Atheism for the WIN! YES!!!

[BoberFett]

'Atheism is a relgion like not collecting stamps is a hobby.'

It sure seems like a lot of those "not stamp collectors" spend an awful lot of their time talking to people who do collect stamps about their stamps, and generally boring the entire world with their constant talk of not collecting stamps.

If it looks like a stamp, feels like a stamp, and tastes like a stamp, it's probably a stamp.

 

[Vette73]

It sure seems like a lot of those "not stamp collectors" spend an awful lot of their time talking to people who do collect stamps about their stamps, and generally boring the entire world with their constant talk of not collecting stamps.

If it looks like a stamp, feels like a stamp, and tastes like a stamp, it's probably a stamp.

Yea, but if those "stamp collectors" would stop coming to my door, screaming at me, etc... then maybe us "not stamp collectors" would not have to discuss stamps. :hmm:

 

[woolfe9999]

It sure seems like a lot of those "not stamp collectors" spend an awful lot of their time talking to people who do collect stamps about their stamps, and generally boring the entire world with their constant talk of not collecting stamps.

If it looks like a stamp, feels like a stamp, and tastes like a stamp, it's probably a stamp.

Not really. The discussion comes up only because most people in the world are religious and it is naturally a common topic of discussion since people take their religion seriously and the question is one of some gravity. If there weren't many theists in the world, you wouldn't be hearing much about atheism. None of that is the case with stamp collecting. Besides, atheism is a lack of belief in something. Not stamp collecting is a lack of a certain behavior. Not such a great analogy.

PS: the correct term for a non-stamp collector is aphilatelist.

- wolf

 

[dammitgibs]

Yea, but if those "stamp collectors" would stop coming to my door, screaming at me, etc... then maybe us "not stamp collectors" would not have to discuss stamps. :hmm:

I can't remember the last time I've had a stamp collector come to my door but it seems weekly I run into someone crusading about not collecting stamps, or I can't go 10 minutes on the internet without coming across a not stamp collecting circle jerk.

 

[HumblePie]

I am an atheist but I do not claim to 'KNOW' the truth. Looking at the currently available evidence I come to the conclusion that the probability of a creator is rather slim so I do not even consider it in my daily life.

With regards to this poll I would probably do rather badly on it because I have not read up that much on religious beliefs. When it comes to the atheism is a relgion argument I just refer to this quote. 'Atheism is a relgion like not collecting stamps is a hobby.'

The people that keep spouting atheism is a religion are those that met someone who was an atheist that actually argued back at them at length about their stupidity. They feel that someone trying to teach others not to believe in irrational lies is equivalent to someone preaching those irrational lies. They are trying to liken a Preacher to a Teacher. They are not the same thing.

Also, people need to learn what agnostic means. I'm sick of the terrible use of the word.

Look here this is a simple yes or no question.

Do you believe in a Supreme Being? Yes or No.

You can not choose the answer, I don't know. It's yes or no. Yes for theism, and no for atheism. How you ARRIVE at your conclusion of being either a theist or an atheist is a different matter. That is being Gnostic or Agnostic. People that regularly claim they are agnostic are really atheist. Not all of them, but I would wager the vast majority of them once you outline the question I used above in a forthright and direct manner.

 

[BoberFett]

The people that keep spouting atheism is a religion are those that met someone who was an atheist that actually argued back at them at length about their stupidity. They feel that someone trying to teach others not to believe in irrational lies is equivalent to someone preaching those irrational lies. They are trying to liken a Preacher to a Teacher. They are not the same thing.

Also, people need to learn what agnostic means. I'm sick of the terrible use of the word.

Look here this is a simple yes or no question.

Do you believe in a Supreme Being? Yes or No.

You can not choose the answer, I don't know. It's yes or no. Yes for theism, and no for atheism. How you ARRIVE at your conclusion of being either a theist or an atheist is a different matter. That is being Gnostic or Agnostic. People that regularly claim they are agnostic are really atheist. Not all of them, but I would wager the vast majority of them once you outline the question I used above in a forthright and direct manner.

Oh look, another not stamp collector trying to spread the holy word of not stamp collecting.

 

[TheVrolok]

...

Basically everything he ^ said.

 

[PokerGuy]

An assertion that is backed up by every post of yours I've read on religion and religious issues.

Thank goodness for humanity that you're likely done procreating.

And wrong again on both counts. Boy, you even a broken clock is right twice a day, you can't even manage that.

 

[Throckmorton]

And your still not getting it, the "average religious idiot" is composed of all the religious groups. If you combine all the religious groups (which includes Jews and Mormons), they outperformed atheists/agnostics. Nice try though.

Jews and Mormons performed slightly lower than atheists.... If you combine them with the others, that only brings their average down, and it ends up being lower than the atheist/agnostic score.

Do they not teach averages in Sunday school?

 

[Throckmorton]

Where is the quiz? I want to take it.

 

[TheVrolok]

Where is the quiz? I want to take it.

I couldn't find it either after a very brief look, but I think someone posted 15 questions (all of them?) earlier in the thread.

 

[Throckmorton]

As someone who is not religious at all can I just say, holy fuck atheists are annoying.




Bullshit. I went to church for 14 years and participated in communion, I was never taught that the bread and wine actually become body and blood of Christ, only that it was a symbol, this may be interpreted differently across different versions of Christianity but this is a bullshit question.





These aren't questions about religion these are questions about US law.



That last question, wtf? I don't even know what the first great awakening is, this is a US History question, not religion.

That's not the survey quiz... 32 questions vs 15

 

[ShawnD1]

Jews and Mormons performed slightly lower than atheists.... If you combine them with the others, that only brings their average down, and it ends up being lower than the atheist/agnostic score.

Do they not teach averages in Sunday school?

When Jesus averages things, the average goes up. For example, if an atheist were to average all of the incomes in the US right now, they would come to the conclusion that the shit has hit the fan and there are a lot of poor people out there. Using creationist Jesus math, America is doing just fine and the average is far higher than ever before.

 

[Throckmorton]

Ugh... taking the 15 question quiz is so difficult because of the slow website. Why does it ask the questions one by one?

 

[sandorski]

But it gets preached anyway. I can imagine an atheist convention. Everyone goes around shaking hands and patting each other on the back telling each other how much smarter they are.

Most people who aren't religious don't give a shit but there are those who just have to go around telling each how stupid everyone else is and how smart they are. For them it's a religion of boosting their ego, and I have to say that group looks just as foolish as the Creationists. It's the "all about me" religion.

Sounds like what happens at many Churches on Sunday.

 

[GroundedSailor]

Where is the quiz? I want to take it.

Here it is. I believe someone posted the link earlier too.


..

 

[Atreus21]

You didn't get it did you?

You said, "I would say that our simple existence is evidence of an act of creation at some point"
and "Everything is caused by something else."

I just gave you an equally plausible, and just as valid, belief in another creator - and even gave you His blessing.

:biggrin:

So then you are at least not an atheist?

 

[sandorski]

I think this is a pretty dumb story but, why do they lump atheists with agnostics? They are really two very different belief structures. For all we know it was 90% agnostics and 10% atheists. Agnostics at least evaluate the possibility of both sides being right but simply admits they do not have any way to know where both the religious and atheists claim to 'KNOW" the truth. Kind of puts both on the same playing field in my book.

Incorrect. They are 2 very similar Non-Belief structures.

 

[zsdersw]

And wrong again on both counts. Boy, you even a broken clock is right twice a day, you can't even manage that.

So your opinion on these matters isn't unchangeable? What would it take for you to become non-religious or non-theistic?

 

[Moonbeam]

Religion is a bridge to reality. The maintenance on all religious bridges was abandoned when the teacher who creates them dies. All bridges have a smell that something real and important was implied but what it is and the means to see it are almost totally lost. All the bridges occasionally carry a serious person across, but it happens rarely.

The net effect, then, is that neither the religious nor those who doubt religion have the slightest idea what was going on with any one religion. Machines operate on program and are asleep. Religion is about how to awaken a machine. A machine must die to awaken and no machine will kill itself.

There are two kinds of conceit in the world, those who believe and those who doubt. What religion is is totally unseen. People can't know what they don't know nor can they know they don't know it. Don't ask me how I know. I can't tell you. You don't have ears to hear.

 

[Hayabusa Rider]

Sounds like what happens at many Churches on Sunday.

Perhaps, but you must know better than me. I haven't been to enough to make that determination. I take it you are routinely abused.

Wolf, my response to you has to wait since it's too long to do by Andriod.

 

[Throckmorton]

I took the 15 question one and got 3 wrong-- who's associated with suffering, the First Great Awakening (wtf is that?), and nirvana.

The nirvana question was bullshit. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nirvana

 

[sandorski]

Perhaps, but you must know better than me. I haven't been to enough to make that determination. I take it you are routinely abused.

Wolf, my response to you has to wait since it's too long to do by Andriod.

Abused? Not really, but I spent years on that side of the equation and am quite aware of how those things work.

 

[bfdd]

Again, more proof that atheists are more religious then their religious counterparts. That they know more about religion then religious people should show why they are nuts, not that they are knowledgeable. I used to have an atheist roommate in college and he would literally go around with books and start preaching about how God cannot exist on campus. He could not go a day without trying to convert people who were religious.

Belief in the absence of a god is a religion.

no it isn't, but some atheists sure are trying to turn it into one. PS knowing about religion is knowing about human history. It would be quite stupid to intellectually limit yourself by refusing to learn about different religions and their teachings, especially if you're an atheist/agnostic.

 

[hal2kilo]

Bullshit. I went to church for 14 years and participated in communion, I was never taught that the bread and wine actually become body and blood of Christ, only that it was a symbol, this may be interpreted differently across different versions of Christianity but this is a bullshit question.

/

Obviously you weren't raised a Catholic. As far as I know they are the only ones who believe in transsubstatiation.

Otherwise in your case ignorance is bliss I guess