Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Sentient Biped on February 6, 2010 at 12:36pm

Seems like most of the commenters have the issue covered. Religionists from numerous faiths are so egocentric that they can't imagine how people who don't know their religion can't not be in it. They can come up with whatever argument they want, but no religion has real evidence supporting it, just fake histories that are propagated by the members of that religion.

You can't argue with someone who says, "You cant be an atheist if you haven't read the bible". I don't think you will convince them - their argument is too stupid to come from a point of reason, and can't be reasons with. They need a course in critical thinking.

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Permalink Reply by Sigmund on February 6, 2010 at 12:45pm

Typical example of the unconsidered, nonsensical arguments you find in religious thought all the time. Two Jehovah's Witnesses once tried to get me to accept their beliefs because 'the Bible is a historical document' (i.e. so it must be true). I do wonder whether they really aren't capable of the minimum of rational thought necessary to see how idiotic their arguments are, or whether these are just 'sales techniques' aimed at stupid people that they've been told to use...

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Permalink Reply by amer muhammad on February 6, 2010 at 1:11pm

Is athieism in todays world is just to disagree with the religion?

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Permalink Reply by Sentient Biped on February 6, 2010 at 1:31pm

I don't think so. Atheism is to understand that there are rational explanations for the existence of life, and that gods are artificial, made up for a variety of reasons but still nonexistant. Atheist means that decisions are made based on rationality, and that efforts to impose gods on morality and politics are false. Since religions dominate most societies, atheists everywhere do have to disagree with religion, but that's not all there is.

Just my opinion, of course.

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Permalink Reply by Prog Rock Girl on February 6, 2010 at 1:32pm

This contradicts the idea that atheism is a default position or that all babies are atheists. How many babies have read the bible?

It is also biased in the assumption that everyone is from a Christian background, or that Christianity is the only religion worth rejecting. I'm an ex-pagan. I was never a Christian and it wasn't Christianity that drove me to atheism. I don't have so many personal feelings toward Christianity besides not believing it and being against its fundamentalism (the same as with any religion), and I figure Christianity is covered enough by other atheists.

I know some things about Christianity, but I couldn't sit through reading the entire bible. From what I've seen it's pretty badly written. You can still find a lot of info and passages from the Bible and the Quran.

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Permalink Reply by Waylon Hedegaard on February 8, 2010 at 10:44pm

Well, I don't agree with that statement but reading the bible has helps atheism immensely. I just started an atheist bible study at http://blessedatheist.com/ an I have never had so much fun. The stories in Genesis are as entertaining as any I've read. Just view it as literal truth and you realize that the Biblical literalist live in a truly screwed up world. The great genocide of the flood. Noah cursing his grandson into slavery because the boy's father saw Noah drunk and naked. And sex sex sex. They all sluts! Writing about the absurdities has entertained me hours everyday. My wife just rolls her eyes whenever I start banging on the keyboard and giggling. Try it. You'll never look at christianity the same way.

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Permalink Reply by Jim DePaulo on March 15, 2010 at 6:46pm

I read the bible, parts of it several times and it's a fucking bore. For a real hoot pick up a copy of R. Crumb's The Illustrated book of Genesis. Nothing is added or subtracted from the text but Crumb's illustrations really bring out the absurdity of it.
The cool thing about it is the Xtians can't really bitch about it because it's word for word and the illustration are faithful to the text.

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Permalink Reply by Rayray on March 17, 2010 at 5:52am

Interesting... Its funny how the cover says "adult supervision for minors". Damn, I guess the rest of the old testament would be R rated!

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Permalink Reply by Vash on February 19, 2010 at 6:37am

An atheist is anyone who does not believe in, accept or endorse the existence of deities. You don;t need to read and religious texts to feel this way.

Theists seem to think that you don't believe, it's just because you aren't informed. "Surly, anyone who has read of the unending majesty, mercy and awesome power of (insert name of favored deity here) would be so moved that they could not possibly deny the existence of (insert name of favored deity here)."

This is of course, simply not the case. Things written in a book don't make something true.

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Permalink Reply by Jennifer W on February 19, 2010 at 7:31am

I'd just say, you can't be a Christian, if you use logic on a day to day basis.

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Permalink Reply by joseph f logston on February 21, 2010 at 4:11pm

most christians never read the bible they let the prechter cherry pick it ask them.

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Permalink Reply by Suzanne Watts on February 21, 2010 at 10:39pm

That's like saying unless you have thoroughly explored every school of thought, you can't pick one. People devote their entire lives to studying one religion, there's no way one person could understand every other religion fully. I have read the bible and excerpts of the Q'ran, and found them both entertaining at most. I honestly haven't looked into many other religions and don't care to. I'm quite content with my rudimentary knowledge of the inventions of man. The Tao is the only "religious" book that has ever piqued my interest, though that's not theist either.

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