@Tefached  
God Bless you sir or mame

@monolyth
 
I’m glad to have read that.

@Background Pony #43F7  
Everyone with a brain understands a book isn’t true just because it says so in the book. The bible could be completely corrupted and it will still hail itself as God’s word.

The Bible has been mistranslated in the past and misused, It even says in the new testament to be wary of the “Leaven of the Pharisees” (False harmful teachings of the hypocrites, I think); I interpret false teachings to be like planting a man-eating plant, Although the person listening thinks it is like a nice apple tree (Even if planting it out of fear and/or extreme terror due to a false teaching.)
 
The NT even says that some people - Pharisees, I think (Some religious leaders, If I’m not mistaken), Recite long prayers and wear robes or whatever to keep up with appearances so they can be at front seats of banquets and get attention though they’re really lying and deceiving. One verse Jesus said is like this: “Woe to you, Pharisees, You hypocrites and frauds! You’re like whitewashed tombs (Note: You may think “Mausoleum” for modern context.) that look beautiful on the outside but inside are full of rot and dead men’s bones!” (Not to forget the smell - Have you ever been inside one of those buildings? I was and why did it not have more ventilation?) To put this into a more modern perspective, Imagine that someone goes and buys a very poorly-maintained house, Fixes it up with chewing gum and makes it look wonderful but it’s really ready for the roof to cave in after someone buys it. Jesus also said the Pharisees are/were like (And I’m altering this verse within good context so people can relate to it) “Unmarked graves that people walk over unaware”.
 
Someone please correct me if I have any of this incorrect (I am a person who’s made mistakes in the past AND looked at pornography) and if you will do so, Ask yourself if what I just said really is true.

@derroflcopter  
It matters now. We’re all going to die, too, but we should still enjoy life.

I love how atheists speak so highly of intellegence and logic as if it’s gonna matter when the universe kicks the bucket.

I’m a Christian, and I went ahead and looked up each of these things to see if they fit.  

 
2 Timothy 2:15 (Twilight) is specifically about studying the Bible (not just being well-read in general.)  
-It doesn’t fit.
 
Proverbs 15:13 (Pinkie Pie) is about how being happy can make others happy.  
-It fits perfectly.
 
Romans 12:17 (Applejack) is about being openly honest.  
-It fits perfectly.
 
Romans 12:10 (Fluttershy) is about being kind to other Christians.  
-It sorta fits.
 
Matthew 22:39 (Rainbow Dash) is the golden rule (which is very general,) and is not about loyalty specifically.  
-It doesn’t fit.
 
2 Corinthians 9:7 (Rarity) Is about giving freely, and not because you have to, or doing it in a grudging fashion.  
-It fits perfectly.  

 
I hope this helps for those of you who wanted to know if any of these are taken out of context!

I’m so Rainbow Dash it’s frightful

@AP
 
…  
That’s a big wall of text.

I still have no idea what “neo-Darwinism” is. Does @BronyHeresy mean the modern evolutionary synthesis that those in the biological sciences use today?
 
@Radiant Heart  
I’ll assume you meant atheists in general,  
Take care that many of us will find your claim a wee bit insulting - since the rest of your argument is about rubbing along though, I’ll totally give you the benefit of the doubt on this one. There’s in fact a lot of internal argument about whether things like Humanist manifestos and declarations are a bit too religion-y, unfounded, and dogmatic, or whether mere dictionary definitions are sufficient. Not really dogmatic, no pope here…
 
But yeah. There needs to be a Flutts mould. Incontrovertible!
 
@Tefached  
Personally I reject both: faith without evidence is a poor foundation for knowledge or belief, and a poor justification for argument or action in the important matters of the world, or even in how we relate to one another in larger groups. Fine for lazily assuming you have milk in the fridge in the morning, or for getting along with your family or social groups, but a bit crap for doing science or technology or working out international relations or the social policy of a nation. Just something of a relic of our earlier past that needs much more tempering with this recently emerging reasoning ability we seem to have than it is currently receiving.
 
As for “[Christians] alter the Bible to fit our beliefs”, well, there’s two ways of reading that. Both are interesting.
 
The argument I think you highlight is one we use, but it’s an argument against the blind, manipulable sort of faith, intended to get them thinking about where their personal code comes from.
 
Arguably, the majority of religionists worldwide are somewhere between an absolute fundamentalist, or one who cherry-picks as you describe without thinking about it as you do. The latter seem to think of themselves as following the fundamentals of their religion. Kudos for not just blindly accepting the result, by the way. I worry that although the latter sort pick their personal code for dealing with this life based ultimately on humanistic values, they may be rather more prone to demagogues or mass hysteria with evil results due to, well, nothing more than a lack of awareness. That’s part of why we try to get people to question.
 
That’s assuming that the majority of people are basically nice. Many are just not, but that has to be addressed separately.
 
There’s a long history of modification of the text itself too, which will have been subject to personal prejudices, embellishments, or error because it’s somewhat difficult to exclude them when, say, translating. If anything, I’d say rewritings should happen more frequently and with more testing of the claims. The result after a century or two should be a god-free ethical code for dealing with this life amirite? But maybe that’s too much of a “neo-Darwinist” view :D
 
_I think it means heretic or something? Count me in!~

I really wish people could see the difference between religion and faith. While I agree that overly-religious people are morons, people with faith are, more often than not, sane, regular people with valid arguments.
 
Presenting God as an asshole who hates you if you miss one sunday in church is a bit off-putting to the whole “kind, loving God” idea, right?
 
Also, what really rustles my jimmies is when people (mostly atheists) claim that we alter the Bible to fit our beliefs. People can believe whatever the fuck they want. If they choose to pick a few good tips, such as “Love thy neighbour as thyself” from a bunch and stick to it, so what? If it makes them a better person, swell! And long as they are not a threat to society as a whole, people ought to leave them the fuck alone.
 
Thank you and goodbye.

P3FOYFN  
(Hope I got your name right)  
You’re absolutely right.
 
@BP below me.  
You clearly have no idea what you’re talking about. Come back when you’ve studied a Bible, and commentary on it. I do my best to understand the Neo-Darwinist’s “rulebook.” If you’re going to argue religion I expect you to do the converse.

There is nothing particularly unique about the Bible. It is just a hatched together document and Christians foolishly deny their religion’s Egyptian, Pagan and Wiccan foundations. And itbis patently absurd to imply people can not be moral without religion. Religion deserves to be knocked down several notches.

@P3FOYFN
 
Atheism is not the absence of religion, it’s the absence of deities. Buddhism is a religion, yet it has no deity.
 
@Radiant Heart
 
To counteract vocal idiots, we need vocal sane people. People who will give up a bit of their humility for a more loving and diverse humanity in the long run.

@Trotski
 
Every sane person is supportive of a healthy, constructive set of values, no matter the origins of such values.
 
Unfortunately, vocal idiots which both sides have in ample supply, have nothing constructive to offer solving the perceived issue (which they create themselves).
 
Bottomline - it’s the values of a healthy, far-sighted way of life that unite all the people who want progress and prosperity. Ignorance, insecurity and hate always make themselves evident, no matter what the person believes and how they present/view themselves.
 
P.S. Finally got myself Shiny, Cadence, Big Mac and Granny Smith figures. MOAR pony! When will they make a Fluttershy-specific Pegasus mold, I wonder… Earthponies have two, Unicorns have two, Pegasi have… one.

I laugh when people say that atheism is a religion. That’s like saying that asymmetry is symmetrical, and something atypical is typical, etc.  
The absence of religion is not a religion. There is no mobius strip or klein bottle for religion.

I feel religion is something that’s used way too often. It’s something that has a standard set of beliefs, which can be atheistic or theistic. To say atheism is the opposite of religion is silly and tantamount to saying theism is the opposite of communism.
 
As for this, I can’t really say I like the Bible and a lot of what preaches, but if it actually makes some people genuinely better people, then whatever. I probably wouldn’t have a problem with theistic stuff in secular works if I knew theistic works were okay or even supportive of atheistic thinking, but I’ve yet to see much of that happen in real life let alone fiction.
 
I doubt anyone will give this any merit due to being late to the party, but a man can dream.

ˇWhat Radiant Heart said. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a more intelligent post on Derpibooru in a while. Thank you good sir.
 
You made my day.

I find the atheist’s hatred towards religion to be… religious.
 
Anyhow, arguing about some things (religion being one of them), serves noone. No side has hard facts to prove their points, nothing is gained from the debate aside hurt feelings and rising hatred. Nobody needs this. Not believers, not atheists.
 
Debates like this mainly originate from ego, intolerance and plain maliciousness (insulting another person because you can).
 
Keep calm, love and tolerate. XOXO, happy holidays.

Tacking religious commentary onto clearly secular material = auto dislike. Go preach to someone who actually wants to hear it.

Actually this will probably end in lesbidash bashing before it ends in Tokugawa-esque edicts for putting all Christians to death.  
Oh wait, I just mentioned that didn’t I. :3c
 
Well, Lesbidash is most assuredly the next complaint! AAAH GOOUUAAAR RAHN TEEEE
 

I don’t know why everyone’s bitching around in the comments. These quotes actually fit their personalities quite well. Seriously, nobody tried to force religion on anyone. Shut the fuck up and like the picture.

 
Oh man, I can’t wait until Derpiboorites like BronyHeresy get a whiff of this thread. (Nothing against the guy, I just know he’s more openly religious than most.)
 

Luke 14:26  
“If anyone comes to me and does not hate father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters—yes, even their own life—such a person cannot be my disciple. - jesus christ
 
oh..wait that one not as popular
 
the “FPK” thing people know by now you do not try to force there religious bullshit on secular morality ponies world.
 
secular morality came 1st.
 
http://images1.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20111013201541/smuff/images/7/75/Gtfo.gif

Huh. That “ahem” wasn’t supposed to be struck out. It was supposed to be an action. You get the idea.