Atheists identified as America’s most distrusted minority

[Barnabas]

Originally posted by Urban Ranger


I don't see atheists standing around street corners attempting to deconvert people.

Thats because you never had a communist maths teacher!




It happens in China and a few other countries nowadays, but not in street corners.

Oh, I guess they are not real atheists.


It has happened to me in real life from some goth kids (plus my maths teacher), and seen it in other science message boards off topic forums.

[SlowwHand]

Church and State. State is not to endorse a specific religion. It doesn't say can't recongnize the concept of religion.

[Barnabas]

Good article on this in this genetics blog

http://www.gnxp.com/

[Wycoff]

Originally posted by SlowwHand
Church and State. State is not to endorse a specific religion. It doesn't say can't recongnize the concept of religion.

It says "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof" U.S. Const. amend. I

[Edan]

Atheists identified as America’s most distrusted minority

Were politicians and lawyers disqualified?

[Berzerker]

It says "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof" U.S. Const. amend. I

And the Pledge is a law that respects an establishment of religion and prohibits the free exercise of religion

1) government agents (teachers) "ask" a captive audience of children to stand each day and pledge allegiance to a flag (idolatry) and all it represents, including one nation "under God". That law establishes religion by coercing people to endorse the state's God.

2) Coercing children to affirm the state's religion prohibits their religious freedom.

[Urban Ranger]

Originally posted by SlowwHand
Atheists are just going ro burn for eternity. That's their problem.

Com'on, you know you want to join us. We will have a big party in the City of Dis (no relation to the Polytubbie with the same handle). It will be fun.

[Jon Miller]

Originally posted by Wycoff


Visible is the key term. I think that there is a large number of people who keep quiet about it. The younger age group seems to have a fairly robust secular streak. I'd bet that 25% of those under 30 are athiest/agnostic/ambivalent about religion.

I think you would be surprised.

JM

[Jon Miller]

I think making a big deal about the pledge is sort of silly

but yeah, it shouldn't be in there

JM

[Jon Miller]

Re: Re: Atheists identified as America’s most distrusted minority

Originally posted by Urban Ranger


The only problem with this is atheists aren't some kind of group - neither are agnostics. The only thing common among atheists is they reject the notion of supernatural god. That's it. Otherwise one atheist can be completely different from another.

You could say similiar things about other grous (unfortunately), like Christians.

JM

[Whaleboy]

I'm agnostic and I distrust atheists, mainly because I associate them with dip****s like Michael Newdow. Like Elok said, the majority of visible atheists come across as zealots and that has to shape public opinion in some way.

Same goes for many public figures that are religious. You have to bare in mind that people like that are usually on their own agenda. It's not a question of atheism or theism, it's a question of intellectual dishonesty and imo, atheists tend to be the most intellectually honest people out there.

The only problem with this is atheists aren't some kind of group - neither are agnostics. The only thing common among atheists is they reject the notion of supernatural god. That's it. Otherwise one atheist can be completely different from another.

This is true; atheism is not a holistic position, it's more a case of anti-theism, but few people define themselves by their lack of faith, as opposed to religious people who define themselves by faith. Atheism itself is essentially a philosophical view. I always get irritated at atheists who have the same faith in a lack of god, as religious people do in the presense of god. It's hypocritical and inconsistent.

An atheist by definition would have no faith in the existence / non-existence of God, and would rather concur with a reasonable argument for the non-existence of God. It's only when you bring faith into it that people start getting militant .

Church and State. State is not to endorse a specific religion. It doesn't say can't recongnize the concept of religion.

Or the concept of non-religion?

[fed1943]

I think atheist is someone who believe God doesn't exist.Agnostic is someone who don't believe God exists or not.
Religious is quite diferent,is the follower of a church.
Obviously,one cannot be atheist or agnostic and be religious.
Best regards,

[Agathon]

Originally posted by Brachy-Pride

The problem most people I guess have with militant atheists, is their (I cant understand how people in the year 2109874042 can still be stupid enough to believe in god) attitude.

I can't understand how people in the year 2006 can still be stupid enough to believe in god.




There's nothing militant about this. I feel the same disdain for people who believe in astrology (and religion is no better than astrology really).

[Sandman]

I'm a soft atheist/hard agnostic.

What irritates me about the religions is the way that their philosophical outline of God is painfully out of whack with their holy texts. Philosophical God = omnipotent, omnipresent, creator, exists outside of time, etc. God of the texts = a sort of tyrannical sorceror-king who casts indiscriminate spells, has human personality traits, demands exclusive worship etc.

[Agathon]

Originally posted by SlowwHand
Atheists are just going ro burn for eternity. That's their problem.

This is why you shouldn't be allowed to vote. Generally, people who are certified as mentally ill are not allowed to vote, but they make this odd exception for the religious.

Shame really. What a beautiful world we could have. John Lennon even wrote a song about it.