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When Atheists Pray
While reading the Dayton Daily News, October 11, 2008, Life section, sub-category Faith, I found THIS !!! Tell me if this doesn't just PISS you off !
When atheists pray
By DAVID YOUNT
Scripps Howard News Service
2008-10-01 00:00:00
[quote] Among the provocative findings of two recent surveys of religious faith is that a majority of Americans who claim to be atheists are inclined to pray, one-third of them "often." About the same number of atheists profess a belief in Satan, hell and demons. Half of them believe in angels and ghosts.
Granted, we're not talking big populations here. Only about 4 percent of Americans claim to be atheists. Baylor University pollsters suggest that professing to be an atheist is often just a personal objection to organized religion.
That still leaves us to ponder what it is that disbelievers seek through prayer, and to whom they pray. Perhaps the impulse to reach out through prayer may be even stronger than our intellectual assent to God's existence. Alas, we're back to the old cliche that there are no atheists in foxholes.
A nationwide survey by the Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life reveals yet another mystery: that one-fifth of people who say they are atheists also say they believe in God. [/quote]
When atheists pray
By DAVID YOUNT
Scripps Howard News Service
2008-10-01 00:00:00
[quote] Among the provocative findings of two recent surveys of religious faith is that a majority of Americans who claim to be atheists are inclined to pray, one-third of them "often." About the same number of atheists profess a belief in Satan, hell and demons. Half of them believe in angels and ghosts.
Granted, we're not talking big populations here. Only about 4 percent of Americans claim to be atheists. Baylor University pollsters suggest that professing to be an atheist is often just a personal objection to organized religion.
That still leaves us to ponder what it is that disbelievers seek through prayer, and to whom they pray. Perhaps the impulse to reach out through prayer may be even stronger than our intellectual assent to God's existence. Alas, we're back to the old cliche that there are no atheists in foxholes.
A nationwide survey by the Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life reveals yet another mystery: that one-fifth of people who say they are atheists also say they believe in God. [/quote]
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Shlarg on -
I would also. It's obvious they're using this, or at least David Yount is, to push an anti-atheist agenda.
"Alas, we're back to the old cliche that there are no atheists in foxholes."
It's also trying to push the tired old fundie cliche that there are really no atheists. Just people who hate god.
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Permalink Reply by John on -
How can one hate that which does not exist?
But really though, maybe prayer is good! If a person prays for the same thing long enough, and nothing happens...well, maybe they can come to the 'dark' side.
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Permalink Reply by Daley on -
The ending of the quote doesn't even make sense. How can 1/5 of 'atheists' say they believe in god...any god? There was obviously an agenda when they created this "poll", but it isn't even accurate if a percentage of the atheists aren't even atheists by definition.
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Permalink Reply by Фелч Гроган on -
Baylor University is a private, Baptist-affiliated research university located in Waco, Texas.
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Permalink Reply by Daley on
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All you had to say was Waco....followed by some oooo's or light moans or such.
LOL
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Permalink Reply by Shlarg on
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They give this crap respectability by putting it in Dayton Daily News and Scripps Howard service. Just fuels peoples' dislike of atheists.
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Permalink Reply by Фелч Гроган on
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Maybe you should write the editor. Additionally, I don't know what media watchdogs you have there, but downunder, there is at least one teevee show that would chomp its fangs into this like it was a postman's butt.
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Permalink Reply by Фелч Гроган on
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Just a footnote to all this, and its not directed at anyone in particular, pretty much all of A|N is guilty at one time or another (even me) -
I find it all a bit worrying that people will -
a) Post without a teeny weeny bit of cross referencing, and
b) Followup similarly
Remember commandment 5 of the Discordian Pentabarf:
A Discordian is Prohibited of Believing what he reads
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