Atheist Census

[M Swanson]

How you draw a comparison between Monty Python's Flying Circus and the Puritan's and keep a straight face is beyond me Rheg.

[cptdodger]

I have never made fun of, or belittled people who are religious. In my opinion atheism is not a religion (this from wikipedia - "Atheism is, in a broad sense, the rejection of belief in the existence of deites. In a narrower sense, atheism is specifically the position that there are no deities. Most inclusively, atheism is simply the absence of belief that any deities exist. Atheism is contrasted with theism, which in its most general form is the belief that at least one deity exists")

Whether this article - http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/2013...n_2423590.html is a spoof or not, it appears these people are not out to do anybody any harm -

"It is championed as chance for disillusioned former believers, nostalgic atheists and anybody searching for a sense of community, to meet and "turn good intentions into action."

With the tag line 'live better, help often, wonder more' the brainchild has the pastoral aims of provoking kindness and encouraging people to volunteer in their local community"

I can't see how that's a bad thing.

[Rheghead]

How you draw a comparison between Monty Python's Flying Circus and the Puritan's and keep a straight face is beyond me Rheg.

I wasn't, quite the opposite. You misunderstood or chose to mock.

[M Swanson]

Serious question, Rheg. Do you do humour, at all?

[Rheghead]

Serious question, Rheg. Do you do humour, at all?

Yes i do humour, but humour doesn't convey too easily in a forum like this. I'm always pulling people's legs about all sorts of stuff. Then you get the occasions when someone throws their toys out the pram (which is the real object of the exercise) because they can't take a joke and they try to do the 'shame thing'. I think here we go again.

[M Swanson]

It does if you take heed of the smilies, Rheg. I try my best to signal a humourous post, by using them as much as possible. It does help ........ or should. Would I be right in thinking you don't employ them very often, because herein may lie your problem?

[gaza]

It does if you take heed of the smilies, Rheg. I try my best to signal a humourous post, by using them as much as possible. It does help ........ or should. Would I be right in thinking you don't employ them very often, because herein may lie your problem?

OOOOooooooOOOOo You are a pusher MS SWANSON

[M Swanson]

Well, I've read and listened to quite a few things Dawkins has to say and have concluded that the sheer arrogance of this wannabe is astounding. He is abusive to those who believe in God on the grounds that His existence can't be proven and yet doesn't expect any of us to disbelieve what he says, despite it not being proven by science, or anything else. He actually goes as far as to say, believers in God don't believe, because he knows there isn't one and 2.1 billion people are deluding themselves. That, for me, is the greatest delusion of all. Have a listen to him being outed for the arrogant, deluded, bully, I believe he is.

Dawkins HUMILIATED by a Christian! - YouTube

[Trajan]

Most Christian believer's have been preached the Bible and its God. Some believe just because they want to belong and that it is deemed to be socially fashionable.
When it comes to the selected, controversial C&Vs of the Bible, many believers would declare something like: "I would not believe Bible controversy even if the controversy were true."
An expressed belief is a psychological projection, an attempt to will something into reality.
Many expressed beliefs – when measured against reality - are simply lies.
A lie is an expressed attempt to project something that is not real or factual into reality to produce a desired and manipulative effect on others.
Although the selected, controversial Bible C&Vs exist in the believer's Bible, believers intentionally remain intellectually ignorant and emotionally resistant to their content and meaning.
The question is why? Why are believers resistant to know the content of these selected, controversial Bible C&Vs?
How about: God can't be wrong? Believer's can't be wrong about their God?
But, many stories in the Bible cannot be true.
The controversial C&Vs are included in their Bible for all to see - aren't they? Believers believe their Bible - don't they?
The horrors and murderous deeds that the Bible God did are documented by C&V throughout The Old Testament.
Young minds receive this "holy" information and are religiously trained that God is good and that all of God's murdering is righteous, just, fair, necessary and good. It's God's will.

Believers personally experience the righteous deaths of millions at God's hand and then believers praise God for his power and for His murderous deeds. The Human conscientiousness becomes morally compromised. The Human value system unknowingly becomes distorted and biased. The believer consciously and unconsciously learns to praise the murderous God at all costs and to hate what he or she is told to hate.
Because of what God did in the Bible, when exposed, believers experience dilemma and psychological trauma.
The biggest source of Biblical "truth" comes to believers from clergy - not the Bible. Most clergy cherry-pick the C&Vs of the Bible.
The true source of C&V "fact" comes from contradictory Bible C&Vs - not from clergy.
For some deep thinkers, who do question the Biblical God and His Bible, it is not unreasonable to become an Atheist.
Why do believers resist selected, controversial Bible C&V information - the documentation that what the murderous God did is true? Collectively, as a nation, we succumb to the peer pressure of zealous, might-makes-right, you are either with me or against me, believers. "If you don't believe - you will go to Hell!"
As Humans, we each have a world view that is persistently drilled into us by religion, dictated by clergy, parents, our environment and by surrounding believers.
The murderous Bible C&Vs show the murderous God to not be a good God. Yet, believers resist these documented Bible C&Vs as if they were not true. When believers receive information that does not conform to their programmed world view, they respond in denial, avoidance, righteous indignation, hostility. Why?
First the believer is programmed that God is good and perfect in every way. Then, some Atheist exposes Bible C&V evidence that proves that God is murderous and evil. The C&V evidence proves that God is not perfect, not good - in fact - evil.
God's murders makes many believers view situational murder to be correct, righteous and good.
Upon being confronted with this blasphemous information, the believer starts to feel confused, uncomfortable and vulnerable.
They resent the messenger who exposed these controversial Bible C&Vs to them. Why? They believe the whole Bible - don't they?
Fundamental Biblical criticism presents selected, controversial C&V facts that God is not good. For the believer, exposing these controversial C&Vs creates believer fear and anxiety. Instead of the believer debating these C&Vs, this confrontation can lead him or her into lashing out with hostility. Authoritative denial usually kicks in. Confused believers don't know what to think. They want to believe. Perspective: Left brain and Ego cannot be wrong. When confronted, anger and an irrational attack mode becomes a priority. Many believers feel as if their ego's mind-set, belief-supported authority has been defiled. The believer's desire to question and to think shuts down. Believer vengeance becomes a priority. Most believers just deny any deviation from their mind-set belief and move on with their lives. They deny any new evidence and stick to their original story. Believers then wait to when they feel their ego is back in charge. Believers do not want to be open-minded. Believers want to be right.

Believer's want their beliefs to be their mental and emotional "home" and they, like vicious junk-yard dogs, will territorially protect their "home" at all costs. Don't mess with me! Don't mess with my home! Do not defy my assumed authority! The more well-researched and accurate the debate facts are, the more sick, emotional and angry the mind-set believer becomes. The mind-set beliefs seek clergy support to reinforce their remaining correct, and by disregarding, denying and avoiding any evidence to the contrary.
Many believers have not based their beliefs on the Bible's controversial C&Vs. They bought the feel-good dogma of clergy. Once established and committed to - they don't feel compelled to seek the Bible C&Vs that would disrupt their beliefs. Most reluctantly glance at "The God Murders" website and then run - never to return. They would never educate themselves nor educate others as to what the Bible documents in contrast to their feel-good mind-set beliefs. For the mind-set believer to consider that God is evil causes mental and emotional pain. Righteous denial and avoidance becomes the pattern. For a believer to allow their beliefs in God to be destroyed severely alters their view of the world they live in. They could react as if it was frightening beyond their ability to cope.
Feel-good believers do not want to know the controversial C&V truth in fear that they would lose their identity. If the new information would prove to be true, they fear that their world would become too different and too confusing and scary to cope with. Their strength would become weakness. As long as they have faith and believe - and not know - they cannot be wrong.
Beliefs keep believer's from looking at the evidence that destroy their beliefs.
Empirically educated people say: Show me the evidence and, if convincing, I will change my mind.
Believer's insist: This is the way God works. What I am told to believe - I believe. The controversial Bible C&V evidence does not fit into what I have committed to and decided. So, I don't need to look at the evidence because what I already believe is right.

[Rheghead]

Well, I've read and listened to quite a few things Dawkins has to say and have concluded that the sheer arrogance of this wannabe is astounding. He is abusive to those who believe in God on the grounds that His existence can't be proven and yet doesn't expect any of us to disbelieve what he says, despite it not being proven by science, or anything else. He actually goes as far as to say, believers in God don't believe, because he knows there isn't one and 2.1 billion people are deluding themselves. That, for me, is the greatest delusion of all. Have a listen to him being outed for the arrogant, deluded, bully, I believe he is.

Dawkins HUMILIATED by a Christian! - YouTube

If your belief isn't shaken by Dawkins then you will have no problem with him. You doth protest too much.

[rob1]

Well, I've read and listened to quite a few things Dawkins has to say and have concluded that the sheer arrogance of this wannabe is astounding. He is abusive to those who believe in God on the grounds that His existence can't be proven and yet doesn't expect any of us to disbelieve what he says, despite it not being proven by science, or anything else. He actually goes as far as to say, believers in God don't believe, because he knows there isn't one and 2.1 billion people are deluding themselves. That, for me, is the greatest delusion of all. Have a listen to him being outed for the arrogant, deluded, bully, I believe he is.

Dawkins HUMILIATED by a Christian! - YouTube

Oh the irony! Jesus went out and spent most of his adult life doing public speaking, telling people how to live their lives, how to think, how to love and serve god in a perticular way and even claimed to be the son of god. How much more arrogent can you get!

Dawkins is far from deluded. He is a man of science and as such requires good, solid evidance before making a conclusion. Religion stems from early humans wondering why the sun rises each morning, why there are eclipse, earthquakes etc. They has a hypothesis that someone was responsible - that evolved into more complex religions which suppressed scientific advancment the results were showing evidance to the contrary of the religion. The thing is we know why the sun rises in the morning, we know why there are eclipses earthquakes, tsunamis, volcanic eruptions and much more and "god" does not feature anywhere. Dawkins simply finds it staggering that people still believe in gods when the evidence that has been gathered to show how we came to be and how our planet works fails to support the hypotheis of a supreme being.

I watched the clip. Can't seem to find the bit where Dawkins is "HUMILIATED". Dawkins has a point - he asked people who claimed to be christian about the bible and being christian. What he found was the a good number of those "christians" didn't know many of the things that are fundamental to the christian faith. Its like saying you are a man u fan but not being able to name the players or manager or anything significant about their history - your not realy a fan after all are you?

[cptdodger]

I have spent my entire life around religious people, I had to do RE at school, I joined a church choir (Episcopalian) because my friend had joined, and spent years singing at services (twice a week, and two, sometimes three times on a Sunday, also Christmas Eve, if it fell on a Sunday was four services) To be honest I have probably spent more time in Church than a lot of people on this thread, religious or not. I did'nt believe in God then, and I do'nt now. I have never knocked any religious people I mixed with, or the religious people I am related to. Having said that, I will shut the door in Jehovah Witness's faces, anybody that will let their child die in the name of religion does not deserve any respect at all, and I will treat them accordingly. My father worked with someone who very nearly lost his son due to that, had the boys mother not stepped in he would be dead now. That man lost everything, his wife, his three children due to his faith. Is somebody's faith worth the life of a child ? I think not.

[M Swanson]

If your belief isn't shaken by Dawkins then you will have no problem with him. You doth protest too much.

Ah! I see, Rheg. Heads Dawkins wins; tails God loses! If I research Dawkins and publish my findings, I'm wrong about him and it's shaken my faith that I should need to do so in the first place. And if I don't then I'm in denial, because my faith is shaky and you've outed me, huh? Whilst the truth is, that my beliefs and faith haven't changed one iota as a result of subscribing to this debate. But, I know very much more about the current Messianic God Botherer, Dawkins and his twisted irrational thought process. What more can I say about a man who believes God may exist; believes in Jesus, calls for help from 'God' when he's in a hole he can't dig himself out of, (does it time and again) and sings hymns as he attends to his toiletries.

I have spent my entire life around religious people, I had to do RE at school, I joined a church choir (Episcopalian) because my friend had joined, and spent years singing at services (twice a week, and two, sometimes three times on a Sunday, also Christmas Eve, if it fell on a Sunday was four services) To be honest I have probably spent more time in Church than a lot of people on this thread, religious or not. I did'nt believe in God then, and I do'nt now. I have never knocked any religious people I mixed with, or the religious people I am related to. Having said that, I will shut the door in Jehovah Witness's faces, anybody that will let their child die in the name of religion does not deserve any respect at all, and I will treat them accordingly. My father worked with someone who very nearly lost his son due to that, had the boys mother not stepped in he would be dead now. That man lost everything, his wife, his three children due to his faith. Is somebody's faith worth the life of a child ? I think not.

Another good, fair post Cpt and I agree with you about JW's, for the same reason as you have given. I think not, too!

[ducati]

Why the obsession with Dawkins? He doesn't represent any but his own views. Personally, I think he is a bit of a prat. Why else would you pliss off such a lot of people?

[Flynn]

Well, I've read and listened to quite a few things Dawkins has to say and have concluded that the sheer arrogance of this wannabe is astounding. He is abusive to those who believe in God on the grounds that His existence can't be proven and yet doesn't expect any of us to disbelieve what he says, despite it not being proven by science, or anything else. He actually goes as far as to say, believers in God don't believe, because he knows there isn't one and 2.1 billion people are deluding themselves. That, for me, is the greatest delusion of all. Have a listen to him being outed for the arrogant, deluded, bully, I believe he is.

Dawkins HUMILIATED by a Christian! - YouTube

Yawn.


http://whyevolutionistrue.wordpress....wkinss-fumble/

[M Swanson]

Well, I can't speak for the obsessives, only for myself, Ducati. I don't see anything wrong in defending my beliefs when they are challenged by somebody, who uses science as a weapon to enforce and validate their views. Especially, when he doesn't have the evidence to back them up. On this thread, there is an overwhelming number of atheists, who are not afraid to challenge God and religion. Why should a couple of Christians not be able to do the same? Who is "plissing off, anyone? And in what way?

[Trajan]

the thing is m swanson you dont defend your beliefs, i use your own kjv bible as a tool to validate my views,not science but the bible, but you just ignore my posts, and why should anyone be AFRAID to challenge gods and their murderous religions, lmfao, your implying we all should be afraid of your bogey man in the sky,
did your god murder anyone in the bible , you know he did, millions of them,
as they say yee cannae educate pork. lol

[Rheghead]

What sort of twisted god creates a parasite which burrows itself into the eye of a 3 year old girl?

[Alrock]

the thing is m swanson you dont defend your beliefs, i use your own kjv bible as a tool to validate my views,not science but the bible, but you just ignore my posts, and why should anyone be AFRAID to challenge gods and their murderous religions, lmfao, your implying we all should be afraid of your bogey man in the sky,
did your god murder anyone in the bible , you know he did, millions of them,
as they say yee cannae educate pork. lol

You're wasting your time, it's called "Blind Faith" for a reason.... They just turn a blind eye towards anything that counters their belief & just ignore it. Instead they just attack those that question it. That would be a bit like Atheists basing their argument against religion purely by doing a character assassination of Billy Graham.

[Trajan]

i aint wasting time alrock , i am just quoting from the bible the torah and the koran, and its more for people who dont really understand how evil the abrahamic religions really are