Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
The funny thing is that atheists are probably accomplishing the exact opposite of what they claim to want to do, the way they come across.
You couldn't be more wrong. Atheism has increased dramatically since we got the internet. It's the best thing that has happened to us. Now, the Church can no longer control what people look at. The Church is no longer the sole distributor of information as it used to be. Now, albeit slowly, education is suffocating the superstition that the Church spoon fed to the uneducated. Viva the internet! It's the best tool we have. Your god is going the same way as all the other gods that came before him. I'm confident in predicting that.... 'Some of you reading this will not taste death without seeing Yahweh and his mate Jesus, idly chatting away to Thor and Zeus on that dusty shelf marked ..'MYTHOLOGY'.
You couldn't be wrong. Atheism has increased dramatically since we got the internet. It's the best thing that has happened to us. Now, the Church can no longer control what people look at. Now, albeit slowly, education is suffocating superstition. Viva the internet! It's the best tool we have.
You sound like the enemy.
PLEASE. Stop. Take a breath. Look at yourself in the mirror. Then go back and read what you just wrote.
You raise an interesting point. It seems you, and many here feel strongly about Christianity being seen in public buildings and in the government.
I think you miss the point.... It isn't "seeing Christianity in buildings" that people are talking about when they say Christians are trying to get their beliefs in government and education. They are talking about all the Christians that try to influence legislation and what kids are taught in school (namely their personal religious preference) based off of their religious beliefs. The people trying to make others live by their specific religions rules, or at least their specific denominations (since we all know even Christians of differing denominations can't agree on much). The main one being things like gay rights and anti-discrimination laws.
You raise an interesting point. It seems you, and many here feel strongly about Christianity being seen in public buildings and in the government.
Well, you know, we actually care what the US Constitution says about that.
Personally, I don't care all that much, but if someone else is going to rise to that challenge, I'm certainly not going to come down on the opposite side.
Religion has been breaking the law for 260+ years - and I know it galls a lot of Christians that their religion is getting called to the carpet for doing so. Finally.
Quote:
Originally Posted by ClaraC
It seems if that's important to you, your time might be better spent than chasing Christians around on an anonymous internet forum and loudly demanding we defend our faith?
Which is just another way of saying that atheists shouldn't even be posting here - so you can have the board all to yourself.
What, is this amateur hour? That wasn't exactly a subtle way of changing the way you word your fascist views, just so you know. And the more you keep at it, the more grief I'll give you. I mean, we could coexist peacefully (sort of) or ... nah, never mind. I know your mind now. Anything to the contrary and I would know your faking it. So ... too late.
Quote:
Originally Posted by ClaraC
Maybe working in your community on legislation to remove "in God we trust" from the money, and other artifacts of our Judeo/Christian beginnings and majority beliefs?
Oh great, another person who hasn't a clue about what we were founded on. Sorry, but we did not HAVE Judeo-Christian beginnings. We had Greco-Roman beginnings. And the Founders were largely deists and certainly were NOT Christians - as their private correspondance to one another bears out. Jefferson even wrote his own version of the Bible where he took out every single miracle because he didn't believe in any of that hocus-pocus.
But who cares about that when you can attach yourself to the historical revisionist craze that has been sweeping the apologist movement. Texas even wanted to get rid of any teaching about Jefferson and instead wanted to glorify McCarthy, for crying out loud. Look it up.
Seems that's where you're headed if you still think America had Judeo-Christian beginnings.
I'd also recommend looking up the "tyranny of the majority." Unless every public building displays symbology from every religion practiced in the United States, the government - including state and local - is not allowed to support, endorse, or play favorites to any one religion over another. So if the local courthouse wants to put up Christ scenes during Christmas, then they have to put up symbology from all the religions. And legally, that includes atheisim as well since the courts have ruled that atheism is considered a religion in terms of who is protected by the 1st Amendment. Sorry to give you such disappointing news, but ... there it is.
Quote:
Originally Posted by ClaraC
Like if I believe strongly that most dogs should be spayed and neutered I'd be better served putting together a free spay/neuter clinic at the shelter than chasing breeders around and deriding them on an anonymous dog breeding forum?
More fascism.
Point is, if I want to post here, I'm going to post here. Period. And so will every other atheist. If I want to chase around someone on an anonymous message board, I will.
And you don't have the right to tell me or anyone else what a better use of their time might be. Mainly because I can say the same about you. Obviously you find your faith important enough to sprinkle around this forum. Why do that when you can go out into the world and witness to people? Maybe become a missionary and destroy ancient cultures and plunge communities and individual families into civil war? Sounds like a good use of your time, no? And this is the perfect time to buy plane tickets since this is the off season of tourism, ya know?
Others who are interested in the welfare of animals might volunteer their time with wildlife rehab.
They position themselves, "for", rather than "against" and they don't surround themselves with what they are against, but rather what they are for.
Maybe work toward a fox sanctuary, etc.
Not surprisingly, it appears that you think in a very black/white manner. Why could you not have thought about what he said in a more positive way, like "I am fighting FOR the end of fox hunting"
I've passed up several declarations you've made knowing they were so ridiculous they wouldn't have slipped by anybody so didn't need pointing out.
But you just wouldn't give up on this one so I decided to point it out that's it's the negative way you interpret things that's the problem., little Miss Sunshine and Light
To Christians, Jesus is the image of the living God which has been accepted by so many people.
Arguement from popularity. Nice thing about fallacies is that they refute themselves so I don't have to spend a lot of time explaining it.
Quote:
Originally Posted by OzzyRules
The fact that he has endured since the first century is proof that his image is a true one.
Oh really? Because ... my mother's side of the family are Hindu. I guess since Shiva, Ganesh, and Kali are the oldest gods still worshiped by a sizeable population (around a billion people), they are even more true that Jesus because they are 2,000 years older even than Judaism. I guess my mother has something in her favor after all - thus going by your argument, if anything, I should beeline for the nearest Hindu temple because therein is where the truth lies. No?
Quote:
Originally Posted by OzzyRules
So no one can deny Christianity when viewing it from that perspective.
Uhm, I just did. Sorry.
Quote:
Originally Posted by OzzyRules
To me, Hell represents the place some people imagine they might find themselves after a time of spiritual death. For example, after a nervous breakdown or a similar life crisis. They are too proud to accept the God that many of their neighbors have accepted. They feel "above" all of that.
Well, if someone needs to use god as a crutch - well, okay. But that's all it is. Just like booze, drugs, a good friend, a hobby. There are a lot of crutches. Some better than others. Does that mean if I confide in a good friend, that friend is actually hell personified because he helped me out of a crisis without bending my knee to a monstrosity?
Quote:
Originally Posted by OzzyRules
But to anyone who doesn't need religion, none of this should matter. However, …..the fact that so many self-proclaimed atheists are still bothered or haunted by the idea of Hell, this is possibly an indicator that they know deep inside that they should be less condemning or critical of the kind of "lowly" masses of uneducated people who are religious (which is a false view to begin with).
Yeah, this is one of those facepalm moments.
No, Ozzy, the reason why so many atheists are still haunted by hell is because their nasty religion got a hold of them when they were young and made hell a primal fear for those people - the same way a person can still be afraid of the dark, or dogs, or bridges, or the basement. It isn't because there's a real monster in the basement that they're afraid. It isn't because there's a boogyman hiding in the dark or because every dog is vicious or because the bridge is going to collapse.
Any lingering fear of hell an atheist may feel is irrational - and they know it's irrational. But so many parents and churches used hell in such a way as to literally traumatize their young minds that their fear of hell is very much akin to a Vietnam vet who jumps when a car backfires - or an abused child who flinches if a hand is raised nearby.
Even though the danger is long since past - or even if there was never any danger at all - the emotions still remain behind.
Religion is damaging that way - and one of the things about religion that really does tick me off.
Quote:
Originally Posted by OzzyRules
The fact that so many atheists spend so much time debating these things is evidence that some of them may not be in a comfortable place spiritually or psychologically when it comes to religious matters.
Uh no ... and that's a really lame argument, which I think you know. Namely because you could say that about anything a person may be interested in and therefore discusses a lot.
Obviously one of my passions has been history - thus if I discuss it a lot or enjoy debating with other historians, that doesn't mean that I'm "not in a comfortable place historically or psychologically when it comes to historical matters."
Know what I mean?
While I understand there is a certain desperation for some Christians to undermine the atheist position, doing it that way is going to lead to a big fat flop. It's an easy thing to argue against - especially since it's true.
PLEASE. Stop. Take a breath. Look at yourself in the mirror. Then go back and read what you just wrote.
Many atheists put themselves above everyone else and the universe as the elite of humanity. So sure of themselves, so convinced they see reality clearly. Like the fox guarding the hen house, they've set the stage for their personal delusions, and are now center stage in their own retarded production.
Despite their professed superiority and knowledge, they never try or fully test the beliefs they so quickly write off. Their lack (and maybe even fear) of personal testing and verification shows them to be the biggest wimps, fakes, and posers on the planet. They'll quickly accept scientific testing by others, but quickly reject personal testing within themselves.
Many atheists put themselves above everyone else and the universe as the elite of humanity. So sure of themselves, so convinced they see reality clearly. Like the fox guarding the hen house, they've set the stage for their personal delusions, and are now center stage in their own retarded production.
Despite their professed superiority and knowledge, they never try or fully test the beliefs they so quickly write off. Their lack (and maybe even fear) of personal testing and verification shows them to be the biggest wimps, fakes, and posers on the planet. They'll quickly accept scientific testing by others, but quickly reject personal testing within themselves.
Many atheists put themselves above everyone else and the universe as the elite of humanity. So sure of themselves, so convinced they see reality clearly. Like the fox guarding the hen house, they've set the stage for their personal delusions, and are now center stage in their own retarded production.
Despite their professed superiority and knowledge, they never try or fully test the beliefs they so quickly write off. Their lack (and maybe even fear) of personal testing and verification shows them to be the biggest wimps, fakes, and posers on the planet. They'll quickly accept scientific testing by others, but quickly reject personal testing within themselves.
Says a guy who believes he is part of a special group of people who know the "real truth" and will be the only ones with an invite to heaven... Yea, atheists are the ones who think they are above others... Sure guy.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
