2009-09-16, 07:34 | Link #1821 |
Senior Member
Join Date: Oct 2004
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No. The reason why people like Richard Dawkins (who certainly has better things to do) see the need to write books is because atheism is constantly being misrepresented and verbally attacked by religious figures such as the Pope, and that many people are convinced that atheism is more dangerous than actual religious violence. ("God won't let us go to Heaven if we tolerate heretics amongst us!")
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2009-09-16, 12:16 | Link #1822 |
Banned
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Anyone can write books about God. Even I have. It's a half-serious, half-ironic story about God being on trial for his ilogical claims. Yet, I present things as if everything the bible mentions make sense. So, in the long run we can all find a supposed explaination to everything. Heck, most particles were "asumed" to exist before actually being discovered. And that eleventh planet was also known to exist in theory because of the planets' trajectories. And yes, Gos is supposed to be not-materil, such an example means shit, yet he is supposed to affect the universe "somehow". Not that makes much sense either, I know...
So, if anyone cares to read a story about how everything the bible mentions is "the truth" in quite an interlectual way and in plain English, PM me to give you a link. |
2009-09-16, 20:43 | Link #1823 | |||
Love Yourself
Join Date: Mar 2003
Location: Northeast USA
Age: 38
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militant |ˈmilətənt| adjective combative and aggressive in support of a political or social cause, and typically favoring extreme, violent, or confrontational methods : an uprising by militant Islamic fundamentalists. noun a person who is active in this way. Note that in the definition there is no mention of someone who is killing or harming others, just that such people typically favor those methods. That's just being technical, of course. Quote:
I would not be surprised if an atheist group (perhaps small) did reach the conclusion that "we'd all be better off without religion" and then felt that the best way to go about it would be to go about killing the ultra-religious. Probably the only reason that it hasn't happened yet is because atheism is a relative minority at the moment. Once it becomes larger and there are more people with violent tendencies and shared views grouped together, you'd probably see some action. It's just speculation, but the point is that it could happen very easily. You shouldn't rule it out. Quote:
I wish it were that simple. Tell me, are all Americans able to get along perfectly peacefully? No, of course not. Within America there are hundreds of divisions - there's the color of your skin, what region you come from, which sports team you're a fan of, and so on. Sure, we're not at constant war with one another over the differences, but every now and then (and with greater frequency than there really should be) someone is seriously injured or killed over those differences. It probably was not your intention to make religion out to be the root of all evil, but in seemingly ignoring all other aspects of conflict between humans, it's coming across that way, and I disagree with that.
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2009-09-16, 23:14 | Link #1824 | |
is this so?
Join Date: Mar 2007
Location: Gradius Home World
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However, I don't believe using force to change others is the right way. Just as Ledgem has already pointed out, "2 wrongs don't make a right". There was one time that a nun went to my office and lecture me for almost an hour to accept Catholicism. I found her lecture annoying and wanted to send her out (of course I didn't, because it would give the clinic where I work a bad name). I refused all other lectures from her after that of course.
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Last edited by Liddo-kun; 2009-09-17 at 18:13. |
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2009-09-16, 23:49 | Link #1826 | |
The Insidious
Join Date: Sep 2009
Location: Immaterium
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I am an agnostic. I show little to no interest in these kinds of beliefs. But not in a way that I disown them.
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I believe if there wasnt any religion. Human conflict wouldnt be at the same degree we are experiencing right now. I dont hate religion. Its just that I think it causes more trouble than its worth. |
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2009-09-17, 10:02 | Link #1827 | ||||||
Senior Member
Join Date: Oct 2004
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2009-09-17, 14:00 | Link #1828 |
Me, An Intellectual
Join Date: Apr 2009
Location: UK
Age: 33
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Okay don't read anything into this. I'm not trying to make a point. I'm genuinly asking because i don't really know and want to make sure and i might as well ask here because it seems like the most relevant thread to ask in. So here's my question: Weren't Mao and Stalin motivated by atheistic ideologies?
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2009-09-17, 14:50 | Link #1829 | |
eyewitness
Join Date: Jan 2007
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Now. communism is at his heart an economic theory (I won't discuss if and how ill-founded) and doesn't have much to say about metaphysics. Communist revolutions or interventions were always justified as means to liberate the working class or securing their ruling position, not to stop somebody practicing the wrong religion. Persecution of clerics in revolutionary Russia were justified by their alliance (real or alleged) with the former ruling class, not so much their belief. The goals of the faithful early supporters of communism was to improve the people's living conditions. I.e. their motivation was a sense of compassion and justice. Of course, as soon as you add the principle of the end justifying the means you have a recipe for disaster. But the same happened in Christianity and Islam, as history proves.
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2009-09-17, 15:06 | Link #1830 | |
Senior Member
Join Date: Oct 2004
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Atheism is a simple denial of the existence of god, and says nothing about social or economic beliefs. Dictators such as Mao and Stalin attempted to quash religion because they saw it as divisive and threatening to the regime, which stated that all people were "equal" (read: the same, no differences allowed). I am not entirely familiar with the subject, but according to Wikipedia, various religions were alternately persecuted or exploited by the Communists. |
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2009-09-17, 15:19 | Link #1831 |
Banned
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Most don't know this but even the leaders of the French Revolution were against religion and even tried to enforce a new form of faith themselves. Unfortunately for them, they were sending for decapitation so many people, their own supporters eventualy escorted them to the place they all loved sending people to and gave all authority to a monarch called Napoleon. So much for liberation...
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2009-09-17, 16:42 | Link #1833 | |
Obey the Darkly Cute ...
Author
Join Date: Dec 2005
Location: On the whole, I'd rather be in Kyoto ...
Age: 66
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2009-09-18, 04:34 | Link #1835 |
Banned
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Anyway, all attempts at enforcing state atheism are as of yet a failure. Religion is indeed a personal thing anyone should keep for himself. It should be taught in school but it should include all religions in order to help the student choose his/hers.
I know, that would be a problem for the status quo of any present government. Because it is far cheaper to keep the people ignorant and far more easy to manipulate them like this. In the old days, a person's religions was the same as his nationality. It was a way to keep a society organized. That does no longer apply as borders are blurring more and more by the day. |
2009-09-18, 06:35 | Link #1836 |
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Join Date: Jul 2009
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My words, religions and other forms of "interstellar" connections, including atheism, are all "guesses" embedded into each human's membrane. These "guesses", with vague metaphor, "are raffle tickets submitted by each individual during each individual lives and are appraised during each individual ends"...and what happens later? a loss or a win. One can even humor at the "lottery" of a world wherein.
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2009-09-18, 12:44 | Link #1839 | ||
Emotionless White Face
Join Date: Feb 2008
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In France, nowadays there are more atheists/agnostics than believers. It happens that there are atheists who denigrate believers, even the ones who don't annoy anyone. It's not a myth here. |
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2009-09-18, 14:04 | Link #1840 | |
I disagree with you all.
Join Date: Dec 2005
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- there are too many religions. We don't have that much time to waste. - it assumes that religion is important in the first place, and that kids have to choose one. I'd rather they stay free to not care about it at all if they're so inclined. |
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not a debate, philosophy, religion |
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