Godless Wonder

Are you serious? Read some history. Watch the news. That's never all it is.

Faith is the single most harmful invention of mankind, in my opinion. Faith is ignorance disguised as wisdom. As Mark Twain said, "Faith is believing what you know ain't so". Another quote: "Religion is an insult to human dignity. With or without it you would have good people doing good things and evil people doing evil things. But for good people to do evil things, that takes religion." (not sure who to attribute this quote to)

Think about what motivates most of the terrorists you see in the news, and I don't mean just the stuff that happened on 9/11. Think about David Koresh in Waco, the I.R.A., Timothy McVeigh. Japanese kamikaze pilots in WWII, off the top of my head. (It occurs to me that I would really like to see a more-or-less complete list of "faithful perpetrators") Are GW Bush's actions and decisions influenced by his faith? If so, is that a good thing or a bad thing? Are votors influenced by their faith? The Supreme Court?

There was a recent show on TV (might have been 60 minutes, or 48 hours) about suicide bombers in the Middle East, and they talked to one who had been captured when his bomb failed to go off. It was quite clear that these suicide bombers were not insane. They were just very religious, very faithful. Just full of faith.

Harumi

Oh please,

You mean to tell me that all my liberal friends are suddenly going to try and censor textbooks, burn Harry Potter books, and blow up abortion clinics? I suggest you make a few more liberal Christian friends.

I have many who aren't like that at all. And there are examples of people like that here at the II. Do you mean to tell me Helen SL is all for enforcing prayer in school? I don't think so.

People will always need comfort. God can provide that. And if going to a religion for ONLY the sake of giving yourself peace (or in my godmother's case, the strength to take care of her mentally defficient son) I don't see what's wrong with it. Hell, I need a little comfort sometimes. I just don't turn to an imaginary being. Some people do, and that's fine. They don't tell me I'm wrong, and I don't tell them they're wrong. It's called respect.

Just because there are Christians that will try to force their beliefs on you doesn't mean that there aren't any who just try to live life peacefully in the best way they can.

I don't believe religion will ever be fully eradicated. All we can hope for is that people will gradually become more liberal, using religion as a source of comfort, a group coming together because they happen to share the same moral beliefs, a special community without feeling the need to impose on others.

Do any of you seriously think that people like them are a threat?

Proctors_Gambit

The simplest way we can acheive the death of Christianity is for humans to overcome their own mortality.

The very basis of Christianity is what happens to man after they die.

The concept of death itself is the factor most responsible for continued Christianity in our society.

Many people are afraid of dying, scared of damnation, need hope in a life beyond this one, both for them and their dead loved ones.

At some point in the future, maybe not for hundreds or thousands of years, people will be able to be kept alive indefinately, either as functioning humans or in some kind of stasis.
Death may become a choice that people can make if they no longer want to live.

With no mortality, mankind has no need for Christianity.

-Gambit

Godless Wonder

Not most of them. But some of them, a very few of them. Look at what happened in Nazi Germany. If it had not in fact happened, nobody would have believed that such a thing could be possible. Surely someone would stand up and not allow it. Yet it was allowed. It did happen. Faith is the same kind of thinking that may (not will, but may) lead to such things. Faith is bad stuff.
[...]Do any of you seriously think that people like them are a threat?[/QUOTE]
Most of them? No. Any of them? Absolutely. Can I eradicate faith? No. Would the world be better off without the concept of faith. Absolutely. I am just trying to be one that stands up and says "this is bad."

Biff the unclean

I can't help but notice on these boards that when we have fire and brimstone Xians on the same thread with liberal Xians the F&B Xians will take the L's to task for being too wishy-washy. But when the F&B's come out with some truely hate saturated stuff the liberals don't say word one. They might be nice "house-broken" Christians themselves but they are also enablers for the dangerous sort. When the time comes to take a stand with the Humanists, who are Atheists, or with the Fundys, they choose "faith".

Harumi

Of course, there are exceptions. My Christian friend took a fundy to task for declaring that lesbians and gays should go to hell. She also told off someone for praising Pat Robertson and their ilk.

Perhaps it may be because I live in a very liberal area, where fundies are looked down upon as illogical and stupid, and atheists can walk openly without being told off, sometimes they are even respected.

I don't believe that the faith my godmother uses to give herself strength and patience is a bad thing. Nor do I believe that belief in a god would either. Surely deists aren't psychos are they?

I do draw the line though on blind faith, and that is the one I think you guys are referring to. Blind faith does need to be eradicated, and the only way to do that is through education.

Rational BAC

That is true on both sides Biff-----

I have read some really off the wall stuff from some atheists on this forum. And everyone just sort of looks the other way. (Probably the other atheists think it is some kid in high school and don't want to discourage his atheism by dumping on him)----good enough reason I suppose.

Many times I have thought about answering a Fundy- who just posted something ridiculous------but long before I could compose anything, there are multiple atheist (and much more knowledgable) replies saying things much better than I ever could.

My fault perhaps for not jumping on the pile.

But I don't like to gang up on anyone taking it from all directions.

I do notice that some pretty intelligent theists just give it up and leave the forum after being ganged up on a few times. And that is a shame.

I have a pretty tough skin. Real hard to get rid of me. But even I try to stay away anymore from posting situations where I have to answer 5 different people at once. Can wear you out.

Biff the unclean

Many times I have thought about answering a Fundy- who just posted something ridiculous------but long before I could compose anything, there are multiple atheist (and much more knowledgable) replies saying things much better than I ever could.

My fault perhaps for not jumping on the pile.

Jumping on the pile?
For someone who is so down on egotism in others you never seem to miss a opportunity to flatter yourself.

'Silence is consent' Consistent silence in the face of misanthropy is consistent consent.

But I don't like to gang up on anyone taking it from all directions.
If, and only if, they are calling themselves "Christian."

I have a pretty tough skin. Real hard to get rid of me. But even I try to stay away anymore from posting situations where I have to answer 5 different people at once. Can wear you out.
This is an "infidel" board. You knew that when you joined. It says so at the top of every page. What would lead you to think that a lot of the people posting here weren't Infidels? Why, when you promote your personal vague form of Christianity on an Infidel board, would you think the Infidels wouldn't have something to say about it?

Harumi

Rational BAC has a point however.

I remember one infidel on this board who went so far as to say that all Christians have the dream of destroying atheists.

That's like Christians believing that all atheists are demon/devil worshipping people who are out to kill them in my opinion.

Although I did respond to such a ridiculous post, I found myself alone in doing so.

It's the same everywhere people. We tend to be silent when people believe the 'same' thing we do. I'm not fond of it, but that's just what happens.

Biff the unclean

Well that is the point. Our Liberals are always silent when a Fundy rants. Yet they have not problem speaking up to Humanists. They support the Fundies but since they smile while they do you think it's alright.