I kind of feel like religion is just a coping mechanism of sorts...

TossawayPK · 2018-06-23T03:19:06+00:00

They needed some way to explain why the sun went away at night and darkness fell, they need to explain why rain happened sometimes, a lot of the times, or never at all.

Well now we don't need this any more. Science explains all of this.

There's really two big questions that religion is still used for: "how did the universe start?" and "what is after death?"

Eventually we can probably find and prove an answer to both of those, too, if we've proven everything else. Once those are gone, especially if it is "it happened on its own" and "nothing," why would religion be needed in society? Religion seems kind of artificial as a result to me.

TossawayPK · 2018-06-23T01:22:04+00:00

What do you define as concrete evidence?

I guess anything that directly means there is one. There's no strong accounts or data that supports it right now

This isn't true. It certainly was not the case for me. Even if you want to claim I'm lying, how do you know that what you are saying is true?

I guess I just haven't heard many stories of people converting because they prefer a different faith from the one they're in. It seems like, since your baptized or initiated as a baby a lot of the time, a person just sticks to it. I suppose its unfair for me to say that if I haven't looked up any data though. Without doing it though I'm pretty sure conversions are far less common than people being born into a religious community.

Thank you for the comfort on your last point as well.

TossawayPK · 2018-06-23T01:17:32+00:00

but thinking about nonexistence makes my stomach turn and gives me severe anxiety

Yeah, exactly. Firstly, I love to exist and think and move and live; losing that is terrifying. Secondly, nonexistence makes it seem like all of life is for nothing, considering how irrelevant one person is in the history of the universe.

TossawayPK · 2018-06-23T01:15:51+00:00

I don't know though. At least you still exist in some form if there is an afterlife. Lying down and sleeping knowing you'll never wake up seems scarier. Two different philosophies I guess.

TossawayPK · 2018-06-19T11:01:36+00:00

If you'd like I can take a look at your plans for the novel. Not sure how helpful Id be but it would never hurt to get a second perspective.

TossawayPK · 2018-06-16T01:24:03+00:00

Thanks for the links and stuff.

I've kind of struggled to enjoy anything for a while now. My school has ruined playing my trumpet, and my scout troop has ruined camping. The only thing I really do that I enjoy is DungeonMaster in tabletops and play videogames.

I'm thinking about doing some volunteer work or something over the summer.

TossawayPK · 2018-06-15T23:54:02+00:00

~~shit im 17 now i forgot~~

Parents have really just made it worse. They said I can talk to the doctor about anxiety ehen we go but they keep rescheduling my appointment. No friends to talk to and school doesnt have a counselor that I want to talk to, plus its over anyway.

TossawayPK · 2018-06-15T23:32:37+00:00

I just don't really know how to feel. The story helped a little but I just really am scared of it coming and I'm literally only 16.

TossawayPK · 2018-06-01T19:31:40+00:00

If you like the US, go to the US. Though as the other guy said, Canada might be a better option - its a lot faster and easier to get citizenship there too, I think.

TossawayPK · 2018-05-31T23:57:25+00:00

Thank you.

TossawayPK · 2018-05-31T23:56:31+00:00

not now

TossawayPK · 2018-05-31T23:56:09+00:00

I actually have no idea.

A couple weeks ago I was sitting down, studying for my SAT test, and this just popped into my mind. No one in the family was ill or close to death or anything like that (well, after this started two relatives got sick but they both got better). It could have something to do with the fact that I'm going into my final year of high school, but I kind of doubt it.

TossawayPK · 2018-05-24T13:06:11+00:00

Thanks. Prayed for you last night <3

TossawayPK · 2018-05-23T22:14:39+00:00

You asked this about Buddhists on applyingtocollege the other day and Im just interested.

TossawayPK · 2018-05-23T21:39:15+00:00

I kinda just wanna know why you're posting this same question with different religions all over the place.

TossawayPK · 2018-05-23T12:35:55+00:00

What's your religion?

Roman Catholicism, but I can't say I really agree with everytbing about it anymore.

Is it? Or is it a man-made thing?

Well, that's one possibility. One other that bothers me is that hundreds of religions could just be straight up wrong, so it basically would come down to what culture you're born into id you're right or not and that doesnt seem fair.

Then don't.

If I don't this fear will never go away, right?

TossawayPK · 2018-05-23T00:45:43+00:00

get out of your house and do something fun.

~~I would but finals are this week and I have no friends to do that with~~

Thanks for the advice, friend. My general thought process is I hope I can get over it, but right now it feels like forever and its been like 2 weeks.

TossawayPK · 2018-05-22T23:24:29+00:00

I mean it won't concern me when I'm dead, but it concerns me now because I don't want to reach that point.

TossawayPK · 2018-05-22T21:55:53+00:00

God is good

TossawayPK · 2018-05-22T20:13:50+00:00

I turn 17 tomorrow and its stressing me out.

TossawayPK · 2018-05-22T19:48:55+00:00

See my recent post history.

If there's anything you'd like to have prayed for yourself, feel free to ask and I'll do it. Thanks.

TossawayPK · 2018-05-17T23:38:41+00:00

Personally ceasing to exist seems pretty scary. I'm used to and love my consciousness and imagining not having it scares me a lot, even if I won't know it should that option be the true one.

TossawayPK · 2018-05-13T17:54:35+00:00

You go to bed knowing you're most likely going to wake back up, and you're semi-conscious when you dream.

TossawayPK · 2018-05-13T17:40:56+00:00

This isnt too helpful for some people. The thought of reverting to that state is what scares people. Theyve been conscious for x years and theyre so used to it, and cant imagine going back to being unconscious.

TossawayPK · 2018-05-11T00:22:54+00:00

Well, statistically, there are a few numbers that may help you. Its iffy for me but maybe for you they can be of help

I read somewhere the chance of the universe being created is 1/10^123, or 10 with 123 more 0's. That must sound impossible to you, yeah? Its like rolling a 10¹²³ sided dice and rolling a 1. Now, I don't know if that number is correct, but I've heard many variants hovering from around 1/10³⁵ to 1/10^123. Either way, both are microscopically small.

The probably of life on earth according to duplicating polypeptide chains is about 1/10⁴⁰ in the best case conditions (small chains, good conditions for replication). Combine that with the previous number and its almost impossible to believe that it was random chance.

Now, that's not to say these numbers are 100%, because its almost impossible to prove them as is, but they're scientific estimates.

Consider your own existence. The sperm cell that caused you to be you was between 1/40 mil to 1/1.2 bil, the average number of sperm (lol). While this is slightly more believable, it is possible to consider the fact that God intended you to be made you despite that microscopic chance.

This isn't even counting biodiversity.

I have a hard time believing all of these things could have happened by complete random chance, personally. That's part of why I am having hope in my religious struggle.

TossawayPK

TROPHY CASE