Atheists identified as America’s most distrusted minority

[Urban Ranger]

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

No.

Even Martin Gardner admits that atheism is philosophically correct, and that his Christian belief is based on "a deep seated fear" (of his consciousness going out like a candle).

People don't like atheism because it reminds them of their own mortality. People like stucking their heads in the sand.

[Flip McWho]

sticking

[DaShi]

Originally posted by Urban Ranger


No.

Even Martin Gardner admits that atheism is philosophically correct, and that his Christian belief is based on "a deep seated fear" (of his consciousness going out like a candle).

I'm not Martin Gardner and neither are about several billion other people. So basing that all people believe as he does is not sound.

People don't like atheism because it reminds them of their own mortality. People like stucking their heads in the sand.

No.

Atheism has nothing to do with mortality. You can have gods and no afterlife, just as you can have an afterlife with no gods. Your response is a perfect example of the pseudo-intellectual tripe that I'm talking about.

[Provost Harrison]

Originally posted by DaShi
Atheism has nothing to do with mortality. You can have gods and no afterlife, just as you can have an afterlife with no gods. Your response is a perfect example of the pseudo-intellectual tripe that I'm talking about.

I would doubt that a religion that offered no perks in the next life would be able to manipulate its believers in the same way...there is a certain aspect of control to a religion, not just the telling of a comfortable lie!

[DaShi]

I'm not talking about religion. I'm talking about god(s), which is not a requirement to be an atheist. You could be a Buddist (though not in Chinese Buddhism) and still be an atheist. Atheism is about whether there is/are a god or gods, not what happens when one dies.

[Provost Harrison]

Still doesn't make it any more feasible...it's the theist perspective that alters in this one, not the atheist one...and there is still the controlling/vengeance aspect of the deity to consider also...

[DaShi]

But the atheist perspective allows an afterlife, it just doesn't require it.

[Agathon]

Atheism has nothing to do with mortality. You can have gods and no afterlife, just as you can have an afterlife with no gods. Your response is a perfect example of the pseudo-intellectual tripe that I'm talking about.

This is false and true.

It's true in that logically speaking, statements about the existence of gods are logically independent of statements about immortality. But it's false in that most theists do see the two as connected and tend to support the former because of the latter.

But it makes no difference. People who believe in immortality are just as skull-crushingly stupid as those who believe in God, or astrology or any other moronic crap like that. It's a mild form of mental illness. Of course it shouldn't mean that we lock religious people up, but preventing them from exercising any sort of political power would be a good start.

This is one thing the communist party has always had right.

[Winston]

Yep, replacing religion with cults like Communism has always worked wonders for the well-being of ordinary people.

Any individual who believes this to be true has no place lecturing others on the issue of stupidity.

[Agathon]

Originally posted by Winston
Yep, replacing religion with cults like Communism has always worked wonders for the well-being of ordinary people.

Any individual who believes this to be true has no place lecturing others on the issue of stupidity.

At least communism has the fact that it appeals to actual verifiable states of the world (whether you agree with it or not), whereas religion is just vague appeals without any possibility of evidence one way or the other.

Anyway, you should definitely not be allowed to vote. We have a job especially for people of your level of competence. We need people to mine salt for our chips.

[Elok]

Oh please, Agathon. We all know you're only atheist because you resent the OT God for telling you it's wrong to have sex with papier-mache models of farm animals. This is all just rationalization. We know how YOU think. You just can't bear the thought that your filthy pinata-screwing behavior just might be unhealthy, so you tell yourself it's all made up, maybe feel a little superior as you laugh and buy sacks of flour in bulk....

[Urban Ranger]

Originally posted by DaShi
I'm not Martin Gardner and neither are about several billion other people. So basing that all people believe as he does is not sound.

1. Gardner is much more intelligent than most people, including you, so he can analyse his situation. Most people has no ability of doing the same thing.

2. At least my argument is based on one datum point, while yours is based on none. Thus, mine is better supported than yours, which was simply hot air.

Originally posted by DaShi
Atheism has nothing to do with mortality. You can have gods and no afterlife, just as you can have an afterlife with no gods.

Show me a religion (dead or alive) like that.

Originally posted by DaShi
Your response is a perfect example of the pseudo-intellectual tripe that I'm talking about.

While yours is just idiotic gibberish.

[Urban Ranger]

Originally posted by DaShi
I'm not talking about religion. I'm talking about god(s), which is not a requirement to be an atheist.

No, you cannot disconnect the belief in a god from the religion and myths surrounding said god.

Originally posted by DaShi
You could be a Buddist (though not in Chinese Buddhism) and still be an atheist. Atheism is about whether there is/are a god or gods, not what happens when one dies.

No. This was not the point. The point was atheism makes believers feel bad by making them stare into the black void of non-existence.

[Elok]

Originally posted by Urban Ranger
No. This was not the point. The point was atheism makes believers feel bad by making them stare into the black void of non-existence.

I could also contend that religion makes atheists feel bad by suggesting that they are not completely free to do whatever they want. Only that's not an argument. Nor is what you just said. Both are merely snarky insinuations.

[Provost Harrison]

Originally posted by Elok
Oh please, Agathon. We all know you're only atheist because you resent the OT God for telling you it's wrong to have sex with papier-mache models of farm animals. This is all just rationalization. We know how YOU think. You just can't bear the thought that your filthy pinata-screwing behavior just might be unhealthy, so you tell yourself it's all made up, maybe feel a little superior as you laugh and buy sacks of flour in bulk....

Oh such a mature response. You certainly do your side of the argument no credit at all