It's because you are posting strange unsupportable assertions and thinking you are saying stuff of great import. Remember you need to explain why Ganesh is equally valid for the observed universe.
Shoot.
until recently, i had never encountered this word "believers" used as it is being used on this board, to describe pejoratively a group of people.
it's not clear to me whether they scorn all who have a faith of some sort.
do they include buddhists, hindus, followers of the baha'i faith, followers of the cargo cult, native americans along with christians, or is it just christians who are honoured with this epithet?.
It's because you are posting strange unsupportable assertions and thinking you are saying stuff of great import. Remember you need to explain why Ganesh is equally valid for the observed universe.
Shoot.
until recently, i had never encountered this word "believers" used as it is being used on this board, to describe pejoratively a group of people.
it's not clear to me whether they scorn all who have a faith of some sort.
do they include buddhists, hindus, followers of the baha'i faith, followers of the cargo cult, native americans along with christians, or is it just christians who are honoured with this epithet?.
Which Christ Sab? Adoptionist Christ, hypo static Trinitarian Christ, Marcionite Christ, Ebionite Christ, Mormon Christ? Which one is real Sab?
To correct you again, you cannot be atheist and have a belief in any 'real' god be it any of the many Christs and Krishnas that have historically been worshipped by ignorant people without access to accurate knowledge of physics or history.
Edit missing 'historically'
until recently, i had never encountered this word "believers" used as it is being used on this board, to describe pejoratively a group of people.
it's not clear to me whether they scorn all who have a faith of some sort.
do they include buddhists, hindus, followers of the baha'i faith, followers of the cargo cult, native americans along with christians, or is it just christians who are honoured with this epithet?.
Soledad - you need to explain which god you argue for. Until you define your god beyond the single word you could well be arguing for Ganesh and I'll assume you are until you specify.
Now why would Ganesh be an equally valid conclusion to atheism in the face of physics , history and common sense (I find no anatomical evidence that supports elephant headed humanoids .)?
until recently, i had never encountered this word "believers" used as it is being used on this board, to describe pejoratively a group of people.
it's not clear to me whether they scorn all who have a faith of some sort.
do they include buddhists, hindus, followers of the baha'i faith, followers of the cargo cult, native americans along with christians, or is it just christians who are honoured with this epithet?.
Sab - I write in when I see the same posts from believers so newcomers can read it. I am not expecting people to read my post history because that would be oddly egocentric. I think it it critical for people to understand what perception filters are because that is a key piece of self knowledge that explains many supposed answers to prayers, voices in the head and evidence for a belief.
until recently, i had never encountered this word "believers" used as it is being used on this board, to describe pejoratively a group of people.
it's not clear to me whether they scorn all who have a faith of some sort.
do they include buddhists, hindus, followers of the baha'i faith, followers of the cargo cult, native americans along with christians, or is it just christians who are honoured with this epithet?.
Ready for a bit of correcting Sab?
You cannot say that atheists think that having a belief in gods is a life detriment. You do not understand atheism at all. It is entirely possible to think that belief in gods is positive and still be atheist. You of all people have no excuse.
Atheism is the absence of belief in god. That is it. You can infer nothing else from atheism.
I suggest you have a look at skepticism, humanism, rationalism, Marxism to name just a few systems of thought that may or may not include atheist foundations. Atheism does not engender any beliefs whatsoever. My lack of belief in Zeus does not equate to any proactive or reactive actions. My suspension of belief in Mormon god does not require that I replace it with any belief.
until recently, i had never encountered this word "believers" used as it is being used on this board, to describe pejoratively a group of people.
it's not clear to me whether they scorn all who have a faith of some sort.
do they include buddhists, hindus, followers of the baha'i faith, followers of the cargo cult, native americans along with christians, or is it just christians who are honoured with this epithet?.
Soledad are children ( who are born without belief ) angry at God? As an atheist please point out which god I'm angry at. To be fair I may well be angry if there are any gods of nubile enticements who haven't bothered to make themselves known grrr.
until recently, i had never encountered this word "believers" used as it is being used on this board, to describe pejoratively a group of people.
it's not clear to me whether they scorn all who have a faith of some sort.
do they include buddhists, hindus, followers of the baha'i faith, followers of the cargo cult, native americans along with christians, or is it just christians who are honoured with this epithet?.
Sab - what do atheists believe in?
hey if its good enough for someone who speaks to god then it should be good enuff for everybody else.. .
http://www.jw.org/en/publications/bible/genesis/24.
28. now abraham was old, advanced in years; and jehovah had blessed abraham in everything.2hence abraham said to his servant, the oldest one of his household, who was managing all he had: put your hand, please, under my thigh,3as i must have you swear by jehovah, the god of the heavens and the god of the earth, that you will not take a wife for my son from the daughters of the ca'naan?ites in among whom i am dwelling,4but you will go to my country and to my relatives, and you will certainly take a wife for my son, for isaac.. .
Mormons do , including the inappropriate touching ( well they did until the recent change!)
i know it`s certainly not going to happen in our time or even our childrens ,childrens time , but surely eventually, it must come about.. religion , all religion has been nothing but a curse on this planet , and humans will never reach their full potential until they eradicate all forms of religion .. of course the theists will insist their have been great acheivments in science, astronomy, the arts etc.
,to a large part by the educated religionists of their day , however the masses were deprived of such education .if the masses had received the education of the priveledged few religous scholars ,we may well have been enjoying a new golden age of enlightenment already.. note : i am talking about all religions of the world not just xians ,judaism, muslim ,etc.
but all religious persuasions.. just my 2 cents worth.
I think that religion will be awesome once it's faithless. I miss the sociality, organisation and positive aspects of group belief. Remove god, faith, guilt, eternal rewards and punishments, prophecy and all forms of dogma and you could have a great positive force.
Secular humanists :)
until recently, i had never encountered this word "believers" used as it is being used on this board, to describe pejoratively a group of people.
it's not clear to me whether they scorn all who have a faith of some sort.
do they include buddhists, hindus, followers of the baha'i faith, followers of the cargo cult, native americans along with christians, or is it just christians who are honoured with this epithet?.
Believers are absolutely right. This is a function of perception as presented by the brain. As a believer I had a real relationship with god, I received information and said my prayers in return. I knew god existed, I had faith that future events would occur ( including my own resurrection) and I got frustrated when people would consistently refuse to even try to pray or contemplate that my experiences with divinity were real. I was Mormon. In my reality miracles happened but when they happened to people of other faiths there was always a certain amount of critical doubt attached ( Satan/they were fooled/God was somehow trying to help them to the correct path - Mormonism) , ditto for answers from God. When the answer they got from God coincided with what I knew about God then clearly that was the same source, anything else and it was made up or Satan inspired. Sometimes Satan would play a clever game and would reveal something right but with an embedded lie ( Christ is real and he is coming in 1975) and would divert many of god's children to false manmade paths like the JWs.
The man wearing glasses with blue filters really perceives the visual world as blue. The filters mean it is impossible to see red or green.
The believer wearing glasses with god/reptile/aliens/faeries/communist/Republican/the Secret filters really perceives the world as expected. It is impossible to see it as anything other. Everything they see confirms their perception.
Being challenged on a perception filter is deeply personal. It isn't just someone saying that you've got a fact here or there wrong. It is someone saying you have something wrong with your brain, your whole worldview is invalid, you are living a lie, their filters are better than yours. No one in their right mind would sacrifice their whole world view over a single argument. Each discussion and debate is therefore jarring, neither side can present sufficient critical momentum to overcome an entire , physically wired - neuron by neuron , worldview. It takes something truly critical and emotionally shattering to reject a worldview. It may be an accumulation of negative information breaking an internal dam or it may a slightly unrelated crisis like a death or betrayal. It is almost never a single debate, post or argument.
Being an atheist means removing a set of perception filters ( not all, I'm still carrying lots of family, culture , educational and peer induced biases and reality assumptions). For those who were former believers it hurts to take them off. It's similar to taking off the filter that you are in love with someone. Accepting that you are no longer in a relationship can hurt like buggery and leave scars. As a former 'lover' it is painful to be told ( by other 'lovers') that my state of lovelessness is actually just another form of love. Atheism is not a form of belief.
I totally understand the feeling of being told your beliefs are wrong. Continuing the lover analogy it is absolutely reprehensible to have not only your own love denigrated but to insult your lover as well is anger inducing. When an atheist confronts a god believer it is to doubt both parties god and devotee. Why then do I ( I won't speak for other atheists here ) stick my beak into others sacred , joy inducing and emotionally fulfilling relationships with their god? Simply because I can't idly watch abusive relationships. I was in a beautiful one for 35 years. I really loved it. I wish, in hindsight, someone had got me to confront the abuse earlier.
One last reason why I especially respond to post JW evangelicals is because they use this forum , to my mind, as a blind date service, offering a new lover to replace the old abusive JW one.
Just my thoughts.