Quotes from Famous Freethinkers

[The serpent was right]

justagi wrote:

<quoted text><sigh> Have you never heard of "free will"? Were everything preordained, there would be no point in living. Look at it as a simple metaphor- You have speed limits, you have the yellow stripe down the middle of the road,exceeding the speed limit or ignoring the yellow line is a violation of the law, but you can still do it. Same thing- free will.

So what's so free about it?
Free means without cost. If there is a consequence, than it is not free. The bible never mentions "free will"

And yes, I know there is a consequence for things. That's life. That's why I don't get the whole "free will" thing. I always tell people, you are confusing freedom of choice with free will.

[Hidingfromyou]

justagi wrote:

<quoted text>Too easy. Now you're aruing for the sake of arguing. I undertand immigration and it's neccesity. My s-p-e-c-f-i-c point concerned i-l-l-e-g-a-l immigration, big difference. Less than 4% of illegals work in agriculture (GAO), while 33% of federal prisoners are illegals (Bureau of Prisons). We already import a sizeable amount of food from Central America. PS- only 26% of illegals are employed (GAO).

I'm sorry, I don't believe your figures. I looked up the percentage of illegals compared to citizens in prison and found much lower numbers. I've also read very different estimates of illegals working in agriculture.

[Reason Personified]

justagi wrote:

<quoted text>Doubtful- there's that "Thou shalt not kill"- thing we go by. Also, "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you".

Somewhere in the buybull is justification, for any action, that one might want to perpetrate, on another. Whether it be murder, rape, or even an act so hideous that even Satan would turn away from it, the god of the buybull will sanction it.

[Reason Personified]

justagi wrote:

<quoted text><sigh> Have you never heard of "free will"? Were everything preordained, there would be no point in living. Look at it as a simple metaphor- You have speed limits, you have the yellow stripe down the middle of the road,exceeding the speed limit or ignoring the yellow line is a violation of the law, but you can still do it. Same thing- free will.

Free will is an illusion, for biblically, everything is preordained. Can you do anything that your god is not expecting? Is there anyway that you can do anything other than what he has chosen, many millennia ago, that you will do?
There seems to be no point to you living, does there?

[Reason Personified]

“Faith and knowledge are related as the two scales of balance; when the one goes up, the other goes down.... The power of religious dogma, when inculcated early, is such as to stifle conscience, compassion, and finally every feeling of humanity.... For, as you know, religions are like glow worms; they shine only when it's dark. A certain amount of ignorance is the condition of all religions, the element in which alone they can exist.”
— Arthur Schopenhauer, Parerga and Paralipomena (1851),

[Reason Personified]

“Toward no crimes have men shown themselves so cold-bloodedly cruel as in punishing differences of belief.”
— James Russell Lowell, Literary Essays, Witchcraft, Vol. II, p. 374 (1891)

[Reason Personified]

“Is not the Church to-day a masculine hierarchy, with a female constituency, which holds woman in Bible lands in silence and in subjection? No institution in modern civilization is so tyrannical and so unjust to woman as is the Christian Church. It demands everything from her and gives her nothing in return.”
— Josephine K. Henry, letter responding to Frances Willard's praise of the bible. Published in the Appendix of The Woman's Bible, 1897.

[Reason Personified]

"Christianity is the enemy of liberty and civilization. It has kept mankind in slavery and oppression. The Church and the State have always fraternally united to exploit the people."
— August Bebel, quoted in The Common Cause, Vol. 1, edited by John R. Meader, 1912, p. 43

[Reason Personified]

“The question is, will the rest of America get fed up with fundamentalists before the fundamentalists and the Republican party get fed up with each other? And how much damage will they do before that happy day arrives?”
— Katha Pollitt, acceptance speech, "Freethought Heroine 1995," Freedom From Religion Foundation, Sept. 29, 1995

[-Skeptic-]

justagi wrote:

<quoted text><sigh> Have you never heard of "free will"? Were everything preordained, there would be no point in living. Look at it as a simple metaphor- You have speed limits, you have the yellow stripe down the middle of the road,exceeding the speed limit or ignoring the yellow line is a violation of the law, but you can still do it. Same thing- free will.

There's no point trying to lie about your Creationist god to us. You tried before and failed.

When nobody believed you, you started talking about your soldier credentials, which made everyone laugh.

That was cute, now its time to turn off your lies and stop spamming this forum with your failed and disproven Creationist neocon horsesh*t.

[Hedonist]

Thomas Jefferson:“Millions of innocent men, women, and children, since the introduction of Christianity, have been burnt, tortured, fined, and imprisoned; yet we have not advanced one inch toward uniformity. What has been the effect of coercion? To make one-half the world fools and the other half hypocrites. To support roguery and error all over the earth.”-- Notes on the State of Virginia, 1781-82

[Hedonist]

Benjamin Franklin:“Many a long dispute among divines may be thus abridged: It is so; It is not so. It is so; it is not so.”-- Poor Richard's Almanac, 1743

[Hedonist]

John Adams:“As I understand the Christian religion, it was, and is, a revelation. But how has it happened that millions of fables, tales, legends, have been blended with both Jewish and Christian revelation that have made them the most bloody religion that ever existed?”

[Hedonist]

James Madison:“Experience witnesseth that eccelsiastical establishments, instead of maintaining the purity and efficacy of Religion, have had a contrary operation. During almost fifteen centuries has the legal establishment of Christianity been on trial. What have been its fruits? More or less in all places, pride and indolence in the Clergy, ignorance and servility in the laity, in both, superstition, bigotry and persecution.”-- A Memorial and Remonstrance Against Religious Assessments, addressed to the Virginia General Assembly, June 20, 1785

[Hedonist]

Thomas Jefferson:“To compel a man to furnish contributions of money for the propagation of opinions which he disbelieves and abhors is sinful and tyrannical.”-- Statute for Religious Freedom, 1779

Thomas Jefferson:“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.”-- Notes on the State of Virginia, 1781-82

[Hedonist]

James Madison:“Every new & successful example of a perfect separation between ecclesiastical and civil matters is of importance.”

James Madison:“What influence, in fact, have ecclesiastical establishments had on society? In some instances they have been seen to erect a spiritual tyranny on the ruins of the civil authority; in many instances they have been seen upholding the thrones of political tyranny; in no instance have they been the guardians of the liberties of the people. Rulers who wish to subvert the public liberty may have found an established clergy convenient allies.”-- A Memorial and Remonstrance Against Religious Assessments, addressed to the Virginia General Assembly, June 20, 1785

[Hedonist]

"They say there's a Heaven for those who will wait
Some say it's better but I say it ain't
I'd rather laugh with the sinners than cry with the saints
The sinners are much more fun... "

~ Billy Joel

[Hedonist]

"If you don't want tax dollars helping the sick and poor, then it's time to stop saying you want a government based on Christian Values." ~ John Fugelsang

[KittenKoder]

" Man or woman wanted, preferably with a farm. Looks and age unimportant but must have a male donkey, two would be a bonus. Photography permissible, no money involved."
KittenKoder - on Seattle Craigslist

[The serpent was right]

KittenKoder wrote:

" Man or woman wanted, preferably with a farm. Looks and age unimportant but must have a male donkey, two would be a bonus. Photography permissible, no money involved."
KittenKoder - on Seattle Craigslist

It never fails. The theists are always bringing up animal sex. I guess it's just the way their minds work.