Atheists identified as America’s most distrusted minority

[Kidlicious]

Originally posted by Dis
Stop beating me over the head with these facts! I'm not talking about you, but the media etc. I hate feeling guilty for being white.

I don't feel guilty. You shouldn't.

[Kidlicious]

Originally posted by Dis
As for atheism. I don't care one way or another. I have better things to think about than god. .

I actually consider myself an athiest. But it's so easy to see how gods and such come about. When you feel helpless and out of control, you just wish there could be something to fix things.

I believe in God, but I don't think he's going to fix things for me. He's got his own will, which is not like mine.

[Kidlicious]

Originally posted by BeBro
I can't stand the word "subset" anymore. It's even worse than "minority"

It's Che's fault I think. He's always all "subset, subset"

[ajbera]

Originally posted by Dis
I actually consider myself an athiest. But it's so easy to see how gods and such come about. When you feel helpless and out of control, you just wish there could be something to fix things. Especially those who you love who are in danger of dying, and you cannot do anything about it...

Yes I felt like a moron and a hypocrite praying to god. I hate myself. Maybe I'm not an ahtiest. I don't know what the **** I am. I guess I'm just a guy who prays when someone he loves is on the verge of death or real sick. Or I pray people I love don't die. It's pointless, yet I still do it. So sue me. I pray even though I don't believe in god. Nothing more stupid than that.

If you're offering up a prayer "just in case" then you're not an atheist. You're probably an agnostic who leans toward atheism (same as me). I will say an occasional prayer for someone else, what I call my "To Whom It May Concern" prayer, just an open request to any Powers that (may) be to help someone else out.

Ever since I realized I didn't have faith in a Power(s), I haven't said a prayer for my benefit. If I don't believe in God I have no right to ask something from Him/Her/It/Them. But if I'm worried about someone else I'll ask if God can do a little something for them. I don't think it has any effect, but since there's a possibility, no matter how minute, such a Power exists, it's no shame to try an appeal.

As for feeling guilty for being white, wtf? You have no reason to ever feel guilty at all for being white, or male, or heterosexual. Grow a backbone, dammit.

[rant] What is it with people feeling coerced? Dis is coerced to feel guilty because he happens to be white? Atheists feel coerced because the Pledge contains two stinking words? What the f*ck ever happened to a strong sense of self? If you feel coerced to do something you don't want to do because you're different, or because someone doesn't love you unconditionally for who you are, you really deserve to be exploited like the spineless sheep you are. [/rant]

[MrFun]

subset

[Urban Ranger]

Originally posted by Cort Haus
The universe was in fact sneezed out of a being called the Great Green Arkelsiezure. Fact.

Disprove that.

Blasphemy. The Giant Dancing Banana will not be pleased.

[Alex Woehr]

Originally posted by ajbera
Just remember, it's better to be right than popular.

Don't forget, fundamentalist Presbyterians are in the minority as well--in fact, a subset minority.

[Urban Ranger]

Originally posted by Sikander
OK, then debate an agnostic. Your position is that no gods exist and his is that he doesn't know whether any gods exist or not. We await your proof.

First of all, an atheist does not necessary hold that no gods exist. Atheism is simply the Greek prefix "a-," meaning "without," attached in front of "theism." So atheism is simply "without theism," and an atheist is somebody who does not have a belief in the existence of a god (or a group of gods).

This is called weak (or negative) atheism. You can see that an agnostic is in fact a weak atheist, as he does not have a belief of a god.

A stricter form of atheism is strong (or positive) atheism. A positive atheist holds that there are good reasons to believe that gods don't exist.

However, seeing that non-existence of a god is the default state in this case, there's nothing we need to prove.

[Urban Ranger]

Originally posted by Wycoff
The debate between agnosticism and athiesm is interesting, but I don't think that most Americans differentiate between the two positions. The two positions are lumped together in most religious surveys that I've seen.

Most Americans don't even have a clear idea of what atheism is.

[Urban Ranger]

Originally posted by BeBro
I can't stand the word "subset" anymore. It's even worse than "minority"

What, maths gets to you?

[DaShi]

Atheism earns mistrust because it is often embraced by pseudo-intellectuals, who spew so much bs that no one wants to listen to anything they say.

Atheism earns spite because of atheist who claim "people who believe in God are stupid." Again pseudo-intellectuals.

Communism suffers the same the problem.

[Agathon]

Atheism earns spite because of atheist who claim "people who believe in God are stupid."

qua belief in God, most of them are.

qua their belief in astrology, people who believe in astrology are stupid, even if they are also Nobel prize winning physicists.

[DaShi]

As I said...

[Whaleboy]

Agathon

[BeBMan]

Lol to the "subsets"