EAC: We're doing a good job!

[T.G.G. Moogly]

Funny.
That's exactly what I think in regards to the existence of God.
it's the default state. No invention required.

If it was the default state then the same religion would be found around the world, even among the uncontacted, isolated tribes.

It’s amazing how many flavors there are, isn’t it. A default state with hundreds of different values, LOL.

Lion is confusing the default state with the concept of default state.

 

[Elixir]

It’s amazing how many flavors there are, isn’t it. A default state with hundreds of different values, LOL.

Lion is confusing the default state with the concept of default state.

Religiosity once provided tribal survival advantages. Now it's a detrimental artifact.
One might say it's de fault of de state in which they were raised.

 

[Atheos]

Well if that's true you know who to blame.
Because everything I learned about atheism came from atheists themselves.

Not so fast, there, Lion.
That IMPLIES that you actually listen and hear what the atheists are saying, and there is abundant evidence that you do no such thing. No matter what an atheist says, you still use your own talking points, and they have not matured lo, these many years conversing with us.


So yes, we know who to blame, but it is not the atheists. We have watched what you do with the information given to you, and it's not the pitch that is bad, it's the catch.

Catch this.

https://www.conservapedia.com/Atheist_factions#Atheist_infighting_and_differences_in_ideology

This is so hilarious. Lion IRC claims that everything he learned about atheism came from atheists themselves, then when challenged on it points us to a religious website he's evidently studied to learn about what atheists think and do.

 

[Lion IRC]

Nice try.
That page is wall-to-wall quotes from prominent atheists.

 

[Keith&Co.]

Funny.
That's exactly what I think in regards to the existence of God.
it's the default state. No invention required.

If it was the default state then the same religion would be found around the world, even among the uncontacted, isolated tribes.

It’s amazing how many flavors there are, isn’t it. A default state with hundreds of different values, LOL.

Like English is the default language.

Among the children of English speakers...

 

[skepticalbip]

Nice try.
That page is wall-to-wall quotes from prominent atheists.

That page is a series of quote mines from atheists. In case you aren't familiar with quote mining, quotes could easily be mined from the Bible to make it sound like a pornographic novel.

 

[Rhea]

Nice try.
That page is wall-to-wall quotes from prominent atheists.

Christian apologists are so well known for fraudulently asserting claims "made by atheists" that they are no longer worth the time to even debunk.

Honestly,. Lion, you need to know this about your brethren. they LIE TO YOU about us ALL THE TIME.

If you continue to believe them, you become part of propagation of this false witness.
You may not be able to tell the difference, but god can.
As can the victims of those lies we know when the religionists have lied about us.

They do it ALL THE TIME and you swallow it hook, line and sinker, gleefully thinking of us as evil when you are instructed to do so.

 

[Lion IRC]

Nice try.
That page is wall-to-wall quotes from prominent atheists.

That page is a series of quote mines from atheists. In case you aren't familiar with quote mining, quotes could easily be mined from the Bible to make it sound like a pornographic novel.

Are you seriously going to insist that the atheists being quoted hold views opposite to the one entailed in those quotes?

There are some pretty lengthy quotes - many of which I recognise firsthand from the original time and context those remarks were made.

I was a front row spectator at the time RDF imploded and the sacked Mods scattered to Ratskep and Rationalia. PZ Myers was starting to talk about "deep rifts" long before I got thrown in the Pharyngula dungeon. I was visiting Daylight Atheism when Ebon Muse got married - in a Church. I've read a LOT of posts by a LOT of atheists everywhere from the Slymepit to Atheism Plus forum. From Undernet IRC to Graveyard of The Gods. From Freethought Forum to Talk Freethought Forum. (Plus a gazzillion notionally theist forums - fora)

Please don't try to make out as if those Conservapedia quotes are a distortion of the views of their source.

 

[southernhybrid]

There is a really good book entitled, "Atheism for Dummies" that religious people who have false notions about atheists should read. I heard the author speak several years ago, very interesting, dynamic speaker. He wrong the book to give non atheists an understanding of the history of atheism and the different variety of atheists, ie. humanists etc. I've read it and enjoyed it very much. The authors name is Dale McGowan. Of course, you do have to have an open mind if you read the book. I'm not sure that many of our Christian posters are capable of that, but I could be wrong.

 

[T.G.G. Moogly]

There is a really good book entitled, "Atheism for Dummies" that religious people who have false notions about atheists should read. I heard the author speak several years ago, very interesting, dynamic speaker. He wrong the book to give non atheists an understanding of the history of atheism and the different variety of atheists, ie. humanists etc. I've read it and enjoyed it very much. The authors name is Dale McGowan. Of course, you do have to have an open mind if you read the book. I'm not sure that many of our Christian posters are capable of that, but I could be wrong.

Lion does not know, nor does Lion interact personally with anyone who is non-religious or atheist. That much is obvious. Lion has no gay acquaintances, muslim, etc.

It's easy to demonize what one does not know except through fear, prejudice and stereotype.

 

[Worldtraveller]

That is a rather odd belief. Your god created you a sinful being and for that sinfulness will condemn you to eternal torment in hell.

a) God didn't create Adam and Eve sinful. They made the free choice.
b) God doesn't prevent sinners from regretting their sinful choices. He is willing to forgive.

What about the rest of humanity? They don't have a choice in the matter - they are born broken. God made us broken but he wants us to be perfect. And he will punish us for eternity if we behave the way he created us to behave. Do you really believe this shit? I don't think so.

And as we have discussed previously, even using your definition of an omniscient god, humans have no free will. Remember that conversation - where we figured out that your god couldn't be anything more than an automaton running a script that it has no power to change? The conversation where you tried to redefine omniscience, and still got your ass kicked so hard you had to run away crying? I bet you do!

Who created the fruit?

The funny thing about the allegory of the garden of eden is that it's all summed up so simply: Knowledge is bad. Learning is bad. Being ignorant is good.

So even if biblegod existed, fuck it. I'd rather explore and be curious.

 

[Worldtraveller]

Nice try.
That page is wall-to-wall quotes from prominent atheists.

That page is a series of quote mines from atheists. In case you aren't familiar with quote mining, quotes could easily be mined from the Bible to make it sound like a pornographic novel.

Parts of it are, basically.

 

[Lion IRC]

There is a really good book entitled, "Atheism for Dummies" that religious people who have false notions about atheists should read. I heard the author speak several years ago, very interesting, dynamic speaker. He wrote the book to give non atheists an understanding of the history of atheism and the different variety of atheists, ie. humanists etc. I've read it and enjoyed it very much. The authors name is Dale McGowan. Of course, you do have to have an open mind if you read the book. I'm not sure that many of our Christian posters are capable of that, but I could be wrong.

Atheism for dummies.
Great book title.

 

[Lion IRC]

Lion does not know, nor does Lion interact personally with anyone who is non-religious or atheist. That much is obvious. Lion has no gay acquaintances, muslim, etc.

It's easy to demonize what one does not know except through fear, prejudice and stereotype.

Look.
I know it's hard for you but how about you attempt the old-fashioned method of debate?

1. I say something about atheism which you think is false.
2. You provide evidence, logic, reasoning to demonstrate why my statement is false.

...or you can just keep on with the gutless ad hominem argument which does nothing for your intellectual integrity.

 

[Tom Sawyer]

There is a really good book entitled, "Atheism for Dummies" that religious people who have false notions about atheists should read. I heard the author speak several years ago, very interesting, dynamic speaker. He wrote the book to give non atheists an understanding of the history of atheism and the different variety of atheists, ie. humanists etc. I've read it and enjoyed it very much. The authors name is Dale McGowan. Of course, you do have to have an open mind if you read the book. I'm not sure that many of our Christian posters are capable of that, but I could be wrong.

Atheism for dummies.
Great book title.

Agreed. Just having the smart people be atheists causes us to become a little bit elitist. It would be good for us to have a few more morons on the team to help keep us humble.

 

[T.G.G. Moogly]

Lion does not know, nor does Lion interact personally with anyone who is non-religious or atheist. That much is obvious. Lion has no gay acquaintances, muslim, etc.

It's easy to demonize what one does not know except through fear, prejudice and stereotype.

Look.
I know it's hard for you but how about you attempt the old-fashioned method of debate?

1. I say something about atheism which you think is false.
2. You provide evidence, logic, reasoning to demonstrate why my statement is false.

...or you can just keep on with the gutless ad hominem argument which does nothing for your intellectual integrity.

So, my hypothetical observations were correct after all.

 

[SLD]

Let's get back to the Atheism Rising topic.

What else is rising?
Mental illness. Existential angst. Opioid addiction. Youth suicide. Nihilistic hedonism.
How about the level of civility in public discourse?

The fact that the world sucks now is a cause of people abandoning belief in God, not an effect of it. Both the lack of belief and the presence of mental illness have a common root, which is a growing awareness that we're fucked and nobody is going to save us.

The world has always sucked and is always falling apart. It’s a miracle though that we enjoy now long lives, insignificant infant mortality, and technological development is a miracle. Must be god. Listening to all the negativity about humans and our conditions what else could the answer be.

 

[southernhybrid]

There is a really good book entitled, "Atheism for Dummies" that religious people who have false notions about atheists should read. I heard the author speak several years ago, very interesting, dynamic speaker. He wrote the book to give non atheists an understanding of the history of atheism and the different variety of atheists, ie. humanists etc. I've read it and enjoyed it very much. The authors name is Dale McGowan. Of course, you do have to have an open mind if you read the book. I'm not sure that many of our Christian posters are capable of that, but I could be wrong.

Atheism for dummies.
Great book title.

Why do you think I suggested that YOU read it?

Seriously, perhaps you aren't aware that there is a series of books that are for people who don't know much about a particular subject. "Atheism for Dummies" was written for people who know little about the history of atheism, why and how people become atheists, various atheist philosophies, etc. The writer is very interesting and easy to read, but I seriously doubt you are open minded enough to bother to read it.

It actually would be nice to have intelligent discussions regarding why people are religious or why they are able to believe that religious mythology is factual. But, instead we have Christians and atheists that would rather talk over each other, or find minutia to argue about.

I mentioned the book because perhaps some lurker is interested in learning more about atheism and might enjoy an easy read about a topic that some of us find interesting. But, it's never too late to learn something new, Lion. Just sayin'.

 

[Lion IRC]

Do you seriously believe I need to read another book about atheism in order to really understand the topic?

I've read more AvT books, blogs, message board posts and listened to more podcasts/YouTubes by atheists than you've had hot dinners.

Seriously! Where is your evidence for the claim that all I really need is just a little bit more atheistsplaining?

 

[Lion IRC]

perhaps some lurker is interested in learning more about atheism and might enjoy an easy read...

Yeah because there such so much to learn about non-stamp collecting and the color baldness.