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My spirituality is my own and I don't go around talking to people about it or trying to force my beliefs on them. I expect the same from atheists. If they go around talking about how they are atheist all the time to everyone like it's a badge of honor, then they get annoying. Otherwise I don't care.
Besides it's not what one believes that matters, but rather what one does.
I hope you wouldn't accuse me of "going around talking about how I am atheist all the time" based on anything I've said or done here.
You might be surprised to learn that I have actually never done that in meat space, other than a rather oblique mention of it to one of my older brothers who is able to handle it and who, I suspect, is a closeted atheist who can't admit it to himself, much less anyone else. I don't really care what people I meet believe so long as they don't force it down my throat and while I'm sure some wish they could, general civility seems to prevail and no one has actually tried. Indeed, casual conversation generally steers clear of religion and politics for this very reason.
The real-world equivalent to this forum would be my next door neighbor coming over to ask about my beliefs and then trying to get me to attend his church and take up his Scottish Presbyterian beliefs and values and telling me how much I need them and how I would be much happier if I did. Even there I would probably just avoid him rather than tell him off; he would have to be rather obnoxious (and tone-deaf) to get me to "go atheist" on him.
Atheists in my experience do no such thing as you are suggesting. You are trying to generalize based on a very special circumstance, which is mutually voluntary debate on these forums in which all topics are fair game. Even there, I have many times just deferred to what I consider theist nonsense simply because I believe the person spouting said nonsense would not attempt to judge me or change me. It is the ones who are evangelizing and making bald assertions with no substantiation and that in fact fly in the face of facts who I tend to respond to. My "thing" (and that of many atheists these days) is that theists no longer get a "free pass" in public debate in the form of faked respect for totally unsupportable positions. You guys like to call that "nasty" and I simply call it a level playing field in the marketplace of ideas.
In addition, we are not ashamed of our unbelief and I suggest you do not confuse our ability to have the courage of our convictions with some kind of inappropriate behavior, as if atheism were somehow shameful or evil. Or foolish. Being matter of fact about the whys and wherefors of atheism is not akin to indecent exposure.
I'm sure someone has already said this, but, 'in your face' Christians annoy me more.
(They're all on ignore here....only 2 atheists...only bec of the obnoxious tone they
have, not their beliefs)
We also had an over the top Ba'hai poster once on a Forum...geeze...if we talked about
a new bridge he would somehow relate it to words of Baha'ullah...sorry,
guessing at the spelling, I mean no disrespect.
I'm sure someone has already said this, but, 'in your face' Christians annoy me more.
(They're all on ignore here....only 2 atheists...only bec of the obnoxious tone they
have, not their beliefs)
We also had an over the top Ba'hai poster once on a Forum...geeze...if we talked about
a new bridge he would somehow relate it to words of Baha'ullah...sorry,
guessing at the spelling, I mean no disrespect.
For the most part, though, the "in your face Christians" and other religious folk don't go trolling in the atheist forum.
For the most part, though, the "in your face Christians" and other religious folk don't go trolling in the atheist forum.
Since you consider disagreeing with you trolling, I guess all atheists are trolls in your view, right? By the way we do get our share of obnoxious religious posters in the A/A forum.
Location: In a little house on the prairie - literally
10,202 posts, read 7,916,433 times
Reputation: 4561
Quote:
Originally Posted by Basiliximab
,......
It saddens me that atheists been deluded by science, yet we must understand that God has deemed it appropriate that they do not believe in Him at this point in their lives, for a purpose which only He in His unsearchable wisdom can understand. I'm sure that atheists feel that believers are deluded by the Bible, and I understand where they are coming from on that point, having myself been an atheist for many years.
May I assume that the science you're talking about includes things like the theory of gravity, electrical fury , the theory of relativity, and all those other things that may influence the use of things like the computer you posted here.
Are these the scientific things that you think atheists are deluded about? Can we assume that you have your medical needs taken care of by only non scientific manners such as praying? Or do you depend on doctors and nurses and pharmacists who studied science, including chemistry, physics, and biology ?
Tell us you renounce all science because frankly we don't believe it
The real problem with these people is that the vast majority have never taken the time to read the bible...
I have found this to be true of most believers as well. And that is leaving aside the fact that the Abrahamic religions and their holy texts are just one paradigm in a global history of different belief systems and concepts regarding god(s). There is absolutely no more reason to say The Bible is "right" and all other holy books "wrong" than there is to say the same for the Bhagavad-Gita or Greek myths or the Hindu pantheon or Hopi Indian beliefs. There is absolutely no more reason to claim that Yahwheh (patron deity of some sects of ancient Hebrews) is real and that all other gods are imaginary than there is to say the same of Zeus, Odin, Vishnu or Ra.
Quote:
Something can't come from nothing though.
While evolutionary theory, of course, doesn't address the origins of the universe of living matter itself, there is nothing in the field of physics which purports the universe "came from nothing."
Quote:
Originally Posted by abf5000
...why do (atheists) gather in groups and at meetings? So, you guys get together because of your shared lack of belief?
As a nonbeliever, I've never understood this either. It's like belonging to a club for people who don't collect stamps. At least in my view. I simply don't default to the belief in gods--that's all. I enjoy discussing such things on forums like these and in conversations with people, but I don't get things like atheist groups and dedicated discussion groups, etc. But whatever trips your trigger I guess.
Quote:
Originally Posted by abf5000
Why can't there be both intelligent design and evolution? Maybe the mechanism of evolution was intelligently designed.
Could be. We don't know. No human has ever known whether a god or gods or creator or creators exist.
There's really no reason the two ideas should be mutually exclusive.
No, atheists don't annoy me, if anything I feel sorry for them.
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