Doug Freyburger wrote:
Nad R wrote:
Doug Freyburger wrote:

Mine is a tiny one named Asatru. It would be amazing if you'd ever
seen the word. The nearest historically linked faith of any size is
Hindu. There are plenty of signs of ancient Asatru in modern
Anglo-Germanic civilization - Regional Thing evolved into jury and
country fair. National Thing evolved into parliment. The days of the
week got the names of the major deities. Number of members is a very
different story. There are tens of thousands of us in the world.
Extremely tiny.

Ok?

None of the heathen/pagan polytheist religions of the world have a
conflict with science. They all lack the error of biblical inerrancy or
literal truth in their stories. The largest is Hindu, then Shinto and
so on down into smaller and smaller population faiths. National
Geographic has tended to call them "animist" rather than polythiest.
Generally polytheist faiths don't care whether you believe if the
deities of their pantheon exist. It's not about that.

I see your point of view. However, I do know that many people live with
contradictions and dilemmas in life. I am not one of them. My mind is more
of a hierarchal index. I refuse to live with contradictions. All religions
have a creation theory that is not testable belief that contradicts that of
science such as Evolution and the big bang theories.

I looked up yours,
http://www.religioustolerance.org/asatru.htm
****
Creation Story: A poem Voluspa (Prophecy of the Seeress) contains an Ásatrú
story of the creation of the universe. Between Muspelheim (The Land of
Fire) and Niflheim the Land of Ice was an empty space called Ginnungigap.
The fire and ice moved towards each other; when they collided, the universe
came into being. Odin, Vili and Ve later created the world from the body of
a giant that they had slain.
****

To believe that science and religion can coexist is at best a contradiction
in it's self.

Again, All religions have a creation theory not a testable belief that
contradicts that of science: Evolution and the big bang theories

There's also Buddhism and probably other deity-irrelevant faiths. I
don't know if Taoism or Confucicism fall in this category. It's been
too long since I've read the Analects or the Tao Te Ching.

The basis of all science is that the theory must be "Testable".

And the basis of most religions is that which is not testable. Which
puts them not in conflict.

Not correct. All religions have views that contract that of science from
the origins of the human race to the beginnings of the universe. Many
religious may believe that science and religion can coexist, but as an
atheist I reject this view.

God based creation beliefs are not testable. It is a belief that cannot be
testable.

Exactly. Whence not in conflict.

Wrong they are in conflict. I provided example already.

You are mixing up Philosophy with Religion.

No. You are trying to define religion as only those two that you
disapprove of. Not a game I'll play. Playing that game doesn't make
your restricted definition either correct or useful. The JCI folks want
to claim to define the space, but they do not define the space.

I am defining religion, and it has nothing with the TWO I disapprove of. I
disapprove of ALL religions and they are many many more than two religions.
Your are trying to merge two different worlds like oil and water.

One can have Philosophical views with out religion.

One can. It's called the agnostic approach.

Religion in my book is a belief in one or more gods

It is irrelevant that you allow the JCI folks to define the space and
then that you reject them. That's a optional element in the list of
features.

Two way street here, I can also claim your views are irrelevant.

Where does the WHY come in when it comes to ghost, spirits and the non
existent after life. This is the realm of religion, not science or
philosophy.

Philosophy is not a branch of Religion. Religion is a branch of Philosophy.

They are overlapping sets. Neither is a subset of the other,

Not overlapping, everything can be ordered in a top down hierarchal order.
Including set theory. Your world of just using venn diagrams is a non
ordered world. If it cannot be ordered then their is a paradox in the
structure.

For millennia relgions have taught gardening as a path of life.
Gardening does in fact have much to do with religion. Gardening is
possible without religion. Not the same thing. For that matter
religion is possible without gardening. Who would want such a religion.

For millennia religions have taught nonsense because they could not make
sense of their world, therefore a GOD must be the reason.

Enjoy your delusional religious world. It may be better to live in a world
of delusions and be have happy life than know the truth and live in a world
of harsh realities.

I see your point of point of view. It must come from the Noris God... Loki.

--
Enjoy Life... Nad R (Garden in zone 5a Michigan)