Religious flamewars are not welcome on Hacker News. Please do not conduct them here.

Thanks for opening my eyes. I'm renouncing my religion tomorrow. You should write a book! You are very convincing.

Let's not use HN as a place to destroy religion -- there's plenty of other venues for that.

I'm not trying to get you to renounce your religion, I'm just saying that there is no such thing as ghosts.

I am not religious, but this is simply prejudice, and it doesn't belong here. What a sheltered life you claim to have led, not to have met anyone "smart" who is also religious.

It's not prejudice to point out absurdity. Religion is simply that... and while there may be some intelligent people, I would say that anyone who believes in supernatural sky beings that run everything and watch every move and every thought of every human is not smart.

I think smart is the application of intelligence, and while intelligent, the religious are not "smart" in that area.

By that standard, basically nobody is smart because practically every person is irrational about something.

I mean, I try not to be, but let's be honest—I wouldn't know if I was.

Rationality (or at least the application of) is a Float, not a Boolean. Humans are just <str>built</str>evolved that way I guess. Though; imagine a human being that was completely rational. He would be thoroughly humourless and unappetising. I imagine he'd call himself Richard Dawkins or something ridiculous like that.

> What a sheltered life you claim to have led, not to have met anyone "smart" who is also religious.

Perhaps, although maybe in my social bubble in London, Christians just aren't all that common, smart or otherwise. My last interaction with a Christian was my ex-neighbours. Lovely friendly family, or so we thought until we saw & heard them carrying out exorcisms on terrified, screaming children in their kitchen. I called the police.

One neighboring family (with whom you've had conflicts serious enough to require LEO intervention) is standing in for Christians you've never met on the other side of the world? How is that not prejudice?

I didn't have any conflicts with them. They were nice people, to me at least; they even used to cut my hedge. My only issue with them was that they thought that a man who lived in the sky, or possibly everywhere was telling them that a disabled child had some kind of devil living inside them and that they had to get it out, even if doing that required screaming and shouting, shaking and probably permanently damaging the child.

I don't think all Christians are like that either. My grandma was a Catholic, and one of the most selfless people I have ever known.

Most of the monotheistic religions seem to me a little like still believing in Father Christmas, and the same "get em while they're young" method of indoctrination is often used. If I meet someone who is religious, in my head I'm thinking about the practicalities and (how does such a fat man get down the chimney? How does he know which children have been naughty and which have been nice? And how does he get through all those houses in one night?).

And I'm not prejudiced. Pointing out gaping inconsistencies in someone else's argument or belief system goes not constitute prejudice. I totally support people believing in whatever they want to believe as long as it doesn't impact on others right to do the same. My personal belief is that Father Christmas does not exist, and any grown-up believing that he does is fucking ridiculous.

I do like mince pies though.

I'm all open to meeting god, just show me where she is.

Or they are smart and have figured it out--figured out that religion gives them power and control over others, like any cult structure.

Or themselves. Many people find strength and fortitude in believing there is a God. I'm not one of them but I can see why they might feel that way.