Happy Atheist Forum

An atheist is someone who despises God or Religion. I can prove my point very easily. If you surf the World Wide Web, you will see that most likely 95% of atheistic web forums or bulletin boards discuss only the Christian God. I know the meaning of "Atheist" is someone who dis-believes in God or a higher power, but how can you disbelieve in something if you cannot fully 100% disprove it? That doesn't sound very logical to me.

If atheism means; "No belief in God and or Gods" then why does every atheist web site have a "Religion" section?

I always thought most atheists walked away from God. So why would they want to sit here and talk about him day and night?

Atheists are only proving God exists by discussing him on a 24 hour schedule.

I don't believe in Peter Pan, but you won't catch me in a Peter Pan website discussing his existence 24 hours a day.

I believe the atheists that discuss God on a daily basis are the ones who are truly searching for him. They are borderline on the fence about his existence.

Quote from: "Psalm23"An atheist is someone who despises God or Religion.

do you despise peter pan?

QuoteIf atheism means; "No belief in God and or Gods" then why does every atheist web site have a "Religion" section?

if they didn't religious people would whine that theyr opinion isn't being heard

QuoteI always thought most atheists walked away from God. So why would they want to sit here and talk about him day and night?

we dont talk about it day and night. Its just a few minutes/hours (depends on the person) a day/wee/month. And that is so because religion is being shoved down our throats (unlike peter pan)

QuoteAtheists are only proving God exists by discussing him on a 24 hour schedule. [\quote]
holy jack's pizza. I talk about dragons all day. I even draw them. Dragons exist!

QuoteI don't believe in Peter Pan, but you won't catch me in a Peter Pan website discussing his existence 24 hours a day.

peter pan is not forced onto you

wow my quotes worked. I thought I screwed them up

Quote from: "MariaEvri"do you despise peter pan?

No.

Quoteif they didn't religious people would whine that theyr opinion isn't being heard

Oh, come on, gimme a break. Like Christians really care if they are mentioned in an atheist forum.

Quotewe dont talk about it day and night. Its just a few minutes/hours (depends on the person) a day/wee/month. And that is so because religion is being shoved down our throats (unlike peter pan)

But remember, you don't believe, so why even bother talking about him?

Quoteholy jack's pizza. I talk about dragons all day. I even draw them. Dragons exist!

If you read the bible, yes, some sort of Dragon did exist. "Fire breathes from his nostrils"

Quotepeter pan is not forced onto you

actually, yes, Peter Pan and the rest of Disney is forced upon us. Don't you see the Disney World commercials that encourage you to bring your family to Disney World?

I don't believe in Cinderella.. maybe I should create a website that discusses Cinderella on a 24 hour schedule?  

Quote from: "Psalm23"some sort of Dragon did exist. "Fire breathes from his nostrils"

[

HOYG pr00f plz

Quoteactually, yes, Peter Pan and the rest of Disney is forced upon us. Don't you see the Disney World commercials that encourage you to bring your family to Disney World?

I

DONT BELIEVE IN PETERPAN AND YOU WILL BURN IN HELL!!
no it is NOT being foced onto you
and btw why DON'T you believe in peter pan? We haven't even scratched the surface of the universe yet!

Quote from: "Psalm23"Oh, come on, gimme a break. Like Christians really care if they are mentioned in an atheist forum.

Your very presence indicates that you do.

Quote from: "Psalm23"But remember, you don't believe, so why even bother talking about him?

Did you miss the part about religious people attempting to force God on us at every turn?  

Let's see, we talk about God and religion because...

   People manage to force their religious tenets into law.
   People evangelize and try to force religion on our children.
   People discriminate against us in the workplace because they believe in God and we don't.
   People try to deny medical care to us and to others such as homosexuals and transsexuals based on their religious preferences sometimes resulting in deaths that I call religious murders.
   People deny their children medical care, resulting in horrible suffering and deaths, again, religious murders.
   People kill other people because of their religious beliefs - wholesale in wars and small scale in such things as gay bashings and the murder of people not of their religion.
   People use their religion to try to disrupt health care, education, and basic freedoms.

What kind of dumbass wouldn't be concerned about a belief that causes people to hate, kill, imprison, destroy freedoms and spread ignorance?

Quote from: "Psalm23"An atheist is someone who despises God or Religion. I can prove my point very easily. If you surf the World Wide Web, you will see that most likely 95% of atheistic web forums or bulletin boards discuss only the Christian God. I know the meaning of "Atheist" is someone who dis-believes in God or a higher power, but how can you disbelieve in something if you cannot fully 100% disprove it? That doesn't sound very logical to me.

If atheism means; "No belief in God and or Gods" then why does every atheist web site have a "Religion" section?

I always thought most atheists walked away from God. So why would they want to sit here and talk about him day and night?

Atheists are only proving God exists by discussing him on a 24 hour schedule.

I don't believe in Peter Pan, but you won't catch me in a Peter Pan website discussing his existence 24 hours a day.

I believe the atheists that discuss God on a daily basis are the ones who are truly searching for him. They are borderline on the fence about his existence.

(https://www.happyatheistforum.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fimages47.fotki.com%2Fv1401%2Fphotos%2F8%2F892548%2F6116196%2F1232611527517-vi.gif&hash=3984b3368a6052d6af2cfce06c51d1a4c0275c2d)

Quote from: "Psalm23"I believe the atheists that discuss God on a daily basis are the ones who are truly searching for him. They are borderline on the fence about his existence.

You also believe in your god. This alone is enough for me to discount any other belief you may bring forward because you do not live in a world where proof matters. Keep on trollin' though.

Quote from: "Psalm23"If you surf the World Wide Web, you will see that most likely 95% of atheistic web forums or bulletin boards discuss only the Christian God.

You will also see that 99% of the people who evangelize are Christian and 99% of people forcing their religious tenets into law are Christian.  

I've been beaten, abused, evangelized and discriminated against by Christians but not by a single Jew, Buddhist, Hindu, Muslim, or Pagan due to my absence of belief.  In the event that I am, I'll start complaining about it everywhere I can.

I've never seen any religious group but Christians lobbying to make their religious tenets into law in my country.  The minute they do, they'll be the topic of conversation.

Quote from: "Kylyssa"

Quote from: "Psalm23"But remember, you don't believe, so why even bother talking about him?

Did you miss the part about religious people attempting to force God on us at every turn?  

Let's see, we talk about God and religion because...

   People manage to force their religious tenets into law.
   People evangelize and try to force religion on our children.
   People discriminate against us in the workplace because they believe in God and we don't.
   People try to deny medical care to us and to others such as homosexuals and transsexuals based on their religious preferences sometimes resulting in deaths that I call religious murders.
   People deny their children medical care, resulting in horrible suffering and deaths, again, religious murders.
   People kill other people because of their religious beliefs - wholesale in wars and small scale in such things as gay bashings and the murder of people not of their religion.
   People use their religion to try to disrupt health care, education, and basic freedoms.

What kind of dumbass wouldn't be concerned about a belief that causes people to hate, kill, imprison, destroy freedoms and spread ignorance?

I couldn't have said it better myself.  But I would like to ask you (psalm23) to think about one thing, and try not to instantly dismiss it as hogwash like you seem to have the ability to do:  think about what it would be like living life in the United States as an atheist as compared to being religious.  Think of all the times prayer is mentioned in daily life, about how many churches there are, about the fact that our money has "in God we trust" on it, about how we are "One Nation Under God", about how most people believe that you will spend eternity burning in hell(even if we don't believe in it) no matter how good of a person you are, and about how there is only one person working as a senator/congressman in Washington who openly shares your opinion on religious matters.  Can you honestly say that religion/god wouldn't bother you at all and you wouldn't need a place to share your opinions (AKA this site)?  And I've seen you bring up the "why single out Christianity" bit a few times and here's the answer:  it may seem that Christianity gets singled out a lot but that's mainly because its the main religion that is around (probably) a majority of posters.  If most people on the discussion forum were surrounded by Muslims, Islam would be the main religion discussed and so on and so forth.

Quote from: "Psalm23"An atheist is someone who despises God or Religion. I can prove my point very easily. If you surf the World Wide Web, you will see that most likely 95% of atheistic web forums or bulletin boards discuss only the Christian God.  

Really?  There is no possible way that the reason Chrsitianity is focused on so heavily is because most people who speak English live in areas where Christianity is the most popular religion and it therefore affects our lives more than the others.

QuoteI know the meaning of "Atheist" is someone who dis-believes in God or a higher power, but how can you disbelieve in something if you cannot fully 100% disprove it? That doesn't sound very logical to me.

You don't believe in Allah, Zeus etc.....

QuoteIf atheism means; "No belief in God and or Gods" then why does every atheist web site have a "Religion" section?

1)  For people like you  2) Because you don't have to believe in something in order to discuss it.  A lot of people love to talk about ancient greek and roman mythology yet do not think it is true.

QuoteI always thought most atheists walked away from God. So why would they want to sit here and talk about him day and night?

I don't want to hear your preaching.  I'd much rather hear from theists who have a background in philosophy and/or are capeable of having reasoned discussions.  I think it's fun to debate with someone who is a challange.

QuoteAtheists are only proving God exists by discussing him on a 24 hour schedule.

So my not talking about "God" unless someone brings him up means he doesn't exist?  The Christian God concept has very little to do with my daily life nor my reasons for being an atheist.  

QuoteI don't believe in Peter Pan, but you won't catch me in a Peter Pan website discussing his existence 24 hours a day.

You might if you were a fan of the Peter Pan story or if other people were trying to force Peter Pan belief on you.

QuoteI believe the atheists that discuss God on a daily basis are the ones who are truly searching for him. They are borderline on the fence about his existence.

If you bothered to look around the forum, you'll find that most of the topics started by athesits are about random stuff, dealing with being an atheist in a religious environment, and other secular issues.

Quote from: "Psalm23"If atheism means; "No belief in God and or Gods" then why does every atheist web site have a "Religion" section?

Because we're not apatheists. We consider the question of "is there a God" to be of much importance, thus interest. For the record I don't despise religion. I do, however, become disgusted by some of the behavior it incites.

Have fun "bigotting"  

F

This is preaching, Psalm23, which is against our forum rules (http://www.happyatheistforum.com/viewtopic.php?f=9&t=1522). We welcome all viewpoints here, but we don't tolerate excessive rudeness or people who only come here to cause trouble. You will tone down your rhetoric or you will have to leave. This place is for happy people (notice that the word "happy" comes before "atheist" in the title of the forum), and it's pretty clear you're here to make people unhappy.

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Quote from: "maestroanth"And by forum rules, do NOT follow a doctrine.  That's what christians do. use logic.

This is the social contract, not dogma. Treat others with respect in order to illicit the same treatment. Right now, Psalm is posting/preaching about how Christianity is right and atheism is inherently wrong and also isn't responding to most of the posts in his threads. In not treating other people with respect, he is eliciting my necessary response as a moderator because it's my job to ensure that the community remains happy and healthy.

That said, I welcome dissent because there's always a chance I'm wrong. So thank you for that.  

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Quote from: "Psalm23"An atheist is someone who despises God or Religion. I can prove my point very easily. If you surf the World Wide Web, you will see that most likely 95% of atheistic web forums or bulletin boards discuss only the Christian God. I know the meaning of "Atheist" is someone who dis-believes in God or a higher power, but how can you disbelieve in something if you cannot fully 100% disprove it? That doesn't sound very logical to me.

Well buddy, the same goes for you. How can you believe in something if you cannot fully 100% prove? That doesn't sound very logical to me either.

Quote from: "Psalm23"If atheism means; "No belief in God and or Gods" then why does every atheist web site have a "Religion" section?

Just because we don't believe in it, doesn't mean we can't talk about it.

Quote from: "Psalm23"I always thought most atheists walked away from God. So why would they want to sit here and talk about him day and night?

First of all, stop thinking because your brain seems to be doing you no good. We do not talk about God day and night. All of us here on this forums have lives and other important things we need to take care of. I go to school and work so no, I am not on here day and night.

Quote from: "Psalm23"Atheists are only proving God exists by discussing him on a 24 hour schedule.

Wow. Just wow. You have no logic whatsoever. In my Religious Studies class, we talk about different Gods all the time, even the Judeo-Christian God. Just because we discuss them doesn't mean their true.

Quote from: "Psalm23"I don't believe in Peter Pan, but you won't catch me in a Peter Pan website discussing his existence 24 hours a day.

At least we know you aren't that crazy.

Quote from: "Psalm23"I believe the atheists that discuss God on a daily basis are the ones who are truly searching for him. They are borderline on the fence about his existence.

Again, we are not discussing God on a daily basis. We've all made up our minds and I for one, am not borderline with the sky daddy. I believe in what I believe in because they are my beliefs, and my beliefs alone. You don't believe in Peter Pan, some kids do.

Grow up and grow some pubic hair.

And I have one question for you. Why exactly did you chose the HappyAtheistForum to perform your little troll attempt. Why not go to a Buddhist or Islamic website to try to tell them why they're wrong?

F

In the Netherlands, where I come from, there is not much need for atheists to have a forum like this one. You barely see atheists organizing themselves on- and off line. Reason for this is that the evangelical Christians are a very small minority in my country. "Normal" Christian people in the Netherlands also take atheists for granted. They don't believe that they are crazy or immoral; nor do they think that they are devil worshipers, etc. etc.  Atheism is well accepted in my country and therefore there aren't any frictions between unbelievers and believers. Whenever "our" fundamental Christians speak up there is a public outcry from freethinkers and ordinary Christian alike, because more than 95% of the Dutch population think that they are fools, idiots or worse.

The situation in the USA is completely different. First time I arrived here on this forum I was amazed how much anger there was between Christians and Atheists. Then I realized that Christians in the USA are of a (for me) far worse type than the ones whom I ever encountered in Europe. Fundamental Christians in the USA have too much influence in education, public offices, hospitals and politics. Atheists are a minority and are treated very badly. In the eyes of the American Christian population, atheists are immoral and have no rights to call themselves citizens of the "great" US [Christian] nation. I never heard that much BS in my entire life; and that even comes from one of your former presidents (Bush Sr.). Would our prime minister say the same thing today then he would be kicked out of office tomorrow! I'm sorry to say that evangelical Christians in the US are just as evil and full of BS, as the fundamental Muslims in the Middle East and that freethinkers on this website have all the rights to fight them.

F

Quote from: "Will"This is preaching, Psalm23, which is against our forum rules (http://www.happyatheistforum.com/viewtopic.php?f=9&t=1522). We welcome all viewpoints here, but we don't tolerate excessive rudeness or people who only come here to cause trouble. You will tone down your rhetoric or you will have to leave. This place is for happy people (notice that the word "happy" comes before "atheist" in the title of the forum), and it's pretty clear you're here to make people unhappy.

Dear Moderator, I'm sorry if you view my posts as, "preaching." I don't think I used any Bible verses in my postings. All I did was come in here with my "point of view," and you blow the whistle on me. I have debated with literally thousands of atheists in my life, and they are far from, "happy," as you describe.

Here's an example; I had an atheist tell me one time, "God is a tyrant!"

My rebutal, How can God be a tyrant if he doesn't exist in the mind of an atheist?

Dear Moderators of Happy atheist forum.

If you and your members can claim, "God doesn't exist due to lack of evidence." Then I'm sure you have explored the entire Universe thoroughly, right?

If I place a pin in a 2,500 acre field, but you are only capable of exploring only 500 acres of that field.. then how can you say, "there is no evidence that pin is in that field?" -- The atheist argument against God is not very stable.

Have a wonderful day,
Psalm 23.

Quote from: "Kylyssa"

Quote from: "Psalm23"If you surf the World Wide Web, you will see that most likely 95% of atheistic web forums or bulletin boards discuss only the Christian God.

You will also see that 99% of the people who evangelize are Christian and 99% of people forcing their religious tenets into law are Christian.  

I've been beaten, abused, evangelized and discriminated against by Christians but not by a single Jew, Buddhist, Hindu, Muslim, or Pagan due to my absence of belief.  In the event that I am, I'll start complaining about it everywhere I can.

I've never seen any religious group but Christians lobbying to make their religious tenets into law in my country.  The minute they do, they'll be the topic of conversation.

Well I can say, I'm sorry you have been abused by Christians, but as I read the words of Jesus.. he did NOT condone this behavior from his followers. Jesus said very strictly to them; "DO NOT JUDGE OTHERS!" The Christian(s) that abused you are not true warriors for Christ! They are false!

Quote from: "Psalm23"If you and your members can claim, "God doesn't exist due to lack of evidence." Then I'm sure you have explored the entire Universe thoroughly, right?

If I place a pin in a 2,500 acre field, but you are only capable of exploring only 500 acres of that field.. then how can you say, "there is no evidence that pin is in that field?" -- The atheist argument against God is not very stable.

Ah, wait!

It all makes sense now...

God's name is "Waldo".

...

Worst.  Hide-n-Seek.  Ever.

p.s. I thought god was everywhere... should be easy to find... and prove.

Quote from: "Psalm23"Well I can say, I'm sorry you have been abused by Christians, but as I read the words of Jesus.. he did NOT condone this behavior from his followers. Jesus said very strictly to them; "DO NOT JUDGE OTHERS!" The Christian(s) that abused you are not true warriors for Christ! They are false!

If I may, I believe Jesus did incite murder for being an atheist via The Parable of the Ten Minas:
"While they were listening to this, he went on to tell them a parable, because he was near Jerusalem and the people thought that the kingdom of God was going to appear at once. He said: "A man of noble birth went to a distant country to have himself appointed king and then to return. So he called ten of his servants and gave them ten minas. 'Put this money to work,' he said, 'until I come back.' "But his subjects hated him and sent a delegation after him to say, 'We don't want this man to be our king.' "He was made king, however, and returned home. Then he sent for the servants to whom he had given the money, in order to find out what they had gained with it. "The first one came and said, 'Sir, your mina has earned ten more.' " 'Well done, my good servant!' his master replied. 'Because you have been trustworthy in a very small matter, take charge of ten cities.' "The second came and said, 'Sir, your mina has earned five more.' "His master answered, 'You take charge of five cities.' "Then another servant came and said, 'Sir, here is your mina; I have kept it laid away in a piece of cloth. I was afraid of you, because you are a hard man. You take out what you did not put in and reap what you did not sow.' "His master replied, 'I will judge you by your own words, you wicked servant! You knew, did you, that I am a hard man, taking out what I did not put in, and reaping what I did not sow? Why then didn't you put my money on deposit, so that when I came back, I could have collected it with interest?' "Then he said to those standing by, 'Take his mina away from him and give it to the one who has ten minas.' " 'Sir,' they said, 'he already has ten!' "He replied, 'I tell you that to everyone who has, more will be given, but as for the one who has nothing, even what he has will be taken away. But those enemies of mine who did not want me to be king over themâ€"bring them here and kill them in front of me."" Luke 19:11-27 (NIV)
It's not a direct order from Jesus, but I can't imagine interpreting the lesson behind this parable as anything but the murder of unbelievers. Maybe I'm reading it wrong?

Here's an important verse:
"And they entered into a covenant to seek the LORD God of their fathers with all their heart and with all their soul; That whosoever would not seek the LORD God of Israel should be put to death, whether small or great, whether man or woman." 2 Chron 15:12-13, (NKJ)
That's pretty black and white. All atheists and agnostics, anyone not seeking the lord, must be put to death according to the word of god. Admittedly, this isn't the word of Jesus, but why leave it in the Bible if you're not going to follow it?

Quote from: "Psalm23"

Quote from: "Will"This is preaching, Psalm23, which is against our forum rules (http://www.happyatheistforum.com/viewtopic.php?f=9&t=1522). We welcome all viewpoints here, but we don't tolerate excessive rudeness or people who only come here to cause trouble. You will tone down your rhetoric or you will have to leave. This place is for happy people (notice that the word "happy" comes before "atheist" in the title of the forum), and it's pretty clear you're here to make people unhappy.

Dear Moderator, I'm sorry if you view my posts as, "preaching." I don't think I used any Bible verses in my postings. All I did was come in here with my "point of view," and you blow the whistle on me. I have debated with literally thousands of atheists in my life, and they are far from, "happy," as you describe.

Here's an example; I had an atheist tell me one time, "God is a tyrant!"

My rebutal, How can God be a tyrant if he doesn't exist in the mind of an atheist?

Dear Moderators of Happy atheist forum.

If you and your members can claim, "God doesn't exist due to lack of evidence." Then I'm sure you have explored the entire Universe thoroughly, right?

If I place a pin in a 2,500 acre field, but you are only capable of exploring only 500 acres of that field.. then how can you say, "there is no evidence that pin is in that field?" -- The atheist argument against God is not very stable.

Have a wonderful day,
Psalm 23.

I'm glad you took the time out of your busy schedule to read all of the logical responses you got to this argument the last time you used it.  Oh wait...  

Quote from: "Psalm23"

Quote from: "Kylyssa"

Quote from: "Psalm23"If you surf the World Wide Web, you will see that most likely 95% of atheistic web forums or bulletin boards discuss only the Christian God.

You will also see that 99% of the people who evangelize are Christian and 99% of people forcing their religious tenets into law are Christian.  

I've been beaten, abused, evangelized and discriminated against by Christians but not by a single Jew, Buddhist, Hindu, Muslim, or Pagan due to my absence of belief.  In the event that I am, I'll start complaining about it everywhere I can.

I've never seen any religious group but Christians lobbying to make their religious tenets into law in my country.  The minute they do, they'll be the topic of conversation.

Well I can say, I'm sorry you have been abused by Christians, but as I read the words of Jesus.. he did NOT condone this behavior from his followers. Jesus said very strictly to them; "DO NOT JUDGE OTHERS!" The Christian(s) that abused you are not true warriors for Christ! They are false!

Isn't interesting how the second a Christian does something wrong, he is instantly disowned?  Perhaps you believe only other things people who worship exactly as you do are Christians.  However, people are motivated to do these things that you disapprove of by their belief.  

I note that you find nothing wrong with evangelizing, discriminating against atheists, or forcing everyone to obey the biblical laws some religious folks have cherry picked.  You only specifically mentioned that the abuse was wrong.  I doubt you would feel that way if the majority religion were not your own - or are you saying you wouldn't mind if people discriminated against you in the workplace for being Christian or forced their religious laws on you?  What if those religious rules they tried to force upon you included keeping women veiled and segregated from men such as what some sects of Muslims do?  Would you just be a good little doobie and let the majority Muslims do whatever they wanted whether it infringed on your freedoms or not?  Would you sit back and allow your children to be required to say "one nation under Allah" and watch them beaten by Muslim children with no interference by teachers because they are Christian?  Would you allow Muslims to make it illegal to drink alcohol or to keep a dog as a house pet?  If you wouldn't, if you would protest, then you should be able to understand why atheists protest against Christians making laws based on their religious beliefs using the force of majority.

Quote from: "joeactor"

Quote from: "Psalm23"If you and your members can claim, "God doesn't exist due to lack of evidence." Then I'm sure you have explored the entire Universe thoroughly, right?

If I place a pin in a 2,500 acre field, but you are only capable of exploring only 500 acres of that field.. then how can you say, "there is no evidence that pin is in that field?" -- The atheist argument against God is not very stable.

Ah, wait!

It all makes sense now...

God's name is "Waldo".

...

Worst.  Hide-n-Seek.  Ever.

p.s. I thought god was everywhere... should be easy to find... and prove.

Literally thousands of atheists and non-Christians are finding God on a daily basis. Muslims in the Middle East are even throwing away their Qu'ran to study about Jesus Christ. Even though they know their lives are in danger of following the Christ. They still convert to the Truth every day.

Quote from: "Psalm23"Literally thousands of atheists and non-Christians are finding God on a daily basis. Muslims in the Middle East are even throwing away their Qu'ran to study about Jesus Christ. Even though they know their lives are in danger of following the Christ. They still convert to the Truth every day.

First of all - you're wrong   Check your statistics. Secondly, actual atheists probably rarily ever convert. Secular theist or agnostics (whom may be self procalimed atheists out of ignorance of its meaning) who haven't given the gospel much thought are the ones any religion is converting. Come to think of it, they're really more like apatheists turned religious.

Quote from: "Sophus"

Quote from: "Psalm23"Literally thousands of atheists and non-Christians are finding God on a daily basis. Muslims in the Middle East are even throwing away their Qu'ran to study about Jesus Christ. Even though they know their lives are in danger of following the Christ. They still convert to the Truth every day.

First of all - you're wrong  :D

Quote from: "Psalm23"Literally thousands of atheists and non-Christians are finding God on a daily basis. Muslims in the Middle East are even throwing away their Qu'ran to study about Jesus Christ. Even though they know their lives are in danger of following the Christ. They still convert to the Truth every day.

The last I checked, real "Truth" is not governed by what humans believe.

People used to believe the world was flat, the sun revolved around it, and disease was caused by an imbalance in one or more of the four humours.  Were those "True" when they believed them?

I stand by my prior statement.  With so many people believing in one god or another for thousands of years, you'd think a good number would have come up with some concrete proof by now.

It's all feelings, personal experience and angels dancing on the heads of pins.

Don't get me wrong... I understand that Christianity has co-opted the term "The Truth" as their own special phrase, along with many others like "Science", or "Intelligent".  But that is just misleading in my opinion.  Heck, even Jesus and the cross were borrowed, er., "liberated" from other religions.

So, maybe you're right.  People find "The Truth" all the time... just not "The Facts", or anything useful enough to prove "The Truth".

I'm a theist because I believe in the absence of proof.

I'm agnostic because there is no proof I've seen thus far.

Show me "The Way",
JoeActor

Quote from: "joeactor"So, maybe you're right.  People find "The Truth" all the time... just not "The Facts", or anything useful enough to prove "The Truth".

I'm a theist because I believe in the absence of proof.

I'm agnostic because there is no proof I've seen thus far.

JoeActor

I know you've stated this in one way or another before, but I really like that statement. Well spake, sir.  

Quote from: "Psalm23"Dear Moderators of Happy atheist forum.

If you and your members can claim, "God doesn't exist due to lack of evidence." Then I'm sure you have explored the entire Universe thoroughly, right?

If I place a pin in a 2,500 acre field, but you are only capable of exploring only 500 acres of that field.. then how can you say, "there is no evidence that pin is in that field?" -- The atheist argument against God is not very stable.

Have a wonderful day,
Psalm 23.

You still don't know what atheism is. That tells me you've never had an actual debate with an atheist, just the shouting matches you've started here. I don't like shouting matches because they can bring out the worst even in otherwise peaceful and respectful people. I especially don't like them when they disrupt my favorite forum.

An atheist doesn't believe there is no god, we disbelieve the existence of god. In that lies the quintessential difference. Atheists generally are not absolute in the belief that god does not exist, instead simply stating that they do not believe in god. The same way we don't believe in leprechauns. Or unicorns. Sure, it's possible they may exist, but because there is absolutely, positively no credible evidence supporting god's existence, there's absolutely, positively no reason to belief in his/her/its existence. That's atheism. Those are atheists.

You are confusing atheism with antitheism. Antitheism is the exact opposite of theism: it's the absolute belief that there is no god.

Quote from: "Will"

Quote from: "Psalm23"Dear Moderators of Happy atheist forum.

If you and your members can claim, "God doesn't exist due to lack of evidence." Then I'm sure you have explored the entire Universe thoroughly, right?

If I place a pin in a 2,500 acre field, but you are only capable of exploring only 500 acres of that field.. then how can you say, "there is no evidence that pin is in that field?" -- The atheist argument against God is not very stable.

Have a wonderful day,
Psalm 23.

You still don't know what atheism is. That tells me you've never had an actual debate with an atheist, just the shouting matches you've started here. I don't like shouting matches because they can bring out the worst even in otherwise peaceful and respectful people. I especially don't like them when they disrupt my favorite forum.

An atheist doesn't believe there is no god, we disbelieve the existence of god. In that lies the quintessential difference. Atheists generally are not absolute in the belief that god does not exist, instead simply stating that they do not believe in god. The same way we don't believe in leprechauns. Or unicorns. Sure, it's possible they may exist, but because there is absolutely, positively no credible evidence supporting god's existence, there's absolutely, positively no reason to belief in his/her/its existence. That's atheism. Those are atheists.

You are confusing atheism with antitheism. Antitheism is the exact opposite of theism: it's the absolute belief that there is no god.

Owned, I must say.
And Psalms, your argument with the football field pin whatever thing is unstable, as well. EXTREMELY. Assuming your god is the creator with that argument is just about the same as atheists assuming your god is not the creator with that argument. You assume because you can't see the rest of the field, so you think there may be a god there, we assume there isn't because there already is no evidence of that god in the field. If humans are God's special creations, then there would be more evidence of his/her/it/whatever's existence here on where humans reside.

Quote from: "MariaEvri"DONT BELIEVE IN PETERPAN AND YOU WILL BURN IN HELL!!

If you choose to live a Godless life.. why would God place you in Heaven? He is granting your wishes by sending you into a Godless enviroment, forever, and ever!! and this is how you re-pay him?

Quoteno it is NOT being foced onto you

Nothing was forced onto me.

Quoteand btw why DON'T you believe in peter pan?

I don't ever remember Walt Disney explaining how Peter Pan is an Invisible Force that lives outside of our time?

QuoteWe haven't even scratched the surface of the universe yet!

I don't recall Walt Disney ever explaining how Peter Pan created the Universe with "invisible atoms". Found in Hebrew "God crafted the World's with materials that cannot be seen".

Isn't that just totally frickin' awesome!! The Bible is definitely a Supernatural-Inspired masterpiece!

How in the world did the ancient Jews know the Universe came from things that are invisible to the naked eye!!?? (Atoms)

Quote from: "Kevin"Owned, I must say.
And Psalms, your argument with the football field pin whatever thing is unstable, as well. EXTREMELY. Assuming your god is the creator with that argument is just about the same as atheists assuming your god is not the creator with that argument. You assume because you can't see the rest of the field, so you think there may be a god there, we assume there isn't because there already is no evidence of that god in the field. If humans are God's special creations, then there would be more evidence of his/her/it/whatever's existence here on where humans reside.

The Football Field arguement cannot be defeated by any atheist or Scientist. It's impossible to say for 100% fact that "God does not exist". The Bible has explained to us over and over, "God cannot be seen, or you shall surely die!" Only a small few people were chosen to witness God, but not in all of his Glory. Moses only witnessed God's backside.

Do you know how I found God? When I was saved.. I felt this weight lift off of my shoulders.. and it felt like my soul was cleansed, and my life was re-newed. I felt the Love and Compassion glowing from God.. It's a feeling I have never ever felt in all of my 35 years of my life.

Everyone wants to feel that experience some time throughout their life. That's why Muslims are risking their lives and converting to Christianity all across the Middle East. I know of atheists who have found God. And they tell me, "I seriously cannot believe I was blind-folded for 40 years of my life, I was such a fool!!" One atheist told me the other day, "I doubt God will ever forgive me".

Just remember.. Just because atheists say "God isn't there," that doesn't mean it's true. Quit living a 50/50 chance. It's just not worth it in the end.

Atheists say, "There is no God.. enjoy life!!"

Heck, I believe in God, and life is awesome!! I said I believe in God.. I didn't say I was a High Priest, or a Pope. Of course I sin daily.. but that's the awesomeness about Christianity... In the end.. if you believe..and you know deep down what you did was wrong.. All is forgiven!

How can any atheist claim "God is a killer??" God offers us eternal life. That's pretty far from a killer..

I was a disbeliever before I came across Pastafarianism.
I realised when the noodely appendage of the lord was upon me, the great pressures of life were no more.
I am saved, you can be too.

Just have faith.
Just believe.
Is it that hard to do?
Just believe in the flying spaghetti monster, or you will suffer in hell.
No one is forcing you, so if you don't believe you will be sent to hell.
Believe.
 

Quote from: "Psalm23"The Football Field arguement cannot be defeated by any atheist or Scientist. It's impossible to say for 100% fact that "God does not exist".

Again, an atheist doesn't necessarily believe there is no god, we disbelieve the existence of god. That's atheism.

Quote from: "Psalm23"Do you know how I found God? When I was saved.. I felt this weight lift off of my shoulders.. and it felt like my soul was cleansed, and my life was re-newed. I felt the Love and Compassion glowing from God.. It's a feeling I have never ever felt in all of my 35 years of my life.

People have reported feeling the presence of the divine since long before Christianity. Why would your experience be any more or less real than someone feeling the weight lifted off their shoulders, feeling cleansed and renewed because of Apollo? Or Ba'al?

Quote from: "Psalm23"How can any atheist claim "God is a killer??"

"See now that I, even I, am he, and there is no god with me: I kill, and I make alive; I wound, and I heal: neither is there any that can deliver out of my hand." It's not either or with killing and saving, it's both and.

Here (http://dwindlinginunbelief.blogspot.com/2006/08/how-many-has-god-killed.html)'s a list of people the god character killed in the Bible. It ends up somewhere in the neighborhood of 2.3 million, but that doesn't include the global flood, Sodom and Gomorrah, and the first-born Egyptians as there's no way to be certain of those numbers. If I had to guess, it'd probably be closer to 12 million.

Quote from: "Psalm23"Do you know how I found God? When I was saved.. I felt this weight lift off of my shoulders.. and it felt like my soul was cleansed, and my life was re-newed. I felt the Love and Compassion glowing from God.. It's a feeling I have never ever felt in all of my 35 years of my life.

That is nearly word-for-word what I felt when I said, "I'm an atheist," outloud for the first time.  Weight of lies lifted from my shoulders... no more guilt pressed upon me by religious fanatics.  I felt my mind cleansed of the lies of religion.  My was renewed in facts and reality and logic.  I felt love and compassion from my fellow humans who care to give it and the rest, I don't care.  It is indeed a feeling I had never felt in all of my 40 years.

You keep saying how we can't prove 100% that god doesn't exist.  Yet you continue to insist that he DOES exist, 100%, because you feel it and because the bible says no one can see god, therefore he must be real.

The rules must apply to both sides, my delusional friend.  NO ONE can prove that god exists.  And absence of evidence is indeed evidence of absence.

Hope y'all don't mind a little rambling, but the "Football Field" analogy sparked a memory of a prior conversation I had in the past...

To recap the original statement:  If god was like a needle hidden in a field, unless atheists search the entire field, they cannot be 100% sure that god does not exist (hope that's an accurate recap)

The problem with this is that the search can never be good enough for true believers in god.
If the atheists had searched the entire field, believers might say "what if god was moving, and you were in one part of the field while he was in another?"  or "what if god didn't want to be found in order to test your faith?"  You can see how there are an unlimited number of ways to discredit non-believers, no matter how hard they've searched the field.

The conversation reminded me of one happened several years ago.

I was working with a group of Born Again Christians who would meet for breakfast every week to chat.
I joined them from time to time, as they were a friendly bunch and we had things other than religion in common.
One of the newer members said something like the following:
"I feel like I'm in the cheap bleacher seats at a stadium concert, and god is way down on the stage.  I'm not as close as I'd like to be, but at least I'm in the stadium."
The others nodded, and there were generally good feelings around the table.
My reply was simply: "Do you think there are other stadiums?"

Now, granted, I can be a smart-ass at times, but this one statement illustrates a valid point:  Our notions of god or gods seem to be best expressed through analogy.  No matter how good the analogy may seem to believers, it's only because they're unwilling or unable to expand their horizons and visit "other stadiums".

In my experience, the truth can only be gimpsed through the eyes of many.  No single man or group has the answer.  That is if the answer exists...

Is it Stadiums or Stadii?,
JoeActor

Quote from: "joeactor"Is it Stadiums or Stadii?,
JoeActor

I think it's stadia

Good analogy by the way.