Seeker196

So, all other stuff aside, why are you here? What do you want?

Kevin Dorner

EX-ATHEIST: To make your name all-caps of the opposite of what you'll find on this board and hang around here smugly proclaiming that there's something wrong with us... you must be having a really boring evening.

Maybe, when my life is so meaningless that I can't find anything to do but troll, I'll call myself EX-CHRISTIAN and hang around in Christian messageboards making proclamations.

I stopped believing in gods and the supernatural by myself. It was a long process that started when I was eight years old... no propaganda required.

If what you believe really makes you happy, why do you feel the need to troll? I guess it isn't that fulfilling.

-DM-

Funny how you focus on the fourth definition and don't bother to mention the first three let alone the primary definition:

1) a. Belief in and reverence for a supernatural power or powers regarded as creator and governor of the universe. b. A personal or institutionalized system grounded in such belief and worship.
2) The life or condition of a person in a religious order.
3) A set of beliefs, values, and practices based on the teachings of a spiritual leader.

--Don--

[ February 15, 2002: Message edited by: Don Morgan ]</p>

WWSD

Interestingly, I was never exposed to any of this "silly" propaganda of which you speak prior to losing my faith. The only silly propaganda I read was the bible and some other religous tracts.

So I would like to know, if you are so enlightened, how did those nasty atheist organizations brainwash me? You see, I came to my own conclusions, without reading any atheist literature or attending any atheist meetings. So it seems that either A) I somehow came to the conclusion that religous beliefs are silly using my own mind, or B) the atheists are telepathic alien mind melting feinds from Mars.
You tell me.

Also, I would think that religious types are far more self centered, what with thier silly belief that they are somehow the center of their universe, having it created by thier deity just for them. My lack of belief demonstrates for me that the universe exists not for me at all. This takes me out of the center, adding me to the myriad phenomena that occur naturally and without "divine" intervention.

But perhaps you have another way of looking at this "self centered ideas" concept of yours. Is this one of those tired religious rants about how non-beleivers have made themselves god, etc etc? I think we have all heard that tired old ploy. Try being more creative next time. Either that or you're going to have to mull your way through a lot of well covered material before you can actually discuss anything with anyone. I, personally, find that very boring.

And remember, you willingly came here, named yourself EX-ATHEIST, then proceeded to call us silly, stupid, and self-centered. So don't act indignant when you get back what you gave.

Deputy42

exatheist-
i don't think you're going to find an answer to your question here. i recently found this page and started a thread in the same vein as yours. trying to have good faith discussions on this board is pointless. when presented with arguments that defies his understanding, the atheist will resort to bashing evil "dogma" and name calling.

Malaclypse the Younger

Well, when presented with arguments that defy any logical understanding, consisting of (as far as I can tell) nonsequiturs and unfounded, bizarre, assertions, we do tend to react with a degree of derision.

Sometimes the persistent arrogant stupidity just gets to one.

<img src="graemlins/banghead.gif" border="0" alt="[Bang Head]" />

[ February 16, 2002: Message edited by: Malaclypse the Younger ]</p>

-DM-

To answer your question ...

I am an ex-Christian primarily because I read the Bible thoroughly for myself, began to see what I thought were some problems, decided to look into "the other side of the story," and to make a long story short, became convinced that Christian theology and dogma is built on a foundation of quicksand.

--Don--

-DM-

If you were to put it honestly, you would have to say:
---------
"When presented with arguments that defy their understanding, some users here will resort to bashing evil 'dogma and name-calling."
---------

Some of the very rudest people I have yet encountered on these boards are people who call themselves Christians. Neither side has a monopoly on "bashing evil dogma and name-calling."

[ February 16, 2002: Message edited by: Don Morgan ]</p>

sighhswolf

And when the theist is presented with questions regarding the existence of "evil" hand and hand with the so-called "goodness" of this supreme being.....or why do bad things happen to good people.........He retreats into the "unknowable"
"incomprehensible" nature of this supreme being.
Mankind just cannot understand the christian god.
It is beyond us poor mortals to be able to understand the motivations and characteristics
of this so-called god.
The contradiction here is that christians want a god with whom they can relate, and assign unlimited power.
If everytime questions arise concerning the motivational factors driving this supreme being are answered by the "unknowable" nature of this divine personage, then how does it become possible
to assign "characteristics" or "attributes" to this being?
If a christian retreats behind the "unknowable"
"incomprehensible" nature of god, they in effect
become agnostics hence the birth of a new classification of "Theistic Agnosticism".
Which is irrational and illogical.


Wolf
<img src="graemlins/banghead.gif" border="0" alt="[Bang Head]" />

Mageth

You are perhaps referring to the following types of arguments, which you posted on another thread:

it is an unpopular viewpoint, but america was founded by christians essentially for christians.

many people find dogma distainful, yet dogma exists also in every religious tradition. the importance of dogma and its pernicious effects fade away when the true goal of religious practice is acheived. no one enjoys bigotry, yet tough love is still love.

since i am a member of the highest social class, i need to be yoked equally.

the idea is that the person you marry should balance and complement your strengths and weaknesses. affluent and poor? i think you oversimplify. there's obviously more to any marriage than rich/poor man/woman etc.

i afford college because i work not because i am in a higher social caste

on the contrary, people with redistributive and restorative agendas have the most preoccupation with entitlement.

the problem here again is not allowing for individual differences between and among different "races" and "sexes".

whenever you try to classify people, and put them into nice neat categories, you get in trouble.

yes i support equality between sexes.

according to genesis, man came first, in the image of god, then came eve out of the rib of adam. patriarchal, but again that tradition has always been that way.

i don't remember saying men were ultimately superior to women.

two people being otherwise equal, a man would function as a male role model better than a woman.

arguments about equality of sexes seem to hinge on the assertion that men and women are the same. while both are members of the same species, i think you will agree that men and women have many differences.

of course men and women can work together.

i think sexual harrassment, as i've said above is a good idea, but a nightmare in practice.

any woman playing hard to get says no and really means yes

a womans role is whatever she decides to make it

one of my friends is having a baby by herself. of course not every woman has a husband to help her out. does the fact that this happens also make it right? or even desirable? i think not.

i, like a scientist, make no moral value judgement here, only stating what is, not what it should be.

i cant speak for christianity as a whole, but as i've said before, i think that some of st pauls sentiments are best not used as the basis for christian practice in todays society.

i am willing to accept his teachings, misogyny and all

of course you know that men are called to be the leaders by bible, not only for themselves but for their families.

yoked equally is just that, equal participation and equal work done in a relationship.

[ February 17, 2002: Message edited by: Mageth ]</p>