then becomes since you can't prove a negative, therefore, atheism is self-contradictory and ill-conceieved. There's just no word for someone who thinks God is non-existent and irrelevant other than atheist. There are many atheists who are not seeking to actively deny the existence of God or all things Godly. Being indifferent sometimes just means nothing.

Love, tolerance, compassion and truth is the most important.

A beautiful sentiment but I think it is covered in:

9. Develop piety, reverence, empathy, humility, and forgiveness for other people and our place in the Universe.

I think having reverence and empathy for another individual pretty much covers love and compassion.

Truth is a bigger problem. There are two types of truth. One is the sky is blue. Facts are a type of truth. And then there are statement like the truth is <<insert my opinion about something here>>. It may be a fact that a statement is your opinion but opinions can never be lies and can never be facts. The sky is beautiful is much different statement than the sky is blue. You may think the sky is beautiful is an absolute truth but it's really an opinion.

I heard a really nice definition for the word love: Love is a collection of little acts of kindness.

Regardless, I like the sentiment.

[Storyteller]

The sky isnt blue, it just appears blue.

How is God being non existent differ from not existing?

God is truth.
And love.
In all its glory.

[RickD]

An atheist is someone who believes God doesn't exist.

[dfnj]

Therefore I must conclude that that what you are attempting to do is not necessarily constructive. Especially as it seems to me that you may have a bias centering around your own values.
Let's begin the discussion by what you value most. And then we can find categories that people fit into along those values.

What do I value most, hmmmmm, let's see, first I will say people who are not judgmental by putting people into categories.

And second, people who are capable of really thinking and judging for themselves without blindly accepting or repeating what other people are telling them what to think.

For instance if you value interpersonal relationships and intrapersonal harmony then the "buckets" you may want to examine might be.
Humanism
Religion
Institutionalism
Consumerism
Communism
But again I think this list might be incomplete.
Perhaps a survey asking people what guides their moral compass.

I think what I value most of all is people who live their lives with an absolute humility as shown by treating each and every person they meet in their life as the most sacred and divine thing on Earth.

[Storyteller]

Me?

[dfnj]

The sky isnt blue, it just appears blue.

How is God being non existent differ from not existing?

God is truth.
And love.
In all its glory.

Don't get hung up on the sky. I meant any simple fact versus truth as an opinion. The truth is I have two feet. That is a type of truth that is a fact. But some people mix truth of their own opinion with facts in reality. That's the problem. Truth is tricky word because it has an inherent ambiguity with reality and things that only exist in our minds.

[RickD]

dfnj wrote:
I think what I value most is people who live their lives with an absolute humility as shown by treating each and every person they meet in their life as the most sacred and divine thing on Earth.

In other words, do like you do? Tell them that everyone, no matter what, is going to be saved? That's not treating people with love and respect.

Sometimes we need to tell people the truth in love. Even if they don't want to hear it.

You're making a big mistake by putting your faith in YOUR false god. The god of your imagination.

[dfnj]

dfnj wrote:
I think what I value most is people who live their lives with an absolute humility as shown by treating each and every person they meet in their life as the most sacred and divine thing on Earth.

In other words, do like you do? Tell them that everyone, no matter what, is going to be saved? That's not treating people with love and respect.

Sometimes we need to tell people the truth in love. Even if they don't want to hear it.

You have a point. That's where I'm stuck. I haven't yet decided if sin is a complete hoax so the church has something to sell. Or, whether there exists some other way so people have a reason to live a moral life.

If the goal of religion is to teach people how to behave morally, I'm thinking maybe the threat of Hell may be the wrong approach. Most immature and essentially evil people purposefully do the very things that they think will get them in the most trouble.

You're making a big mistake by putting your faith in YOUR false god. The god of your imagination.

My God, is the one and only true God. It doesn't matter, my God will always forgive you no matter what you say. My God loves you no matter what.

[RickD]

dfnj wrote:
You have a point. That's where I'm stuck. I haven't yet decided if sin is a complete hoax so the church has something to sell. Or, whether there exists some other way so people have a reason to live a moral life.

Church? What church? The "church" is the body of believers in Jesus Christ.

If living a moral life is your only goal, you can be an atheist and do that.

dfnj wrote:

If the goal of religion is to teach people how to behave morally, I'm thinking maybe the threat of Hell may be the wrong approach. Most immature and essentially evil people purposefully do the very things that they think will get them in the most trouble.

The goal of religion is to teach people how to behave morally?

You're missing the first, most important part. Believe on Christ. Then worry about behaving morally.
And I tend to agree with you about preaching the threat of hell. I personally, would rather preach the gospel. It's the power to save all who believe. The love of God is amazing. But He is God. And we need to accept the way He provided, instead of trying to do it our own way.

dfnj wrote:

My God, is the one and only true God. It doesn't matter, my God will always forgive you no matter what you say. My God loves you no matter what.

You can believe that if you want. But you're going to be in for a big surprise, if you don't believe in the one He sent.

[Storyteller]

The sky isnt blue, it just appears blue.

How is God being non existent differ from not existing?

God is truth.
And love.
In all its glory.

Don't get hung up on the sky. I meant any simple fact versus truth as an opinion. The truth is I have two feet. That is a type of truth that is a fact. But some people mix truth of their own opinion with facts in reality. That's the problem. Truth is tricky word because it has an inherent ambiguity with reality and things that only exist in our minds.

God is God.
Fact.
Even if you dont believe in God.

Sin, evil, is a fact.
As is good.
Its still all perception.

We feel, think and question.

Christ is God. God died for us to redeem our sin.
Thats love.
God is love.

All we have to do is believe in Him. Christ. Because belief in God alone is not enough, the devil believes in God.

Christ is our path to God, our signpost, the way. He said so I am the way.
To God.
Deny Christ, you deny God.

[RickD]

Storyteller wrote:
Christ is God. God died for us to redeem our sin.
Thats love.
God is love.

Christ is our path to God, our signpost, the way. He said so I am the way.
To God.
Deny Christ, you deny God.

Well said!