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So ... should we just agree with the Abrahamic religion endorsers who take the Bible literally then?
"Why yes, I hate gays, too, and I think they should be oppressed as much as we can get away with in our Christian nation -- the one where the Bible should be used before the Constitution, where only Christians should be allowed to dictate our individual lifestyles, where anything they want should be banned and censored. In fact, I can't wait to get in on a great book burning. I even bought out Barnes and Nobles' entire supply of Harry Potter books to start the fascism going. After all, we only have the freedom OF religion, not the freedom FROM religion. For that matter, why not just skip the preamble and set up the concentration camps now like pastor Kevin Swanson, Ted Cruz, and two other presidential candidates wanted ... and start chucking the gays -- and eventually the atheists, liberals, members of the ACLU, feminists, immigrants, Muslims, intellectuals with too much book learnin', poor people and anyone who can't work, and anyone else they've come to hate right into those camps. I'm all for a good ol' mass genocide right here in the Land of the Free because that's what the Good Lord, wellspring of love and forgiveness, wants us to do! I'd buy some stock in whatever company manufactures Zyklon B because their sales to the camp commandants will skyrocket!"
Because, yeah, they can insult anyone they want without any repurcussions.
No. We all should be able to put forth our views...no matter what they are.
The Abrahamic Religion Literalist VS Militant Atheist dustups are my favorites of the board. The more spicy it is, the better I like it.
But I do not think the board should be mostly just that.
At what point does willful intransigence become an actual mental disability?
There is someone posting total loonacy here on the forum who probably has a job, family, drives a car and can vote. You can be as loopy as a box of frogs but still not qualify for a padded cell.
I understand that it's easy to reject the words of Christ because it almost impossible to make it into Heaven. This is particularly true for those that are wealthy and powerful.
Atheism means there is ultimately no personal responsibility. It means there are no consequences for how you lived your life on earth. It means there is no justice.
You see, governments turn on people. They've done it all throughout history. How many times have genocides occurred? How many times have we gone to war?
Christs tells us to love our enemies. If all adhered to the words of Christ, there would be no wars, no anger, no hostility, but only peace and harmony.
However, the flaw in Christianity is that it is only as strong as it's weakest link, which is why it will always be doomed to failure.
So, perhaps soon, after a liquidity crisis causes banks to consolidate, the power structure will be more concentrated. We can only assume that there is an increasing probability that those in power will be less likely to believe in the Christian God and the consequences that come with it. It's easy that way.
So what happens when automation makes 99% of jobs obsolete? Do you believe that the government will provide for its people? Why would it do this? Why would people be altruistic? Why should they be?
Remember, there are no consequences. There is no fundamental justice. Maybe justice is decreasing the population. What a terrible existence and you are all unwittingly contributing to your own demise.
No accountability. What a terrible world that lies ahead.
But to be an atheist, is freedom. No consequences. No justice.
1. Most Christians I know/knew would say (in more simple-minded words) that it is almost impossible to reject Christ because it is so easy, self-evident, and non-malificient to ask Jesus into your heart with faith. They would also probably say that it is easier (although less rewarding) for the rich and powerful because God grants them so many blessings and it is people hating God because of personal struggle that makes them reject His Maleness.
2. Most Atheists I know/knew would say that Christianity means that there is ultimately no personal responsibility for Christians nor even from their proposed Ultimate Creator. All responsibility is thrown at Satan/Lucifer and nonbelievers/disbelievers and removed from God/Jesus/Christians. A lot of Christians propose that all of heaven/good-after-life is perfect and all you need to get there is Cronyism to the preferred version of a Christ savior. Each Christian believes different preferred versions of how you should live your life and in different versions of Justice (outside the believed positiveness of the whole Theo-cronyism thing).
3. Christian governments have turned on their people too, even for genocides and wars. A lot of Christians adhere to the actions/words of Jesus and words of Paul that show violence, anger, war, hostility, and being against peace and harmony. You need to study your supposed believes and theo-cultural stories more closely, you seem to only have a conception of the liberal half the stories.
4. The flaw you describe in Christianity would be a flaw that would apply to anything, and therefore not really a flaw at all in competitive comparison. Christians have been manipulated by non-believers and half-believers and true-believers in power that don't believe in negative consequences to themselves (to the detriment or benefit of the spreading of core Christian ideas) since their inception. Nothing new under the Sun here.
5. Studies have shown that during crisis people are altruistic to their fellow group members unless lead by meddling leaders against being altruistic and into being factionist. Rather then automation making people lack things, it will likely increase supply and allow increase in population until equilibrium (hopefully not a catastrophic crash into new equilibriums, depending on how it is managed).
6. Most atheist I know believe in the world that is self-evident. Consequences are there in nature, and clearly traceable. And consequences are clear and necessary in societies, and clearly created by subjective people and evident.
7. Most atheists believe there are some natural forms of accountability/consequences/justice and that there is a necessity of social forms of accountability/consequences/justice if we want and need them. They know that to be an atheist or theist there is an equal amount of natural freedom and different amounts of social freedoms and most side with the greatest amount of social freethought in the form of social secularism (rather than the economic charity given to religion in the form of tax breaks and special status as is done in the United States currently).
Last edited by LuminousTruth; 05-25-2017 at 11:47 AM..
I just want take this time to accept this reward at creating the greatest thread you've ever seen.
Sorry. I took that one with an April 1st spoof 'conversion' thread.
Quote:
Originally Posted by GldnRule
No. We all should be able to put forth our views...no matter what they are.
The Abrahamic Religion Literalist VS Militant Atheist dustups are my favorites of the board. The more spicy it is, the better I like it.
But I do not think the board should be mostly just that.
Of course, it was always like that. So long as ToS are observed people can say what they like. However, atheist apologists have tended to punch above their weight because we have evidence -based on logical arguments, and all the Other side can do is keep on denying or back off. It is the reasons we end to dominate on this forum at any rate. If you don't care for that dominance by us, that's tough, frankly.
Last edited by TRANSPONDER; 05-25-2017 at 11:35 AM..
There is someone posting total loonacy here on the forum who probably has a job, family, drives a car and can vote. You can be as loopy as a box of frogs but still not qualify for a padded cell.
Lord knows they got a cell just for me.
Well, I know how loony I am but I am harmless, and I don't vote. All the doctors would come to the same conclusion about me, that I am as crazy as crazy get, but I think they would put millions of Christians in the same category.
Sorry. I took that one with an April 1st spoof 'conversion' thread.
Of course, it was always like that. So long as ToS are observed people can say what they like. However, atheist apologists have tended to punch above their weight because we have evidence -based on logical arguments, and all the Other side can do is keep on denying or back off. It is the reasons we end to dominate on this forum at any rate. If you don't care for that dominance by us, that's tough, frankly.
First...you dominate nothing.
If you are looking for what "dominates" this Forum...look at post count of the Christianity subforum...and the "Prayer Thread". That adds up to much of it.
That there is a heavy Anti-Religion Belief Bashing ("bashing others beliefs" is against the stated TOS) Atheist presence on the R&S board is based upon a few very heavy posters like you, and also for a time Cupper/Dillonmt that for many months, would put up one or more Belief Bashing Threads per day.
It has nothing to do with your "logical arguments"...Atheism is illogical at its base. You are confused...thinking that contesting metaphorical and allegorical stories from a literal basis displays "logic". It doesn't...MOF it is so inane, it's amusing.
The rules say all Beliefs are welcome, and not to criticize anyones Belief or Faith...but that is what about 75% of the threads and posts for the R&S board are. The worst, most nasty, rude, horrible, insults there are. Saying it is, "The worst threat to mankind", "It should be deemed a mental illness", "the Religious should be jailed for their beliefs", "People teaching Religion to their kids should be cited and jailed for child abuse", and on and on...this board is basically a Religion Bashfest.
I submit: You could not find another board for anything anywhere, that the majority of the content is people criticizing the subject of that board and those that are interested in it, and basically stating the world would be better off without the subject of the board existing.
You wouldn't get as much of that for a board on "Military Weaponry & Waging War", as you do for this "Religion and Spirituality board!!
OTOH...that is what I like about it. But then, I'm twisted like that...it being against the stated rules, aside.
Well, I know how loony I am but I am harmless, and I don't vote. All the doctors would come to the same conclusion about me, that I am as crazy as crazy get, but I think they would put millions of Christians in the same category.
I think most medical doctors in the U.S. (50-70%, if I remember correctly) are nominal Christians (mostly super liberal in their theological views).
Only 10% (less than a population average of 13% today) hold no religious affiliation. Talk about being rich and powerful and choosing religion anyway. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1490160/
Of course, almost 40% didn't respond so their affiliations or lack thereof remain somewhat of a mystery barring any meta-study into answers to similar religious affiliation questionnaires.
Medical doctors aren't always chosen by the medical education system to have post-social/(unattached-to-self or-community)/data-minded personalities as the scientists chosen by the science graduate systems.
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I took that one with an April 1st spoof 'conversion' thread. 
