Don't dictate beliefs

[The serpent was right]

derek4 wrote:

<quoted text>
Atheists hate God.
Now it's your turn to say the opposite.
When you're finished, it will be my turn to repeat myself.
We can keep this going about 8 years.

Of course you would have to simply repeat what you said, as you have no way of backing it up.

I on the other hand can use common sense. A concept that is obviously not available to you.

[The serpent was right]

derek4 wrote:

The Religion of Atheism
Some Atheists recoil at the claim that Atheism is a religion and consider the notion absurd. Many would consider Atheism the antithesis of religion. Maybe you’ve heard such remarks as,“If Atheism is a religion then bald is a hair color.”
[Poster's insert: Yes, we have – Hedonist took credit for that without mentioning he grabbed it from a “mold” and without attributing it to the real author.]
It is a false analogy that asserts all religions are defined by a belief in a deity which we know is inaccurate because of such religions as Unitarian Universalists, Taoists or Buddhists.
Nonetheless, how is it that we can purchase ‘The Good Book: A Humanist Bible’ that includes their own version of the ‘Ten Commandments’ or attend The First Church of Atheism with services provided by an ordained Atheist minister but we can’t buy a box of hair color called bald?
[LOL]
continued:
The ‘New Atheism’ is placing faith in the belief that there is no God. Their belief system is based on science and philosophy. The ‘New Atheists’ use this belief system to interpret and relate to the world around them, defining their worldview as an overall perspective of life and the universe.
Atheists are known to have their own prophets like Charles Darwin, Friedrich Nietzsche, Ludwig Feuerbach, Vladimir Lenin, Karl Marx, or Voltaire.
They have their own preachers such as Christopher Hitchens, Richard Dawkins, Sam Harris, and Daniel Dennett among others. Through their work these men are aggressively seeking to convert others.
Atheists have orthodoxy as they believe everything is unintentional, uninspired happenstance
via evolution. They base their beliefs on the ever changing developments of scientific scrutiny.
[Yes, atheism is a religion...]
continued:
http://stevedeace.com/news/the-religion-of-at...
“The ‘New Atheism’ is placing faith in the belief that there is no God. Their belief system is based on science and philosophy.”
[And they are very devout to their religion.]

Incorrectly assigning attributes to atheism does not make your silly claim true.

But hey, keep showing your ignorance and dishonesty. Maybe eventually no one will believe you and laugh at your childish ignorance. Oh wait, that's happening now isn't it? lmao

[derek4]

The serpent was right wrote:

<quoted text>
Atheism is not a religion.
You lose again.

Maybe this will help you, lmao:

“First Atheist Church of True Science explains why atheism is a religion.”

Video in attached link is excerpt from an atheist sermon:

http://yourhappyplace.yuku.com/topic/54211/At...

[It's mostly all “double talk”- he's confused, as are most atheists - but the bottom line:“atheism is a religion”- he says it several times in his rambling rant, lol. So, there you have it from the very mouth of an atheist.]

[derek4]

Atheism is a religion.

Atheists even have their own bible:

From CNN:

Leading atheist publishes secular Bible


“The question arose early in British academic A.C. Grayling’s career: What if those ancient compilers who’d made Bibles, the collected religious texts that were translated, edited, arranged and published en masse, had focused instead on assembling the non-religious teachings of civilization’s greatest thinkers?

What if the book that billions have turned to for ethical guidance wasn’t tied to commandments from God or any one particular tradition but instead included the writings of Aristotle, the reflections of Confucius, the poetry of Baudelaire? What would that book look like, and what would it mean?

Decades after he started asking such questions, what Grayling calls “a lifetime’s work” has hit bookshelves.“The Good Book: A Humanist Bible,” subtitled “A Secular Bible” in the United Kingdom, was published this month. Grayling crafted it by using more than a thousand texts representing several hundred authors, collections and traditions.

The Bible would have been “a very different book and may have produced a very different history for mankind,” had it drawn on the work of philosophers and writers as opposed to prophets and apostles, says Grayling, a philosopher and professor at Birkbeck College, University of London, who is an atheist.

continued:

Determined to make his material accessible, Grayling arranged his nearly 600-page "Good Book" much like the Bible, with double columns, chapters (the first is even called Genesis) and short verses. And much like the best-selling King James Bible, which is celebrating its 400th year, his book is written in a type of English that transcends time.

Like the Bible, "The Good Book," opens with a garden scene. But instead of Adam and Eve, Grayling's Genesis invokes Isaac Newton, the British scientist who pioneered the study of gravity.

While many intellectual traditions – religious and otherwise – teach that there’s “one right way to live,” Grayling says he hopes “The Good Book” will encourage people to “go beyond your teachers, your text” to understand that “we have to respect and relate to one another.”
http://religion.blogs.cnn.com/2011/04/11/lead...

[His “bible” is the TRUE “pink unicorn” book of religious atheism; as false as all atheists are – filled with nothing but myths, lies, and dishonesty. It tells us all we need to know of the sham of atheism.]

[derek4]

The serpent was right wrote:

<quoted text>
Of course you would have to simply repeat what you said, as you have no way of backing it up.
I on the other hand can use common sense. A concept that is obviously not available to you.

Oh, I really don't have to repeat anything I said.

Here's something new fer 'ya, lol:

FROM: USA Today:

“First Atheist Church of True Science explains why atheism is a religion.”

“Bonus: church founded by atheist lawsuit king Michael Newdow”

http://www.fark.com/comments/6311079/First-At...

[derek4]

The serpent was right wrote:

<quoted text>
Atheism is not a religion. All your sad wishful thinking will not change that.
My kids are atheists, and the youngest doesn't even know what evolution is.
So much for that stupid idea huh?
As for the idiotic comparision of the absence of color(As when refering to light), and the color of your old car.... It just shows how utterly ignorant you are. LMAO!!!!

You lose. Not only is atheism a religion, it is an organized religion with their own churches.

You need to familiarize yourself with atheism and their religion. Better educate your kiddos, too - after all, you don't want them to turn out as ignorant as you, lol.

“First Church of Atheism”:

“With the First Church of Atheism you can become ordained quickly, easily, and at no cost.”

“As a legally ordained minister, you will be able to perform weddings, funerals, commitment ceremonies, and other functions that are reserved for members of clergy.”

“Get Ordained”

“Since its inception, the First Church of Atheism has amassed quite a following around the world. FCA ministers come from all walks of life. They are every race, ethnicity, age, and creed. The one thing binding every FCA minister is his or her belief in science, reason, and reality.”

“The First Church of Atheism wants you to pursue and cherish your realistic beliefs without interference from any outside agency, including government or church authority. We provide our service for free, as we believe it is every atheists right to perform these clergy functions.

You may become a legally ordained minister for life, without cost, and without question.

Donations are accepted but not expected. If we can raise enough money we can buy an actual church! Even a donation of $1 helps.”

http://firstchurchofatheism.com/

[derek4]

The Calgary Secular Church

“What is The Calgary Secular Church?

The Calgary Secular Church is the good parts of the Christian church, without the bad. We are a small group of a-religious or atheist people who want the community and celebration we used to have in our Christian (or Mormon) churches, but reject the superstition and faith espoused by our former haunts.

We have no dogma, but we do have an ethical and moral framework (based largely on Adam's writings) that is robust but open to challenge. This is a subtle but powerful advantage over non-churched atheists. While free thought is recommended, some people have no interest in completely re-analyzing their moral framework every time they leave the house. That's fine. The CSC provides a place where people who want to be ethical can benefit from the work of others in this area, where every little thing doesn't become an ordeal of self-analysis. Let us stand on the shoulders of giants.

How We Operate

The CSC meets the first Sunday of every month. As we grow this may change. We are rather informal (our first meeting was in an Italian bakery), but not unstructured. Meetings will have an orderly and predictable progression.

What We Aspire To

The following remarks are taken from a speech I gave at our inaugural meeting. They reflect my own intentions for the church, and are subject to change or modification by the other participants as we get going. However, I hope they will play a large role in the CSC's future.”

“Today we are going to save the world.”
http://bigthink.com/daylight-atheism/the-calg...

[derek4]

The serpent was right wrote:

<quoted text>
Incorrectly assigning attributes to atheism does not make your silly claim true.
But hey, keep showing your ignorance and dishonesty. Maybe eventually no one will believe you and laugh at your childish ignorance. Oh wait, that's happening now isn't it? lmao

There's a lot of egg on your face right about now, lol.

[derek4]

Re-posting part of my favorite about the churches and religion of atheism, lol:

First Church of Atheism:

“With the First Church of Atheism you can become ordained quickly, easily, and at no cost.”

“Since its inception, the First Church of Atheism has amassed quite a following around the world. FCA ministers come from all walks of life. They are every race, ethnicity, age, and creed. The one thing binding every FCA minister is his or her belief in science, reason, and reality.”

“The First Church of Atheism wants you to pursue and cherish your realistic beliefs without interference from any outside agency", blah, blah, blah ...

"Donations are accepted but not expected. If we can raise enough money we can buy an actual church! Even a donation of $1 helps.”

[Poster's insert: LMAO, they didn't waste any time getting to the money part.]

read more here:

http://firstchurchofatheism.com/

[derek4]

Here's another one, lol:

North Texas Church of Free Thought

“Whatever you don't believe, you're not alone”

“The North Texas Church of Freethought is a Fellowship of Unbelievers. We do what all the other churches do, but with one less god. Our aim is to offer atheists, agnostics, secular humanists, and freethinkers all the educational, inspirational, and social and emotional benefits of traditional faith-based churches. We do this by preaching Freethought, a rational approach to religious questions of life, love, meaning, and happiness. Our growing community of freethinkers provides a positive, affirming environment for leading a good life, free of the illogic and intolerance of other religions based on holy books and supernaturalism.

Historian David Fitzgerald, author of Nailed: Ten Christian Myths That Show Jesus Never Existed At All, will be visiting the DFW area later this week. He will speak at SMU this Wednesday night October 10 at the Umpherey Lee building room 241 at 7 pm ($5 donation suggested), Thursday night October 11 at UTA's Bluebonnet Ballroom at 6 pm ($10 for nonstudents), and on Friday October 12 at UTD's Clark Center at 6 pm.”
http://www.churchoffreethought.org/

[derek4]

“The First Atheist Church of True Science”(“FACTS”)- more info here:

A key religious ritual at FACTS is taking a pause at each new moon. During that interval, we reflect on both the majesty of the universe, and the direction of our lives.

The moon has been chosen to remind us of how similar is every human ... each person seeing the same lunar phase no matter where on Earth ree is situated. The "new moon" has been chosen because of its symbolic nature: reminding us that new experiences always arise as old ones conclude. And the night sky has been chosen because of the perspective it provides, reminding us of our place within the incredible expanse of both distance and time.
http://www.factschurch.com/

LMAO!!!

You can click here for their “sermons”:
http://www.factschurch.com/facts_sermons.html

[Just Think]

Looks like Derek is spamming away again...

[derek4]

Looks like "Just Think" is as much of a dim wit as ever, lol.

[derek4]

Reason Personified wrote:

<quoted text>Why do you think that you need us in your faith and religion boat? Do you want to be like us? If so you are still going at it the wrong way, but keep trying, you may get it right after a few thousand or so more tries.

Christians DON'T need you, lol. Who said we did?

But your fellow atheists have organized churches to gather together and practice their false faith and religion. They are drifting along off course in their own "religion boat".

“Since its inception, the First Church of Atheism has amassed quite a following around the world. FCA ministers come from all walks of life. They are every race, ethnicity, age, and creed. The one thing binding every FCA minister is his or her belief in science, reason, and reality.”

“The First Church of Atheism wants you to pursue and cherish your realistic beliefs without interference from any outside agency, including government or church authority. We provide our service for free, as we believe it is every atheists right to perform these clergy functions."

http://firstchurchofatheism.com/

[Langoliers]

Hedonist wrote:

<quoted text>Okay, so here's the rest of your tripe.

As I said, theism is only a category. There are lots of different subcategories and religions under the umbrella of theism -- Hindus, Catholics, Orthodox Catholics, Protestants, Baptists, Mormons, etc.

There are also a lot of different subcategories of atheism -- Buddhists, Jainists, Humanists, etc.

As a category theism itself is NOT a belief in any specific thing. It just specifies those people who hold a belief in one or more deities.

As a category atheism itself is NOT a belief in any specific thing. It just specifies those people who do NOT hold a belief in one or more deities.

Anything else you try to add to that is just so much BS.

"Atheism, as defined by the Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy, the Routledge Encyclopedia of Philosophy, and other philosophy reference works, is the denial of the existence of God.[2][3][4]"

Wikipedia:

"Denial
Denial (also called abnegation) is a defense mechanism postulated by Sigmund Freud, in which a person is faced with a fact that is too uncomfortable to accept and rejects it instead, insisting that it is not true despite what may be overwhelming evidence.[1] The subject may use:

simple denial: deny the reality of the unpleasant fact altogether"

[Langoliers]

derek4 wrote:

The Religion of Atheism

Some Atheists recoil at the claim that Atheism is a religion and consider the notion absurd. Many would consider Atheism the antithesis of religion. Maybe you’ve heard such remarks as,“If Atheism is a religion then bald is a hair color.”

[Poster's insert: Yes, we have – Hedonist took credit for that without mentioning he grabbed it from a “mold” and without attributing it to the real author.]

It is a false analogy that asserts all religions are defined by a belief in a deity which we know is inaccurate because of such religions as Unitarian Universalists, Taoists or Buddhists.

Nonetheless, how is it that we can purchase ‘The Good Book: A Humanist Bible’ that includes their own version of the ‘Ten Commandments’ or attend The First Church of Atheism with services provided by an ordained Atheist minister but we can’t buy a box of hair color called bald?

[LOL]

continued:

The ‘New Atheism’ is placing faith in the belief that there is no God. Their belief system is based on science and philosophy. The ‘New Atheists’ use this belief system to interpret and relate to the world around them, defining their worldview as an overall perspective of life and the universe.

Atheists are known to have their own prophets like Charles Darwin, Friedrich Nietzsche, Ludwig Feuerbach, Vladimir Lenin, Karl Marx, or Voltaire.

They have their own preachers such as Christopher Hitchens, Richard Dawkins, Sam Harris, and Daniel Dennett among others. Through their work these men are aggressively seeking to convert others.

Atheists have orthodoxy as they believe everything is unintentional, uninspired happenstance
via evolution. They base their beliefs on the ever changing developments of scientific scrutiny.

[Yes, atheism is a religion...]
continued:
http://stevedeace.com/news/the-religion-of-at...

“The ‘New Atheism’ is placing faith in the belief that there is no God. Their belief system is based on science and philosophy.”

[And they are very devout to their religion.]

Perfect!

And yes!
[Poster's insert: Yes, we have – Hedonist took credit for that without mentioning he grabbed it from a “mold” and without attributing it to the real author.]

[derek4]

To Khatru:

I just realized how selfish it was of me earlier today when I only, posted about atheist places of worship in America. I don't want you to feel left out, so I found an atheist place of worship for you in the UK.

If it's too far from your home, maybe you can at least read atheist Alain de Botton's newly released book called "Religion For Atheists.” Its referenced below.

Please read here:

Atheist Temple: Nonbelievers To Get Place Of 'Worship' In UK

(from January, 2012)

Atheists have long criticised devout followers of faith. But now it seems Atheism is stealing from that very religious tradition by erecting a temple of worship.

Author Alain de Botton announced plans to build an Atheist temple in the U.K., reports DeZeen magazine.

A collaboration with Tom Greenall Architects, the structure will be built in the City of London.

Dedicated to the idea of perspective, the black tower will scale 46 meters (150 ft), with each centimeter honoring earth's age of 4.6 billion years, notes Wired.

But a place of worship isn't the only attribute from organized religion that Atheists can benefit from, says de Botton. In his newly released book "Religion For Atheists," the author points to design, art and community to inspire and attract a following.

Though de Botton has yet to announce a final date for opening the temple, he hopes to create a network of such buildings across the U.K., according to BLOUIN ARTINFO.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/01/25/athe...

[It aint necessarily so]

derek4 wrote:

Health Benefit of Believing God Cares About You

Costs of this belief:

[1] Thousands of hours lost reading ancient goatherd fairy tales, muttering at the ceiling fan, and listening to mind numbing sermons every Sunday morning.

[2] Tens of thousands of dollars given to the parasitic priestly class.

[3] The opportunity cost of choosing a primitive and infantilizing system and missing the fullest and most authentic existence possible.

[4] Self-loathing resulting from a misanthropic philosophy that sneeringly describes man in demeaning terms ("the flesh") and requires him to debase himself worshiping.

[5] An inferior intellectual system that despises science and erudition.

[6] An inferior ethic that defines love in terms of torture and crucifixion, and a pardon from eternal torment by an infinitely evil devil.

[7] The spiritual emptiness that derives from stripping this incredibly amazing universe of its grandeur and mystery, and sneeringly describing it as "the world," fit for apocalyptic destruction.

You overpaid for you brief life extension.

Did you give the priests your children as well?

[It aint necessarily so]

derek4 wrote:

Why do atheists hate God?

We don't. Nor do we hate Spiderman.

What we hate is your church, and the damage it does to us all. I just listed the personal costs of faith in the Christian god American style.

Your religion is also despised for its institutionalized brutality and ignorance. It has always held man back, keeping him in a degraded and primitive state.

It teaches man to lie to himself, and then his children. It has given us centuries of pain and death in the form of inquisitions, crusades, and witch burnings.

It has marginalized and scapegoated gays and atheists, making their lives more dangerous and difficult.

It's antisemitism is famous from Luther to Hitler.

It's misogyny persists today in the assault on women's reproductive freedom and inferior social status.

Wherever your bible is taught, self-loathing, shame, sexual constipation, blame and guilt follows.

This list just goes on and on and on.

[It aint necessarily so]

derek4 wrote:

Why do atheists hate God?

We don't. What we hate is your sickening religion:

MINISTERS WONDER HOW I CAN BE WICKED ENOUGH TO ATTACK THE BIBLE.
Robert Green Ingersoll (1833-1899)

"I will tell them:

"This book, the Bible, has persecuted, even unto death, the wisest and the best. This book stayed and stopped the onward movement of the human race. This book poisoned the fountains of learning and misdirected the energies of man.

"This book is the enemy of freedom, the support of slavery. This book sowed the seeds of hatred in families and nations, fed the flames of war, and impoverished the world.

"This book is the breastwork of kings and tyrants -- the enslaver of women and children. This book has corrupted parliaments and courts. This book has made colleges and universities the teachers of error and the haters of science.

"This book has filled Christendom with hateful, cruel, ignorant and warring sects. This book taught men to kill their fellows for religion's sake.

"This book funded the Inquisition, invented the instruments of torture, built the dungeons in which the good and loving languished, forged the chains that rusted in their flesh, erected the scaffolds whereon they died. This book piled fagots about the feet of the just. This book drove reason from the minds of millions and filled the asylums with the insane.

"This book has caused fathers and mothers to shed the blood of their babes. This book was the auction block on which the slave-mother stood when she was sold from her child. This book filled the sails of the slave-trader and made merchandise of human flesh.

"This book lighted the fires that burned "witches" and "wizards."

"This book filled the darkness with ghouls and ghosts, and the bodies of men and women with devils. This book polluted the souls of men with the infamous dogma of eternal pain. This book made credulity the greatest of virtues, and investigation the greatest of crimes.

"This book filled nations with hermits, monks and nuns -- with the pious and the useless. This book placed the ignorant and unclean saint above the philosopher and philanthropist.

"This book taught man to despise the joys of this life, that he might be happy in another -- to waste this world for the sake of the next.

"I attack this book because it is the enemy of human liberty -- the greatest obstruction across the highway of human progress.

"Let me ask the ministers one question: How can you be wicked enough to defend this book?"