Constructive gadfly
Published on September 14, 2011 By stevendedalus In Philosophy

I don’t have a problem with atheists — each to his own comfort level — nonetheless, it is ridiculous for one of that inclination to get rattled to the extent that others of belief are denied their comfort. Atheism by definition is free from religion. Theists are free to believe as they see fit; atheists should look upon these  " misguided" as pathetic but have the right to the "wrong" path. If, however, atheist take on the passion of "religion" in their belief that there is no God, they in reality are in the business of propagating their non-faith as feverishly as the old Marxist line. In this respect they are as trapped in "belief" as the rest of us pathetic  old fools. They should therefore lobby for a limited currency series that states "In "God we do not trust," or a postage stamp that shows a black hole with the inscription "Godless."  


Comments (Page 21)
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on Jan 30, 2012

Sinperium
Let's take turns--you bring up something to make a simple point and then I'll line by line challenge you on each sentence and item demanding documentation--growing more insulting as I go?

Challenge me, Go for it. I will win any debate against you because I know where to find the actual facts that contradict the activist propaganda you build your "stories" with. Find the facts and you might get lucky and achieve a tie.

Nothing insults me so go for it. You may not like my sarcastic barbed answers but I guarantee you if you don't present facts be prepared to end up fooling nobody but yourself. Everything seems to be insulting to you so there is nothing I can do about that. Seems to be your problem.

Sinperium
There is precedent with these same laws overseas

There is no overseas precedent. Stick to the good old USA because we have a unique constitution which does not allow quite a bit of law that has been enacted in other nations. And let me repeat myself HATE SPEECH LAWS ARE UNCONSTITUTIONAL IN THE USA. So you better realize that and actually look at the HATE CRIME laws that you have mistakenly interpreted. Bodily injury using firearms, bombs,explosives, and arson are not considered speech in my legal dictionary.

If you have a problem with school district policy join the PTA.

And if you want to complain about prayer, or the pledge of allegiance in schools you better learn to tolerate your fellow Christians because it was different Christian sects that led the charge against each other with those issues.

GoaFan77
restrictions on the vilified side.


I tend to dislike the extremist viewpoint of both sides so I know what is propaganda from the left as well as from the right so watch out if you think I am taking sides because I already know when you pick a side in politics you always get it wrong.

on Jan 30, 2012

Smoothseas

I will win any debate against you

There's the problem. I'm just talking...you're debating. To be more accurate: you're usually arguing--which is different than debating.

 

on Jan 30, 2012

LULA POSTS:

lulapilgrim
However, the gods of Atheism are plenty. For some Atheists, humanity becomes god, for others, materialistic science becomes god ....

GOAFAN77 POSTS:

GoaFan77
I've heard this argument plenty of times, and I won't say it doesn't have relevance in a few particular cases. But I think this is highly misleading of most atheists. You after all believe that humanity and the material worlds exists, atheists simply do not believe in anything else. But that does not mean they automatically think that humanity or the material world is any more important than you do.

GoaFan77
I'm saying not all atheists do "raise" humanity/self. And I gave an example of what one such atheist may think. I don't understand what else you are wanting.

Sorry, I thought that "not all Atheists" was established from the beginning. Note in my 237, I wrote, "For some Atheists...".

Again, concerning the differences between the level of  importance of man and the material world, I believe God is infinitely higher than man and man is higher than all other living things as well as the material world.

Atheists put man and the material world in a much higher level of importantce than I do...some put man and/or the material world in God's place.    Some make for themselves their own god. The god they worship might be man, self, science, etc.


 

on Jan 30, 2012

SivCorp


Atheism is the absence of religion/god. Just like darkness is the absence of light.

And in my opinion... the absence of light will get oneself confused and hurt in the long run...

I agree with that.

As far as your opinion, I'd go one step futher. I maintain that Atheism cannot exist without sin of some kind. Since it rejects or denies the existence of God, Atheism is a sin against the First Commandment. 

It could also be said that Atheism is the negation of religion/God. And the negation of God is rather in the heart than in the mind.

I base that on Psalm 13:1.

"The fool hath said in his heart: There is no God." 

on Jan 30, 2012

GoaFan77
Opinions are the same way. Everyone has an opinion, beliefs; but the type does not really matter. If you cannot even let yourself see why others believe as they do, then you truly see nothing at all. Just the blinding light of your own beliefs. And even once the universe ends if your beliefs turn out to be right, you still have nothing to be proud of. If you're of the believers, then you failed the test of your existence. And if you're not, you failed to see anything during the one glimpse of the universe given to you by astronomical chance.

All this is fine as far as opinions go.

What is fascinating is that sometimes opinions are first steps in finding truth.

on Jan 30, 2012

Smoothseas
Quoting GoaFan77,
reply 250
I do not believe in god, but I know that faith and perhaps even religion of itself is no threat.

SMOOTHSEAS POSTS:

....Religion itself is not a threat. It can be a very good thing in most instances. Seems to me the problem is governments and institutions which manipulate the religious to achieve political goals. Many people blame religion on wars for example, however when you look at things closely more often than not there are political decisions which led to the conflict and religious folk are simply "recruited" to bear the blood.

This is something in which we agree.

Re: the highlighted,

That fits closely to what I pointed out earlier about the Obama administration waging war on religious liberty with his onerous mandate that religious organizations must comply and provide health insurance coverage for birth control drugs, including the abortion pill, and sterilization. 

The timing of the HHS announcement must be noted. It was 3 days before pro-lifers march in opposition to the 38th anniversary of Roe v Wade. For Obama it is all about political goals..it's an election year and he and the Dems are in deep with the abortion lobby.

 

on Jan 30, 2012

Sinperium
So far what I primarily get from you guys is, "Once stupid people like you religious nutjobs are removed, smart people like us can make the world right.".

Smoothseas
Seems like the US vs. THEM mentality is invading your head again. Get a grip.

Smoothseas, you are the one who needs to get a grip....that is, get a grip on some unrevised history books and the Humanist Manifesto I and II. Their tenets will reveal that Humanism is in opposition to Christian religious belief. 

Militant Atheistic Humanism is hardly the benign tolerant force many think it to be.  It is them against us. There has been a continuous philosophical and social struggle going on --- It's called a cultural and social revolution. The ultimate stakes are nothing less than the moral foundation of society.

There is nothing new under the sun. This battle has been going on from Adam, just repackaged and recycled. 

on Jan 30, 2012

Sinperium
Threatening and violent people should be locked up. It's only the extremes on both sides that are a concern here and they should be able to be regulated by already existing laws.
We already have laws to deal with this kind of violence. Are you to be the judge or just the Christians in "general" (I hate that term)? Anyone waiting for quick decisions in America is wasting their time because the only thing we seem to be able to do quickly is starting illegal wars. Justice actually takes time ... not as much as evolution mind you, but nothing good happens 'overnight'.

There is no such thing as a ‘typical’ atheist any more than a ‘general’ theist … so it would help if we stop using such terms … besides the fact that atheists do not believe god exists as purported by theists and they do … past this point we base our lives on what we think we know … all of us people do regardless of ideology. Because atheists do not believe this, whenever we try to peruse our lives, we are mostly accused of ‘trying to destroy … not theology … just Christianity, and this is just self-inflicted misery none of us need. I do not know an atheist who has any problem accepting that religious folk are entitled to live their own lives in any legal manner they desire, but nothing seems to apply to religion or their organizations??? We are not trying (are we?) to politicize our way into the Christian schools … but it seems ok to come into our schools and do exactly that. We are not trying to infiltrate the Vatican to browbeat them into accepting homosexuals as actual people … but you folks are want to predispose our legal system based on your own prejudices, to segregate different portions of our people, and I for one will not tolerate this. If you choose to make everything into some kind of religious persecutions that is your business; I feel sorry for you but it doesn’t change the facts of life. Look at the mess theology is in today, is there any wonder where it is going to be in the future as the sciences continue to make giant strides while theology just continues to stagnate with their 1st century philosophy. Do the religious communities think this is going to become clearer over time … in their favor?

I think it safe to say that the only religious views being pandered here on JU are Christian, so it should be  safe for me to talk back about Christianity (even though it is really theology). Just because Christians are selfish in this manner doesn’t mean atheists are. Muslims are entitled to live and believe what they want to … just as much as you folks and with the same authority you guys profess. Just seems to me that bigotry is what needs to be addressed here is all. I believe I have made a couple of points along this line.

When I walk through a Nature Museum, I am in awe of the displays and the dedication of the people who make the research, finding and the digging all possible. I do not understand what we are supposed to do with ourselves if it is not to try and improve individually to eventually improve the species … evolution the slow and only way. Considering our learning curve over the last 100 years, what do theists envision the sciences are going to do … stop sciencing?

on Jan 30, 2012

lulapilgrim
It is them against us.
What you meant to say here is that it is the RCC (as opposed to Christianity) that detests the surrounding world and everyone in it that doesn't breath, eat or sleep with Catholicism. Instead of trying to recruit David, why don't you just tell him what you really think of 'wayward' Christians and stop this pandering? There are no "benign tolerant forces" on this thread ... it would be ridiculous for them to be interested in this partisan nonsense.

lulapilgrim
The ultimate stakes are nothing less than the moral foundation of society.
Maybe a little melodramatic to say the least ... this is not Sunday school. What do my morals have to do with yours and what makes you so fearful of them? Maybe a better question would be "Why should or would an atheist allow an orthodox Catholic to make moral decisions for him?" You act like you don't understand the basic arguments against theological standpoints ... and we all know this is not the case.

 

on Jan 30, 2012

GOAFAN77 POSTS:

lulapilgrim
Quoting GoaFan77,
reply 238
But I think this is highly misleading of most atheists. You after all believe that humanity and the material worlds exists, atheists simply do not believe in anything else. But that does not mean they automatically think that humanity or the material world is any more important than you do.

lULA POSTS:

lulapilgrim
So, if it is as you say, Atheist's denial of God is predicated on the Naturalist worldview which posits that only things that exist are material. In other words, Atheists believe nothing immaterial can exist.

Well, here are some of the contradictions and incoherencies with that.

We all know and experience various immaterial realities do indeed exist...such as love, goodness, evil, and memory to name a few.

That a given action is good or evil is meaningless if God does not exist. Same thing with right and wrong (morality). Yet, Atheists tell us they are good people who do believe in right and wrong.

How, then, do Atheists justify not living out the naturalistic worldview (that only material things exist) to its logical conclusion?

GOAFAN77 POSTS:

GoaFan77
Love, memories, and the perceptions/opinions of good and evil do materially exist. They are in chemical form in your mind.

 

LULA POSTS;

lulapilgrim
No sale. surgeons can't operate and remove chemicals that are love, memory, good and evil. Maybe in Hollywood or in fantasy video games. Atheists denial of God predicated on what is known as the Naturalist worldview is filled with incoherencies and contradictions becasue of their abject inability to account for various immaterial realities was my point and that still stands.

GoaFan77
Not yet, but it has been proven that the brain creates chemicals to make you feel love, and likewise memories. Your feeling can clearly be somewhat manipulate with drugs. Its only another step to be able to create feelings and memories from scratch.

Ah,  "NOT YET" says GoaFan77! But notice how matter of fact your 257 comment was!!!!!

So it remains, afterall, that the chemicals in the brain don't account for the immaterial reality of love, memory, etc. This incoherency is a difficult problem for Atheistic Naturalism. 

But it's not a problem for Christians like me because Christianity is not a reductionist worldview. The Christian worldview can easily account  for the harmony of humanity, the material world, non-material spiritual beings( God, human souls, angels), as well as immaterial realities (love, memory, goodness, evil, etc.) as well as abstract realities (mathematics, and Natural or Moral laws).

Atheism cannot.

 

on Jan 30, 2012

lulapilgrim
Ah, "NOT YET" says GoaFan77! But notice how matter of fact your 257 comment was!!!!!

I and many people who spend their lives examining such things believe they are chemicals. We know they exist, we simply do not yet have technology precise enough to manipulate them. I never claimed that we could manipulate them. Deny my facts if you wish, that is your choice, but do not say that is an inconsistency in my view.

on Jan 30, 2012

lulapilgrim
So it remains, afterall, that the chemicals in the brain don't account for the immaterial reality of love, memory, etc. This incoherency is a difficult problem for Atheistic Naturalism.

http://www.upi.com/Science_News/2010/07/29/Scientists-find-chemical-memory-molecule/UPI-13211280451790/

Not so much of a problem for the Atheistic Naturalistic Scientists in Israel I guess.

on Jan 30, 2012

Ah, but are chemicals the reason, or the reaction?  That adds a wrinkle to the science...

on Jan 30, 2012

 

goafan77 posts

lulapilgrim
Quoting GoaFan77,
reply 257
Even if you believe in god, you have to make up your own mind on what you think he thinks is good and evil. ...

 

lula posts:

lulapilgrim
Nope, not even close.

How do we know what God revealed as good and evil...by practicing His religion which is the virtue by which we give to God the honor and service, worship due to Him alone as our Creator, Master and Supreme Lord....

.....
Christ teaches us how to know (what is good and evil), love and serve Him by establishing His religion, Christianity, the authentic Christian Faith, or Catholicism.

.

GoaFan77
If your "goal" in this thread is to persuade atheists, such arguments will get you no where. Teaching and dogmas we do not believe in will not persuade us because they hold no weight with us, just as you choose to reject science.

GoaFan77,

You got this particular answer because you asked for it...when you included, "on what you think He thinks".

And where have you once seen that I choose to reject science? I admit I reject pseudo science of Darwinism (macro-evolution), but true science is great by me. Love true science. 

lulapilgrim
Quoting GoaFan77,
reply 257
Even if you believe in god, you have to make up your own mind on what you think he thinks is good and evil. The Catholic church certainly doesn't agree on every single moral issue, millions of its followers clearly do not think it morally wrong to use birth control or even abortion.

Your statement about the CC is incorrect. There is a distinction that must be made between the Church and her fallible members. 

To understand that the CC certainly does agree on every single moral issue, we must go back to infallibility,

Christ taught the truth on faith and morals and promised to safeguard it until the end of time. He chose to do so by means of His infallible Church which He established appointing St.Peter as His first earthly head.  To understand, contrast Christ with some merely human philosopher like Aristotle. When Aristotle was dead, his teachings, so coherent, intellectual and positive were dragged down and degraded into rank materialism.Now, Christ knowing what was in man, and possessing means not possessed by Aristotle, took precautions against such distortion and destruction of His teachings.

He organized and guaranteed His Church from doctrinal error in matters of faith and morals. He is the Light. When He departed He left His Church to be the light of mankind, to shine, not with a light of its own but with His Light, as infallibly reliable as Himself.

When Catholics fail to live up to Christ's teachings on morals, it has everything to do with them and nothing to do with the CC.

GoaFan77
Quoting lulapilgrim,
reply 277
That her members don't follow her teachings on every moral issue is not because the Church doesn't teach them, but because they for what ever reason don't want to hear the Church and obey God's laws.

 

GoaFan77
Precisely, because for whatever reason, they decided that the church's teachings are wrong. You can claim church infallibility all you want, but clearly many Catholics think the church can be incorrect. My point is that even the faithful have to decide whether to believe the church on everything, and on which issues they choose to disagree with it. Thus they are making up their own mind.

So here you go from saying the CC doesn't agree on every single moral issue to saying her members decide that her moral teachings are wrong and incorrect. 

Again, it's not that the CC's moral teachings are wrong or incorrect, but rather these Catholics prefer to be unfaithful to them.

 

on Jan 30, 2012

SivCorp
Ah, but are chemicals the reason, or the reaction? That adds a wrinkle to the science

Take away or change the level of certain chemicals and the answer becomes more obvious doesn't it? Some chemicals and combinations of chemicals cause certain things and others chemicals are the result. A basic chemistry course is all that is needed to understand such concepts.

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