Ripple, the guy in the video is ridiculous.  He looks like he's about to cry the whole time.  He's an emotional wreck over the Blasphemy Challenge.  Equating MLK with the guy in the video is well, just plain silly.  MLK's reasons were for equality and that's what atheists want to.  I can't even say a word at my kid's school regarding the use of "under god" in the Pledge of Allegiance without people responding like I am a loose nut.  I think it's people like you that think everyone's got a right to their opinion unless it differs from your own.

OK, you're right.

 I feel frustrated at these questions because I've answered them and they are answered on this site many times.  So here I go again.  I fit in the equation because I am affected by religion everyday. EX. The "god bless you" when I sneeze.  It bugs me.  It goes way beyond that on a larger scale but this is a simple example, one in particular that gets me.  No Devil is going to come and steal my soul in the millisecond my heart stops when I sneeze, so I wish xtians would please stop using this crazy terminology.

I am helping the situation in trying to bring awareness to xtians  that they do not control everybody's mind/will.  They continually shove their book and beliefs down everyone's throat as if they KNOW and nobody else does.   I just want to say to that, if your god is true, he wants me to be atheist.  He made me this way.

You are only hurting the cause insofar that you are furthering the lies.  This is not your fault, I'm sure.  You were indoctrinated at some point and now feel like you should do your part by coming here and telling us that we are all wrong to believe the way we do.   

My xtian history professor is smart.  It doesn't mean that I have respect for his beliefs though.  I rather liked him very much.  I did not respect his beliefs though.  I think he was a good person.  But I didn't respect his belief.  I could possibly like you but I would not respect that belief.  It would not make a difference.  We are not smarter, special, mystical, etc.  We, on this site, all have one thing in common.  We just don't agree with a creation theory and a diety who created everything.  Don't take offense.  We don't believe in Allah or any other god.   

You answer this question for me in your next statement.

Yes, there are people who try.  I used to do a Food Not Bombs here in my town.  (You can do this too. You just go to grocery stores, restaurants, and bakeries and ask for food donations and tell them what you intend to do.  They are usually more than willing to get rid of day old, but still good food.  Then you post flyers around town Food Not Bombs, give a location such as a public park and time. Then make a big pot of soup and bring a bunch of bread and water and tea/coffee.  People come out of the woodwork and are very thankful).  Little things we all can do to try to make it better here.  I think religious people look around and are disgusted at what they see and they can't wait to finally get to heaven.  It doesn't help us here on earth.   Trying to make it better here means being proactive.

Fictional characters rarely make it better. 

 Some humans are making it bad for all of us.  We just have to try to counter those with good acts.  

Yeah, ask questions.  I'm sorry if I came off too "radical" or whatever but when people come here and start off with condescending behavior, I go on defensive mode.  I hope some of these things get cleared up for you.   

Why can't you see that people like me, and like Together for Peace, we are not your Christians you hate. We are decent people who are TOGETHER for PEACE. ANYONE for peace. That's why it is peace.

Some of you want evidence of why I think how I do? Then I point to the fact that the most spoken word in the Arabic language is peace.

Of course God is fictional. Why do you care then? You obviously care because "god" had ruined human existence. So what the fuck? Think about those things. Think about HOW and WHY and WHEN and for WHAT was "god" exploited for? Is it happiness? Or is it money?

Why can't "god" be an inspiration to billions of people as a means of humanitarian goodness. Because we can do that without God. Well if you know be by now, then you would realize I'm in the same fucking Boat with you on that one. But in all reality, and with complete realization, had this earth been run to the ground without the use of God, or with the use of God? So what happens in the future? Is the "Concept of God" the one who is being used as a tool of control and manipulation to have its way with Mother Earth? Who is really doing the raping, pillaging and flooding? God or you and I and Bush and Hitler? Did Christ seek out the witchs and burn them at the stake. No. You did. I did. We all did.

So fucking suck it up. Accept your actions, your actions as very imperfect beings on this planet, and take blame. Take blame, but realize there can be something done about it. And it does NOT start with blaming shit on God. You only drive differences between people, and you only destroy this common goal... this Togetherness for Peace. What kind of Christians would like to see world peace? The fucking rapture? You think Reverend Troy who touches little boys, is he going to heaven after the Rapture? No, but people like you and I, people who don't even accept the full existence of such a figure as Jesus Christ, those are the people who walk into heaven with their heads held high. Because we can make a difference. Does that mean I'm telling you to become a Christian, at least in my sense and thought. No. Absolutely not. That is the last thing I want from you , or any of you. Rather, I ask, think for yourself. And think rationally. And work together for something good. Peace? Love? Happiness? Call it whatever you want, just don't make it out to be a fucking religion. Because that is when failure begins.  

I understand everything you said. You let my emotions get to your emotions. I succeed, and human nature still fails. Good.

Didn't I already ask you not to post on anything I ever say? Cough. Choke.

Edit:God Bless You.

Then drown under a fucking bridge, because this troll, Alex, the crazy guy, needs to take his meds, is trying to drown himself. Right now. I'm trying to kill myself. (what is the beliefs on suicides? Catholics think suicides all go to Hell. that's a lot of smart and good people who are in hell right now, right? i haven't look into that too much but wouldn't that mean there are oh....millions of "human souls" in perpetual and figurative darkness and fear and fire for the rest of their lives)

Yeah guy, I'm trying to go to hell so you won't be able to respond to my provocations. Smother me.

I'm not a guy. 

Any atheists in here vote for Bush?

My video response to the whole blasphemy challenge thing was laid out in a very methodic and rational way. The purpose was to educate people with regards to what they were actually doing and how it was NOT blasphemy of the Holy Spirt nor an unforgivable sin.

I'd be interested as to what petty things you thought I was talking about.

peace,

Jack

aka: lifeoApollos, togetherforpeace

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X32fKXLxYtY

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Tmid6sO_Ms

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6-ncmRd_WDM

If someone says the moon is made of green cheese, there will be people who will merely laugh and find no need to address it.  You just met two of them.

"No doubt it's interesting that you or fattychunks have yet to address the content of the videos I've posted up."

actually i have, i have in a lot fo videos. i hate wasting my time in repeating myself and i generally only talk to people or make videos for people that address questions to me. in general, i dont go looking for the arguments. and i had seen some good attempts at correcting your issues. 

There is a theist phrase I've heard that has a value to counter this. The road to evil is paved with good intentions.

I don't know. I'm not American, and he doesn't mean much to me. I never learned about him in school. But it isn't relevant. It's a reality. Good intentions can lead to harmful acts. It doesn't mean they always do, but when looking at religions it's obvious that they cause more harm than good. Whether they mean to or not.

I don't believe it is relevant, and don't believe I'm qualified to judge another based on a wikipedia article. Regardless of the situation surrounding him; whether he did good things and got a good result, or bad things and a good result, or bad things and a bad result, or good things and a bad result is not the issue. The fact is that any of these scenarios are possible. And therefore irrational support of intentions is to be avoided at all cost. One good priest doesn't mean a good religion. It means one good priest.

"1 in 5 Americans believe we live in a Geocentric solar system. Who do you blame for that? God? I blame god."

hahahahaha

Hello Jack,

First of all I belief your response to the blasphemy challenge is sincere and honest, and thus I shall try to respond in a similar honest way.

You ask the atheist who took the blasphemy challenge why they're so concerned with blasphemising the holy spirit. And you ask as us if we do choose to blasphemise the holy spirit, to do so with a proper understanding of what we do.

The latter point can be easily answered, by contrast to the way you appeal on christian scholars. You consider the readings of those scholars authorative for interpreting the bible, and claim that they have any epistemological validity in what it means to utter "I deny the holy spirit". 

Well I think I can speak for every atheist that we do not consider Christian scholars authorative in how we should intepret the biblical texts, let alone that we agree that any readings of the bible has any meaning for undestanding any physical or metaphysical sphere. Thus by an atheist saying "I deny the holy spirit" is meant, I take the entire negation of what is presupposed in this thing called 'blasphemy'.

And this brings us to the answer to your first question "Why are we so concerned with blasphemising the holy spirit". There isn't much concern in an existential sense, as an atheist not parttaking in the blasphemy challenge it still remains a rational justified belief to deny any such thing as the holy spirit or any other neurological kink that claims home in the realm of the metaphysical.

You constantly hammer on the fact that it we should be more thorough in researching the subject before undertaking such a challenge. But as I have made clear above, such research is not neccessitated by the fact that we are atheist. It is (at least for most) education that lead us to become atheistic, it was reason that made the christian scholar conclude that by philosopy (practice of reason) you can only infer to philosophical gods, thus belief and reason should be seperated fundamentally.

But I go besides the point; so If as an atheist we are not so inclined to understand blasphemy from a theist c.q. biblical viewpoint what so important about it?

It's a matter of action, a matter of polemic, a matter of civilized conflict. Societies that are founded on a liberal democratic paradigm cannot be just if they neglect secularity, such societies cannot be just if they invalidate those who do not share the belief in a god. Those societies give in to irrationality instead of being lead by rationality, and although irrationality in itself is not morally wrong it can never be the governing feature of a society. 

Why blasphemise? To stir things up a little, to give a wake up call to those who belief they have the right to enforce beliefs upon people without attending to the test of whether that belief can be expected from everyone. Sure your bible says we are all children of God, but reason cannot lead me to that insight and I chose not to pervert my brain with speculative enquiries into mystical realms. And thus I cannot be governed under such pretences.

If you do not understand this, I'm afraid you lack empathy.  

Vastet...you said, "but when looking at religions it's obvious that they cause more harm than good. Whether they mean to or not."

Can you give any studies that show religion has a harmful impact on an individuals ability to reason or be intellectual?

What proof do you have that religions do more harm than good?

What do you constitute as 'harmful'?

peace,

Jack

Thank you for your response. It stands to reason that the followers of an ancient text most likely have a good understanding of what their text says and means. In my videos I was clear to point out the concensus amongst Christians from the early stages of Christianity to today regarding the meaning of the blasphemy passages.

You saying that you don't consider Christian scholars to be authoritative is like me saying I don't see the concensus amongst scientists regarding the age of the earth to be authoritative.

The Bible is literature of antiquity and as such I believe that scholars of the Bible, much like scientists, are worth listening to and considering when attempting to arrive at a proper understanding of the meaning of a passage. Of course the Bible like science are both open for individual study and research, however, for someone to outright dismiss the concensus amongst Christians regarding the meaning of these passages is a foolish act.

If I picked up a fossil and said well this is about 4,000 years old and you said to me, "Jack, there's a concensus among scientists that this fossil is 20,000 years old." Using your same reasoning I could reply back, "I don't consider scientists authoritative as to how I can arrive at a proper date of this fossil."

The Bible has over 1,500 years worth of writing, over 40 different authors, with a vast array of literary genres being implored. For an individual who doesn't understand basic principles of interpretation to think they can simply pick up the Bible and gain a true and accurate understanding of passages such as the ones we're discussing is absurd. 

peace,

Jack 

You say you've never met a true Christian and that you can't judge and yet you say things like, "...when looking at religions it's obvious that they cause more harm than good."

With regards to Christianity, as that's what I am and know, you are basing your belief that Christianity has done more harm than good upon the Crusades? Yet at the same time not judging Christians?

I see violence, the lust for power, and wealth, as products of human nature that would exist regardless of religion and there are most certainly cases in history in which atheistic run governments were responsible for some of the worst atrocities.

Based upon your reasoning I should conclude that atheism does more harm than good because I can give you historical proof of great persecution and suffering that was the product of individuals and/or governments that were atheistic. This of course would be flawed reasoning and as such I stay away from using such arguments.

peace,

Jack

The point I was making was that atheist do not consider christian scholars authorative, since atheist in itself does not fall in the realm of theological debate.

So an appeal to the authority theological studies is no answer to the blasphemy challenge, since the blasphemy challenge in it's core is polemic and not a theological statement.