JEST2ASK

Sorry for the delay in responding but unlike some some I have more productive ways to spend my time then these Forums


My point has more to do with the intenisty (passion / commitment) & quanity (sheer numbers of adherents & amount of investments) , which is why I contrasted Religion with (IMO) a relatively minor segment of popular culture. Religion seems to have a much greater effect on both the individual and the collective whole .... (IMO) The example of Elvis is great because it shows how the artistic expression was not limited by narrow religious focus (some might say even contrasting to his personal beliefs)

I am still learning how to communicate effectively in this enviroment .....

** You can waste your time & talent equally well believing in nothing as you can believing in whatever you want ***

Which I fully agree with

winstonjen

Why is going along with the crowd rational?

Bumble Bee Tuna

Magus-

You appear to believe that people in the minority opinion are irrational. Well, surely you will soon discard your irrational belief in Yahweh, since over 4 billion people don't believe in him?

Apparently, you are in the minority and you are the one considered irrational.

Belief in other gods means disbelief in Yahweh. Argument from numbers works against you, pal.

-B

Wyz_sub10

The logic here is faulty. I make a statement: "I am the quickest draw in the ol' west. People will deny that this is the case, but it is because they cannot fathom my quickness-of-draw."

Of course, many will disagree and insist I am not as good with the six-shooter as I claim to be.

Does my original statement serve as a panacea dismissal for all questions and doubts? Should they say nothing simply because they do not believe?

ageofreason2000

Found this a while ago

http://www.adherents.com/Religions_By_Adherents.html

I think this clearly shows as an atheist I am going along with the crowd.

I am not christian and 67% of the world agree with me,
nor am I muslim 78% of the world are with me on that and, nor am I a buddhist along with 94% of the world.

Christianity does indeed have the most number of followers but only in countries who have heard of it.
Strangely enough poeple who where not brought up in a country with xianity as the major faith are in the majority not xians.

Why is that?
Is religion like evolution, do we have an inherited religion gene?
If god is truly omnipotent why do his faithful seem limited by geography?

Strange and perplexing questions.

Oh wait one moment, why if religions are just the imaginings of poeple, recounted to other poeple who in turn tell others then it all makes sense! Well praise me, could it really be that simple?

Age

Shadowy Man

At least this is a testable claim!

Shall we meet on Main Street at high noon?

Wyz_sub10

I reckon we could. But I done told ya, Daisy Mae is mine. Win or lose.

Ricomise

Although I imagine it depends upon your definition of "bible thumper," I feel compelled to point out that Ike proposed and presided over the unconstitutional insertion of the phrase "under God" into the pladge of allegience, and that Reagan was a proponent of that organization which was called the "Moral Majority" in which several funamentalist preachers were involved.

They are not my choice for presidential icons, but to each his own.

Fiach

9-11 in New York could not have happened without religion.

The Taliban could not have been created without religion.

Iran would not have executed over 100,000 people without religion.

34 Saudi Arabian school girls would not have died in a building fire, prevented by religious police from leaving the building without headgear (in the other end of the burning building, without religion.

Writers like Salman Rushdie and many others would not have fatwas (death warrants) on them without religion.

Up to 1 million women would not have been burned or otherwise executed from 800 to 1700 CE without the Christian Religion.

The Crusades, the 30 years war (millions of casualties), the French Huguenot Wars, and perhaps the Holocaust would not have occurred without religion.

The burning of the Great Library of Alexandria would not have occurred losing much ancient knowledge, without religion.

The torture, disembowelment, and dismemberment in the killing of Hypatia, the Greek Scientist at Alexandria in 412 CE for teaching of a spherical Earth, and other ancient science as infidelism, would not have occurred with out religion.

This is just my short list. My long list would be too burdensome to post.

Fiach

Fiach

[QUOTE]Originally posted by Magus55

Speak for yourself, God matters more to me than any human ever could. You may not think you need God, and that's your choice, but don't go saying everyone else is irrational and their beliefs are pointless.

That is scary. You would put your invisible God for whom you have no evidence before your spouse and children. Shame. And BTW you do believe in a Magic Universe where the laws of nature do not apply. You believe Jesus performed magic, died and resurrected in 36 hours with disolved brain cells but got up and walked around. That is IMO irrational. Doubting it is rational.

5+ Billion people believe in some kind of god, so apparently you are the minority

A majority of the world is also illiterate, can't do geometry or trigonometry, doesn't know basic facts about the Earth, Sun and solar system, can't define galaxies. So it is not surprising that they majority believe in invisible beings of some sort.

So, yes, we Atheists are a minority in the world, 30% or so overall, 51% or more in Scotland, Netherlands, and Russia as opposed to only 8% in the USA, Ireland, and Portugal. So what? Numbers do not determine truth. Al Gore got the most numbers in your presidential election, but Bush, the minority candidate won.

In this situation of Atheists being fewer than Theists, I consider it to mean that I am in an intellectual elite of rational thinkers who sees no evidence for God.

and the one considered irrational.

Actually Atheists are in the vast majority of fields of studies considered most rational (Science, Medical Research, Computer science, academic philosophy). Atheists are recognised for their rationality by most christians. I never heard anyone actually call us "irrational." Our basic thinking processes are based on reason not authority as are yours. You intended it as an insult not a serious statement. My question to you, is why do you hate us so intensely? How is our non-belief a threat to you?

Ha, you made my day. I am among the world elite thinkers. I feel good about that.

Fiach