Religion Doesn't Seem To Constrain The Morality Of Believers. (agnostic, gospels, protestant)

[Thomas R.]

Originally Posted by SeekerSA

That is a pretty broad brush you have there. Most atheists I know do not seek accolades from anyone. They tend to be satisfied with their own achievements so humility is not a xian trait. You probably would not even spot an atheist in a mall, we are just regular folk w/o belief in god(s).

Weird you think this way. Not all geeks are atheists. Society allows its own to be successful. The lone wolf paradigm methinks comes from watching too many Hollywood movies. Social skills are something one either learns from one's upbringing or not. My dad was a recluse in light of his strict beliefs and some of the rubbed off on me, I am happy to assume the lone wolf mantra but can easily socialize with other folk. I have learned to do both.

Wouldn't be much fun if I'd limited to totally uncontroversial statements

Still okay. How many of you atheists here were not deemed gifted children and/or have had long-lasting social connections? (Like marriages or friendships that lasted more than 10 years) Or belong to any social organization?

[old_cold]

Originally Posted by Thomas R.

Wouldn't be much fun if I'd limited to totally uncontroversial statements

Still okay. How many of you atheists here were not deemed gifted children and/or have had long-lasting social connections? (Like marriages or friendships that lasted more than 10 years) Or belong to any social organization?

Would you say the fact that we just celebrated our 50th anniversary as qualifying as 'long term'?
That I still have a handful of friends that were in elementary school with me?
Intelligent, yes. Gifted? No.

[Hueffenhardt]

Originally Posted by Thomas R.

Wouldn't be much fun if I'd limited to totally uncontroversial statements

Still okay. How many of you atheists here were not deemed gifted children and/or have had long-lasting social connections? (Like marriages or friendships that lasted more than 10 years) Or belong to any social organization?

I was in the gifted program as a child. I have been married for 7 years and are still going strong. I got married when I was 27. I was a very involved Mormon for the first 30 years of my life, and was successful at being a Mormon. My wife and I are both atheists now, but are active members of a Unitarian Universalist church. By personality type, we are both introverts, but have learned to become more extroverted. We are far from socially awkward. I was a masters level psychologist for a number of years.

Admittedly, I somewhat fit your stereotype. However, I suggest that I might know a great many more atheists than you, and I know many exceptions to your stereotype. I know many atheists who are extroverted, were not gifted as children, and did not become atheists for intellectual reasons. Even to this day they have no interest in the intellectual arguments.

[SeekerSA]

Originally Posted by Thomas R.

Wouldn't be much fun if I'd limited to totally uncontroversial statements

Still okay. How many of you atheists here were not deemed gifted children and/or have had long-lasting social connections? (Like marriages or friendships that lasted more than 10 years) Or belong to any social organization?

Married 25 years (one and only marriage but had a lot of GF prior to that ), played cricket for my towns team, also played soccer, did the social club scene.

My IQ is 150-160 if that means anything? But IQ alone does not define who is a believer or not. I think most folk ponder these things regardless of IQ or education. I would say the more educated folk esp. in the sciences do tend to be non religious.

Oh and I play a mean guitar and bass.

[sanspeur]

Originally Posted by Thomas R.

Wouldn't be much fun if I'd limited to totally uncontroversial statements

Still okay. How many of you atheists here were not deemed gifted children and/or have had long-lasting social connections? (Like marriages or friendships that lasted more than 10 years) Or belong to any social organization?

How many stereotypes are you going to come up with? So far they are all absolute nonsense and not worth relying to.

[Theophane]

Do atheist disbelieve in the existence of god in order to avoid moral constraints.

Yes, whenever convenient. But when it serves their purpose, they argue for His existence. Atheists have based entire careers (books, TV shows, speaking engagements) off badmouthing Someone in whom they officially do not believe. Very sneaky!

[ovcatto]

Originally Posted by Thomas R.

Wouldn't be much fun if I'd limited to totally uncontroversial statements

Still okay. How many of you atheists here were not deemed gifted children and/or have had long-lasting social connections? (Like marriages or friendships that lasted more than 10 years) Or belong to any social organization?

This one is totally throwing me for a loop because it begs the argument, is there some shortage of gifted and brilliant minds in the Church? Was my father not a gifted, two masters degrees from NYU before he was 26 and a doctorate in divinity methodist pastor and educator till the day he died?

It is interesting how you attempt to brush off the the non-acceptance of divinity on the personal failings of atheist no matter how slyly you try to conceal the same patronizing arrogance displayed by less subtle Christian.

Judge not lest ye be judged

Why is it that Christians, when rationalizing why individuals choose reject religion and god, never seem to be capable of taking a reflective and self-critical approach to the question?

I ask this because we never read Christians, or Muslims for that matter (Jews don't seem to care) supposing that people adopt a atheistic belief system because the Church itself has lost its moral authority. We never read about the church's failings, pastoral corruption, material self-aggrandizement, infidelity, pederasty, the inflexibility to come to grips with the real problems of real women who despite it all lead pious and faithful lives (and I'm not talking about abortion), the idiotic positions taken on the prevention of HIV, just to name a very small list of utter moral failures on the part of the church as a possible causes for people to renounce their faith.

Considering that the moral failures of the Church are legend that, based upon a long historical and unabated pattern of egregious un-Christ like behavior, instead of ascribing atheism as being some moral failing on the part of atheist, Christians might consider that their own long list of failings could be most responsible. One would think that knowing that Christianity has long ago ceded its monopoly on moral authority, Christians might be better off wondering why anyone even remains rather than to trying to project blame onto those who do not.

[ovcatto]

Originally Posted by Theophane

Yes, whenever convenient. But when it serves their purpose, they argue for His existence. Atheists have based entire careers (books, TV shows, speaking engagements) off badmouthing Someone in whom they officially do not believe. Very sneaky!

That makes no logical sense on so many levels.

One doesn't jump between theism and atheism for reasons of expediency.

And yes, atheist do and will spend entire philosophical careers criticizing a belief system that spends an equivalent period of time claiming its moral hegemony.

If being a Christian minster is worthy of a career then spending a career in contrast is, to me a worthy undertaking.

[SeekerSA]

Originally Posted by ovcatto

Why is it that Christians, when rationalizing why individuals choose reject religion and god, never seem to be capable of taking a reflective and self-critical approach to the question?

I ask this because we never read Christians, or Muslims for that matter (Jews don't seem to care) supposing that people adopt a atheistic belief system because the Church itself has lost its moral authority. We never read about the church's failings, pastoral corruption, material self-aggrandizement, infidelity, the inflexibility to come to grips with the real problems of real women who despite it all lead pious and faithful lives (and I'm not talking about abortion), the idiotic positions taken on the prevention of HIV, just to name a very small list of utter moral failures on the part of the church as a possible cause for people to renounce their faith.

Hear hear.

[sanspeur]

Over all of history the religious have been filling graveyards fighting over who has the better myth...What is moral about that?