ABOUT ATHEISM

meh, i know what you mean but i also have some intelligent friends who are christian and remain so because it's firmly entrenched in their family roots. i tend to just avoid the topic and don't bring it up - it won't really do much good, and i try to avoid the religious jokes as well with my friends around. i like my friends for how they are outside of their religious beliefs, and so i keep it that way.

interesting though, i've always wondered how christians thought of atheists. we must look like a bunch of insane, hippie, heartless, savage mother fuckers to them i dont know

i think 90% of christians don't actually believe what they preach. It's part of the family traditions and no one is the first to speak up in fear of what might happen. You see it all the time.. these Christians don't actually abide by their religion at all.

feeling smarter than others only because you dont believe in god is a sign of stupidity

"should i stop being active so i can feel better around most of my friends?" that's a really silly question, and unless they often talk about their beliefs, i don't see how different it would be if you stopped being active. you're still an atheist and they're still religious.

i would advise just to condone it completely if you don't want it to disturb you. the only problem i see is if your friends are being self-righteous and/or often talk about their religion. if they are just low profile religious people who never bring it up but need it in their personal lives then it shouldn't be hard at all for you. if they talk about it then you shouldn't ignore it, you should feel free to voice your opinion even if they disagree. but still, internally condone it no matter what for your own health.

if you find it hard to condone their beliefs then try reminding yourself every day that the ignorance of the world isn't going away and you can't change it, so it would be worth your while not to get upset about it.

i also personally think it is a sign of great strength and wisdom not to try - or even feel like - converting people to your beliefs. i find it utterly pathetic when atheists become as self-righteous as the religious nut.

On August 16 2010 06:59 daysare wrote: feeling smarter than others only because you dont believe in god is a sign of stupidity

not really, i mean how can you not feel smarter than the person who believes in the god who cares about what you do in life and will either reward or punish you for it? there's no way around it.

i would agree with you only if you meant god in a broader sense, encompassing all the different views, and the atheist taking a self-righteous stand against views he understands nothing of. for example i'm a pantheist (and a monist/animist) and a friend of mine is a militant atheist and he approaches the subject with me in the same stupid way as he would debating the christian god and it's sad. it's like some of these people think they are smarter than Einstein or Alan Watts.

On August 16 2010 06:59 daysare wrote: feeling smarter than others only because you dont believe in an organized religion is a sign of understanding

On August 16 2010 07:09 Loco wrote: Show nested quote + On August 16 2010 06:59 daysare wrote: feeling smarter than others only because you dont believe in god is a sign of stupidity not really, i mean how can you not feel smarter than the person who believes in the god who cares about what you do in life and will either reward or punish you for it? there's no way around it. i would agree with you only if you meant god in a broader sense, encompassing all the different views, and the atheist taking a self-righteous stand against views he understands nothing of. for example i'm a pantheist (and a monist/animist) and a friend of mine is a militant atheist and he approaches the subject with me in the same stupid way as he would debating the christian god and it's sad. it's like some of these people think they are smarter than Einstein or Alan Watts.

agree with seeing idiot atheists not understanding the difference between the christian god and someone who is open to possibilities. It's like making the right move for the wrong reasons at pokers

Oh, man, you're so lost.To believe will never be dumb.And I wonder if you make a differnce b/w atheist and agnostic.

On August 16 2010 06:50 Steal City wrote: i think 90% of christians don't actually believe what they preach. It's part of the family traditions and no one is the first to speak up in fear of what might happen. You see it all the time.. these Christians don't actually abide by their religion at all.

They certainly believe in God, Jesus, Heaven, prayer, etc., but very few try to live as the Bible teaches. I grew up in the Atlanta area, and virtually everyone was Christian and went to church. However, church was more of a social gathering than a place for worship; there were more parties planned than prayers said. Anyone there would have staunchly defended the veracity of the Bible and the existence of God, but no one was going to inconvenience himself to follow any commandments. The blatant hypocrisy is what initially turned me away from religion, although it took me years to identify myself as an atheist afterwards. It's very hard to abandon a belief you've held your entire life when your parents, friends, and adults in positions of power all hold that same belief. As children, we trust whatever adults tell us -- questioning religion is like questioning gravity or whether 2 + 2 = 4. By the time we're old enough to think for ourselves, religion is firmly entrenched. No one in my family even attends church anymore (maybe on Christmas or Easter, I don't know), but they still believe and identify themselves as Christian. My brother was actually shocked when he learned I was an atheist a few years ago, and my mom would probably break down and cry if she learned. So even if Christians don't live like they should, it's still a big part of their identities.

no, i meant that faith doesn't depend on knowlede or intelligence. there are some rly smart men who are very religious. example: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Micha%C5%82_Heller that's why assuming a priori that all catholics are intelectually handicapped because they believe is quite retarded

On August 16 2010 07:35 LsDDeaD wrote: Oh, man, you're so lost.To believe will never be dumb.And I wonder if you make a differnce b/w atheist and agnostic.

to believe will never be dumb?
oh yeah, go ahead, jesus died for you
believe that, you are not dumb at all

that is not something you can question scientifically, therefore whether one believes it or not doesn't determine their mental condition

What does it matter if they do believe in God?

Sure the proposition "there is a God" is untrue, but a fact of the matter is that normal people won't be blowing anyone up because they believe in God. Sure Dawkins says this and Dawkins says that but seriously it's not harmful so why bother being a missionary of atheism?


I mean I have many friends who out of ignorance think that the proposition "3 is a prime" is true. Now that's not the case (http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/fictionalism-mathematics/) yet I don't go around telling about fictionalism in philosophy of mathematics.

So in short, yes start ignoring their beliefs.

On August 16 2010 08:20 daysare wrote: that is not something you can question scientifically, therefore whether one believes it or not doesn't determine their mental condition

http://epiphenom.fieldofscience.com/2...ts-are-more-intelligent-but-does.html

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknew...le-less-likely-to-believe-in-God.html


good enough for you?

On August 16 2010 08:20 daysare wrote: that is not something you can question scientifically, therefore whether one believes it or not doesn't determine their mental condition

If I told you I have an invisible incorporeal dragon in my garage, you couldn't question it scientifically either, but you'd still think I'm crazy. If someone actually believed in the flying spaghetti monster, you'd think he's crazy because it's obviously a fictitious religion. Scientology was created by science fiction writer L. Ron Hubbard after telling his peers that the real money was in religion instead of writing, yet people willingly give money to them and believe in it. Am I wrong for thinking they're crazy? Is Christianity beyond reproach because it's 2000 years old? Please, the guys that wrote the Bible were the L. Ron Hubbards of their day.

If someone believes there's a divine being that created the universe, that's fine, but believing in any specific religion is ridiculous.

All this matters because religion has been used to justify the persecution of groups (e.g., women, gays, other religions) throughout history. 15% of Americans profess to be non-religious, yet our public policy is strongly influenced by Christianity and all our politicians believe in God. The Jews have a strong lobby in the US despite barely 1% of the population, but no one cares about that 15% of the voting public because the vast majority of the non-religious are ambivalent. That's a problem.

there is only one god, and it is the invisible pink unicorn

"Invisible Pink Unicorns are beings of great spiritual power. We know this because they are capable of being invisible and pink at the same time. Like all religions, the Faith of the Invisible Pink Unicorns is based upon both logic and faith. We have faith that they are pink; we logically know that they are invisible because we can't see them." - Steve Eley

On August 16 2010 09:38 Grindasaurus wrote: there is only one god, and it is the invisible pink unicorn "Invisible Pink Unicorns are beings of great spiritual power. We know this because they are capable of being invisible and pink at the same time. Like all religions, the Faith of the Invisible Pink Unicorns is based upon both logic and faith. We have faith that they are pink; we logically know that they are invisible because we can't see them." - Steve Eley

lies
there is only the flying spaghetti monster to me

Can't bother to read comments, just wanted to say...

I'm Atheist, but please don't go around preaching Atheism like a some mormone, it almost makes you an hypocrit. it will just get u hated; some people actually believe in god and stuff like that because they NEED it. It's may just be wrong to take it away from them.

What can you possibly accomplish by being more active in the atheist community? What does that even mean? Are you trying to spread the good (lol) news? Tell people that Jesus didn't die for their sins, that he was just a man who was crucified 2k years ago? I hope you're not arguing the life/death of Christ as that is agreed upon by believers, atheists, and Jews alike. The miracles performed by the man Jesus really aren't disputed only the method of their completion is (sorcerer? lol). Do you seek to discredit his resurrection (paladin, perhaps?)? The fact that the tomb was empty after his death isn't even disputed by the Jews who had every reason to discredit his resurrection. Do you seek to discredit the word/teachings of Christ? Love thy neighbor as yourself? Or maybe: don't murder, cheat, steal? All no good? Whether Christ died for our sins or not, whether there is a God or not, aren't things that you can prove nor disprove, but if it motivates people to improve themselves, to better their moral fiber, to be more charitable, then who are you to tell people otherwise? Personally, I've never seen an Atheist organization build an orphanage in a foreign country, nor feed and clothe the homeless, but I could be wrong. What good deeds has your atheist community done for the good of your fellow man?

BTW Do your friends push their religion on you? If so, wouldn't you agree that they do it because they want to save you (however rofl this is for you) and it's being done in your best interests (in their mind)? How is you telling them that they're worshiping a false idol in their best interests? How is discrediting His teachings going to help them? Do you honestly believe that atheism will bring them to a better place than Christianity? You're delusional if you believe that telling them God doesn't exist, Jesus didn't die for you, and you're wasting your time with religion/faith is going to help them in any way whatsoever.

Just my 2c.