The misguided and willfully ignorant assumtions some christians have on atheism.
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People will always have misguided assumptions about people who have different beliefs than their own.
It's pretty much a waste of time having conversations with people who are determined to believe what they want without even considering what the other person is saying.
Sometimes we need to rant about it, but we can rarely (if ever) make a person realize that their assumptions are misguided.
Lord Jesus calls Christians to spread the gospel , and Jesus spirit gives ideas to Christians who he calls to help people receive the good news of Lord Jesus Christ of His salvation for all who will recieve......... SO if Christians do not spread the gospel and ignore the Plan of God , then it will be the time for Jesus to come and He will come to bring renewal to the earth ........ So then if you do not like Christians spreading the gospel , then you will not like it when Jesus comes and destroys the spirit behind those who inhibit the spreading of the Gospel...... So what spirit is behind those who want the gospel stopped?..... Well it is the dragon who go after those who keep the commands of Jesus and hold to their testimony of Jesus Christ, and it is the antichrist who rejects the commands of Jesus Christ and hold up logic and reason against the purpose, power, and faith and holds up idols against the commands of Jesus..... And then there is the false prophet who give contradictory ideas which are contrary to the purpose and character of God and His plan ....... See these three spirits which are fallen angels , Jesus say that he will destroy when He come , which Jesus says is during a rise of sin in the world and a slow down in belief of His salvation plan for the world...
Then stop spreading it and lets test this whole Jesus coming bit.
√ I am not the one who makes this life not one of consequence. (Agreed. That is a dependable Christian trait based in their realization of a continued failure to "get it right" in the here and now, and therefore they depend on an imagined theophanic version of an afterlife to rest their own spiritual entity on. ("Well, unlike you atheists, I'll be able to take care of all my sins later when God sorts it all out, but you guys will SURELY burn in hell! Nyahh Nyahh!")! rflmn)
√ I am a person who holds true to the FACT that this life is the only life that we know about and have experienced. We haven't seen or studied the afterlife and to be honest I find it self-serving and foolish to worry oneself of such things.
√ I care about the here and now, I care about how my actions and your actions will shape the world of tomorrow.
√ I have now knowledge of an unknown truth, that would be impossible to know something that is unknown. The moment you know, it ceases to be unknown.
√ We do not know of, nor have we or anyone else ever experienced heaven or hell. It has not been recorded for all to see, it isn't located on a map and one cannot attempt to view it without their life ending.
√ ...until you can prove to me this other life exists, I suggest you read your book in quiet, and quit trying to convert the world and indoctrinating children to hate people because some ignorant ancient civilization couldn't understand how the world works.
√ What will never be your truth? You don't want to live in a society that everyone is seen as equals regardless of religious beliefs, sexual orientation, and more?
√ How does being an atheist equal being a threat to society? Have you ever looked at the religious views of the prison system?
√ Yet atheists are the ones who are seen as being without morals and a threat to society. (rflmn
s Note: it's a menas of deflecting the obvious and truthful ugliness of religion away from themselves and actively re-position it onto others who they assumed would not fight back! Too bad, huh?)
√ That is what is so great about atheism, there is no one philosophy to hold to. ....it is based on evidence, not a book that was written over a thousand years ago.
√ please post any misguided and ignorant assumptions that you have have or have heard about what being atheist means.
Very well summarized. My editing for brevity; sorry.
And as per your last-line invite, raison; Stand back! Incoming dud rounds.
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Originally Posted by Hueffenhardt
The poster you quoted seems to be completely unaware that many of us have gone through such a process. Some people seem to think that if people don't have souls and there is no god to punish them, then why not wantonly waste and destroy and exploit other human lives. Others seem to think that if there is no afterlife then what is the point of living, so why not commit suicide. Wow, what shallow thinking?!?!
If some people cannot rise above such thinking, then perhaps it is best that they not become atheists. It is just a pity that they can't get beyond that thinking, if that is the case that they truly can't get beyond it.
Quite so. The idea of having nothing to focus on as a potentially arguable truth, and absent the aspect of thinking and questioning anything for it's oh-so-obvious flaws, is itself problematic. It speaks to a very lemming-esque society, one quite satisfied with wandering off the cliff in a mass exodus from reality and self-analysis. Perhaps it's just too painful to imagine? Better to die in ignorance than live in understanding.
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Originally Posted by Mr. Opinionated
Then if atheism is as enlightened and superior as you imply, why do you bother to care who misunderstands or disapproves? Stand tall in your conviction and dedication. If your course and beliefs or lack thereof, are legitimate, then integrity will manifest itself in your tolerant appreciation for those of different perspective.
Not "enlightened," so much as "unburdened". After all, why frantically grasp to a VERY LIMITED set of absolute and punishment-mandated LAWS that are totally inflexible, despite their having been proven now, time after time, to be invalid and unrelated to reality? Are you that much in desperate need of a rules & guidebook, in order to just walk your mind down the street each day of your life? Are you THAT insecure and wanting?
Hmmm. The evidence would seem to say YES to those questions.
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Originally Posted by LuminousTruth
Why is atheism enlightened? It certainly is not. I think what most of these good people mean to say is that Physicalism is the best perspective. I'm not sure what some people mean to imply, but the evil idea of not caring about misunderstandings or disaprovals is what self-worship feeds on. I'm not sure what conviction and dedication you are applying to atheism, but there is none since atheism is such a singular position on a single issue.
Atheists have banned together only on their fear and anger/sadness at persecution from monotheists, who are often fervently authoritarian and self-righteous. showing tolerant appreciation is reserved for things one tolerates and appreciates... atheism says nothing about how to go about tolerating and appreciating, people make up their own minds. I don't understand how tolerance and appreciation means submissive silence.
Wow! What biased and insulting rot. Atheism says nothing about tolerance? What tripe! That's exactly what atheism "preaches". Let others live their own lives. Do not spout "false "truisms" at the street corner, do not go knocking at the homes of spiritual unknknowns (to you) and innocents, pressing silly illustrated pamphlets with lions calmly eyeing innocent lambs, into their unwilling but tolerant hands. (they should toss you physically off their private property. Q: do atheists go door to door thrusting their well-thought-out ideas on innocents? Really? When? I'd love to join in for a one-time experience.)
A singular position on a singular subject? Well, it's not quite that now is it? It's more of an extremely wide-based dismissal of any and all of the pomp and ceremony that has falsely evolved over the millennia and set in motion based on the self-imagined postion of us as being in God's Image and superior to all "the lessers". How arrogant! And this pompousness is truly many-facetted, as is obvious from those hugely expensive churches to lengthy written texts to mindless rote-chants to parroted absolutes in tithing and prayer sequences, to dress and titles and suffrage and so on and so forth. Lots of bones for us to pick at!
PS: do not mutter "Oh Praise The Lord!" when you see the sunset, but loudly enough so that others around you have to hear it. What if I were to say, quietly, "Thank goodness there's no-one here that believes this sunset was "designed" by some supernatural mutt-head wooden god!". Or "Thank heaven I toiled so hard in my garden to bring us this meal!" making sure any reference to god was purposefully left out?
I also truly do so love the way that even the seemingly quietest Chrisitans, those who claim they do nothing to insult the atheists or those of other equally valid (or invalid?) religions, add in little "Praise the lord!" or "Oh... I feel SO blessed by our living God!" when they have something they want to attribute to Him happen to them quite by chance... They are NOT that silent, believe me. They can't help themselves, they being so very convinced of His Holy Involvement in everything...
So yes, we atheists will indeed respond, more or less in kind, when provoked by the incessant whining buzz of a spiritual mosquito near our ears. Bzzzzzzzzzz Bzzzzzzzzzz BZZZZZZZZZZ bbbbbbbbbbzzzzzz. You know, just like a gnat sounds like when it wants to invade your inner ear? Likka Dat! And your response is? Slappp! Ahhnnnddd .... it's gone.
So Luminous, what ARE you talking about here? Better Question: Why are you such a hate-monger, spreading the usual mis-truths about the non-entity that is simple atheism. If we've become militant it's solely because of the endless taunts and derision we suffer from, coming entirely from the hugely intolerant and rigid mindset of desperately frightened Christians who want to flood the world with their scientifically illiterate psychobabble.
Not to mention, as I believe Huff did, the absolutely necessary defense of our children's education, keeping the total fabrications and mis-directions out of certain curricula.
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Originally Posted by hljc
Lord Jesus calls Christians to spread the gospel, and Jesus spirit gives ideas to Christians who he calls to help people receive the good news of Lord Jesus Christ of His salvation for all who will recieve......... SO if Christians do not spread the gospel and ignore the Plan of God , then it will be the time for Jesus to come and He will come to bring renewal to the earth ........ So then if you do not like Christians spreading the gospel , then you will not like it when Jesus comes and destroys the spirit behind those who inhibit the spreading of the Gospel...... So what spirit is behind those who want the gospel stopped?.....
Well it is the dragon who go after those who keep the commands of Jesus and hold to their testimony of Jesus Christ, and it is the antichrist who rejects the commands of Jesus Christ and hold up logic and reason against the purpose, power, and faith and holds up idols against the commands of Jesus.....
And then there is the false prophet who give contradictory ideas which are contrary to the purpose and character of God and His plan ....... See these three spirits which are fallen angels , Jesus say that he will destroy when He come , which Jesus says is during a rise of sin in the world and a slow down in belief of His salvation plan for the world...
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Originally Posted by raison_d'etre
Then stop spreading it and lets test this whole Jesus coming bit.
Through all of his usual run-on diatribe, I gather from hljc that if we quit giving silly endless homage to an non-existing entity, that non-existing entity will somehow show up.
Well OK then! Let's get on with it! (Oh, and I really do like thinking that other desperate Christian souls consider me and us atheists as both antichrist & fallen angel figures! What ultimate power!)
PTL: the new world after Jebbuss sorts us all out will be such a glorious and wondrous place! I can hardly wait! And since it was/is all pre-determined before Genesis, then He'll have to give me a special pass, since I was obviously His designated questioner all along, sent to make Christians think a tiny bit about their stubborn and unthinking praise for Him and his ultimate regime of terror...er... love! Too bad it didn't work: they seem incapable of honest personal questioning, or of providing honest answers to my questions.
As for evil spirit dragons, do not worry thyself, oh thou of the needlessly frightened faithful, for thee...
Then if atheism is as enlightened and superior as you imply, why do you bother to care who misunderstands or disapproves?
Well if the those who believe would stop trying to impose their dogmas on the rest of the world it would be far easier to ignore them, but that isn't the case is it? When theist attempt to impose their god given perspective on the body politic for no other reason than their mythical deity tells them so, it eliminates the possibility of an informed public debate.
We can't discuss the merits of gay and lesbian rights because "god" says it is wrong.
We can't teach evolutionary biology because the Bible says that it isn't true.
We can't teach paleontology, archaeology, or physics because the principles that they have uncovered run counter to the holy book.
That's it, the Bible, Koran or whatever says that it ain't so, end of discussion. Well it isn't the end of the discussion, not by a country mile.
People will always have misguided assumptions about people who have different beliefs than their own.
Yeah pretty much. Atheists may have a basic understanding of Christianity that Christians don't of atheism, in nations where Christians are the majority anyway, but I've certainly seen misunderstandings in that direction. Main one being that whatever denomination they belonged to, or was most common in their region, is defining of all Christianity everywhere. So to an Englishman maybe it's natural to think of all the world's Christians as basically Anglican, Methodist, or Presbyterian even though that's not really so. Or to a Russian it's all variations on Orthodoxy or to a Spaniard Catholic (my faith). In my experience many Southerners, even the non-atheist, tend to mean "Baptist or Pentecostal" when they say "Christian." On some level they might be aware that at least Lutherans or Congregationalists exist, but it's maybe not what they think of right away.
And I find people generally have a poor understanding of Buddhism, thinking it's just some vague deal where you chant phrases and talk about karma and that's it. I'm not saying I have the best understanding of Buddhism either, but still it irritates me. And even some educated people I know almost seemed to act like Taoism is about smoking marijuana and being mellow. (I suppose a Taoist can do that, but that's not defining of it)
Lord Jesus calls Christians to spread the gospel , and Jesus spirit gives ideas to Christians who he calls to help people receive the good news of Lord Jesus Christ of His salvation for all who will recieve......... SO if Christians do not spread the gospel and ignore the Plan of God , then it will be the time for Jesus to come and He will come to bring renewal to the earth ........ So then if you do not like Christians spreading the gospel , then you will not like it when Jesus comes and destroys the spirit behind those who inhibit the spreading of the Gospel...... So what spirit is behind those who want the gospel stopped?..... Well it is the dragon who go after those who keep the commands of Jesus and hold to their testimony of Jesus Christ, and it is the antichrist who rejects the commands of Jesus Christ and hold up logic and reason against the purpose, power, and faith and holds up idols against the commands of Jesus..... And then there is the false prophet who give contradictory ideas which are contrary to the purpose and character of God and His plan ....... See these three spirits which are fallen angels , Jesus say that he will destroy when He come , which Jesus says is during a rise of sin in the world and a slow down in belief of His salvation plan for the world...
In reality, Jesus only instructed his own disciples ot spread his word. He and they expected that he would return to Earth while some of them were still alive. the idea that all of you are instructed to spread this word, is false [the idea was actually promoted by Paul, someone else who also did not train at Jesus' feet.]. It's like someone who has read Kung Fu magazine opening a dojo themselves. You were not trained at his feet and don't know actually what he said or meant. Nor are you trained in how to teach others.
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Originally Posted by Thomas R.
Yeah pretty much. Atheists may have a basic understanding of Christianity that Christians don't of atheism, in nations where Christians are the majority anyway, but I've certainly seen misunderstandings in that direction. Main one being that whatever denomination they belonged to, or was most common in their region, is defining of all Christianity everywhere. So to an Englishman maybe it's natural to think of all the world's Christians as basically Anglican, Methodist, or Presbyterian even though that's not really so. Or to a Russian it's all variations on Orthodoxy or to a Spaniard Catholic (my faith). In my experience many Southerners, even the non-atheist, tend to mean "Baptist or Pentecostal" when they say "Christian." On some level they might be aware that at least Lutherans or Congregationalists exist, but it's maybe not what they think of right away.
And I find people generally have a poor understanding of Buddhism, thinking it's just some vague deal where you chant phrases and talk about karma and that's it. I'm not saying I have the best understanding of Buddhism either, but still it irritates me. And even some educated people I know almost seemed to act like Taoism is about smoking marijuana and being mellow. (I suppose a Taoist can do that, but that's not defining of it)
Quite correct. And while misconceptions (such as Buddhists worship Buddha, Catholics believe that the Pope claims to be infallible and atheists believe in God but just don't like him) are understandable, exchanges on forums like this can help correct such misunderstandings.
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