Churches are a charity, you guys think that giving money is bad?
If it all goes to charity, great. But it doesn't. Some of it might go towards buying the pope a new hat or to help feed the MANY pedophiles he shelters.
I prefer secular charities who do good things for the mere sake of doing good things, not because they want to spread their religion and/or appease their personal God.
The same applies to organizations who help drug addicts.
Face facts, there is no good deed done by any religious person or organization which can't also be done by a non-believer or secular organization. Feel free to contradict me, but I doubt you can.
Are you a screenwriter?
www.screenplaymechanic.com
The majority of human beings are stupid. Sad but true. You'll find them at church and at a Pearl Jam concert. Wherever you look for them.
Did you know in Papa New Guinea, they don't have sheep so church followers are called swine instead?
Sheep, swine, whatever, I'm not in any flock. Okay, maybe Ed's...
Great post EvilRabbit. I agree. And meeting the people who think I am stupid is a sobering experience.
~I want to realize brotherhood or identity not merely with the beings called human, but I want to realize identity with all life, even with such things as crawl upon earth.~
Mohandas K. Gandhi
~I once had a sparrow alight upon my shoulder for a moment, while I was hoeing in a village garden, and I felt that I was more distinguished by that circumstance than I should have been by any epaulette I could have worn.~
Henry David Thoreau
It is estimated that mankind (as we know it today) is between 100,000 and 200,000 years-old. If there is a God, why did he allow humans to murder each other through tribalism and die at an average age of 25, then wait another 96-196,000 years before he felt compelled to spread his word in book-form to an illiterate people in the desert? At the very least, why not deliver the commandments to Asia, where they could read?
Sorry everybody, I'm just catching up.
I love this post too. Several of my experiences in talking with Christians had indicated they most of them don't think that humans or life, or the world for that matter existed prior to Jesus' arrival on earth. Selective history.
Just thought you could use some support.....
~I want to realize brotherhood or identity not merely with the beings called human, but I want to realize identity with all life, even with such things as crawl upon earth.~
Mohandas K. Gandhi
~I once had a sparrow alight upon my shoulder for a moment, while I was hoeing in a village garden, and I felt that I was more distinguished by that circumstance than I should have been by any epaulette I could have worn.~
Henry David Thoreau
Funny how none of the religious folks here have addressed my explanation for the eyeball or how the Good Samaritan had morals before Christianity existed. They like to dodge this stuff, it's how they reconcile all the fucked-up nonsense in the Bible.
Are you a screenwriter?
www.screenplaymechanic.com
Nice :-)..I think he means Richard Dawkins, well known Atheist and Evolutionary Biologist. He really helped me cement my Atheism. I will admit that I, like I think most people, struggle with being judgemental of people with opposing views...I really try not to be.
Manchester, TN - 2008
Washington, D.C. - 2008
Philadelphia, PA I - 2009
Bristow, VA - 2010
Baltimore, MD - 2013
Milwaukee, WI - 2014
Hampton, VA - 2016
Nice :-)..I think he means Richard Dawkins, well known Atheist and Evolutionary Biologist. He really helped me cement my Atheism. I will admit that I, like I think most people, struggle with being judgemental of people with opposing views...I really try not to be.
You should read Hitchens too. That's some hardcore cement.
Are you a screenwriter?
www.screenplaymechanic.com
Nice :-)..I think he means Richard Dawkins, well known Atheist and Evolutionary Biologist. He really helped me cement my Atheism. I will admit that I, like I think most people, struggle with being judgemental of people with opposing views...I really try not to be.
The guy from Family Feud?
"I don't believe in PJ fans but I believe there is something, not too sure what." - Thoughts_Arrive
It's not dumb at all. It's the exact same concept. Your inability to grasp the concept makes you seem dumb, but I'm not going to call you names.
I've been an atheist since I was a little kid. It has zero to do with Ed. There you go again, giving one entity credit for something that has nothing to do with them. You seem very adept at that.
You still have not answered my question. So what is atheism and what do you have to do?
"I don't believe in PJ fans but I believe there is something, not too sure what." - Thoughts_Arrive
That's probably where you get your scientific education, isn't it? Only you don't accept the real answers, you accept the retarded ones yelled out by the idiot families.
Sorry, that was a low blow.
Are you a screenwriter?
www.screenplaymechanic.com
You still have not answered my question. So what is atheism and what do you have to do?
You can't possibly be this ignorant, but I will humor you... again.
Do you believe in any of the Gods recognized by religions other than yours, or religions that are now dead? What about Zeus, Apollo, Shangdi, Allah, or Huitzilopochtli?
Unless you believe all of them are or were real, then you know as well as I do what it's like to be an atheist. When it comes to those Gods, you are already an atheist.
Get it now? I'd draw you a cartoon but you might get offended and try to kill me.
Are you a screenwriter?
www.screenplaymechanic.com
You still have not answered my question. So what is atheism and what do you have to do?
That's like asking what a theist has to do. It's too broad a term. Believing/not believing in God is the obvious distinction. But it's when you break it down into sub-categories you really start to understand people's standpoints. This is coming from an atheist - more specifically, a secular humanist.
Smokey Robinson constantly looks like he's trying to act natural after being accused of farting.
That's probably where you get your scientific education, isn't it? Only you don't accept the real answers, you accept the retarded ones yelled out by the idiot families.
Sorry, that was a low blow.
So you gonna answer my question there, buddy? What is atheism? By the way, I am in no way a religious person. Just some of the replies in this thread smell like absolute BULLSHIT!
Bunch of fucking imitators is all I'm saying. Maybe not you....but maybe you.
"I don't believe in PJ fans but I believe there is something, not too sure what." - Thoughts_Arrive
every one is an individual and you can't group people together solely based on religion or favorite band. I consider myself a Christian but most Christians don't really even know what it means to be a Christian.they practice Roman catholicism which is essentially paganism.
I fail to see how Roman Catholicism is paganistic and non-Christian, please explain your reasoning.
I pledge to you a government that will not only work well, but wisely, its ability to act tempered by prudence, and its willingness to do good, balanced by the knowledge that government is never more dangerous than when our desire to have it help us blinds us to its great power to harm us.
-Reagan
Those who kill in God's name aren't following it very closely. Thou shall not kill. That isn't the religions fault but the greed of the people using religion as their crutch.
Those who kill in God's name aren't following it very closely. Thou shall not kill. That isn't the religions fault but the greed of the people using religion as their crutch.
Or maybe they're reading Leviticus too closely...
Are you a screenwriter?
www.screenplaymechanic.com
It is estimated that mankind (as we know it today) is between 100,000 and 200,000 years-old. If there is a God, why did he allow humans to murder each other through tribalism and die at an average age of 25, then wait another 96-196,000 years before he felt compelled to spread his word in book-form to an illiterate people in the desert? At the very least, why not deliver the commandments to Asia, where they could read?
Evil Rabbit, I'm with ya. I'm 43 years old, was a Christian for the first 30 years of my life till one day it dawned on me that I was Christian, not because it sounded logical, but because I was told I was Christian by my parents, grandparents, etc. I never thought to question it. But I always had a nagging doubt and once I decided I could question it, I really looked into it and my eyes were opened. One of the things that started me questioning an Amorphopological God was, The world is 13 billion years old, where was "He" all that time? And, if "He" created something as complex as "the world", who created "Him". I read Dawkins, et al and that cemented my "non-belief".
Manchester, TN - 2008
Washington, D.C. - 2008
Philadelphia, PA I - 2009
Bristow, VA - 2010
Baltimore, MD - 2013
Milwaukee, WI - 2014
Hampton, VA - 2016
So you gonna answer my question there, buddy? What is atheism? By the way, I am in no way a religious person. Just some of the replies in this thread smell like absolute BULLSHIT!
Bunch of fucking imitators is all I'm saying. Maybe not you....but maybe you.
atheist (n.) One who disbelieves or denies the existence of God or gods.
So, it seems all you "have to do" is not believe in the existence of god/gods.
You should read Hitchens too. That's some hardcore cement.
Agreed, I read "God is not Great" a couple of months ago. He's a bit more militant in his defense of Atheism then is Dawkins, but I liked his arguments. Just loaned it to my Sis-in-law who is starting to have questions
Manchester, TN - 2008
Washington, D.C. - 2008
Philadelphia, PA I - 2009
Bristow, VA - 2010
Baltimore, MD - 2013
Milwaukee, WI - 2014
Hampton, VA - 2016
Evil Rabbit, I'm with ya. I'm 43 years old, was a Christian for the first 30 years of my life till one day it dawned on me that I was Christian, not because it sounded logical, but because I was told I was Christian by my parents, grandparents, etc. I never thought to question it. But I always had a nagging doubt and once I decided I could question it, I really looked into it and my eyes were opened. One of the things that started me questioning an Amorphopological God was, The world is 13 billion years old, where was "He" all that time? And, if "He" created something as complex as "the world", who created "Him". I read Dawkins, et al and that cemented my "non-belief".
Right on. A lot of people in my family (back in the UK) are church goers. My brother-in-law is even a vicar (priest). My mom used to make me go to Sunday School. When I was about 11 or 12, she told me I was old enough to make up my own mind. Seeing the separatism and divisiveness caused worldwide by religion, I smelled something fishy and simply decided I didn't like it. From that day forward, I never cared for religion and today I am proud to call myself an atheist.
Believers might be shocked to know I'm actually a very nice and moral guy. (unless you consider a little marijuana sinful)
I find it sad that many religious people detest atheists. They are one of the most feared minorities in the U.S... and for what reason??? Don't get me wrong, I love America but in some ways it's stuck in the dark ages.
Are you a screenwriter?
www.screenplaymechanic.com
Agreed, I read "God is not Great" a couple of months ago. He's a bit more militant in his defense of Atheism then is Dawkins, but I liked his arguments. Just loaned it to my Sis-in-law who is starting to have questions
Sam Harris is pretty good too.
I highly recommend a few movies as well:
For the Bible Tells Me So
The God Who Wasn't There
Jesus Camp
And Dawkins has made some excellent TV shows for the BBC. The Root of All Evil is brilliant.
Are you a screenwriter?
www.screenplaymechanic.com
All I have to say is that religion can always be proven wrong because it's job is not to make logical sense. You can spend your whole life disproving religion and probably succeed very well but where will you be then? What is your life's ultimate purpose? Religion gives people the hope that there's something more beyond this shitty world. Ed of all people should be drawn to that...
I pledge to you a government that will not only work well, but wisely, its ability to act tempered by prudence, and its willingness to do good, balanced by the knowledge that government is never more dangerous than when our desire to have it help us blinds us to its great power to harm us.
-Reagan
Agreed, I read "God is not Great" a couple of months ago. He's a bit more militant in his defense of Atheism then is Dawkins, but I liked his arguments.
I read this description of Hitchens yesterday and thought it perfect...
"I find that a lot of folks just misunderstand what Christopher Hitchens' actually says. They see him as an antagonist to their viewpoint (and often rightly so), and so they hear every word coming out of his mouth as hateful. This interpretation is so far from the truth. Hitchens criticisms are witty, acerbic, accurate, and insightful. That's why they think he hates, because he rains down so much pain and devastating criticism on his targets."
Anyone who likes his writing should also watch some of his debates with religious folk. The recent one pitting Hitchens against his own conservative brother was awesome. You can view it on Youtube.
Are you a screenwriter?
www.screenplaymechanic.com
06/24/1998 SD
10/12/2000 KS
06/13/2003 IA
06/15/2003 ND
06/16/2003 Mn
06/21/2003 WI
10/05/2004 MO
10/08/2004 FL
09/08/2005 MB
09/09/2005 ON
05/17/2006 IL
05/19/2006 MI
07/02/2006 CO
08/05/2007 Lolla
06/14/2008 B'roo
Kill Fascists.... or at least make them realize what they are.
I was raised in the Bible Belt here in the US, so was indoctrinated early :-) It's interesting, what took me 30 years to discover, my 15 year old daughter has already figured out. When we first had a religious discussion a couple of months ago (she lived with my ex-wife till recently) I was pleasantly shocked and surprised at her position on religion/God...very mature in her thought process.
Manchester, TN - 2008
Washington, D.C. - 2008
Philadelphia, PA I - 2009
Bristow, VA - 2010
Baltimore, MD - 2013
Milwaukee, WI - 2014
Hampton, VA - 2016
I highly recommend a few movies as well:
For the Bible Tells Me So
The God Who Wasn't There
Jesus Camp
And Dawkins has made some excellent TV shows for the BBC. The Root of All Evil is brilliant.
I'll keep an eye out for those. Thanks. BTW, I live in the DC area and the Pope is in town, so you can imagine the kind of nonsense I'm having to put up with this week :-)
Manchester, TN - 2008
Washington, D.C. - 2008
Philadelphia, PA I - 2009
Bristow, VA - 2010
Baltimore, MD - 2013
Milwaukee, WI - 2014
Hampton, VA - 2016
tool fans are the real yuppies. "Maynard, you rock"
06/24/1998 SD
10/12/2000 KS
06/13/2003 IA
06/15/2003 ND
06/16/2003 Mn
06/21/2003 WI
10/05/2004 MO
10/08/2004 FL
09/08/2005 MB
09/09/2005 ON
05/17/2006 IL
05/19/2006 MI
07/02/2006 CO
08/05/2007 Lolla
06/14/2008 B'roo
Kill Fascists.... or at least make them realize what they are.
Comments
If it all goes to charity, great. But it doesn't. Some of it might go towards buying the pope a new hat or to help feed the MANY pedophiles he shelters.
I prefer secular charities who do good things for the mere sake of doing good things, not because they want to spread their religion and/or appease their personal God.
The same applies to organizations who help drug addicts.
Face facts, there is no good deed done by any religious person or organization which can't also be done by a non-believer or secular organization. Feel free to contradict me, but I doubt you can.
www.screenplaymechanic.com
Great post EvilRabbit. I agree. And meeting the people who think I am stupid is a sobering experience.
Mohandas K. Gandhi
~I once had a sparrow alight upon my shoulder for a moment, while I was hoeing in a village garden, and I felt that I was more distinguished by that circumstance than I should have been by any epaulette I could have worn.~
Henry David Thoreau
Sorry everybody, I'm just catching up.
I love this post too. Several of my experiences in talking with Christians had indicated they most of them don't think that humans or life, or the world for that matter existed prior to Jesus' arrival on earth. Selective history.
Just thought you could use some support.....
Mohandas K. Gandhi
~I once had a sparrow alight upon my shoulder for a moment, while I was hoeing in a village garden, and I felt that I was more distinguished by that circumstance than I should have been by any epaulette I could have worn.~
Henry David Thoreau
Appreciate it, dude.
Funny how none of the religious folks here have addressed my explanation for the eyeball or how the Good Samaritan had morals before Christianity existed. They like to dodge this stuff, it's how they reconcile all the fucked-up nonsense in the Bible.
www.screenplaymechanic.com
Nice :-)..I think he means Richard Dawkins, well known Atheist and Evolutionary Biologist. He really helped me cement my Atheism. I will admit that I, like I think most people, struggle with being judgemental of people with opposing views...I really try not to be.
Washington, D.C. - 2008
Philadelphia, PA I - 2009
Bristow, VA - 2010
Baltimore, MD - 2013
Milwaukee, WI - 2014
Hampton, VA - 2016
You should read Hitchens too. That's some hardcore cement.
www.screenplaymechanic.com
The guy from Family Feud?
You still have not answered my question. So what is atheism and what do you have to do?
That's probably where you get your scientific education, isn't it? Only you don't accept the real answers, you accept the retarded ones yelled out by the idiot families.
Sorry, that was a low blow.
www.screenplaymechanic.com
Just want to know what it's all about.
You can't possibly be this ignorant, but I will humor you... again.
Do you believe in any of the Gods recognized by religions other than yours, or religions that are now dead? What about Zeus, Apollo, Shangdi, Allah, or Huitzilopochtli?
Unless you believe all of them are or were real, then you know as well as I do what it's like to be an atheist. When it comes to those Gods, you are already an atheist.
Get it now? I'd draw you a cartoon but you might get offended and try to kill me.
www.screenplaymechanic.com
That's like asking what a theist has to do. It's too broad a term. Believing/not believing in God is the obvious distinction. But it's when you break it down into sub-categories you really start to understand people's standpoints. This is coming from an atheist - more specifically, a secular humanist.
So you gonna answer my question there, buddy? What is atheism? By the way, I am in no way a religious person. Just some of the replies in this thread smell like absolute BULLSHIT!
Bunch of fucking imitators is all I'm saying. Maybe not you....but maybe you.
I fail to see how Roman Catholicism is paganistic and non-Christian, please explain your reasoning.
-Reagan
Or maybe they're reading Leviticus too closely...
www.screenplaymechanic.com
Evil Rabbit, I'm with ya. I'm 43 years old, was a Christian for the first 30 years of my life till one day it dawned on me that I was Christian, not because it sounded logical, but because I was told I was Christian by my parents, grandparents, etc. I never thought to question it. But I always had a nagging doubt and once I decided I could question it, I really looked into it and my eyes were opened. One of the things that started me questioning an Amorphopological God was, The world is 13 billion years old, where was "He" all that time? And, if "He" created something as complex as "the world", who created "Him". I read Dawkins, et al and that cemented my "non-belief".
Washington, D.C. - 2008
Philadelphia, PA I - 2009
Bristow, VA - 2010
Baltimore, MD - 2013
Milwaukee, WI - 2014
Hampton, VA - 2016
i second that notion! some people just dont get it...
atheist (n.) One who disbelieves or denies the existence of God or gods.
So, it seems all you "have to do" is not believe in the existence of god/gods.
Agreed, I read "God is not Great" a couple of months ago. He's a bit more militant in his defense of Atheism then is Dawkins, but I liked his arguments. Just loaned it to my Sis-in-law who is starting to have questions
Washington, D.C. - 2008
Philadelphia, PA I - 2009
Bristow, VA - 2010
Baltimore, MD - 2013
Milwaukee, WI - 2014
Hampton, VA - 2016
Right on. A lot of people in my family (back in the UK) are church goers. My brother-in-law is even a vicar (priest). My mom used to make me go to Sunday School. When I was about 11 or 12, she told me I was old enough to make up my own mind. Seeing the separatism and divisiveness caused worldwide by religion, I smelled something fishy and simply decided I didn't like it. From that day forward, I never cared for religion and today I am proud to call myself an atheist.
Believers might be shocked to know I'm actually a very nice and moral guy. (unless you consider a little marijuana sinful)
I find it sad that many religious people detest atheists. They are one of the most feared minorities in the U.S... and for what reason??? Don't get me wrong, I love America but in some ways it's stuck in the dark ages.
www.screenplaymechanic.com
Sam Harris is pretty good too.
I highly recommend a few movies as well:
For the Bible Tells Me So
The God Who Wasn't There
Jesus Camp
And Dawkins has made some excellent TV shows for the BBC. The Root of All Evil is brilliant.
www.screenplaymechanic.com
-Reagan
I read this description of Hitchens yesterday and thought it perfect...
"I find that a lot of folks just misunderstand what Christopher Hitchens' actually says. They see him as an antagonist to their viewpoint (and often rightly so), and so they hear every word coming out of his mouth as hateful. This interpretation is so far from the truth. Hitchens criticisms are witty, acerbic, accurate, and insightful. That's why they think he hates, because he rains down so much pain and devastating criticism on his targets."
Anyone who likes his writing should also watch some of his debates with religious folk. The recent one pitting Hitchens against his own conservative brother was awesome. You can view it on Youtube.
www.screenplaymechanic.com
10/12/2000 KS
06/13/2003 IA
06/15/2003 ND
06/16/2003 Mn
06/21/2003 WI
10/05/2004 MO
10/08/2004 FL
09/08/2005 MB
09/09/2005 ON
05/17/2006 IL
05/19/2006 MI
07/02/2006 CO
08/05/2007 Lolla
06/14/2008 B'roo
Kill Fascists.... or at least make them realize what they are.
There is no purpose beyond procreation to extend the life of ours species. Enjoy your time here and make the most of it.
www.screenplaymechanic.com
Speak for yourself.
Washington, D.C. - 2008
Philadelphia, PA I - 2009
Bristow, VA - 2010
Baltimore, MD - 2013
Milwaukee, WI - 2014
Hampton, VA - 2016
I'll keep an eye out for those. Thanks. BTW, I live in the DC area and the Pope is in town, so you can imagine the kind of nonsense I'm having to put up with this week :-)
Washington, D.C. - 2008
Philadelphia, PA I - 2009
Bristow, VA - 2010
Baltimore, MD - 2013
Milwaukee, WI - 2014
Hampton, VA - 2016
tool fans are the real yuppies. "Maynard, you rock"
10/12/2000 KS
06/13/2003 IA
06/15/2003 ND
06/16/2003 Mn
06/21/2003 WI
10/05/2004 MO
10/08/2004 FL
09/08/2005 MB
09/09/2005 ON
05/17/2006 IL
05/19/2006 MI
07/02/2006 CO
08/05/2007 Lolla
06/14/2008 B'roo
Kill Fascists.... or at least make them realize what they are.