Posts by EntirelyPossible

34

Oh the weirdness: Observations from a study

by howdidtihappen in

i started studying jw with a work friend because she used to keep me at arms length and i knew it was because of her religion.

she and her family are such lovely people so i thought maybe there was something to it, how bad can it be, etc.

i was enticed by this girls friendship as she has been spending more time with me but continues to say "you're not one of us yet" which continually freaks me out.

For My Christian, Jewish and Atheist Friends, "Why I am No Longer a Christian."

by Robdar in

jw
friends

this is a rather long yet fascinating documentary from a former ku student about his transformation from a true christian believer to an atheist.

if you have the time to watch it, i would love to hear your comments.

http://topdocumentaryfilms.com/why-i-am-no-longer-a-christian/.

EntirelyPossible

Feel better now that you've insulted EP, Farkel? You must have pretty low self esteem if that's the best you can do.

Aw, swearing can't insult me. I used to work in sales for a company widely regarded as the biggest assholes in my business covering the largest asshole banks on Wall Street. It was like being an asshole raised to a factor of "jacked through the roof". It was once pointed out to me that I used, in one sentence, some variation of the word "f*ck" five times, "asslicking c*cksucker" once, "sh*t" twice and "godamm" once.

Swearing rolls off me like water off a duck's back. Disappointing someone who's opinion I value...that's much worse.

47

For My Christian, Jewish and Atheist Friends, "Why I am No Longer a Christian."

by Robdar in

jw
friends

this is a rather long yet fascinating documentary from a former ku student about his transformation from a true christian believer to an atheist.

if you have the time to watch it, i would love to hear your comments.

http://topdocumentaryfilms.com/why-i-am-no-longer-a-christian/.

EntirelyPossible

Oh, yeah?

Yeah. You're epiphany was wrong. You said science cannot and will not address the sticky issue of HOW the material came into existence. Science is trying very hard to get there. Despite your swearing, ranting and attempt to accuse me of creating a strawman argument, you made an incorrect statement. You are wrong.

Please point little dummies like me where any people in science are working to understand what or who MADE the stuff of the big bang.

I'll tell you the same thing I tell my kids. You'll appreciate it so much more if you have to do a little work to get it yourself.

You silly, inane twit. If I cannot comprehend where the stuff of the Big Bang came from, how in the world can I comprehend where the stuff that made the Creator(s) come from?

You can't. That's why I said I was glad you aren't doing science. I pointed it out as constructive criticism for an area of improvement for you.

Well, of course I would have to agree. Any sane person would. But I never said anything about stopping figuring out anything.

You concluded that there was no other explanation than that a creator was involved. Since, as it has been clearly demonstrated many times, God/Creator/Whatever is apparently not falsifiable in any way and therefore cannot be subjected to any scientific scrutiny, it is a de facto end to attempting to learn about the origins of the universe, something you already concluded, falsely, wasn't being done and possibly correctly, couldn't be done.

As to your sanity, I can't speak. While you may not have said, the positions you took and explanation you subscribe are tantamount to stopping asking questions, whether you realized it or not.

That is another strawman argument, and on all counts, your argument fall.

Since I have posted no strawman arguments, it would appear the issue that you don't actually know what one is. Or that you can't count to zero. Pick one, doesn't matter to me.

The insults were just intended to help you form better arguments. Sometimes a slap-up-against-the-head can be helpful. It wasn't an attack on your integrity or character all. Just your arguments.

Oh, I didn't take it as a personal insult at all. I really didn't. I have many personality flaws and I (hope) know them well. It wasn't a slap against the head either, it was more the equivalent of acting like my 11 year old son earlier tonight when he forgot his manners and yelled about something. He lost TV time and had to go to bed early. But, since I ain't ya daddy, you'll have to work out your own discipline. I recommend a 1992 Rocky Patel and an Aberfeldy 21, but that's just me (notice I'm recommending scotch and cigars, trying to add a little levity, bro).

16

Why I am afraid to admit to being and atheist in real life in the US.

by JonathanH in

i live in the bible belt in the us, atheism is a major taboo.

on the internet i occasionally feel like atheism is normal and just another accepted demographic, but that's largely because i hang around places with lots of atheists.

then i see the other side.. this is an op ed article that atheist jerry coyne wrote today, it's on how you don't need god to be good.

EntirelyPossible

funny in the ha ha sense or funny in the "go be a jesus moron somewhere else, i have shit to do" sense?

I'm comfortable with either one.

47

For My Christian, Jewish and Atheist Friends, "Why I am No Longer a Christian."

by Robdar in

jw
friends

this is a rather long yet fascinating documentary from a former ku student about his transformation from a true christian believer to an atheist.

if you have the time to watch it, i would love to hear your comments.

http://topdocumentaryfilms.com/why-i-am-no-longer-a-christian/.

EntirelyPossible

Heck, we aren't even sure how big the universe is...

47

For My Christian, Jewish and Atheist Friends, "Why I am No Longer a Christian."

by Robdar in

jw
friends

this is a rather long yet fascinating documentary from a former ku student about his transformation from a true christian believer to an atheist.

if you have the time to watch it, i would love to hear your comments.

http://topdocumentaryfilms.com/why-i-am-no-longer-a-christian/.

EntirelyPossible

Then I had another epiphany about science. It was the Big Bang. Science can not and will not address the sticky issue about HOW the super-condensed stuff that exploded to cause the Big Bang itself came into existence.

Your epiphany was incorrect. Many people study that very thing, try to look farther into the past for clues, build super colliders to create more elementary particles to study, ever more complex math is used to try to figure out the physics of it. To say sciene is not addressing it is just flat out wrong.

This... No time existed whenever the "stuff" that the Big Bang came from was just a bunch of stuff. There was NO such thing as TIME then!

... matches perfectly with this .... Then I studied science at the quantum level, but only as an uneducated idiot

It had to be a Creator or Creators. There is no other explanation.

Good job moving the goalposts back. Now where did all of the stuff that made the creator(s) come from? I am glad you aren't actually doing science for a living. When you stop asking questions or fail to understand WHY you should be asking ever more questions, you have failed at science.

Will we ever know the origen of the Big Bang? Maybe, I hope so, but maybe not. Doesn't mean we should stop trying to figure it out and just say "God. No other explanation." That never got anybody anywhere with learning anything.

16

Why I am afraid to admit to being and atheist in real life in the US.

by JonathanH in

i live in the bible belt in the us, atheism is a major taboo.

on the internet i occasionally feel like atheism is normal and just another accepted demographic, but that's largely because i hang around places with lots of atheists.

then i see the other side.. this is an op ed article that atheist jerry coyne wrote today, it's on how you don't need god to be good.

EntirelyPossible

Worried about my soul because I clearly was not living a life in line with God's high standards, like smoking, drinking, spending sunday morning playingg golf instead of going to church, having sex, that sort of thing. Things I would go to hell for doing.

16

Why I am afraid to admit to being and atheist in real life in the US.

by JonathanH in

i live in the bible belt in the us, atheism is a major taboo.

on the internet i occasionally feel like atheism is normal and just another accepted demographic, but that's largely because i hang around places with lots of atheists.

then i see the other side.. this is an op ed article that atheist jerry coyne wrote today, it's on how you don't need god to be good.

EntirelyPossible

I was in Miami a few weeks ago with my manager and I did teach him the southern Bible belt equivalent of "All due respect" as in, "All due respect, but you, my friend, are a moron."

Here it's "Bless your heart", as in "Bless your heart poor thing, you just aren't right in the head."

16

Why I am afraid to admit to being and atheist in real life in the US.

by JonathanH in

i live in the bible belt in the us, atheism is a major taboo.

on the internet i occasionally feel like atheism is normal and just another accepted demographic, but that's largely because i hang around places with lots of atheists.

then i see the other side.. this is an op ed article that atheist jerry coyne wrote today, it's on how you don't need god to be good.

EntirelyPossible

I live in NC in the sticks. One of my neighbors is a felon that converted hardcore to Jesus in prison and is now on the straight and narrow, we get along great. Once he asked me about my opinion on something in the Bible and I asked him if he wanted my personal thoughts on the matter or how I felt a Christian should parse it. He couldn't care less about my religious beliefs, he just says I seem like a good person and always treated him well and never judged him on the past, just the man he is today.

Others have told me they were worried about my soul. My answer was "That makes one of us. Thanks for your concern."

If someone has so little of a foundation in themselves that they get all hot and bothered about what *I* think when I don't go around bothering them with it or telling them, well, then they can go sit in the damn corner and cry me a river.

Having said that, when I am at a family gathering or something, I will often just keep silent on the matter because I don't want to answer 10000 questions or deal with it on what is supposed to be a friendly occassion. I will never join in the ultra Baptist praise Jesus stuff, I just say "Yes Aunt Mary, the potato salad IS delicious as always. You know I love the way you put pickles and mustard in it." In the back of my mind I am adding "And I would nail Jesus to a cross for a second helping" but I never actually say that.

Mainly because I want more potato salad. Baptist can throw down at a family cookout.

16

Why I am afraid to admit to being and atheist in real life in the US.

by JonathanH in

i live in the bible belt in the us, atheism is a major taboo.

on the internet i occasionally feel like atheism is normal and just another accepted demographic, but that's largely because i hang around places with lots of atheists.

then i see the other side.. this is an op ed article that atheist jerry coyne wrote today, it's on how you don't need god to be good.

EntirelyPossible

Where in the bible belt do you guys live? I also live in the BB and if someone doesn't like that I am an atheist, they can suck it hard.