Reason's Greetings

[RkFast]

Belief in God is just that- it is a concept that mankind is not capable of explaining. There is nothing wrong with believing in God or nor believing in God. The problem is when people think everyone should believe as they do.

 

And pretty much the ONLY Atheist or religious person who practices true integrity in the matter is Chris Hitchens.

Edited December 22, 2010 by RkFast

[Gene Frenkle]

The problem is when people think everyone should believe as they do.

This is the problem with belief in the first place. Religion is based on rigid, absolute, immutable, unchanging truth. Buying into that model will inevitably lead followers to think that all people should believe what they know to be true. How they go about convincing other, less enlightened people of this truth is what separates the cute, relatively harmless religions from the really bad ones. You'll never see an atheist or agnostic killing, harming or forcibly trying to convert someone to non-belief.

 

And pretty much the ONLY Atheist or religious person who practices true integrity in the matter is Chris Hitchens.

Yes, most atheists eat small children in their free time.

 

The truth is that most atheists keep to themselves because the world is fully of religious fanatics and don't think it's generally worth the effort. Too bad that doesn't work in reverse as well.

[Adam]

This is the problem with belief in the first place. Religion is based on rigid, absolute, immutable, unchanging truth. Buying into that model will inevitably lead followers to think that all people should believe what they know to be true. How they go about convincing other, less enlightened people of this truth is what separates the cute, relatively harmless religions from the really bad ones. You'll never see an atheist or agnostic killing, harming or forcibly trying to convert someone to non-belief.

 

 

Yes, most atheists eat small children in their free time.

 

The truth is that most atheists keep to themselves because the world is fully of religious fanatics and don't think it's generally worth the effort. Too bad that doesn't work in reverse as well.

There are some good people in the world too- they just aren't as loud as the bad ones.

[RkFast]

This is the problem with belief in the first place. Religion is based on rigid, absolute, immutable, unchanging truth. Buying into that model will inevitably lead followers to think that all people should believe what they know to be true. How they go about convincing other, less enlightened people of this truth is what separates the cute, relatively harmless religions from the really bad ones. You'll never see an atheist or agnostic killing, harming or forcibly trying to convert someone to non-belief.

 

 

Yes, most atheists eat small children in their free time.

 

The truth is that most atheists keep to themselves because the world is fully of religious fanatics and don't think it's generally worth the effort. Too bad that doesn't work in reverse as well.

 

Yeah, we know. All the faithful are crazy cultist nutjobs that will invitably practice their own form of jihad to take the world over...and all the athiests like yourself are peace-loving folks just minding their own business.

 

On the "conversion" thing...while not on the scale of using violence for sure, I think putting a billboard next to the entrance to the !@#$ing LINCOLN TUNNEL is a pretty strong effort at it, no?

 

As long as your stock in trade is to mock the other side and speak in absolutes about them, you have no claim to ANY moral highground. None.

Edited December 22, 2010 by RkFast

[Rob's House]

My favorite modern day religions are the ones that regularly flog women for such atrocities as wearing pants, and castrate and hang men with their balls in their mouths for engaging in acts of butt piracy.

[Gene Frenkle]

My favorite modern day religions are the ones that regularly flog women for such atrocities as wearing pants, and castrate and hang men with their balls in their mouths for engaging in acts of butt piracy.

Unfortunately, this kind of thing often comes with the territory.

 

Note: that was not an absolute statement, but rather a provable assertion.

[Adam]

Yeah, we know. All the faithful are crazy cultist nutjobs that will invitably practice their own form of jihad to take the world over...and all the athiests like yourself are peace-loving folks just minding their own business.

 

On the "conversion" thing...while not on the scale of using violence for sure, I think putting a billboard next to the entrance to the !@#$ing LINCOLN TUNNEL is a pretty strong effort at it, no?

 

As long as your stock in trade is to mock the other side and speak in absolutes about them, you have no claim to ANY moral highground. None.

What was the sign at the Lincoln Tunnel?

[Gene Frenkle]

Yeah, we know. All the faithful are crazy cultist nutjobs that will invitably practice their own form of jihad to take the world over...and all the athiests like yourself are peace-loving folks just minding their own business.

 

On the "conversion" thing...while not on the scale of using violence for sure, I think putting a billboard next to the entrance to the !@#$ing LINCOLN TUNNEL is a pretty strong effort at it, no?

 

As long as your stock in trade is to mock the other side and speak in absolutes about them, you have no claim to ANY moral highground. None.

Show me all the atheists forcibly trying to convert others. Show me all the atheists killing in the name of...uh...nevermind. To me, it's a welcome sign of the times that the Lincoln Tunnel sign is up. Perhaps thinking critically and rationally is becoming more mainstream and acceptable.

 

And speaking of moral highground, again from the article:

75 percent of Americans are God-­‐fearing Christians

75 percent of prisoners are God-­‐fearing Christians

10 percent of Americans are atheists

0.2 percent of prisoners are atheists

 

 

What was the sign at the Lincoln Tunnel?

Hardcore athiest conversion campaign:

 

http://www.newjerseynewsroom.com/style/billboard-at-the-lincoln-tunnel-celebrates-atheism

[Adam]

Show me all the atheists forcibly trying to convert others. Show me all the atheists killing in the name of...uh...nevermind. To me, it's a welcome sign of the times that the Lincoln Tunnel sign is up. Perhaps thinking critically and rationally is becoming more mainstream and acceptable.

 

And speaking of moral highground, again from the article:

 

 

 

 

Hardcore athiest conversion campaign:

 

http://www.newjerseynewsroom.com/style/billboard-at-the-lincoln-tunnel-celebrates-atheism

Welcome to the world- the minority of all sides are militant.......and they are the majority that we have to listen to.

[Rob's House]

Show me all the atheists forcibly trying to convert others. Show me all the atheists killing in the name of...uh...nevermind. To me, it's a welcome sign of the times that the Lincoln Tunnel sign is up. Perhaps thinking critically and rationally is becoming more mainstream and acceptable.

I'm going to split hairs here a little bit, because I don't necessarily disagree with your point, but those who become too confident in their atheism often turn to naturalistic beliefs which have left millions dead in their wake. Most notably the global ban on DDT which atheistic libtards world wide celebrated in great orgasmic masturbatory glee, which to date has led to the agonizing deaths of millions of children in Africa who are deemed less important than a !@#$ing bird. That's why a shred of humility, uncertainty, and curiosity is a wonderful thing.

[Magox]

 

The truth is that most atheists keep to themselves because the world is fully of religious fanatics and don't think it's generally worth the effort. Too bad that doesn't work in reverse as well.

I got to hand it to you, you are a world class sweeping generalizer.

[Gary M]

I have kids too, so I know what you mean! That's why god invented the DVR. Mythbusters is great. How's The Walking Dead?

 

Good, if you can live with zombie nightmares.

[RkFast]

Show me all the atheists killing in the name of...uh...nevermind.

 

Ever hear of Stalin? Marx?

 

Your "Im right and everyone else is a nutjob" mentality is disturbing and bigoted...almost pathetic.

 

On edit: Not only are you completely intolerant on the subject. You are laughably ignorant. A VERY quick web search on 'Atheism and Violence' led to a trove of material. Im going to just post the wiki link

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atheism

 

The French Revolution took atheism and anti-clerical deism outside the salons and into the public sphere. A major goal of the French revolution was a restructuring and subordination of the clergy with respect to the state through the Civil Constitution of the Clergy. Attempts to enforce it led to anti-clerical violence and the expulsion of many clergy from France. The chaotic political events in revolutionary Paris eventually enabled the more radical Jacobins to seize power in 1793, ushering in the Reign of Terror. The Jacobins were deists and introduced the Cult of the Supreme Being as a new French state religion. Some atheists surrounding Jacques Hébert instead sought to establish a Cult of Reason, a form of atheistic pseudo-religion with a goddess personifying reason. Both movements in part contributed to attempts to forcibly de-Christianize France. The Cult of Reason ended after three years when its leadership, including Jacques Hébert was guillotined by the Jacobins. The anti-clerical persecutions ended with the Thermidorian Reaction.

ALSO:

 

 

The 20th century also saw the political advancement of atheism, spurred on by interpretation of the works of Marx and Engels. After the Russian Revolution of 1917, increased religious freedom for minority religions lasted for a few years, before the policies of Stalinism turned towards repression of religion. The Soviet Union and other communist states promoted state atheism and opposed religion, often by violent means.^[100]

 

 

 

Edited December 22, 2010 by RkFast

[DC Tom]

Ever hear of Stalin?

 

Although one could - and in this context, I probably would - argue that Stalinist communism was a religion.

 

Your "Im right and everyone else is a nutjob" mentality is disturbing and bigoted...almost pathetic.

 

Ah...the real crux of the argument. The problem with religion isn't religion per se, its that it lends itself too much to that mentality. Conversely, that mentality is hardly exclusive to religion. Sadly, the irony's lost on Gene.

[LeviF]

Ever hear of Stalin? Marx?

Who did Marx kill?

[Rob's House]

Although one could - and in this context, I probably would - argue that Stalinist communism was a religion.

 

I would argue that of contemporary American liberalism as well.

[GG]

Who did Marx kill?

 

Common sense.

[Adam]

I would argue that of contemporary American liberalism as well.

liberalism and neoconism are religions in this country. Everyone is right and everyone else is wrong.

[whateverdude]

The real questions here is does (fill in the blank) believe in you.

[DC Tom]

I would argue that of contemporary American liberalism as well.

 

I think that's a stretch. Not entirely inaccurate, since some organizations/beliefs that fall under the umbrella of "liberalism" are (PETA springs most immediately to mind). But I also think that such are considered "liberal" only because "wacko" isn't a politcal belief, and they have to vote in some direction.