Why do atheists waste their time on something that doesn't exist?
Posted on: December 30, 2006 - 5:32am
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Why do atheists waste their time on something that doesn't exist?
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----------------- Original Message -----------------
From: nynenailz
Date: Dec 30 2006 2:27 AMwhat i've never understood about atheists is that if they truely felt God didn't exist then why spend so much time trying to disprove His existence. it's almost as silly as ufo theorists or the people going after the lochness monster. why waste your time on something that doesn't exist?
If the people who believed in nessie represented 80% of the planet, and they killed others over it, legislated laws over it, and forced children to believe it without any proof, would you speak up? If not, I think you're a detestable person. If you would speak up, welcome to my world.
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And if those Nessie-lovers followed a book which explicitly directed them to kill me and my children? I'd speak up.
If those Nessie-lovers claimed that Nessie Hates Fags? I'd speak up.
If those Nessie-lovers tried to pass their ignorant mythology into legislation, and tried to change policy at national parks about the age of the Grand Canyon? Daresay I'd speak up.
Irrational thinking exists. That is what we are combatting. It's worth our time to fight irrationalism, particularly when you consider the danger that blind obedience to ideology can bring.
"Hitler burned people like Anne Frank, for that we call him evil.
"God" burns Anne Frank eternally. For that, theists call him 'good.'
None of us are out to disprove God, that would be impossible, just as impossible as it is to disprove the fairy's and goblins that live on mars. So you must have some misunderstanding about our kind. Our major goal is to rid the world of irrational beliefs based upon an unprovable God. We are out to end it; not only to allow people to think freely, but because because religion has become the fuel for many, many wrong things.
Oh boy, here is where I part company with many skeptics.
If one is going to take the law of probibility never reaching absolute zero then I would agree, it is impossible to rule out fairys.
HOWEVER, how much of a gamble is it to throw into the trash can the idea of lepricans?
"God" belief is pretty universal in claims of supernatural.
Ominescient
Omnipresent
Omnibenevolent
These omni statements are speaking of the unknown. It is myth making and story telling. There have been pleanty of stories in human history that have no reality other than someone made them up. Shouting from the roof tops IT IS REAL IT IS REAL, wont make it so.
I warn against adding fuel to irrational fires. Trashing the idea of Allah, Yahwey, Jesus, or Superman is a safe bet.
"We are a nation of Christians and Muslims, Jews and Hindus -- and nonbelievers."Obama
Check out my poetry here on Rational Responders Like my poetry thread on Facebook under Brian James Rational Poet, @Brianrrs37 on Twitter and my blog at www.brianjamesrationalpoet.blog
Are you Quoting me or the other Guy?
And I spelled because twice haha.
Quote:
If you can't disprove God then it irrational to call the belief in God irrational as you cannot prove that it is irrational. Hey! Why won't Sapient debate me? Why won't rook debate me?
Then he is of those who believe and charge one another to show patience, and charge one another to show compassion.
The best way to care about people is to be a loving and compassionate person. How did you become brainwashed with atheism and why won't Sapient debate with me.
Then he is of those who believe and charge one another to show patience, and charge one another to show compassion.
If you can't disprove God then it irrational to call the belief in God irrational as you cannot prove that it is irrational.
False dilemma. Can't prove a negative or disprove a thing. That means anything: flying spaghetti monster, orbiting teapot -- anything. That doesn't constitute support for a belief.
Hey! Why won't Sapient debate me? Why won't rook debate me?
Because you've never said anything interesting, ever?
what i've never understood about atheists is that if they truely felt God didn't exist then why spend so much time trying to disprove His existence. it's almost as silly as ufo theorists or the people going after the lochness monster. why waste your time on something that doesn't exist?
Because we don't live in a vacuum. There are issues brought before people of belief, and decisions are being made, that affect us all. From my peers and from authority I expect better answers than “because my mysterious book said so.” Frankly, I could not care less about religion based on its own merits. It's only where it intersects with life here on planet earth that it becomes my concern. Anyway, secularism appears to be a natural trend: if believers only examined their behaviors, they'd probably realize what heretics they are.
Quote "why waste your time on something that doesn't exist"
I can only speak for myself of course. It is actually not the christian god (or any other brand) I am really interested in. What matters to me are the moral, ethical implications of reasonless faith in magical supernatural beings. The bible-god is an immoral god. What matters to me and scares the hell out of me is the fact that believers do not see, do not want to see the immoral side of the god that is worshiped in the bible. I think that is a very real danger to society. If you call this god a good and just god, what does that mean for your own morality I ask myself.
I've had many discussions about this topic with many christians in the Netherlands (where I live) and I've always put ethics in the centre of the discussion. The crimes of the christian god are numerous and to call these acts of immorality good just because it is a god that commits them must distort and twist the morality of the believer. Just have a look at this world we live in. With a criminal god like the god of abraham who could blame his followers for their twisted and evil acts in his name? If your god is a mass murderer and the creator of an eternal torture chamber (hell) why not commit murder and torture in his name? He should be delighted don't you think? So, that is why I think it is important to show that this supernatural crime-lord does not exist.
edit: I have a very good example of twisted morality. On a Dutch forum an otherwise kind christian woman tried to defend the mass murders in Canaan by stating that her god had to eradicate these people to prevent them from spreading disease amongst the Jews. So it was a matter of hygiene. (does this remind anyone of nazi germany?)
(English is not my native language, so please excuse any errors)
if we're wasting our time on something that doesn't exist, why are you wasting your time trying to stop us?
www.derekneibarger.com http://www.youtube.com/profile?user=djneibarger "all postures of submission and surrender should be part of our prehistory." -christopher hitchens
*New! series: Apparent holes in Mr. Sapient's logic revealed*
I kinda agree with what he says above.
But the apparent hole in this logic is: That he himself believes in a religion called 'God doesn't exist' and presents no proof to support that; neither does he offer to support his stand based on 'logic' alone. In absence of such a proof how can we believe that what he professing is actually the truth?
Most people who believe in Nessie are harmless. Just thought I'd point that out.
I'd also point out that there are some people who don't believe in Nessie who are far worse than most of those who do. There are also those who believe it is their right to tell people they shouldn't believe in Nessie and they're about as bad as the ones who insist that we must.
Freedom of religious belief is an inalienable right. Stuffing that belief down other people's throats is not.
"That he himself believes in a religion called 'God doesn't exist' "
Ajay333 you believe in the christian deity I assume? Following your 'logic' you yourself also belong to multiple religions. For example: You belong to the following religions:
'Sjiva doesn't exist', 'Brahma doesn't exist', 'Thor doesn't exist', 'Wodan doesn't exist', 'Zeus doesn't exist', 'Amun-Ra doesn't exist', 'Cihuacoatyl doesn't exist' etc. etc. etc.
In that case it should be perfectly easy for you to understand where he (and every other atheïst) is coming from. Welcom to the club Ajay333.
There's much more to be said about this mistake you make, as it is an ancient one, but I will leave that to mr. Sapient and others.
H E L L O O O O !!!!!
How many times does it need repeating .... Atheism is a lack of belief not that it dosen't exist.
a·the·ist[Origin: 1565–75; < Gk áthe(os) godless + -ist
—Synonyms Atheist, agnostic, infidel, skeptic refer to persons not inclined toward religious belief or a particular form of religious belief. An atheist is one who denies the existence of a deity or of divine beings. An agnostic is one who believes it impossible to know anything about God or about the creation of the universe and refrains from commitment to any religious doctrine. Infidel means an unbeliever, especially a nonbeliever in Islam or Christianity. A skeptic doubts and is critical of all accepted doctrines and creeds.
"If Atheism is a religion, then health is a disease!"
Clark Adams
The question is: Why Do Atheists waste There Time On Something That Doesn't Exist?
It's simple. Because the people that believe in God effect our lives everyday. This means that in most cases decisions are made by irrational people. What they say and do in the name of their religion impacts my life. I (as you) must live in their world...a world where superstition is the guiding force. I feel it is our duty to bring some form of rational thought to the table. If for no other reason than to keep these people in check.
-P
If there is no God why do you care if people kill other people? Were all just animals right?
EDIT: Oops! My bad. I thought this was a different thread.
The answer to your question is that humans have evolved altruism as a survival mechanism (along with every other animal).
Curious: Why does God, in your mind, wiegh-in so heavily on such a matter? If God does exist, what does that have to do with us being animals (we are any way you spin it) or restraint from killing each other?
- Leon Trotsky, Last Will & Testament
February 27, 1940
Why do theists (Christians in particular) believe they are simultaneously the pinnacle of their God's creation and worthless in their God's sight?
"I do this real moron thing, and it's called thinking. And apparently I'm not a very good American because I like to form my own opinions."
— George Carlin
At the most basic level, if people are going around killing other people, how about "we care because we might be next"? How does that require the existence of a God???
Some of us even care about animals (or people) going around killing other animals, when it seems to be purely gratuitous or for pleasure.
So your "just animals" makes a bunch of unwarranted assumptions, as well.
We are social animals, therefore caring about other members of our group is something that makes sense, it motivates actions that are in the interests of the group, which includes us.
There is evidence that many 'higher' social animals also show distress at random violence in the group.
The 'God' of the Old Testament certainly doesn't seem to care about this, as a principle, frequently urging his 'chosen' people to kill opposing groups.
Note: obedience to a supremely powerful being is not morality, it is just acknowledgement that 'might makes right'. If the rules are made by such a being, there is no absolute morality, merely an 'absolute' legal system. It means that when we do what is labelled as 'right' actions, or avoid 'wrong', we are acting selfishly in our own interests.
So a supreme being dictating a code of behaviour is not consistent with moral choice.
IOW, if there is a God, what is the point of a personal sense of 'right and wrong', of personally caring? All we need is a knowledge of what has been decreed to be punishable.
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
____________________________________________________________
"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.
Sorry, no absolute morality.
Our revels now are ended. These our actors, | As I foretold you, were all spirits, and | Are melted into air, into thin air; | And, like the baseless fabric of this vision, | The cloud-capped towers, the gorgeous palaces, | The solemn temples, the great globe itself, - Yea, all which it inherit, shall dissolve, | And, like this insubstantial pageant faded, | Leave not a rack behind. We are such stuff | As dreams are made on, and our little life | Is rounded with a sleep. - Shakespeare
Its really simply god almost certainly doesnt exist however I do know for certain religion (its material structure and its twisted memes) do exist.
Am I no dedicated to destroying god, absolutely not god doesnt exist
Am I dedicated to the total destruction (as an ideology) of islam, christianity, judiasm, scientology absolutely