Atheist Image Dump II

[Guardian85]

[Crow]

Brilliant!

[Insoluble]

Is it just me that sees many of those loops had attained sentience.

All were consumed, a mercy for most but some looked so hopeful.

[Recusant]

    I'm glad you're back, Insoluble. 

[Tank]

[Biggus Dickus]

Not only can Jesus walk on water, he can also turn himself invisible at will like a superhero...oh, and he prefers Adidas.

[history_geek]

[Tank]

SO MUCH THIS!!!!

[Guest]

SO MUCH THIS!!!!

So he is talking to a non-atheist? Just want to make it clear, I think I read the text ten times before getting to this understanding?

[Icarus]

Guest, I reckon that he is talking about a person of religious persuasion because it would not be as necessary to explain science or logic to an atheist or agnostic.

The remark about attention span could be seen as derisive. That is not necessarily so. When a non believer presents verifiable facts that are not consistent with the dearly held beliefs of the Christian, Muslim, Morman, etc, their mind tends to close up like a steel trap. There are religious people who have a good understanding of science and logic but they do tend to use their knowledge cafeteria style.  They pick and choose the information that agrees with their previously held beliefs.

Around 1100 CE an enormously influential Muslim cleric emerged. Before his time the Islamic world had shown considerable academic and scientific ability. We still use Arabic numbers, algebra, algorithms, and the names of almost all the stars in the sky that have Arabic or middle eastern origin. That cleric and his adherents were instrumental in almost shutting down the Arabic intellect. He and his followers claimed that the study of numbers was an instrument of the devil and should be avoided. That attitude still lives with groups of people such as the blood thirsty members of Boko Haram. Loosely translated their chosen name means; western education is evil. These are extreme examples of: Don't confuse me with facts, I already have my mind made up.

Guest, do not take offense to my homely rambling. I am actually talking to myself with this reply, not you.

[Recusant]

1st world atheist problems.    Tell it to Rafida Bonya Ahmed.

[Tank]

Yes. Quite so!

[Guest]

Guest, I reckon that he is talking about a person of religious persuasion because it would not be as necessary to explain science or logic to an atheist or agnostic.

The remark about attention span could be seen as derisive. That is not necessarily so. When a non believer presents verifiable facts that are not consistent with the dearly held beliefs of the Christian, Muslim, Morman, etc, their mind tends to close up like a steel trap. There are religious people who have a good understanding of science and logic but they do tend to use their knowledge cafeteria style.  They pick and choose the information that agrees with their previously held beliefs.

Yeah, I thought as much! I just had trouble understanding the complicated sentence.
A religious friend of mine did not want to read the Bible, and the reason was that he didn't want to endanger his childhood belief. I could understand it in terms of him being in a good shape mentally, he seemed like he was doing quite well, he was happy, no anxieties etc. I just realized ever more clearly that I'm quite different myself. I wanted to know the contents of the faith I was brought up in as early as I could, no matter what happened to my mental well-being! I think I'm still doing quite okay in that front, but I did loose my faith. To each their own I suppose.
The guy in the picture is facing something yet different. I think it's a person who professes a want to know more, but when hears some science, immediately shuts down the mind because of faith. Frustrating!

Around 1100 CE an enormously influential Muslim cleric emerged. Before his time the Islamic world had shown considerable academic and scientific ability. We still use Arabic numbers, algebra, algorithms, and the names of almost all the stars in the sky that have Arabic or middle eastern origin. That cleric and his adherents were instrumental in almost shutting down the Arabic intellect. He and his followers claimed that the study of numbers was an instrument of the devil and should be avoided. That attitude still lives with groups of people such as the blood thirsty members of Boko Haram. Loosely translated their chosen name means; western education is evil. These are extreme examples of: Don't confuse me with facts, I already have my mind made up.

Guest, do not take offense to my homely rambling. I am actually talking to myself with this reply, not you.

No offence taken, but do you have any idea what is the name of this cleric you talk about? I heard from somewhere that Arabic culture was science nurturing, but Islam, as it spread, slowly changed things for the worse. Might have been some anti-muslim propaganda though, can't remember that well.
I was at a lecture given by this guy about the Golden age of Islam: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jaakko_H%C3%A4meen-Anttila
He painted a different picture that was more favourable to Islam, but I don't think he explained the reasons for the decline...

Boko haram is funny also in the sense you brought up. When they are against Western education, they in fact are against Arabic teachings, the basis (or a large part of it at least) of science.
What I found most useful upon entering a mosque was they had on the wall an accurate representation of the debt the Occident has for Arabs and the Golden Age. That might even encourage someone who goes there to study science!

[Guardian85]

[Icarus]

Guest: The presumed name of that influential cleric was Hamid Al-Ghazali.  Not a surprise that it is an Arab sounding name.

Among other sources of this line of reasoning are some of the talks by Neil D. Tyson who is rather good with this kind of stuff. In more than one of his talks he praises the middle eastern cultures for their early, great, intellectual achievements until some, or several, clerics changed the whole perspective.   

How many Nobel Prizes ever awarded to Muslims? Two. One of them a Pakistani, not Arab. How many Nobels awarded to Jews? One quarter of all that have ever been awarded. Interestingly, there are 80 times more Muslims than Jews. That ratio is worth pondering. Are the Jews more genetically endowed with intellectual capacity? No! not likely.   The Jews are not fucked up with beliefs that intellectualism is some sort of sin or that Allah will end the earth day after tomorrow.