[Closed] Why are you atheists so angry?

When atheists start committing acts of terrorism, blowing people up

In the interests of getting banned, I shall point out that, among other terrorists/freedom fighters, the INLA, the Shining Path and sundry Asian groups are hardcore Marxists-Leninists or Maoists, doctrines noted for their rejection of religion.

Andy

Yeah, but its shagging dodgy hookers then shagging your partner thats the problem, innit?

It certainly is for the female partner, how do you square that?

I'm not angry. This IS my happy face.

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When atheists start committing acts of terrorism, blowing people up

I think you'll find that none of the major world religions promote or encourage any of these things.

They're the result of people/groups using religion as a front for their own agenda.

I think you'll find that none of the major world religions promote or encourage any of these things.

I think you will find that they all do. Many go into detail. Of course you choose to ignore this detail.

among other terrorists/freedom fighters, the INLA, the Shining Path and sundry Asian groups are hardcore Marxists-Leninists or Maoists, doctrines noted for their rejection of religion.

That's a tad disingenuous. Hitler was atheist too, of course. However, there's a difference between "terrorists who happen to also reject religion" and "terrorist who are terrorists in the name of atheism".

I'm not aware of any atheist terror movements; it's not a belief system which encourages suicide bombers, for example.

I think you'll find that none of the major world religions promote or encourage any of these things.

They're the result of people/groups using religion as a front for their own agenda.

Whilst this may be true, they're not exactly actively discouraging it either.

yes, everything is the pope's fault. everything is that one dimensional, so feel free not to use a condom in a country where aids is rife and blindly trust that anyone you sleep with is clean. that's faith.

I think you'll find that none of the major world religions promote or encourage any of these things.

They're the result of people/groups using religion as a front for their own agenda.

Plus most religions seem to be pretty intolerant of other religions. (might be old testement/back in the day, before we got all touchy feely inclusive, we're not like that anymore no siree).

Mcboo "militant" may be the wrong term, but I think you know what I mean. I dislike the smugness of Dawkins "I'll believe in your god if you can prove he exists". Faith is a personal thing, why should someone be called to account for something entirely personal to them?

[i]Try stretching before sleeping, kneel down next to your bed, clasp your hands together in front of your chest and stretch your neck muscles by gently rolling your head forward.....[/i]

😆

2.3 million children with hiv/aids in sub saharan africa. all of them dodgy hookers.

it's not a belief system which encourages suicide bombers, for example.

I am reasonably sure the Tamil Tigers use of suicide bombing wasn't motivated by religion.

Andy

Faith is a personal thing, why should someone be called to account for something entirely personal to them?

I'm about seven minutes into the OP's video now, I'm stop / starting it whilst I'm working. She's talking about how, in the US at least, people have lost custody battles purely on the grounds of being atheist. This is the sort of thing that needs "calling to account," not personal belief. That's now what we're talking about here.

Hitler was atheist too, of course

An oft quoted "fact" that is totally wrong. Hilter was most certainly a theist.

Faith is a personal thing

Well that's the problem right there isn't it?

Ever heard of evangelism? The missions? Preachy god botherers who stop you in the street to tell you that you'll burn in hell unless you believe?
Politicians who invoke religion to justify the harm they plan to inflict?

As soon as all religionists keep their 'faith' completely to themselves, perhaps the rest of us will stop challenging their pathetically irrational beliefs and mocking their credulity.

Deal?

Thomas Jefferson lived before Darwin, he struggled to make sense of the universe without a creator. Lets remind ourselves.

The legitimate powers of government extend to such acts only as are injurious to others. But it does me no injury for my neighbor to say there are twenty gods, or no god. It neither picks my pocket nor breaks my leg.

and

In every country and in every age, the priest has been hostile to liberty. He is always in alliance with the despot, abetting his abuses in return for protection to his own. It is easier to acquire wealth and power by this combination than by deserving them, and to effect this, they have perverted the purest religion ever preached to man into mystery and jargon, unintelligible to all mankind, and therefore the safer engine for their purposes.

and

Ridicule is the only weapon which can be used against unintelligible propositions. Ideas must be distinct before reason can act upon them; and no man ever had a distinct idea of the trinity. It is the mere Abracadabra of the mountebanks calling themselves the priests of Jesus

and finally referring to the University of Virginia in 1814

A professorship of theology should have no place in our institution

Mcboo "militant" may be the wrong term, but I think you know what I mean. I dislike the smugness of Dawkins "I'll believe in your god if you can prove he exists". Faith is a personal thing, why should someone be called to account for something entirely personal to them?

On the whole I agree, though I get slightly anxious if that person is in a position of power, and their personal faith has the potential to influence public policy.

gonefishin - yes, he was a staunch atheist who believed deeply in the catholic faith [url= http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adolf_Hitler#Religious_views ]so says the fount of all wisdom that is wikipedia (it must be true!)[/url]

2.3 million children with hiv/aids in sub saharan africa. all of them dodgy hookers.

I reckon you could trace all their infections could be traced back, fairly directly, to Dodgy Hookers though. So is it the popes fault, or not?

I'm about seven minutes into the OP's video now

I should point out that I'm far from being a hardcore atheist (given how the opinion seems on this forum, I'm probably less atheist than most on here!)

I am reasonable sure the Tamil Tigers use of suicide bombing wasn't motivated by religion.

TBH you're picking me up on a comment that was intended to be tongue in cheek; but again, your statement is disingenuous.

Just because they aren't motivated by religion doesn't mean that they are motivated by atheism. The Tamil Tigers were a political group, neither religion nor a lack of religion had anything to do with it.

Because of David Cameron and George Osbourne mainly.

Binners that a partcularly crap comment from you. Its not about dodgy hookers it is about unprotected sex.

...and yes the with regards to Catholics he does have a lot to answer for with his ridiculus and outdated rules.

Actually I think it might be useful to quote what somebody said on the thread where I found this video

My connection is too slow to watch the video, but I feel I should say a few words. I am not an Atheist. I am Christian. I am LDS (Latter Day Saint), AKA Mormon. I know Atheists get a lot of crap from religious people who damn them to hell and whatnot. I'd just like to say that it is flat out wrong to damn anyone to hell, or to judge anyone in that way. There are good people everywhere, regardless of religion. There are also bad people everywhere regardless of religion. And I simply do not agree with the idea that good people will be punished for not believing in something.

I guess the way I view things is that, whether you believe in the bible (or other religious doctrine) or not, it is not as important as living by its teachings. Love is what is important. Jesus' teachings of caring for and loving others, and staying humble is the most important thing. Even if you do not believe he existed, the teachings are still good. A person who loves others and lives as Christ did, that person will be truly happy, and people generally appreciate that type of character.

Please do not view my post as an attack on atheists. I am simply trying to say that I do not believe an atheist should be punished just because he or she is an atheist. Good people simply do not deserve that. and based on other people's posts, it sounds like this is kind of what the video is about.

sins of the father i suppose? that's not the pope's fault but what's wrong with being safe?

everything else is the pope's fault though.

An oft quoted "fact" that is totally wrong. Hilter was most certainly a theist.

Oh yeah.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adolf_Hitler%27s_religious_views

I struggle with long sentences, but I've skimmed it; seems he believed in a creator, but wasn't fond of 'the church' and organised religion.

aracer - Member
I should point out that I'm far from being a hardcore atheist (given how the opinion seems on this forum, I'm probably less atheist than most on here!)

There aren't any degrees of atheism - you either are or you aren't.

How you choose to express your opinion is, as always, the issue, no?

Since I've become Ummish I've found an inner peace.

You lot should try it, will definitely stop you being so angry.

Rusty, you missed my earlier post, perhaps. I'm an atheist. I just don't see why [b]anyone[/b], theist or atheist, should be trying to force their personal beliefs on anyone else. I've seen a couple of very theistic friends go through some very bad times, and their faith has been what kept them sane throughout. There have been times when I've envied them that level of belief, because put in the same scenario, I've got nothing. It's not enough to make me believe, but it's enough to make me think.

Religion and faith are two different things, and it's often not either that causes issues in the world, it's the misguided manipulation of the latter.

There aren't any degrees of atheism - you either are or you aren't.

Eh excuse me I think thats wrong thank you very much. You need to read The God Delusion.....on a scale of 1 to 7 where 1 is absolute faith and 7 is absolute disbelief, Hawkins puts himself at 6. ie he doesnt think there is a god but he cant prove there isnt and if anyone actually provides some evidence he'd be happy to accept it. Thats a perfectly moderate postion.

Its about cause and effect isn't it? Chicken and egg. So some lorry driver infects his wife and subsequent children with HIV because he had unprotected sex with her. I suspect most people, both inside and outside sub Saharan Africa, generally practice unprotected sex with their spouses.

The problem is created somewhat earlier on when the husband was shagging a dodgy hooker. To try and hold the catholic church responsible for that is a bit of a stretch, don't you think? I'm not 100% on the precise biblical interpretation, but I'd suspect the pope would rather he hadn't

[edited] CBA with this argument

Comment deleted - note to self: do not get involved in religious discussions online!

There aren't any degrees of atheism - you either are or you aren't.

Cobblers.

Belief is a sliding scale. Are all the 'believers' equal? Does the Christian who goes to church for weddings and funerals believe just as strongly as an archbishop? If that were true, all Christians would be members of the clergy.

Same with atheism. Some will have an open mind, some will have 'blind faith' should any evidence ever actually be presented, some will hedge their bets or recant on their deathbeds.

mcboo- doesn't that just make Hawkins agnostic verging on atheist?

To try and hold the catholic church responsible for that is a bit of a stretch, don't you think?

Why is unprotected sex so prevalent in SA, do we actually know?

(I could hazard a guess, and it's nothing to do with religion)

I've read the God Delusion and like it very much, thank you 😀

Just because I'm an atheist doest it mean I have to believe everything Dawkins writes?

I'm perfectly delighted to use my own mind to decide what I believe, thank YOU very much.

Surely blind belief and adherence to the subjective writings of others exactly the type of thing that we accuse religionists of?

I might abandon the term atheist and start calling myself a rationalist instead.
Pardon me if I disagree with Spinoza on a few minor points.

If that's ok with you.

The whole argument is inherently contradictory. Apparently everyone in SA is so devoutly Catholic that they adhere religiously to the churches views on contraception, yet choose to flagrantly disregard its teachings on shagging mucky hookers.

Does not compute, I'm afraid

(I could hazard a guess, and it's nothing to do with religion)

It is to do with poor sex education which is heavily influenced by Religeon. There may be cultural issues as well but its quite obvious that if the catholic church promoted protected safe sex the transfer of HIV and other STD's would be much reduced.

And lets drop the hooker argument is bollox (unless were also saying no to sex outside of wedlock ...which even then doesn't hold water). People may have many sexual partnerss throughout their life without ever being unfaithful.

There is nothing wrong with this - unless your a looney religeous nutter

30 seconds' googling would lead me to believe that the primary cause of the HIV epidemic in SA is nothing to do with religion, but rather entirely down to ignorance.

Random quote,

accurate knowledge about HIV and AIDS is poor. Of particular worry is the lack of knowledge regarding how to prevent sexual transmission of HIV. Across all age groups and sexes less than half of all people surveyed knew of both the preventive effect of condoms and that having fewer sexual partners could reduce the risk of becoming infected.

They're not avoiding condoms because of Catholicism, they're avoiding condoms because they don't know any better.

of course the cc or the pope isn't to blame for aids, but they could react to it with a bit more common sense. if i was the member of a group that supposedly had my best interests at heart, i'd like the leader to be a bit more pragmatic.

It is to do with poor sex education which is heavily influenced by Religeon

I'm not seeing that link. Sex education in schools is done outside of school hours, which means they're on the back foot to start with, and there's a shortage of trained teachers to provide it.

There's some interesting reading [url= http://www.avert.org/aidssouthafrica.htm#contentTable1 ]here[/url].

They're not avoiding condoms because of Catholicism, they're avoiding condoms because they don't know any better.

Led from the top:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/africa/4879822.stm

Zuma showered to avoid HIV

Mr Woppit - Member
I've managed to move from anger to a sort of pitying, derisory contempt...

Why? Why not just get on with your own life, and stop worrying about what other people do?

Or do you genuinely need to have something in your life to make you feel superior to others? Cos let's face it, that's what it's about really, in't it? An insecure person with feelings of inadequacy needs to put others down in order to feel better about themselves.

Many atheists just come across like this to me:

[i]'There's is no God. Do you hear me? There is no God! NO GOD I TELL YOU! LISTEN TO ME I NEED ATTENTION! Please listen to me....'[/i]

Why not take up a constructive hobby instead of getting all worked up? This could help you feel better about yourself, help you gain a sense of self-worth, that there is in fact value in your own existence.

Lots of traditional crafts are sadly dying out. Why not take up something that's not poppluar these days, keep the old crafts alive?

Ooh, I dunno; something like stained glass window making or stone carving or something?

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Just a couple of examples. You could do your own designs of course.