God Enters The Race

[stupid people]

Food for thought wrote:

If atheist are so content with non religion why do you urge religous people into arguments?

Because you keep trying to pass laws to force others to abide by your beliefs.

[EdSed]

Lawrence Wolf wrote:

<quoted text>Here's a morsel of food for your thought. It is possible to be non-religious without being an atheist.

And arguably, some atheists are religionists, or perhaps more accurately they are cults. I am thinking of Pagans and perhaps some Satanist groups. Unlike most atheists, I wouldn't say they were rationalists. e.g. From:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/religion/religions/pagan...
"..Pagans worship the divine in many different forms, through feminine as well as masculine imagery.." Unquote.

[Lawrence Wolf]

EdSed wrote:

<quoted text>And arguably, some atheists are religionists, or perhaps more accurately they are cults. I am thinking of Pagans and perhaps some Satanist groups. Unlike most atheists, I wouldn't say they were rationalists. e.g. From:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/religion/religions/pagan...
"..Pagans worship the divine in many different forms, through feminine as well as masculine imagery.." Unquote.

I am constantly amazed by the very fact of existence. I believe that without something far beyond our imagination to have triggered it, existence would be impossible. As I see it, any explanation would have to be far more profound than our present understanding allows. To me, religion seems a petty insult to what it may really be all about.

[Hedonist]

RustyS wrote:

<quoted text>
Great post. I feel the same way about gays.

So you're homophobic ... thanks for sharing.

[The Dude]

Eighthman wrote:

We are gong back to the dark ages.
If you don't believe in God, that's fine. Just don't insult those that do. That's communism.

Why do you hate kittens?

[Hedonist]

The Dude wrote:

<quoted text>
Why do you hate kittens?

Ya know, there are other names for kittens that would make you question a whole lot more fun to read.

[ToManyLaws]

Eighthman wrote:

Democrats are easy targets for propaganda. Obama has them telling God himself to go to hell.
Ain't that something.
We are gong back to the dark ages.
If you don't believe in God, that's fine. Just don't insult those that do. That's communism.

If you believe in god fine...JUST DONT TRY TO FORCE THE REST OF US TO AND DONT MAKE LAWS BASED ON YOUR RELIGION.......Oh and if you want a holy war with the muzzies your chucrhes can pay for it and only christians can go fight the war.

[Normal Flora]

"There is no God but Reason and Dawkins is its messenger."

[Earth Child 1]

Bible teacher wrote:

<quoted text>
Almighty God Jehovah knows the makeup of man, and knows they are under the rulership of Satan the Devil the god of this world, therefore they worship many false gods. The Devil doesn't care what god you worship, just so you don't worship Almighty God Jehovah, Satan wants your worship anyway he can get it.
If you worship, serve or live for anything, that is your god.

Well, that's your god's fault for creating other gods or was it the other gods who created your greedy, egotistical maniac and jealous Jehovah?????? Your Jehovah breaks his own rules. The Buybull is all traits of humans written by humans.

[Earth Child 1]

ToManyLaws wrote:

<quoted text>
If you believe in god fine...JUST DONT TRY TO FORCE THE REST OF US TO AND DONT MAKE LAWS BASED ON YOUR RELIGION.......Oh and if you want a holy war with the muzzies your chucrhes can pay for it and only christians can go fight the war.

Wait, you got something here, ToManyLaws! Send all the Christians to their fabled "Holy Land", since that's where their fairy tale man is suppose to show up and fight the mythical beast (Gog and Magog), and the Christians and Muslims can kill eachother over who's the right religion for god. In the meantime the Isrealites will be trying to rebuild their temple, the Muslims took, while the Christians and Muslims are killing eachother. We'll be left alone here finally. Good idea, ToManyLaws!

[ToManyLaws]

Earth Child 1 wrote:

<quoted text>Wait, you got something here, ToManyLaws! Send all the Christians to their fabled "Holy Land", since that's where their fairy tale man is suppose to show up and fight the mythical beast (Gog and Magog), and the Christians and Muslims can kill eachother over who's the right religion for god. In the meantime the Isrealites will be trying to rebuild their temple, the Muslims took, while the Christians and Muslims are killing eachother. We'll be left alone here finally. Good idea, ToManyLaws!

I love it...Sounds good. CHRISTIANS MUSLIMS AND JEWS----------KILLING BILLIONS FOR THOUSANDS OF YEARS.

[VN Vet]

Your god Obama has let the flag be burned and an American killed in the middle east. It is time for a late term abortion of Obama and Co. on Nov. 2012.

[Food for thought]

stupid people wrote:

<quoted text>Because you keep trying to pass laws to force others to abide by your beliefs.

Who is this " you" everyone keeps mentionin? An atheist and a theist can have the same say in government. What laws exactly are you forced to abide by? You really cant be forced to do anything.

[Eighthman]

Lawrence Wolf wrote:

<quoted text>I guess my god is picking winners at Belmont.

Thanks for pushing for higher gasoline prices. A vote for Obama is a vote for higher gasoline. Thanks for that. I won't forget it.

[EdSed]

Normal Flora wrote:

"There is no God but Reason and Dawkins is its messenger."

Nobody is arguing that reason should be worshipped. Only a religionist would even think of that, but arguably when God comes in the door, reason flies out the window...
http://www.positiveatheism.org/writ/ghwbush.h...

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-19377143

https://www.google.co.uk/search...

https://www.google.co.uk/search...

Then there is the dubious religious justifications for acts of terrorism. For example of the harm superstitions do: the idea that there is reward or punishment in an afterlife for actions in this one can help efforts like those of 9/11.

There is also specious religious justification for genital mutilation of children, both male and female. That, rather than climate, possibly explains the high levels of male child "circumcision" in the USA.

Religion = superstition

[The Dude]

Hedonist wrote:

<quoted text>
Ya know, there are other names for kittens that would make you question a whole lot more fun to read.

Insert what you wish!

:-p

[EdSed]

If you don't mind an observation from abroad..
Good question.

Food for thought wrote:

<quoted text>
Who is this " you" everyone keeps mentionin? An atheist and a theist can have the same say in government. What laws exactly are you forced to abide by? You really cant be forced to do anything.

Don't people keep trying to bring prayers and religious symbols into schools and courts? Isn't that against the constitution and therefore the law?

The US Constitution appears to favor separation of Church and State. The government of the USA is supposed to be secular,(i.e. equally open to believers and non-believers).
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/virginia-...

Perhaps it isn't that the laws are intentionally designed to be openly prejudiced against non-believers. The problem seems to be the very high levels of superstition and prejudice in the USA that leads to remarks and attitudes like those of Bush41(in my post above).

From:
http://atheism.about.com/od/atheistbigotrypre...
Gallup has been asking people about whether they would vote for atheists for president for quite some time. Here are the numbers who have said "no" over the years:
February 1999: 48%
August 1987: 48%
April 1983: 51%
July 1978: 53%
December 1959: 74%
September 1958: 77%
August 1958: 75%
Unquote.
The situation does seem to be improving gradually as religion declines in the USA.

And then there is the Boy Scouts,'God' on money and oaths of allegiance, prayers at political meetings and so forth. So it isn't so much that laws are being successfully passed, although it can feel like that to atheists, but that the threat seems omnipotent.
http://www.americanhumanist.org/HNN/details/2...

And as increasing numbers of people leave religion in the USA because of the scandals, prejudices against gays and atheists and other absurdities, perhaps it seems to leave an ever-more superstitious (and fearful?) residue.

Arguably, science like stem-cell research in the USA has been impeded by religous dogma. Education has been damaged by creationism/ID, the reasons for which seem religiously motivated.

People in general often fail to identify the harm superstition does because it is incidious rather than obviously apparent.

http://wiki.answers.com/Q/What_is_the_religio...

[RustyS]

Hedonist wrote:

<quoted text>
So you're homophobic ... thanks for sharing.

No, just don't care for parades. I do think Barney Frank was an idiot, sorry.

[Normal Flora]

EdSed wrote:

<quoted text>Nobody is arguing that reason should be worshipped. Only a religionist would even think of that, but arguably when God comes in the door, reason flies out the window...
http://www.positiveatheism.org/writ/ghwbush.h...
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-19377143
https://www.google.co.uk/search...
https://www.google.co.uk/search...
Then there is the dubious religious justifications for acts of terrorism. For example of the harm superstitions do: the idea that there is reward or punishment in an afterlife for actions in this one can help efforts like those of 9/11.
There is also specious religious justification for genital mutilation of children, both male and female. That, rather than climate, possibly explains the high levels of male child "circumcision" in the USA.
Religion = superstition

You're missing the satire. My post is based on the old lame "There is no God but Allah and Mohammed is his messenger."

[EdSed]

Normal Flora wrote:

<quoted text>You're missing the satire. My post is based on the old lame "There is no God but Allah and Mohammed is his messenger."

Sorry. I've too serious a frame of mind, perhaps.
There's so wide a spectrum of people and it's not always worth looking for any nuances or subtleties at all. So I tend to go with the literal.