Often we assume that science and religion are at odds with each other, one states that it is based on reason and logic while the other is said to be based on faith and hope. But we often do not see how similar they are in their false promises and claims. We are told both can be used to make the world a better place. We are told by those that hold them true that they are tools which can create a paradise...of course both parties always promised this "paradise" is somewhere in "the future"...

It was suggested in another thread by one of our Aussie members that Americans use prayer like a magic wand to cure ills, and suggested that prayer doesn't work that way.

What is the purpose of prayer for you? I understand that many use it as a means of worship and reverence, but does prayer work to intervene in matter such as illness, finance, etc? Does a petition to God actually make Him reconsider the path He has laid out for an individual? Or does it work as more of a placebo affect...

As an Ex-JW (left in February... YAY!) I know that JW's pride themselves with the unity that they have vs the multiple denominations among "Christendom".

From what I understand about most Protestant denominations I have come across (as an example) is that they do not dispute what they see as the fundamentals of Christianity, but they choose the denomination depending on what that denomination emphasizes. So they still see each other as united. So, for an example James White will debate...

To follow a spiritual path can sometimes lead a person to be to serious about life ( I been there)
But may it be that we need to stop being afraid of doing wrong, and if we do wrong learn from it, instead of becoming to serious about it and actually fear our own faults?

My newfound joy in life is seeing life in a more happy way (living in the moment). Laugh of my own "stuid" way of being from time to time, and when someone have fun toward me, to smile and have fun back

Life is actually...

While ISIS has generally been classified by outside observers as belonging to the tradition of “Salafī-Jihādism,” a term first coined in 2002, some, mainly Sunni (and often Salafī) Muslims themselves, have disputed such a label, and have instead advocated for the classification of ISIS as a “Khawārij” movement. Now, as a Shīʿī Muslim, I am going to offer my perspective on why it is incorrect to classify ISIS as Khawārij and why the term Salafī is indeed accurate when applied to them.

The...

PRO:
I am pro-choice, not because I encourage women to have abortions, but because I reserve the right to not have abortions.

Legislation takes the right away.

Suppose for the sake of argument that the Judeo/Christian/Islamic god exists and that it has performed many great feats of strength and power as described in the various sacred texts. How could we possibly know that this god is not simply a puppet on the string of a greater god or goddess who is more powerful than this god? Suppose the super-deity decided to purposely delude the Judeo/Christian/Islamic god into thinking that he is in control of the universe, when in fact, he is not, and is...

How prevalent do you think Bibliolatry is in the United States, using this definition:

"In Christianity, bibliolatry is used to describe extreme devotion to the Bible or to biblical inerrancy.[3] Supporters of biblical inerrancy point to passages (such as 2 Timothy 3:16–17) interpreted to say that the Bible, as received, is a complete source of what must be known about God."

Bibliolatry - Wikipedia

I see no conflict between the account of Genesis, and good science. They get along quite well.
@Subduction Zone, I think you and others disagree. So I welcome your objections. Thank you.

Science has provided some knowledge many find beneficial.
However, science has not, and cannot provide knowledge of the most fundamentally important things in life.
Some have asked: Why did things evolve to form a universe and a planet equipped to sustain life? Science has no answer.
It is true, we can live without having the answer to this question.
It is also true, we can live without knowing that the earth orbits the sun, rotates around an axis at an angle of 23.5 degrees, at a speed of...