Hello there!
Offline Hey there, this is my first time in a forum like this (I have experience with one other forum, but it had a different format), so please give me time to get used to this. Moving on...
Just thought that before I started participating I'd introduce myself. Let's see, since this site is primarily concerned with Atheism and topics dealing with everything thereof, I shall begin with describing what I believe (or disbelieve). I'm an ex-Christian. I turned away from my religion when I realized I had no real reason to believe in God and that He served no practical purpose in my life anyway. From there on, in the forum I mentioned earlier, I made a huge reputation as the an Atheist apologetic. Upon quitting that past forum, I remembered joining one past discussion here and now I've decided to start contributing fully to the community.
Just a few words about my atheism: I'm a real stickler when it comes to bad atheist arguments. If there's one thing I dislike is a bad argument, and this applies to both Theist and Atheist sides. I see no purpose in condoning a bad argument if a good Theist Apologetic can destroy it within a matter of seconds. As an ex-Christian apologetic, I know what a bad argument is (believe me, I've dealt with them) and I will immediately dismantle it. From what I see, most atheists are Euro-centric, so I hope that we can start discussing other religions other than Christianity and Islam (to which, more or less, the same objections can be raised).
Now for a more broader description of who I am and what I do believe in. I'm an anarchist. I believe that human beings are selfish and that selfishness is the foundation of all society--but also what can cause its collapse. Think of me as a liberal Ayn Rand. I'm also 16 years old and I live in California. I hope my age wont be much of a problem (too many theists say that I when I grow up, God will reveal himself to me...Yeah right). I enjoy music, my favorite band is Napalm Death but I listen to anything from Country-Rock to Death Metal. And, uh...I'm currently a Junior...That's about all that I can think of that will be of any interest. So...uh...nice to see you guys?
"The Chaplain had mastered, in a moment of divine intuition, the handy technique of protective rationalization and he was exhilarated by his discovery. It was miraculous. It was almost no trick at all, he saw, to turn vice into virtue and slander into truth, impotence into abstinence, arrogance into humility, plunder into philanthropy, thievery into honor, blasphemy into wisdom, brutality into patriotism, and sadism into justice. Anybody could do it; it required no brains at all. Just no Character."
"He...had gone down in flames...on the seventh day, while God was resting"
"You have no respect for excessive authority or obsolete traditions. You should be taken outside and shot!"
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Great posts so far. Keep it up. Welcome and all that jazz.
Cool.
Believe me, there are a lot of arguments to read. Sometimes over and over and over and.....
What was your old forum?
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Welcome. I've read a few of your posts and you should enjoy it here.
Have fun.
____________________________________________________________
"I guess it's time to ask if you live under high voltage power transmission lines which have been shown to cause stimulation of the fantasy centers of the brain due to electromagnetic waves?" - Me
"God is omnipotent, omniscient, omnibenevolent, - it says so right here on the label. If you have a mind capable of believing all three of these divine attributes simultaneously, I have a wonderful bargain for you. No checks please. Cash and in small bills." - Robert A Heinlein.
New members are always welcome. You might want to tone down the anarchy has you grow older. We are the rational response to irrational claims all religion are targets, also conspiricy theorys & suedo-science, psychics and faith healers. Total anarchy is not really a rational response to anything.
"Very funny Scotty; now beam down our clothes."
VEGETARIAN: Ancient Hindu word for "lousy hunter"
If man was formed from dirt, why is there still dirt?
Not to bring this too off-topic, but just to let you know, my belief in Anarchism is based on the idea that humans are rational and can work things out between themselves with mutual respect and reason. To back up these claims, I usually point out how government itself is based on mutual respect. The President must respect the governed and the governed must respect the President. Checks and Balances mean nothing if they aren't respected, and what the Supreme Court says on an issue is meaningless if the people or Congress disrespect the ruling. Second, science proves that the human brain is predisposed to work things out. Animals with big brains are social animals and thus can resolve conflicts. I just see government as a complex and rather unnecessary system, much like religion if you will. With that, I'll be happy to discuss this further in the appropriate section.
"The Chaplain had mastered, in a moment of divine intuition, the handy technique of protective rationalization and he was exhilarated by his discovery. It was miraculous. It was almost no trick at all, he saw, to turn vice into virtue and slander into truth, impotence into abstinence, arrogance into humility, plunder into philanthropy, thievery into honor, blasphemy into wisdom, brutality into patriotism, and sadism into justice. Anybody could do it; it required no brains at all. Just no Character."
"He...had gone down in flames...on the seventh day, while God was resting"
"You have no respect for excessive authority or obsolete traditions. You should be taken outside and shot!"
D33P Purple. You sound like a clever and nutsy bastard. Look forward to getting to know your better. There are other anarchists here but you sound libertarian to some extent, which is a position I take myself.
"Experiments are the only means of knowledge at our disposal. The rest is poetry, imagination." Max Planck
G'day from another Australian.
Welcome.
I ain't no commie, but anarchy is way too far...
Most humans do not spend much time in rational mode, that's the problem with relying on people to make intelligent decisions most of the time, whether as citizens or in government
FWIW, Marx made the same mistaken assumption.
I tend to stay clear of left vs right, govt vs individual rights debates, they seem to be so unproductive, usually both sides have it wrong in my eyes.
Gimme a good Theist bashing fest, the issues are far clearer - Theists are ignorant dumbasses, by definition.....
J/K, well , to some extent.
Favorite oxymorons: Gospel Truth, Rational Supernaturalist, Business Ethics, Christian Morality
"Theology is now little more than a branch of human ignorance. Indeed, it is ignorance with wings." - Sam Harris
The path to Truth lies via careful study of reality, not the dreams of our fallible minds - me
From the sublime to the ridiculous: Science -> Philosophy -> Theology
“A meritocratic society is one in which inequalities of wealth and social position solely reflect the unequal distribution of merit or skills amongst human beings, or are based upon factors beyond human control, for example luck or chance. Such a society is socially just because individuals are judged not by their gender, the colour of their skin or their religion, but according to their talents and willingness to work, or on what Martin Luther King called 'the content of their character'. By extension, social equality is unjust because it treats unequal individuals equally.” "Political Ideologies" by Andrew Heywood (2003)
Welcome!
Everything makes more sense now that I've stopped believing.
Welcome to the forum! I hope to see you in the discussions here. It's also nice that I'm not the only anti-statist here anymore!
I don't see how a decentralized non-hierarchical decision making based system is akin to faith healers and conspiracy theories? You may think that most people are sheeple, but I do not. Look at the history of the Spanish Civil War. Anarchism was and still is one of the most prevalent philosophies of the working class there. Look at Argentina in late 2001 after the economic collapse. The people started popular assemblies, community councils all without leaders, all built on consensus based democracy, to do the work that the government wouldn't. That is anarchism in action AND a rational response to human needs not being met by a corrupt system. Still to this day, there are many worker controlled collectively run businesses and popular assemblies still operating. So if you want to say it isn't a rational response, tell that to the Argentine workers who would be out of a job if they hadn't taken control of their workplaces and instituted complete democratic control of it's operations.
Actually, that's not a surprise because anarchism is referred to as "socialist libertarianism" by many, including people like Noam Chomsky, who considers himself one. It's the same thing, only a different title which seems to not create the same knee jerk response in most people.
I would consider that one of the reasons NOT to give people power over one another. Too many opportunities to exploit that position.
"This may shock you, but not everything in the bible is true." The only true statement ever to be uttered by Jean Chauvinism, sociopathic emotional terrorist.
"A Boss in Heaven is the best excuse for a boss on earth, therefore If God did exist, he would have to be abolished." Mikhail Bakunin
"The means in which you take,
dictate the ends in which you find yourself."
"Strange women lying in ponds distributing swords is no basis for a system of government! Supreme leadership derives from a mandate from the masses, not from some farcical aquatic ceremony!"
No Gods, No Masters!