Good job christians in Oklahoma. =(

[coldthrn]

I totally agree that we should help people because it is the right thing to do. I also agree you can do this and not have religion. However, for most religious people, good works and religion are tightly tied together. I think their needs to be some kind of proactive outreach to these people to prove this point to them. This is where humanitarian work among open non believers would set an example.

There is a perception about Atheist that we act just like the two fellows in the videos at the beginning and with good reason. Yes, they strongly disapprove but there actions are juvenile. Screaming fuck you, flipping over tables, spiting on people and letting your emotions get out of control may rally the people with like beliefs, but not persuade anyone with dissimilar beliefs that they are illogical. Conversely, this will make you look that the one that is illogical. When people do that to me, usually religious people, I stop listening and go into defense mode. I agree consciousness needs to be raised but I think perhaps this is not an efficient way of doing it.

Will, I don’t like the term missionary’s ether; I’m just trying to find a word for a good equivalent. These would be educators, doctors, lawmakers with high moral standards that are open about their non belief.

When you do confront the logic of religious people always respect the individual, however you do not have to respect their belief. Remember, they could possibly be the next person that could eventually agree with your logic.

 

[El_Gato]

Christians are most probably pro death penalty, so if termination of pregnancy is murder to them, so, death penalty for the woman. Yeah right.

Even Hitler was against termination of pregnancy, homosexuality, pornography... maybe that's why catholic church was so close to Hitler, Franco, etc. They are the same retrograde thinking.

Just because god loves killing babies, doesn't give you permission.

 

[James Murphy]

This is where humanitarian work among open non believers would set an example.

you may have missed the post from Will where he pointed out that in fact non-believers ARE... already... involved in humanitarian work on a grand scale... they just don't feel the need to couch that work within a framework of their lack of superstition. most people do not identify themselves by what they don't believe in... no, they are mostly identified and quantified in such a way be the people that do believe, and don't like it that there are those that don't.

atheists in particular, to varying degrees, embrace that label only in terms of struggling against the oppression, ignorance, and outright atrocity committed in the name of religion..... but in anything else in life, and very unlike religious types, they don't feel the need at ALL to identify themselves as someone who doesn't believe in a sky god any more than they feel the need to identify themselves as people who don't believe in wizards.

 

[coldthrn]

you may have missed the post from Will where he pointed out that in fact non-believers ARE... already... involved in humanitarian work on a grand scale... they just don't feel the need to couch that work within a framework of their lack of superstition. most people do not identify themselves by what they don't believe in... no, they are mostly identified and quantified in such a way be the people that do believe, and don't like it that there are those that don't.

atheists in particular, to varying degrees, embrace that label only in terms of struggling against the oppression, ignorance, and outright atrocity committed in the name of religion..... but in anything else in life, and very unlike religious types, they don't feel the need at ALL to identify themselves as someone who doesn't believe in a sky god any more than they feel the need to identify themselves as people who don't believe in wizards.

Maybe I'm wrong on this subject and being a free thinker I could say I stand corrected. I'm just thinking of more effective ways to raise consciousness. I think we can agree that the above tactics of screaming at people will never win your case. Letters to the senate, congress, and civilized open debates would be better option wouldn't you agree?

 

[El_Gato]

Maybe I'm wrong on this subject and being a free thinker I could say I stand corrected. I'm just thinking of more effective ways to raise consciousness. I think we can agree that the above tactics of screaming at people will never win your case. Letters to the senate, congress, and civilized open debates would be better option wouldn't you agree?

every debate is useful, many people is learning from this discussion to grow their own thinking.

From school to senate, every discussion, argue and position is useful for somebody.

 

[STINNETT]

...Letters to the senate, congress, and civilized open debates would be better option wouldn't you agree?

All of which are also currently happening and have been for a long time.

The Freedom From Religion Foundation is a good example of a well organized and supported entity taking on those sort of tasks.

 

[coldthrn]

All of which are also currently happening and have been for a long time.

The Freedom From Religion Foundation is a good example of a well organized and supported entity taking on those sort of tasks.

Didn't know about this. Great post.

 

[James Murphy]

Maybe I'm wrong on this subject and being a free thinker I could say I stand corrected. I'm just thinking of more effective ways to raise consciousness. I think we can agree that the above tactics of screaming at people will never win your case. Letters to the senate, congress, and civilized open debates would be better option wouldn't you agree?

there are times/places for both approaches

 

[Line666]

Maybe I'm wrong on this subject and being a free thinker I could say I stand corrected. I'm just thinking of more effective ways to raise consciousness. I think we can agree that the above tactics of screaming at people will never win your case.

If you're saying the above discussion potentially changed your way of thinking, then you can't really go on to deny the effectiveness of such discussions in the next sentence.

After all if this discussion perhaps made you see a new point of view it could be the same for anybody.

 

[CatharsisStudios]

not all athiest are usefull, aka me,

1. i don't care
2. i haven't donated to charities
3. there are thousands of religious believes that are smarter then me and more usefull

 

[Joematthews]

3. there are thousands of religious believes that are smarter then me and more usefull

And there are even more stupid, more useless people than you. No one is saying atheists are by nature good people, we're only saying that morality, kindness and faith are seperate things.

 

[uija]

Were you adopted? I have a few friends that were, and there were no problems. Babies generally aren't "in and out of foster homes" and a friend of mine told me "you don't miss what you never had". As I said, though... it's a sticky situation. 99% of abortions are not because of rape or health reasons. Irresponsibility is generally the reason.

Haha, you have no clue, what you are talking about. All you do is based on stuff your heard "from friends". I lost my dad right after birth, and damn, I miss him every fucking day.

 

[JBroll]

I just noticed that Mother Teresa was mentioned... that's a decent way to tell whether or not people talking about well-intentioned compassion have any idea what they're talking about - coldthrn, it looks like you have some reading to do.

Jeff

 

[SocialNumb]

Yup, Mother Teresa is an awful bitch.

 

[coldthrn]

I just noticed that Mother Teresa was mentioned... that's a decent way to tell whether or not people talking about well-intentioned compassion have any idea what they're talking about - coldthrn, it looks like you have some reading to do.

Jeff

Jeff, I am aware of Mother Teresa and her thoughts on suffering. I'm just giving an example of an archetype that non believers could benefit from. The closest thing we have is Sagan. We need more of them.

 

[coldthrn]

If you're saying the above discussion potentially changed your way of thinking, then you can't really go on to deny the effectiveness of such discussions in the next sentence.

After all if this discussion perhaps made you see a new point of view it could be the same for anybody.

I am already an agnostic so screaming profanity and insults didn't do anything for me. However Will posting organizations that we all can be apart of did.

 

[raybrochill]

Haha, you have no clue, what you are talking about. All you do is based on stuff your heard "from friends". I lost my dad right after birth, and damn, I miss him every fucking day.

my father died before I was born, so explain how I don't know what I'm talking about?

 

[GarethSE]

2. who the fuck are you to cast such a judgement to be little people who have faith in what they want to believe in

Faith - belief that is not based on proof

Santa Clause exists, injecting heroin is good for you and the holocaust never happened.

Who the fuck am I to cast judgement on those with "faith?" I'm just a guy who believes in science, who the fuck are you?

 

[drew_drummer]

We're all cunts, end of story.

 

[GarethSE]

drew we were meant to be
lets fuck