Bill Maher's Religulous

[STINNETT]

That guy is a bumbling idiot.

I've been horribly discriminated against for being an atheist...and the worst part is that it can be incredibly hard to find someone to appeal to who will be neutral.

I used to work with a Christian fanatic. He realized that I wasn't religious (I never even used the term "atheist"), and he attacked me for it every chance he got. My mere presence offended him. He would turn in complaints when I hadn't even spoken to him. The executives were of course all Christians and had to put on a good Christian image for everybody - so they assumed the guy had legitimate complaints and they chastised me for religious bigotry and all sorts of other crap.

I was a religious "bigot" simply because I was in the same room with a Christian and I wasn't one. Seriously.

I was nearly fired - but I guess a couple of coworkers caught wind of it and took up for me. I quit anyway.

There is a stigma attached to the non-religious and particularly to anyone who claims to be an atheist and it frustrates me to no end.

 

[Chryst Krispies]

I'm an Atheist and I say it all the time. No one ever really strikes up any shit with me...

 

[STINNETT]

I'm an Atheist and I say it all the time. No one ever really strikes up any shit with me...

I live in Kentucky.

 

[Chryst Krispies]

I live in Kentucky.

Well then hahah. Can't help you there bud!

I went down south once a couple summers ago and I couldn't believe how much they love JEEBUS down there haha.

 

[abyssofdreams]

And like so many discussions before this one, the central issue has been more or less boiled down to its simplest elements, the layers of misunderstanding and redirected attentions have been largely dealt with and peeled away; we're left with a simple question - a simple exercise of human reasoning......

....and everybody has decided they're tired of talking about it.

A lot of people treat debates such as these as annoyances. I don't get that.
Debate is healthy, it tests our mental abilities and sharpens our perceptions of things. I look forward to an opportunity to question my own reasoning and decide if it still makes sense. If my mind gets changed in the process it's a victory for me, not a loss....
By the way, I'm not participating in this as a means of criticizing other people or their beliefs or to run pointless issues into the ground. Issues like these are important to me. The social perception of atheism is important to me. That my stance is built upon sound logic is important to me.

By the way, I've challenged several people to prove to me otherwise - and nobody has done it yet.

Still the case.

So it's a win-win situation for you or don't you believe it's also a victory to feel that you simply might be right? I mean, for me an agnostic person who claims that he doesn't have definitive knowledge to any existence of god(s)... I couldn't debate that unless I would be a superreligious type who fears his beliefs are being attacked.

On the other hand I believe this topic is worth debating but it's hard to keep on track when lots of people chime in and start to misinterpret things or if it gets to a personal level and it results in being less objective which happens all the time...

 

[STINNETT]

So it's a win-win situation for you or don't you believe it's also a victory to feel that you simply might be right? I mean, for me an agnostic person who claims that he doesn't have definitive knowledge to any existence of god(s)... I couldn't debate that unless I would be a superreligious type who fears his beliefs are being attacked.

On the other hand I believe this topic is worth debating but it's hard to keep on track when lots of people chime in and start to misinterpret things or if it gets to a personal level and it results in being less objective which happens all the time...

I agree, and I don't necessarily want to debate against agnosticism as a position, it's just that when I hear the so called agnostics insisting that atheism is just as ridiculous or arrogant as theism, I can't be silent on that one.

 

[James Murphy]

And like so many discussions before this one, the central issue has been more or less boiled down to its simplest elements, the layers of misunderstanding and redirected attentions have been largely dealt with and peeled away; we're left with a simple question - a simple exercise of human reasoning......

....and everybody has decided they're tired of talking about it.

A lot of people treat debates such as these as annoyances. I don't get that.
Debate is healthy, it tests our mental abilities and sharpens our perceptions of things. I look forward to an opportunity to question my own reasoning and decide if it still makes sense. If my mind gets changed in the process it's a victory for me, not a loss....
By the way, I'm not participating in this as a means of criticizing other people or their beliefs or to run pointless issues into the ground. Issues like these are important to me. The social perception of atheism is important to me. That my stance is built upon sound logic is important to me.

By the way, I've challenged several people to prove to me otherwise - and nobody has done it yet.

Still the case.

sorry man... it just comes off like you're more interested in "winning" than having a reasonable debate. i guess i'll just have to apologize for not being an atheist.... but that doesn't mean you aren't. i'm agnostic... that doesn't mean you are. what ever happened to live and let live. i don't require to justify or debate my stance to you to feel that my "logic is sound". i see no good reason for me to engage you or anyone else in fruitless games of semantics, that's all... that's why i opted out of the discussion earlier. not because i was sitting on any fence. those "fence" comments were nothing more than bait to draw me back into the discussion.

s'all good man, i do understand your motivation better now... i just don't need to be a part of it because i'm old enough now that i've already debated my position to my own satisfaction many times in life, and have no need to revisit it again right now (though i may decide to at some point), especially when i've already tired of the rhetoric being layed out in the discussion here.

That guy is a bumbling idiot.

I've been horribly discriminated against for being an atheist...and the worst part is that it can be incredibly hard to find someone to appeal to who will be neutral.

I used to work with a Christian fanatic. He realized that I wasn't religious (I never even used the term "atheist"), and he attacked me for it every chance he got. My mere presence offended him. He would turn in complaints when I hadn't even spoken to him. The executives were of course all Christians and had to put on a good Christian image for everybody - so they assumed the guy had legitimate complaints and they chastised me for religious bigotry and all sorts of other crap.

I was a religious "bigot" simply because I was in the same room with a Christian and I wasn't one. Seriously.

I was nearly fired - but I guess a couple of coworkers caught wind of it and took up for me. I quit anyway.

yikes, rough story. it's amazing how christians treat non-christians worse than they treat criminals.

There is a stigma attached to the non-religious and particularly to anyone who claims to be an atheist and it frustrates me to no end.

well, then maybe you should be able to understand my frustration. at a certain point, a desire to debate becomes indistinguishable from an annoyance (your word) to those that are happy with their position and don't feel the need to engage anyone about it further. intellectually i can easily discriminate between the two, but once ennui for the subject sets in, the net result is apathy. you've mistaken my apathy toward continuing the discussion as either ignorance or indecisiveness. it's not. it's boredom.

all the best in your pursuit of self-knowledge though. been there, done that.... and my condolences for your geographic handicap. here in Florida i'm not much better off in that regard.

i'm gonna cut and run here.... though my guess is you'll find some way to try to continue by making some "fence" related remark. not gonna bite though.



ps.

...when I hear the so called agnostics insisting that atheism is just as ridiculous or arrogant as theism, I can't be silent on that one.

you're right man...claiming to absolutely know that god does not exist is far more reasonable than claiming to absolutely know that god does exist. i mean, how could anyone debate that logic??

 

[SocialNumb]

Crap, I should have copied it. J/K Are you sure you want to ditch this convo? I have some candy.

 

[James Murphy]

back OT....

Religulous rules.... GO SEE IT!

 

[abyssofdreams]

Fuck, it's not scheduled for theaters in germany
Guess I'd have to wait for the DVD...

 

[STINNETT]

No more fence remarks, I can respect your position.

The primary reason I engaged in this was because of the remarks made by Mordoth and Metaltastic early in the thread. It was frustrating, and I suppose that sort of spilled over into everything else I had to say.

I do appreciate the engagement, however, and I have a lot of respect for people who will take part in one intelligently.

 

[TravisW]

I saw it, and as a propaganda piece it's okay. Generally, it's funnier than most of Maher's commentary has been for the past 10 or so years. I can't speak to the people intereviewed for other religions, but the majority of the Christians represented were generally a fairly extreme segment (Bible-Belt protestant types) who seemed ill-equipped to give directions to a nearby 7-11 much less engage in a theological discourse. But, it was generally entertaining, albeit essentially preaching to the choir. At the end, the levity was broken up by an attempt at being poignant that seemed to be tacked on to the rest of the film. If you're an atheist, agnostic, or Christian who can handle some criticism; you'll probably enjoy it at some level.

I'd wait for the DVD, though--movie tix are expensive.

 

[SocialNumb]

WARNING don't know if safe for work. It's pretty nasty so follow link at your own risk.
Religious Lady Has Miscarrage and Keeps It.
http://www.documentingreality.com/forum/f149/religious-lady-has-miscarrage-keeps-9496/
:zombie:

 

[STINNETT]

WARNING don't know if safe for work. It's pretty nasty so follow link at your own risk.
Religious Lady Has Miscarrage and Keeps It.
http://www.documentingreality.com/forum/f149/religious-lady-has-miscarrage-keeps-9496/
:zombie:

I don't even want to read about something like that...much less see it.

you're right man...claiming to absolutely know that god does not exist is far more reasonable than claiming to absolutely know that god does exist. i mean, how could anyone debate that logic??

You snuck that one in there with an edit....
Just for the record, I never claimed to absolutely know anything. I think I was pretty clear about that, and being an atheist doesn't mean that you feel that way.

 

[SocialNumb]

It is disturbing, specially the kids holding it.

 

[drew_drummer]

Sorry for the bump.. but here in London, there has been a campaign as part of the humanist movement to have an advert put on busses that says "There probably is no god, so stop worrying and enjoy yourself" or words to that effect. I thought it was a pretty decent thing to happen.

I feel bad for people in America, because they left this shithole hundreds of years ago to escape religious persecution, and it seems they actually took it with them! In the UK, no one really listens to religious people... they're generally crazy tramps on the street. Most normal religious people keep it to themselves and don't force it down other people's throat.

 

[Metaltastic]

It does depend on where you are; there are always areas that are more liberal or more conservative, the entire country isn't backwoods gun-toting yokels (as some seem to think) - but I agree we seem to have an especially large population of bible-humpers

 

[Chryst Krispies]

It does depend on where you are; there are always areas that are more liberal or more conservative, the entire country isn't backwoods gun-toting yokels (as some seem to think) - but I agree we seem to have an especially large population of bible-humpers

Most of those more liberal places are still loaded with bible-sluts. Let's not kid ourselves.

 

[James Murphy]

"I feel bad for people in America, because they left this shithole hundreds of years ago to escape religious persecution, and it seems they actually took it with them!"

drew... i'm using this quote... coming from a UK citizen it's pure gold ordinance for me to deploy in religious "discussions".