...religious people like you describe all have well disguised superiority complexs. They cloak them in "concern".
Especially those that are out actively recruiting.

that the only thing that keeps them from a life of rapaciousness and thievery is their faith. Many believe that they would not be able to control their baser instincts without their religious belief. In some cases, even that doesn't seem to help them live ethical lives, so maybe they're right in that thinking, for themselves, at least.

I've met many kind, generous, honest people during my life. Some were religious and some had no religious beliefs at all. I have also met many greedy, hostile, dishonest people during my life. Some were religious and some had no religious beliefs at all. I've never been able to predict anything about a person based on their religious affiliations.

Humans are joiners. We are social primates. It appears that convincing others to join whatever group you might call your own is commonly seen as a good thing. People tend to thing their group is superior to the groups of others, so evangelism is a pretty common goal of groups of all kinds. Apple uses tend to try to convince Microsoft users to switch, and motorcycle riders believe that their mode of transportation offers freedom and other advantages.

We're all out trying to recruit others, it seems.

covers many aspects of life.

Declare that you aren't interested in following major sports teams and you're considered odd, possibly unAmerican. Say you have zero interest in watching the new Star Wars movie and people try very hard to convince you that you absolutely must see it. And so on. Genuinely following your own interests and ignoring group-think is viewed with suspicion.

We're social primates, to be sure.

As for the new Star Wars movie, I do want to see it. I could have seen it yesterday, but my wife and I went to see "The Shape of Water." "The Last Jedi" will be in theaters a lot longer than that more obscure movie. We might see it in a theater, but we'll probably end up watching it on our TV when it's available on-demand.

These days, a movie in a theater is an expensive date, really. We go a lot less frequently than we used to.

Being a loner and an iconoclast isn't all that popular, you're right. But, then, I'm also here on DU, so I guess I'm not completely averse to joining.

as the ultimate truth, god is a very busy person. It often amazes me so many have such prehistoric views. Religion IMO is just another form of politics, and many go to war over it. As usual, a total WTF to me. One little spinning ball of dirt, and people have to kill and maim. And the world is civilized? LOL!

violence and death. However, that may not be a causal relationship. It does appear that humans are a contentious species, with very strong territorial instincts. It may well be that fighting among ourselves is inevitable, and that it is merely a coincidence that religion is sometimes used as an excuse for warfare.

I look at the migration from Europe to the Americas as an example. Those migrants found indigenous peoples when they arrived. The indigenous peoples did not want the migrants in their territory, and the migrants saw those indigenous people as obstacles in their taking of territory. Despite religions on both sides, communication was almost impossible between the two groups. So, the technologically superior migrants laid waste to the indigenous peoples and simply drove them off or killed them on a wholesale basis.

Human beings are warlike primates. We don't get along well with each other, it seems. I don't ascribe that to religion. In fact, religions generally counsel peaceful coexistence, but that advice is routinely ignored. It apparently can't overcome our territorial and greed-based internal desires.

One of the things that made an impression with me was the concept that one does not live their life for the sake of an afterlife. It is sufficient to live a good life without a bribe or threat.

I made a choice as to my faith and I respect your choice. I was discussing faith on another thread and this quote from Hillel was important in my decision to convert to Judasim

I judge people based on their actions. If they do not harm others, then I'm unconcerned about their beliefs. Sadly, there are many, both religious and non-religious, whose actions do cause harm to others. I am concerned about those people. That's why I'm involved in politics, really.

Judaism, like some other religions, does not have a universal forgiveness method for poor behavior, like Christianity. That means that people must try to live good, helpful lives and strive not to harm others. Judaism is also not an evangelical religion. It is what it is, and has its own rules for proper behavior. Very admirable, I think. Very sensible. I do not believe I have ever met a Jewish person who tried to convince me of anything regarding religious belief.

And, those things that require belief are unprovable. Perhaps a human characteristic.

Actually, I don't believe in anything. I don't even know what that means. I believe things that have been demonstrated as true. I believe things told me by people who understand particular fields better than I do. I believe things I see.

I do not believe in anything. That is a meaningless thing. See if you can tell me what it means to "believe in" something.

I'll check back at a later time.

I am not a performing monkey.

I have faith that my parents love me. I have faith that my wife loves me. I have faith that each day is approximately 24 hours long, and that the Sun is a star that is the closest to this planet.

I have faith in what I know to be true and what can be demonstrated to be true. I have faith in what has evidence that can be examined.

I will not give you a long list of such things. They are commonly recognized. I do not have faith that any supernatural events or entities occur or exist. Such thing have no evidence to support them.

Goodbye.

As to the length of the day, that is measurable.

So are you saying that you see faith and knowledge as somehow synonymous?

Interesting.

I am not the person to whom this should be directed.

Desperately.

As I never had a belief in gods, I cannot speak for the effect of losing one's faith in that nonsense.