To not exist - Page 2

A belief wasn't originally an idea? People don't fight about ideas because it's just a thought. Belief's are just expanded ideas.

i think jacker wins that arguement, people fight over ideas all the time. the world of science is full of it. and u cant just pull a belief from thin air, someones got to think of something before others start to believe it. people believe lies, but someone originally thought of the lie, it was an idea. the same may be true with religion, or it may not. atheism is people either not having the idea in the first place, or people having an idea that the beliefs of their society are wrong.

as for the lack of middle ground, there is some, the idea of religious tolerance, though religious tolerance can only truly exist in atheism. all religions believe as a main point, that you must believe in their god and their theology to reach heaven and to be a truly "good" person. actions alone are not good enough, you must be a member of their religion. believe me, we have no end of fun winding up our youth leader, by thinking up situations in which someone might have had no chance of ever having heard of christianity, and getting her to try and defend the opinion that they would not be allowed in to heaven because they didnt accept christ.

Most major religions can all be connected with the golden rule.

http://www.jcu.edu/philosophy/gensler/poster.gif

bits of religion all cross over, specially islam, christianity, and judaism. as they have largely the same first part, seeing as judaism is what the other two stemmed from.

If all religion is largely the same first part than where's the middle ground? The middle ground is merely agnostic. The question of God's existence on either side. At least in a spectrum sort of view.