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I have always pondered how atheists seem to discuss God more than actual believers.
Originally posted by trueperspective
1 You think the statement “My linage derives from evolved lizards” is more logical then “A higher intelligence created intelligent life on earth, according to their kind.”
Hmm...The logical choice would be to admit ignorance...We don't know squat.
2 You don’t accept the idea of God, but you talk about him more then most religious zealots
Not an atheist, but those I know are not fixated with god or followers.
3 You despise the idea of faith, but you have a hyper-abundant amount of trust in “time and chance”
I have common sense, and faith in that. Not sure what are you saying on this one?
4 You despise organized religion by being a part of an organized religion against organized religion.
Here is a problem, in that we have different opinions that we all feel the need to enlighten our fellow man...this goes both ways. However I think wars over gods outnumber atheist wars.
5 You claim that religious people are brainwashed, but you spout off quotes from renowned atheists to defend your beliefs.
People tend to follow their parents beliefs...Some just manage to break free
6 Your best defense to the idea that religious people cram their beliefs down people’s throats is to cram your beliefs down people’s throats (Richard Dawkins)
People are free to believe what they want. I could give a poo what the majority believe, nor do I care to open anyones mind
7 You say the Bible is utterly made up non-sense, then use stories from it to condemn God…who you claim doesn’t exist.
I'm with you on this one. Why would somone want to condem something they can't even prove exists
8 One of your favorite arguments against believing the Bible is that it was written by men, but you unquestioningly believe science text books…written by men
How about the fact that our intellect has evolved along with our understanding of our surroundings...compairing modern science to the bible would signify that you believe the earth to be flat
9 You get stark raving mad when someone says God (who doesn’t exist) will send you to Hell (a place that doesn’t exist), and use that as “evidence” that God doesn’t exist.
Uh....this is hell. Why would I get mad at someone who speaks without knowing? That would bring me down to their level.
10 You deny the testimony of countless millions of believers, but trust the research of a few hundred atheist...and call that being "open-minded"
What testimony?
[edit on 31-3-2010 by trueperspective]
Originally posted by bagari
One thing that I notice every time a religious thread comes up is that the atheists really don't have a firm grasp on the beliefs of the majority of christians. I think that this is part of what makes the divide so large. Most christians that I know do not believe the Earth and life were created in 7 literal days, they do belief in some form of on-going evolution, they do not believe the earth is only 6,000 years old, and they also realize that the Bible is not perfect, is filled with stories which are meant as a guide for the soul, but is based on facts as those who wrote it understood them at the time they were written and with the understanding of the world from that time as well.
I imagine the atheist position is misconstrued by some as well. There are extremists in every discussion, but their views should not be mistaken for the beliefs of the moderate majority.
Originally posted by bagari
reply to post by Phlynx
I rest my case.
PS - you do realize that civilization was different back then than it is now don't you? Most christians do.
Originally posted by bagari
Atheist or not, my point is that you think you know what modern christians believe and clearly do not. That is why "christians want to kill gay people because it's in the bible" is simply another ploy to drive anti-christian rhetoric while being oblivious to the reality of the moderates that make up the over-whelming majority of believers. As I stated, there are extremists who will put forth any number of radical ideas and beliefs. Those are the ones that atheists and agnostics tend to quote.
Are you saying slaves are justifiable?
Originally posted by SlapBassist531
But did you care to look any insight of the history and the times of it? Just because our ancestors in the beginning of America had slaves and they had laws pertaining to slaves, does that mean we have the right to them? NO, but rather it is the freedom through the sacrifice that Jesus made that allows us to truly grow in a relationship with Him/Father
Originally posted by muzzleflash
I wanna make a new thread, and name it "1 Reason why Atheists and Christians are the same"
And then I will list the reason.
#1) They are both idiots.
That thread will be so win'.
Originally posted by muzzleflash
I wanna make a new thread, and name it "1 Reason why Atheists and Christians are the same"
And then I will list the reason.
#1) They are both idiots.
That thread will be so win'.
Originally posted by Phlynx
I never stated anywhere that all Christians are like that... just the ones who take the bible in a literal sense. Which is a lot of them.
Which would suggest that majority of christians believe such silly things right? Therefore the overwhelming majority of christians believe in stoning gay people? Are you bloody kidding me? You could at least have the decency to cite a reference for this ludicrous claim. I have not met a SINGLE christian that believed in the things you accuse christians of believing. In fact there are christian churches that support gay marriage.
Why is it that you can pick and choose from the Bible? What makes one part right, and the other wrong to Christians? Not one Christian has followed the Bible word for word, so some of it must be "wrong".
Why is it if one part is wrong ( I.E. It conflicts with your views) it suddenly means the whole thing is wrong and that all of gods teachings are false and to be ignored? When reading the bible you have to understand it from a historical context as well as its spiritual and literary context. The bible itself is rife with symbolism and supposed contradiction and you have multiple accounts of the same exact event from multiple authors.
Think of it this way.
Franz Kafkas Metamorphosis was a book that was written in Prague in 1915. Since then there are over 2000 different interpretations of what his book could possibly mean or convey. Kafka himself Said that he just wanted to write a book about himself turning into a bug yet there are still people who insist that his book is an allegory for the crucifixion of christ.
It is an incredibly complex book that can't be relegated to simple black and white answers. Any biblical scholar be they atheist or christian will tell you this.
I'm just saying all of this for arguments sake. Honestly I don't care all that much, but these are just some questions I want to get answered.
Then you need to avoid blanket statements. Intentional or otherwise. Both sides have a nasty habit of Blanket clothed strawmen.
Originally posted by DeathShield
Originally posted by Phlynx
I never stated anywhere that all Christians are like that... just the ones who take the bible in a literal sense. Which is a lot of them.
Which would suggest that majority of christians believe such silly things right? Therefore the overwhelming majority of christians believe in stoning gay people? Are you bloody kidding me? You could at least have the decency to cite a reference for this ludicrous claim. I have not met a SINGLE christian that believed in the things you accuse christians of believing. In fact there are christian churches that support gay marriage.
Why is it that you can pick and choose from the Bible? What makes one part right, and the other wrong to Christians? Not one Christian has followed the Bible word for word, so some of it must be "wrong".
Why is it if one part is wrong ( I.E. It conflicts with your views) it suddenly means the whole thing is wrong and that all of gods teachings are false and to be ignored? When reading the bible you have to understand it from a historical context as well as its spiritual and literary context. The bible itself is rife with symbolism and supposed contradiction and you have multiple accounts of the same exact event from multiple authors.
Think of it this way.
Franz Kafkas Metamorphosis was a book that was written in Prague in 1915. Since then there are over 2000 different interpretations of what his book could possibly mean or convey. Kafka himself Said that he just wanted to write a book about himself turning into a bug yet there are still people who insist that his book is an allegory for the crucifixion of christ.
It is an incredibly complex book that can't be relegated to simple black and white answers. Any biblical scholar be they atheist or christian will tell you this.
I'm just saying all of this for arguments sake. Honestly I don't care all that much, but these are just some questions I want to get answered.
Then you need to avoid blanket statements. Intentional or otherwise. Both sides have a nasty habit of Blanket clothed strawmen.
I used an example. I never said the whole things is wrong. Much of the Bible can be used for historical purposes. You just have to go through a lot of digging to get to the right piece of history.
It is a fact that people pick and choose from the bible... otherwise there would be stonings and beheadings.