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Do you believe in everything which can't be 100% conclusively be proven wrong? A simply yes or no will do.
Straight out believe in them? No, I do feel that the possibility of them being true is there. I feel that if we can imagine it, than it does exist on some level.
You just said that everything that cannot be proved false is true.
So I can sit here and imagine something--there is another planet that always stays just opposite the sun from Earth, and the difference between the Earth and this other planet is that the people on the other planet eat their corn on the cob vertically instead of horizontally (thanks to Father Guido Sarducci for this idea), except that it's invisible and it has no mass, and other objects can pass right through it without being affected--and the fact that you can't disprove it means that it's true?
No wonder you're so confused.
Everyone thinks only in true or false. Did you forget about the last option? It is plausible. If cannot be proven wrong then it remains in the plausible folder.
The burden of proof lies upon the believer. It's as simple as that. It is virtually impossible to prove a negative, and many theists use that to their supposed advantage. But when it comes to proving their positive, it's nothing but unsubstantiated belief IMO. I don't attack them for it unless they get in my face with it.
(And I can imagine nothingness: it's a perfect vacuum. See how simple that is?)
Nothingness has no description and therefor has no description. Completely nothingness is
We get tired of the arrogant, holier-than-thou BS of the myth-believer crowd who think there is a creator who is going to save them. BS, you're gonna die just like everyone else and that is all there is to you - forever.
If there was a god who wanted the people he created to live forever in paradise/heaven, he never would have created this hell-hole of a planet and all the suffering he did, and just let people live forever.
Conquer your fears, face your mortality and enough with the god BS
If it works for you, it works for you. Doesn't mean it works for everyone.
Type 4 - Someone who simply has never really believed in God and doesn't lie, cheat, steal, sleep around, drink all the time, etc. Someone who simply treats others kindly. Someone who will discuss religion and express their own beliefs but still respect the beliefs of others.
I agree Dewdrop, there are plenty of atheists out there that don't fall into any of the three "types" that GodofThunder mentioned. There are millions of atheists out there, therefor there are millions of different types out there. That would be like saying that everyone who is religious or spiritual falls under Christianity, Judaism, or Islamic beliefs. We all know that would be a lie and that there are millions of styles of religion and spirituality because each persons beliefs are there own.
I find your one statement ludacrious...."more atheists on soap boxes preaching than religious folks"....give me a break!
In general the preaching comes from SOME religious zealots and isn't this thread....in fact.....a form of your preaching on that soapbox by accusing atheists of preaching their beliefs unto others......
I've never seen athesists on TV judging other groups(such as gays) like I see SOME religious groups doing on a daily basis and in some Churches.
That's because Atheists do it where they know younger people will see it. The internet via Blogs, Vlogs, Youtube, Websites, books, movies, and of course forums.
And if you're willing to admit that there many many of exactly that same sort of people (minus the not believing in God part of course) then I have no problem admitting that there is no reason Atheists can't be the same way. Can't say I've met many atheists who are as you describe, but that certainly doesn't mean they're not out there in significant numbers. Most that I've met are either bitter against God and deny he exists or want to disregard their conscience or are constantly trying to convert people to atheism and/or punish the religious for being religious.
If atheists I've met in my life were more as you describe it would certainly be nice.
I agree, more atheists like Dewdrop would be nice.
Several thoughts: In the USA, there are religions out there who are paranoid to the point that it's ridiculous, militantly angry when anyone else's beliefs come anywhere near them and their families, are almost criminally disrespectful of other people's beliefs and just seem to lash out at others for the slightest religious provocation. Of those groups, the only one that will sue your pants off and win in US courts are Atheists.
In my experience there are three types of Atheists:
1.) Some terrible tragedy strikes and the person decides that God must not exist.
Why would that not be conclusive enough? The religion suggests that god will protect/guide and then IT fails to do so. The "victim" questions the existence of god, finds that his/her situation would be no different to a nonbeliever and all the xian can come up with is "god works in mysterious ways"
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2.) Somebody who wants to sleep with as many people as possible, drink themselves stupid as often as possible, lie cheat and steal if they can get away with it, etc. And they want to do all that without getting a guilty conscience. So they decide that it's easiest to just cast aside all notions of God.
Yeah, the atheist have no morals, we just want to s***w everything that walks.... Geez, do you not realize that xians are the majority in the US and here in SA, do you think for one moment the heathen are capable of supporting the adult film industry on our own, making Hugh Hefner's empire what it is? Do you think that the godless can sustain the alcohol industry on their own? The cheating bit.. your xian divorce rates are higher than the atheist's and not unusual to see them on wife 2.0 or greater.The population of your prisons are predominantly xian.
Yet you folk want to influence government, schools, public postings of your fairy tale's commandments while ignoring the rights of the minority.
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3.) People who honestly believe their is no God and feel it is their calling in life to set the world straight on the matter.
What would you have us do? No one invited your lot to use the evil internet to proselytize which so happens to be public domain.
You simply want us to keep quite while selling your snake oil to the next generation? How about you keep quite too and then there will be no need for a counter POV.
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Type 3 tend to be the preachiest and most obnoxious of all proselyters from any religion anywhere. They cannot tolerate the fact that anyone anywhere believes in an afterlife, a Supreme Being, etc. If you do, the entire premise of their side of the discussion comes across as "because your an idiot and I'm not ..." Those that I've known in my own life make some of the most idiotic decision imaginable and proceed to pat themselves on the back for it. Case in point, one old friend decided he didn't believe in God anymore. He and his wife had a baby daughter -- and he became so obsessed with keeping all things religious away from her that he and his wife put together a Will that would deny custody to either set of grandparents if the two of them should happen to die (both sets of grandparents are quite religious.) So if he and his wife really do die at some point, their daughter will have to hope and pray somebody will adopt an older child -- but she's probably trapped in the usual cycle of being bounced from foster home to foster home and going through all the accompanying psychological trauma. And all the while, there's at least one set of grandparents who I know for certain would love and raise that girl like it was their own -- who can't because of the Will.
What is wrong with that? Surely if the tables were reversed it would be OK.
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Other friend who became an atheist goes absolutely ballistic if religion comes up in a conversation anywhere near him. His father, mother and sisters are very religious, so it's pretty much guaranteed to happen, but it surely pisses him off anyways.
Ever asked him why he feels that way?
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Atheists are so preachy and self-righteous that they do things like show up in religious forums all over the internet telling everyone there how stupid they are for believing in God. I cannot possibly tell you how sick to death I and every other religious person is of this. And then they squawk about how they're sick of being preached to all their life. Well if you don't like being preached to, why would you assume that I'm going to enjoy it so much? One word for preachy Atheists: Hypocrisy.
So much fail here.
Tell me now, who made you god of the internet? In the same way you infer we should simply shaddup and not participate, why not take your own advice? Or are you going to claim a majority aka argumentum ad populum.
Most that I've met are either bitter against God and deny he exists ....
So why don't you tell us why you are bitter against Zeus, Mithra, Dyonisus or Brahma.
Last edited by Rafius; 04-06-2011 at 12:37 AM..
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