Loftus: Are We Angry Atheists?

by leavingwt 237 Replies latest jw friends

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  THE GLADIATOR

  In the past I have felt anger towards 'God.' But as the original quote points out, it's not possible to be angry with a god that doesn't exist. So once I realized the god of the Israelites and the god of the Muslims was invented by man, my anger vanished.

  To clarify, I don't believe in the god of the bible, his superhuman son, or even Superman himself. This does not mean I have ruled out the possibility that the universe is aware of its own existence and evolves intelligently. Whether that amounts to 'God,' is for all you 'God squad' experts on the forum to access.
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  SweetBabyCheezits

  I think some folks are taking that Christianity chart way too literal(ly?). It's a joke, with a little hyperbole... and means about as much in a literal sense as a man living in a whale big fish for three days.

  To me, while the chart pokes fun at Christianity, the principle applies to faith in the supernatural across the board: again, religious individuals in superstitious cultures have aided the advancement of man in spite of their superstition, not because of it.

  That said, I could be wrong. Maybe someone with a better knowledge of history could relate an example where superstition promoted real progress.

  Of course, this is a helluva tangent from the OP's topic. Guess I could get angry and tie it all together.

  grr

  Gladiator, I'm pickin' up what yer puttin' down in the above post.
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  james_woods

  I find it ironic that this thread (about intolerance of atheists toward christians) is going on at the same time as Brotherdan's blog promo thread - which looks an awful lot like intolerance of christians toward atheists.

  I find that I dislike intolerance on either side of the coin - particularly in the ugly sense that the intolerance presumes that the intolerant person "knows so much more than their opponent" that they have to force their views on others no matter what. (and get mad about it if people don't agree).
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  wobble

  I do not believe in God because there is no evidence one exists, I cannot connect any kind of anger to that position, it just don't get me fired up against any contrary view, people can believe whatever nonsense they like without proof, as long as they do no harm.

  But I do get angry when the beliefs of some are murderous.

  I am angry at the plain immoral murders carried out by suicide bombers and there ilk.

  I am angry at the plain immoral murders carried out by Christian Scientists who withold medical treatment from their children.

  I am angry at the plain immoral murders carried out by Jehovah's Witnesses who withold blood based treatments from their children.
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  leavingwt

  james_woods: We have an obligation to be intolerant of what is destructive. How much female circumcision do you suggest we tolerate?
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  SixofNine

  >1.5"
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  SweetBabyCheezits

  Six, I think you've got a little cognitive dissonance. That was no woman.
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  james_woods

  james_woods: We have an obligation to be intolerant of what is destructive. How much female circumcision do you suggest we tolerate?

  I thought I made it clear in a previous post on this thread - I do not tolerate destructive acts, including medical harm, or suicide bombing, or human sacrifice, or child marriage, or even just keeping people in cult captivity in the name of religion. But, as I said before, most religions do not do these things today. And most atheist hate is not specifically against those things, IMHO - it is rather a disdain for religion itself.
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  Nickolas

  That said, I could be wrong. Maybe someone with a better knowledge of history could relate an example where superstition promoted real progress.

  Alchemy comes to mind.
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  bohm

  "And most atheist hate is not specifically against those things, IMHO - it is rather a disdain for religion itself."

  Would it be correct to talk about christian hate to?

  bah.

  im tired of generalizations.