Why do sceptics and atheists post on this and other (follower, hell)
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Na, und? I explained why I post, and for whom. I lay out my arguments or explain the evidence wherever I can, and if anyone has a problem with that, perhaps they should deal with the actual arguments instead of complaining about atheists posting on the internet.
And you do realize you have changed your argument from atheists posting on the internet to ineffective communicators posting? That there are bad communicators is no reason for atheists (and apparently only atheists) to stop posting.
Yes, people should think for themselves, but to do that, they need to see and (hopefully) evaluate opposing positions. So which is it, atheists should be able to post opposing views, or we should be quiet?
And again you are confusing the target audience. I do not argue with theists to change their mind, but to put information out there for those who want to see opposing views.
No, it is about correcting the bad arguments theists post on the internet. And if they have the liberty to post their religious beliefs and claims on the internet, we atheists also have the liberty to refute their arguments.
...all the while claiming atheists simply desire to be left to their own thoughts and do not care what others choose to believe.
Before I sign off now, I'd like to call out that you only seem to call out what you do when it's an atheist doing so in your opinion. I've yet to see you call out the same sort of insults and mocking done by religious people. In part this adds to the imbalance that is otherwise something of a hallmark when it comes to your comments generally speaking. Posting stuff like atheists are as low as rapists is something of an insult I might also call out...
"Balance is key."
There I said it...
Noting what is written in the respective Theological literary works (most epic and prolific Books in human history) is not "insults and mocking"...that is what I note as embracing and promoting ones Beliefs.
So, the things I'm sure you are referencing...like necrodestination punishment, etc...is not a insult, nor is it mocking...that is what those books actually do say, and many Religious believe it.
On the other hand...busting on them for believing it or insulting/mocking it, is derisive and contemptuous.
All that has to be said is that those are metaphorical and allegorical works of literary art, and the stories/characters are representative...and does not align either literally or figuratively with various differing Beliefs. Then note your own views....without contempt or confrontation. Just state what you Believe...and promote that.
My noting that poll/study of how Atheists are viewed, was a counter to those casting aspersions and a bad view of the Religious/Spiritual. I did not lead with it...I did not instigate...I responded and countered with it.
Take that how you want or for whatever it's worth.
They are not mutually exclusive. What one believes and what bad (or dishonest) arguments one posts on the internet are 2 different things.
Irrelevant to my post.
More gaslighting ^^^...as noted.
What the Religious/Spiritual state as their Beliefs...is exactly what you refer to as "bad/dishonest arguments".
Claiming you hold them as "2 different things" is completely contradicted by how have always rolled.
Calling their sincerely held and heartfelt Beliefs "bad/dishonest arguments" (then fervently and incessantly mocking and insulting them) has always been the way you run your derisive game.
I have no idea why I should worry about the Mormon church or the Baptists. Are they breaking any laws?
He specifically referred to the FLDS offshoot of the Mormons. Since their leader, Warren Jeffs is in prison for child sexual assault for arranging illegal "marriages" between adult males and minor females, I'd say yes, there was some law-breaking going on. Given the beliefs of this group, do you really think this practice stopped with the leader's arrest?
There is also a well-known murder associated with the FLDS written about in Jon Krakauer's book Under The Banner Of Heaven. Two brothers murdered their sister-in-law because she was drawing their brother away from the faith. And for good measure killed their 18-month-old niece in her crib to send her to heaven before she could be corrupted.
Obviously, to answer his question, the mainstream Mormon/LDS church wants no association with this offshoot.
I believe most conventional Baptists want nothing to do with Westboro, either. They may share the same sentiments, but not their methods.
Like many, you tend to look at these issues from a micro level, but the problems occur more at the macro level...
Take the warm-hearted bake sale at the local church for example. Cakes are baked and sold for purposes of providing money to the church. Nothing wrong with that, but where does the money go? No doubt at the more macro level it goes toward doing some good, but at the more macro level it can also go toward causes one might argue are not so good. Again having nothing to do with what a person is feeling, thinking or doing at the individual level. That's the point here far as I'm concerned...
I suspect that most times it goes toward paying the electric or heating bill.
He specifically referred to the FLDS offshoot of the Mormons. Since their leader, Warren Jeffs is in prison for child sexual assault for arranging illegal "marriages" between adult males and minor females, I'd say yes, there was some law-breaking going on. Given the beliefs of this group, do you really think this practice stopped with the leader's arrest?
There is also a well-known murder associated with the FLDS written about in Jon Krakauer's book Under The Banner Of Heaven. Two brothers murdered their sister-in-law because she was drawing their brother away from the faith. And for good measure killed their 18-month-old niece in her crib to send her to heaven before she could be corrupted.
Obviously, to answer his question, the mainstream Mormon/LDS church wants no association with this offshoot.
I believe most conventional Baptists want nothing to do with Westboro, either. They may share the same sentiments, but not their methods.
Thank you for the details, MQ. I don't follow religious news avidly unless they seriously interfere with everyone's legal and constitutional rights and liberties. I am puzzled why Pope Paul's visit is news, but that's just me. Glad he apologized though.
I am glad the justice system is working as evidenced by the fact that Warren Jeffs is in jail for conducting what appears to be a sex trade.
That said, to answer your question I simply don't know. More importantly I am not sure what my responsibility is regarding that as a citizen if I believe sex trade operation is going on in Mormon churches.. I depend on the justice system to arrest those involved if it is sex trade involving minors, just as we depend on the courts to avenge the murder of George Floyd.
That the two religions have disassociated with the extremist sects is what I expect would happen when religions reform themselves.That is what history tells us.
He specifically referred to the FLDS offshoot of the Mormons. Since their leader, Warren Jeffs is in prison for child sexual assault for arranging illegal "marriages" between adult males and minor females, I'd say yes, there was some law-breaking going on. Given the beliefs of this group, do you really think this practice stopped with the leader's arrest?
There is also a well-known murder associated with the FLDS written about in Jon Krakauer's book Under The Banner Of Heaven. Two brothers murdered their sister-in-law because she was drawing their brother away from the faith. And for good measure killed their 18-month-old niece in her crib to send her to heaven before she could be corrupted.
Obviously, to answer his question, the mainstream Mormon/LDS church wants no association with this offshoot.
I believe most conventional Baptists want nothing to do with Westboro, either. They may share the same sentiments, but not their methods.
But the real question is: do they just turn a blind eye and say, 'not my/our problem'?
Thank you for the details, MQ. I don't follow religious news avidly unless they seriously interfere with everyone's legal and constitutional rights and liberties. I am puzzled why Pope Paul's visit is news, but that's just me. Glad he apologized though.
I am glad the justice system is working as evidenced by the fact that Warren Jeffs is in jail for conducting what appears to be a sex trade.
That said, to answer your question I simply don't know. More importantly I am not sure what my responsibility is regarding that as a citizen if I believe sex trade operation is going on in Mormon churches.. I depend on the justice system to arrest those involved if it is sex trade involving minors, just as we depend on the courts to avenge the murder of George Floyd.
That the two religions have disassociated with the extremist sects is what I expect would happen when religions reform themselves.That is what history tells us.
The last point is a valid one.
And this pope's name is Francis.
Curious as to why you think his visit isn't news. It is because while the horror of the residential schools in Canada (and the associated, more recent removal of indigenous children from their homes/dissociation from their culture in what is known as the Sixties Scoop even though it last into the Eighties) has been an issue for many years, in 2021 inspectors using Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR) found numerous unmarked graves on the properties where these schools stood. It became obvious that what the indigenous have been saying for decades--that their brothers and sisters and cousins disappeared and died at these schools from abuse and neglect is true.
The news is because while at least one other pope made a formal apology from the Vatican on behalf of the Church's involvement in the deliberate destruction of these cultures, Francis received indigenous chiefs at the Vatican and then promised to come and visit the sites of some of the schools in Canada to apologize and try to do something to effect reconciliation. Then he did it, despite obvious poor health and the cancellation of what some would consider more important trips around the globe. The Catholic Church has a tradition of making a concerted effort to destroy cultures around the globe, but particularly in the "new world", and Pope Francis for the first time acknowledged this and said that it was wrong.
He showed up humbly and exposed his vulnerability to sit among thousands of marginalized people who have every reason in the world to hate what he represents instead of hiding under a big hat in a fortress on the other side of the ocean waving his hand and saying, "oh sorry about that".
But the real question is: do they just turn a blind eye and say, 'not my/our problem'?
But IS it their problem? How can someone be responsible for what specific others have done just because their name associates them in people's minds? How can your typical Mormon in Salt Lake do something to stop a follower of Jeffs in Short Creek from handing their 12-year-old daughter over to some grown man who wants her to breed his children?
I don't blame Muslims in general for what they did on 9/11. I blame the individuals who planned and carried out the attacks, including those who supported them.
I am sure the first reaction is "that has nothing to do with me/us". Wouldn't it be yours? But perhaps acknowledging the association in people's minds and then condemning the wrongful actions should follow.
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