The Atheist Thread

[garebear]

Ok.  Here is where you are confused:  saying you are angry isn't saying anything about your character.  Yes, I quoted you as an example of an angry atheist.  I have no idea what your character is like.   

You have a warped view of true Christianity.  It doesn't "enslave" minds or tell people what to think.  The true essence of Christianity is the exact opposite of what you say:  it's all about choice.  It's also about critical thinking, research, study, etc.   

Really? Where is all the debate within the Christian community over homosexual marriage?

There are precepts to every religion which explicitly forbid open and honest research.

For instance, are Christians looking to disprove the existence of their god? Of course not. That line of thinking is a sin.

Face it, had you not been born to a predominately Christian community/ country/ etc., you would believe another thing.

Does that not show you how arbitrary and random it all is?

If Christianity is such a "fact" why are there so many Muslims and Jews?

The only "wiggle room" I see in Christianity is to allow their members wealth, although the bible itself is very explicit in its warning against this.

[Dos Equis]

Really? Where is all the debate within the Christian community over homosexual marriage?

There are precepts to every religion which explicitly forbid open and honest research.

For instance, are Christians looking to disprove the existence of their god? Of course not. That line of thinking is a sin.

Face it, had you not been born to a predominately Christian community/ country/ etc., you would believe another thing.

Does that not show you how arbitrary and random it all is?

If Christianity is such a "fact" why are there so many Muslims and Jews?

The only "wiggle room" I see in Christianity is to allow their members wealth, although the bible itself is very explicit in its warning against this.

There is actually a lot of debate within the Christian community about homosexual marriage and homosexuality in general.  You even have some denominations that have accepted openly homosexual ministers, etc. 

That said, homosexuality isn't one of those subjects that's a gray area when it comes to Christianity, the Bible, etc.  It's pretty clear.  I think the debate should be around how a lot of Christians mistreat homosexuals.  They don't "hate the sin, love the sinner."  Not true of all, but certainly true of a disproportionate number of Christians. 

Your questions aren't very logical.  Why would a religion founded on a faith-based belief in God engage in study for the scientific nonexistence of God?  That's worse than an oxymoron.  Really doesn't make any sense IMO.

I never said "Christianity" is a "fact."  It's a belief system.  It's a way of life.

There is actually a lot of debate and discussion in the Christian community about all sorts of subjects, from homosexuality to abortion, etc. 

[garebear]

There is actually a lot of debate within the Christian community about homosexual marriage and homosexuality in general.  You even have some denominations that have accepted openly homosexual ministers, etc. 

That said, homosexuality isn't one of those subjects that's a gray area when it comes to Christianity, the Bible, etc.  It's pretty clear.  I think the debate should be around how a lot of Christians mistreat homosexuals.  They don't "hate the sin, love the sinner."  Not true of all, but certainly true of a disproportionate number of Christians. 

Your questions aren't very logical.  Why would a religion founded on a faith-based belief in God engage in study for the scientific nonexistence of God?  That's worse than an oxymoron.  Really doesn't make any sense IMO.

I never said "Christianity" is a "fact."  It's a belief system.  It's a way of life.

There is actually a lot of debate and discussion in the Christian community about all sorts of subjects, from homosexuality to abortion, etc. 

That's exactly my point.

[Dos Equis]

That's exactly my point.

I know.  The point doesn't make a whole lot of sense.  And it doesn't establish that there is a lack of critical thinking, research, debate, discussion, etc. 

[tonymctones]

someone has to oppose ignorance and evil, I have no problem combating religion and all of the vile shit it brings into this world. The fact that you find it odd that atheism would be on a religious board strikes me as ironic and somewhat idiotic. Where else would atheism be? it exists only due to religion, it's goal imo should be to enlighten people and free them of primitive thought and childish beliefs which are quite clearly the root of most of humanities problems.

I also, find it funny that beach bum can't formulate his own opinion and just copy and pastes non-sequitors, lol.

religion is a proven negative, even on society, why you cling to it I will never know, i guess comfort wins over logic for you.

pretty typical, you overlook all the good that religion brings and focus in on the bad.

Well you see many an atheist on getbig kick and scream when someone calls atheism a religion. Now you see the irony of starting an ode to atheism thread on a religious board do you not?

LOL religion isnt about comfort...

its much easier to be atheist than it is to be religious.

serious question, what basis do you use for your moral beliefs?

[garebear]

I know.  The point doesn't make a whole lot of sense.  And it doesn't establish that there is a lack of critical thinking, research, debate, discussion, etc. 

You've already established absolutes even before you begin your "research".

Why study evolution, when you already KNOW that god created man in his image?

Why study what happens after death when you already KNOW you will go to heaven?

These absolutes put to rest any intellectual curiousit.

[garebear]

pretty typical, you overlook all the good that religion brings and focus in on the bad.

Well you see many an atheist on getbig kick and scream when someone calls atheism a religion. Now you see the irony of starting an ode to atheism thread on a religious board do you not?

LOL religion isnt about comfort...

its much easier to be atheist than it is to be religious.

serious question, what basis do you use for your moral beliefs?

No, the whole basis of religion is the psychological comfort of pretending to know answers. Atheists don't have the answers, hence they are without its subsequent comforts.

I know you like to troll around on here and try to piss people off, but this is the place for an atheism thread. Where should I put it, the sports board?

Atheism is the default position of not having a religion. It's up to religion to prove their wild claims, and to an educated person, they don't even come close.

Why don't you just stick to playing god and telling the world what is natural, since you have more insight than the rest of the human race.

You really don't challenge yourself mentally, do you?

[Necrosis]

pretty typical, you overlook all the good that religion brings and focus in on the bad.

Well you see many an atheist on getbig kick and scream when someone calls atheism a religion. Now you see the irony of starting an ode to atheism thread on a religious board do you not?

LOL religion isnt about comfort...

its much easier to be atheist than it is to be religious.

serious question, what basis do you use for your moral beliefs?

LOL how in the world is it easier to be an atheist? All you have to do is accept christ and you get this marvelous spa package when you die. You also have a constant safety net or believe there to be one any time something goes wrong.

what does religion offer that is novel? there is nothing in religion that secular people haven't done and any of the teachings have already been taught, it's a copy and paste from older religions which are an invention of man. The fact that man invented religion indicates that humans thought/think in any manner found within holy books before they were written.


morality is based off of logic/rationality and simple reciprocation and altruism. If you are using the bible for moral fiber then you have a hard road to argue as it is one of the more morally void books i could think of. Also, if the only place you derive your morals from are holy books and the concept of god then it would mean without such would you go around doing as you please, typical bad person.

you seem to think that i care if atheism is lumped as a religion, i don't. Namely because that's beyond stupid as it is simply a lack of belief, if atheists and rational people want to get together to oppose superstition and myth then I would be there to help out, call that religion, i call it a club.

There is no central doctrine of atheism so the fact that you guys think this ode or whatever is applicable to atheists is too funny. I fine with atheists making themselves look like fools, I'm not even an atheist, im more of a pantheist and for good reason imo.

[garebear]

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[Necrosis]

No, the whole basis of religion is the psychological comfort of pretending to know answers. Atheists don't have the answers, hence they are without its subsequent comforts.

I know you like to troll around on here and try to piss people off, but this is the place for an atheism thread. Where should I put it, the sports board?

Atheism is the default position of not having a religion. It's up to religion to prove their wild claims, and to an educated person, they don't even come close.

Why don't you just stick to playing god and telling the world what is natural, since you have more insight than the rest of the human race.

You really don't challenge yourself mentally, do you?

good post, the most arrogant people i know are the religious, claiming to have all the answers and their punishment for not believing as they do is eternal torture for temporal sins, it's so absurd it makes me cringe when they try to entertain intellectual debate.

i like the whole critical thinking angle,lmao, how about critically appraising noahs fucking ark? what did the canivores eat if there was only two of every animal, how did he get species from different continents, why would god kill everyone? didn't he know the outcome before it happened, you would have to be pure fucking evil to create something knowing the outcome will be  global genocide. Where is the critical thinking here? explain this to me, how can you guys believe in such bullshit without any dissonance? Doesn't it upset you to know that the stories in the bible if read to a kid alongside curious george would sound no different? both full of magic and fairy tales, both works of fiction. The moral teachings are equally barren, the ten commandments are a shitty fucking list, the first lot are all about worshipping this insecure asshole. Where are the rules against incest, rape, slavery there are none and the reason why was because morally it was acceptable back then. As we gain knowledge our morality improves, fact, cling to a book of bullshit if it makes you guys feel better but i can think of nothing special about eternal servitude no matter who it's directed towards, seems like hell to me.

[Mr. Magoo]

Ok.  Here is where you are confused:  saying you are angry isn't saying anything about your character.  Yes, I quoted you as an example of an angry atheist.  I have no idea what your character is like.   

You have a warped view of true Christianity.  It doesn't "enslave" minds or tell people what to think.  The true essence of Christianity is the exact opposite of what you say:  it's all about choice.  It's also about critical thinking, research, study, etc.   

If you consider that to be a "warped view of true Christianity", a LOT of christian denominations then are warped views of true Christianity. Many of them tell people what to think. That's the whole point of getting to children when they are young. It's easier to get them to believe. IF it was really about choice, christian denominations would be AGAINST the teaching of Christianity to children. For example, Thomas Jefferson was against the teaching of christianity to children for this very reason in a letter he wrote to his nephew. Many people hold onto the "just believe" teaching, and if someone critically thinks or reflects, they are "complicating something which is very simple". Now if by "research, study" you mean prayer and reading the bible, then yes Christians follow that route. But to say that it is perfectly acceptable and encouraged to disagree with the teaching of a church is utter nonsense. Many Christians feel that to do so is "sowing discord among the brethren". Many churches preach that the Bible is very simple, all one has to do is believe, trust, obey, etc. Remember the passage that praises those who are child like. That means people should accept what they are told. This is not an insult to Christianity (I think it says something about modern society when what I just typed^^ is taken to be an insult to Christianity), but it is what many Christians believe.

[garebear]

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[Necrosis]

I know.  The point doesn't make a whole lot of sense.  And it doesn't establish that there is a lack of critical thinking, research, debate, discussion, etc. 

you start with a conclusion and try to fill the data in, thats a huge no no for critical thinking. For example the bible states adam and eve spawned humanity, now despite the clear incest that would have to occur for propagation ( the mother would have to fuck the son or father fuck the daughter, or the kids would have to fuck), it has the answer to origins layed out for you. Thats just one example of inhibitory doctrines, it claims people were created from dust in whole form etc. It's just silly to believe that and even worse is that god choose incest as a means of propagation, absurd and disgusting, i guess thats why incest isn't an commandment. Now besides the moral objections, the genetic reprocussions of this are immense, to the point that i would suggest god literally induced disease using this method, not to mention that incest of that caliber will surely almost everytime end a species. Thus using critical thinking, without any science pertaining to abiogenesis or biology we can dismiss this account.

Next biblical non sense? there is nothing inquisitive about having a conclusion preformed,  especially a hypothesis that can never be tested. It's the antithesis of inquiry and research.

[Dos Equis]

You've already established absolutes even before you begin your "research".

Why study evolution, when you already KNOW that god created man in his image?

Why study what happens after death when you already KNOW you will go to heaven?

These absolutes put to rest any intellectual curiousit.

You can't study a faith-based belief in God.  That really makes no sense.  

There is plenty to study in microevolution.  

What's to study about what happens after death?  The study of ghosts??  

[Dos Equis]

If you consider that to be a "warped view of true Christianity", a LOT of christian denominations then are warped views of true Christianity. Many of them tell people what to think. That's the whole point of getting to children when they are young. It's easier to get them to believe. IF it was really about choice, christian denominations would be AGAINST the teaching of Christianity to children. For example, Thomas Jefferson was against the teaching of christianity to children for this very reason in a letter he wrote to his nephew. Many people hold onto the "just believe" teaching, and if someone critically thinks or reflects, they are "complicating something which is very simple". Now if by "research, study" you mean prayer and reading the bible, then yes Christians follow that route. But to say that it is perfectly acceptable and encouraged to disagree with the teaching of a church is utter nonsense. Many Christians feel that to do so is "sowing discord among the brethren". Many churches preach that the Bible is very simple, all one has to do is believe, trust, obey, etc. Remember the passage that praises those who are child like. That means people should accept what they are told. This is not an insult to Christianity (I think it says something about modern society when what I just typed^^ is taken to be an insult to Christianity), but it is what many Christians believe.

Can you give me examples of what areas you think Christian churches tell people what to think?  

Nothing wrong with training children.  Teaching them about religion, science, literature, etc. at a young age is a good thing.  

Where did Thomas Jefferson say he opposed teaching Christianity to kids?  

There are parts of the Bible that are very clear, parts that require analysis, and parts that I don't understand.  

[Necrosis]

Can you give me examples of what you areas you think Christian churches tell people what to think? 

Nothing wrong with training children.  Teaching them about religion, science, literature, etc. at a young age is a good thing. 

Where did Thomas Jefferson say he opposed teaching Christianity to kids? 

There are parts of the Bible that are very clear, parts that require analysis, and parts that I don't understand. 

the is nothing wrong with teaching facts, you are right. Religion is a guess, if you teach one why not teach them all, compare and contrast horus and jesus, you are lumping religion in with science when they couldn't be more diametrically opposed.

[Dos Equis]

the is nothing wrong with teaching facts, you are right. Religion is a guess, if you teach one why not teach them all, compare and contrast horus and jesus, you are lumping religion in with science when they couldn't be more diametrically opposed.

There is nothing wrong with teaching facts, theories, fiction, etc. 

The reference to teaching was about parents teaching their own kids.  Parents can choose to teach their kids whatever they want. 

[garebear]

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[Necrosis]

There is nothing wrong with teaching facts, theories, fiction, etc. 

The reference to teaching was about parents teaching their own kids.  Parents can choose to teach their kids whatever they want. 

totally agree.

[garebear]

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[garebear]

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[syntaxmachine]

"Atheism" is positively boring, and is in fact an unhelpful term. Consider: we don't need a term designating our stance toward invisible gnomes (agnomism or some such), nor do we form our identities around the pretty obvious fact that there aren't gnomes. Why do we feel the need to do so with regard to a particular strand of mythology derived from Bronze Age myths?

What is interesting and worthwhile is not to form our identities around such a word and hold conventions in hotel ballrooms like a cranky minority group, but rather to put forward positive proposals about the way the world is, e.g., to discuss morality and justify it in the context of a godless universe.

[godeep]

"Atheism" is positively boring, and is in fact an unhelpful term. Consider: we don't need a term designating our stance toward invisible gnomes (agnomism or some such), nor do we form our identities around the pretty obvious fact that there aren't gnomes. Why do we feel the need to do so with regard to a particular strand of mythology derived from Bronze Age myths?

What is interesting and worthwhile is not to form our identities around such a word and hold conventions in hotel ballrooms like a cranky minority group, but rather to put forward positive proposals about the way the world is, e.g., to discuss morality and justify it in the context of a godless universe.

Tread lightly there Syntax, I was raised on Bronze Aged Mythology copied from older myths over untold millennia and edited to serve each generations' purposes

[garebear]

Tread lightly there Syntax, I was raised on Bronze Aged Mythology copied from older myths over untold millennia and edited to serve each generations' purposes

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[garebear]