Megatron

Exactly!

ecco

From RW:
Rainbow,

You are, for once, absolutely right. The difference between theists like yourself and atheists like me is that we have been able to throw off the shackles of religious indoctrination (read brainwashing). Once we were able to do this, we were able to think freely and come to the logical conclusion that ALL gods are myths. You belive that MOST gods are myths, but cling strongly to the specific god in which YOU were indoctrinated. Muslims cling strongly to the specific god in which THEY were indoctrinated.

Megatron

This, IMO, being what makes theism so damned ridiculous... "Zeus and Thor are nonsense... but THIS God is real!"

Koyaanisqatsi

Hey Rainbow...

Once again, dear friend, you insert the flaw. Ahteists don't need a reason to not "believe" a fiction to be a fiction. It is self evident.

Atheism: absense of belief in deism. You really should tattoo that to the insides of your eyelids so that you see the light in the dark (sorry, I've been dealing with Albert).

By the way, do I need a reason to "believe" Luke Skywalker is a fictional being? No. It is self-evident.

More cult terminology insertion (or, more properly, interpolation).

Force as you may cult terminolgy upon us and you'll only reveal your indoctrination. Couch it in tentative qualifiers like "almost dogmatic" and achieve spin apologetics.

My hat's off, but I'd only ask, can you be "almost pregnant?"

I guess it's all just perspective to you, then, for there is no appearance in that regard to an atheist.

It is a conclusion drawn. A valid, irrefutable conclusion.

There is, however, no "interpretation rendered." Interpretation implies that there are some questions remaining; something still open to debate.

There are no questions involved in fictional creatures. They are fictional.

No, it is only the theist that argues the same warmed over ideas ad nauseam. We simply provide the answers.

My answers are entirely my own and that's the distinction. The fact that others have reached the same irrefutable conclusion as I have only serves to reinforce the veracity in the same superficial argument from popularity sense that cults rely upon, but by no means is the multitude a contingency of the conclusion.

The facts do not lie; only the interpreters do. Fiction is fiction; to indoctrinate fiction to be non-fiction is the lie.

If I proclaim Luke Skywalker to be a factual being then I am doing nothing more than lying.

If I believe Luke Skywalker is a factual being then I am doing nothing more than deluding myself.

Then, at least, you agree that such fictional beings are, indeed, created?

Too true, which is why the New Testament is not a "new" testament at all; it is merely humanism stolen to instill a very old idea: slavery.

It's remarkable that we're in agreement, but miracles can happen, I guess.

Amos

You mean, you are proud to be a slave to your desires.

kwigibo

That's biology for ya

Amos

But only for Cave dwellers

Did you know that the beauty of gold is in our ability to walk away from it? It is where the streets are paved with gold and virgins are a dime a dozen.

Howay the Toon

It's a bit of a leap from "I am my own master" to "I am a slave to my own desires".

Would you prefer to be slave to someone else's desires?

Foxhole Atheist

From Amos:

“You mean, you are proud to be a slave to your desires.”

I don’t believe I offered any descriptions. I simply stated: I am my own master. Proud? Slave? What do those words have to do with what we’re talking about.

I, like every other human being, pursue my desires. I am human with all of the various genetically and conditioned predisposed wants and wishes. However, I do so with a rational mind, knowing what can be achieved and what cannot. The pursuit of my desires has been tempered with considerable experience. I love to eat, as many others do. My wife is a great cook. However, I know that too many calories tends to make one a little rotund. My horses wouldn’t tolerate that in me, especially with what I ask of them. So, I pursue that desire to a point.

There are many other desires that I pursue. But, I pursue them in the same fashion. Moderation, at this stage of my life, has become a necessity in such pursuits. No, I wouldn’t call myself a slave to those desires, with one exception; my desire to live. I pursue that desire with every fiber of my being.

Now, I suppose, your going to tell me that you do not pursue your desires. From reading many of your posts, and I do, really, the comparison of what you and I consider desires is not even close. Please don’t take me the wrong way. I’m certainly not stating that one’s desires are better than the other’s. They’re just different.

Amos

How about "the ego takes the fame and the body takes blame." Not exactly, perhaps, but it is always the ego that drives the body towards success and fame. This is good and is very good actually, but is also how winners and losers are made and this is how competition begins and slavery takes over.