The next time a religious person asks you why you don't call yourself an agnostic, since you can't prove there is no God, instead of an Atheist. Simply ask them if they are an agnostic or an atheist concerning Thor, or Zeus, or Ra, or any other among the pantheon of Gods not worshiped by their particular religion.
That's usually the end of the conversation.
OT, but just have to thank Scarah Payme for ruining TV:
ReplyDeleteSarah Palin's Alaska, Gold Rush Alaska, Flying Wild Alaska, Alaska the Last Frontier, Alaska State Troopers, Alaska Wing Men, Buying Alaska, Coast Guard Alaska, Ultimate Survival Alaska, Alaska Gold Diggers, Klondike, Yukon Men, Bristol Palin: Life's a Tripp, Out of the Wild, Bering Sea Gold, Bering Sea Gold: Under The Ice......
Seriously? Look, I'm sure Alaska is a wonderful place, but those of us who live in the OTHER 49 states are sick of hearing about it!
How did this happen?........maybe because of THIS:
http://www.film.alaska.gov/pdf/2013_AFO_AnnualReport_Final.pdf
"Palin's Reality Show Will Receive $1.2 Million"
http://www.adn.com/2011/02/18/1711191/palins-reality-show-will-receive.html
State gives $354,000 in subsidies to Bristol Palin reality show producers
Read more here: http://www.adn.com/2012/12/12/2722048/state-gives-354000-in-subsidies.html#storylink=cpy
Funny how someone who is so about 'freedumb' and 'getting government out of our lives' was so happy to create a GOVERNMENT WELFARE PROGRAM that her own family benefited from to the tune of about $2,000,000.
(from M. Litman's blog:)
“The consultant’s analysis estimated that the total $21.2 million in tax credits issued by the State generated economic activity resulting in an estimated $1.2 million in additional taxes and fees. The program does not pay for itself and, through February 2012, has created a fiscal deficit totaling $20 MILLION DOLLARS.” (pg. 22)
Nice,,,You Go, Girl!,,,keep on 'bustin' those deficits', "all of 'em", also, too.
@231a
DeleteI hope you're not lumping all terrible Alaskan reality TV productions in the same bucket of muck. I very much enjoyed "Sitka Dance Revolution: IMAX 3D" and "Truckstop Whores, Alcan Highway Edition", neither of which could have been made without that generous generosity of those generous Alaskan peoples and that exceptional spirit of unselfish giving they are so generously known for.
If there were whores on the show, then Toad was probably listed in the credits. Casting Director is the name for PIMP on SarahGriftTV.
DeleteThat argument won't sway those who believe in what they were taught to believe was the one true God. To them, those heathen gods simply don't count, and especially stopped counting after Jesus supposedly arrived to really set people straight. They won't think Gervais' argument is as brilliant as he does, because the only god that matters to them is the Christian god and the other gods he doesn't believe in, he shouldn't believe in anyway.
ReplyDelete4:18?
DeleteThat is so very true. You beat me to it.
On the other hand if they call it the "christian god" they themselves are wrong. It's a JUDAIC god. Of course, they will argue even that, bringing into the mythology their so-called triumvirate of father, son and holy ghost.
Yes, but even if they recognize that "God" is a Judaic god, they still need to decide if their particular god is the Canaanite EL or the Sinaitic YAHWEH. The two have become quite intertwined in the Hebrew Bible (aka Old Testament) but they are not the same. Lots of fun back then, for those who have the wits and interest to learn about it.
DeleteWhich leaves out Sarah, Cruz, and the rest of their ilk. The only god any of them worship is themselves.
Gryphen, someday, perhaps even later this week, you're going to have to answer for your reckless blasphemery to The One True God, THE MIGHTY ZEUS!!
ReplyDelete(and possibly, Thor, also, too.)
Oh no! NOT THOR!
Delete(Duck, jesse)
Is the sequel then the second coming?
DeleteHe doesn't bother me a whit..... I'll talk to you, Pastor, when I see you later this week.
ReplyDeleteGod
Personally, I don't give a damn WHAT they believe - as long as they don't try to foist it on me or my government!
ReplyDeleteI'm still waiting for God to explain to me how a deity,knowing what was to come,went ahead and did it anyways........?
ReplyDeleteOh, that's a DAMNED GOOD POINT!!!!!!!!!!
DeleteNo no no... you've got it all wrong. being agnostic means you are waiting for evidence before taking a position, NOT that you give equal validation to the possibility of any random stupid thing someone says could turn out to be true.
ReplyDeleteC'mon man, wise up, you're redefining the debate into an imbecilic caricature designed to weight the result in your direction just like they do.
Wrong. Agnostic is simply a term used by cowardly atheists who are too weak willed to stand up to the slings and arrows of the religious community, and instead take cover behind a politically correct cloak of protection.
DeleteIn fact those who call themselves agnostic are part of the problem, NOT part of the solution. Acceptance for those taking a courageous stand is undermined by those who hide in the shadows and quietly whisper "me too," yet desperately hope that nobody overhears them.
Your opinion is always valuable, Gryphen.
DeleteBut don't go overboard doing psychic readings on some of us that don't think that we know everything. It's just bad form. Some of us have had experiences that seem to affirm evidence that cannot be explained by physical science. I'm not telling you that I believe in a deity or a god or anything of the sort. But I am telling you that it's obnoxious to take a ham-handed position and express yourself the way you did. I'm also not saying that I don't have a tumor or some type of mis-firing happening between electrical impulses in my brain, but if that's what it is, I'm open minded enough to consider that it's probably very likely that my delusions have some sort of explanation that MRIs, CT scans and a week of inpatient observation by the top neurologists at a major teaching hospital are all still scratching their fucking heads, saying they can't explain everything, and are very humbled to say so. But if it is something that the top docs can't figure out, Im not going to beat myself up for not knowing all of the mysteries of observation. Whatever. I'm still one of your biggest supporters here, and I agree with you more often than I do with most writers or human beings in general. Good people say shit tgat they don't mean sometimes, and they also say what they really mean to say that offends others, and they don't give it a second thought, when perhaps they should. That's why I bother letting you know how I perceived your comment that you made in the comment section. It's not going to change what I think or anything to tell me an opinion that's based on a limited set of anecdotal data from one person, but I do listen to others and try to consider their ideas within my own mind's constraints. But that's just me.
I consider myself agnostic because of my own reasons, none of which resemble faintly the reasons that you ascribed.
If you are just trying to be provocative, you can get a better discussion going by not insulting others who don't agree with you straight down the line. My experience has been that most TeaBaggers and Fundies are pigheaded in their beliefs, so there's not much use in trying to have a civil discussion with anyone who insults first and then doesn't listen to reason or a differing opinion. But on our side of the fence, we are usually more thoughtful and respectful to a fault. Let's keep it that way if we can, huh?
No one should be threatened by what i think or believe or ponder about the universe, because it's just my own opinion based on critical thinking, life experiences, heavy reading and analysis with deductive thinking on a topic of interest, but not one that I obsess over.
Anyway, just think about it. I have already, and I'm glad I didn't give a knee-jerk reaction earlier when I first read the article and comments. Have a good evening and Go Cardinals!
Thank you, 4:31. Well said.
DeleteGood points, Boscoe. This sounds a little peevy and more like militant atheism than anything I've read here before.
DeleteConversations don't go much farther once the other person's inquiries and opinions are stepped on without regard. I don't consider myself a Christian, but I know of several readers here who are unapologetic in their own beliefs, and I have respect for them intellectually and as human beings. If they tie me up and beat me with a whip to get me to agree with them, they better be sure they tied me up pretty well. But I still wouldn't agree with them. But what's nice is... them. I respect them because they are respectful as well. And if they consider themselves to be agnostic or Buddhist or a humanist (whatever that is) or Catholic or Baptist or whatever, they don't put a label on themselves, I'm fine with it, because after, it IS *their* life.
I disagree that the problem with religiousity is with those of us who are tolerant of others, regardless of their beliefs or non-beliefs. It seemed to be a pretty good thing that made Ghandi a worthwhile leader of a movement for freedom for his followers. But that's just my opinion, as I seem to have more productive conversations with lots of others with differing opinions, because people don't care how much I know until they know how much I care. Somebody elses's words that I've tried to remember, in order to be a better listener. And I truly believe that it's not a coincidence that most thoughtful people listen to my opinion respectfully just as well. Just because we might disagree, we certainly don't have to be hostile. That method just reinforces the polarity between persons with different ideas. It sure doesn't change anyone's mind, no matter how intelligent they are or how *intelligent* my idea. It sucks when I know I'm right and someone won't listen. LOL From their viewpoint, I assume it sucks when my communications skills evade me and I'm so bullheaded in my position that I don't bother to listen to their opinion before I begin to bludgeon them with my book-learning ideas supplemented by multiple degrees and a shitload of reading stuff from people much smarter than myself.
Listen. Think. Then offer an opinion. Someone taught me that by my own experience, and to this day I've never met a person who is more persuasive. But for several years, I just thought she was the most brilliant person I'd ever talked to. Because even when I disagreed with her, it made me Re-think my own position because there was always "meat on that bone", not just idle chatter from her ego.
I'm publicly an Atheist, but really, I've not been exposed to any religion but taught to believe that we are sacks of protoplasm that walk, talk, breath and procreate thanks to chemical reactions. I was taught that after we die we go back to exactly what and where we were before we were born.
ReplyDeleteI don't really care what others believe and I really don't want to hear about it. Religion has never been part of my life, I don't care what you believe and I'm not going to waste my time reading any of your books and learning about any of your "gods", except if they are an incidental inclusion in another book that I happen to be reading.
I simply don't care. If a person tells me of their "faith" or "religion" or "god" then I politely tell them that I don't care and I personally have to question their intelligence.
2670? Whew! That's a lot of sects!!!
ReplyDeleteGood thing it aint butt sects. I'd have to ask them to take me out for a pinch hitter.
DeleteGreat argument for adolescents. Existential thinkers need not apply.
ReplyDeleteSmall number of responses to your atheist sermons should tell you something, blogger.
Existentialism is mental masturbation.
DeleteKnowing one or two big words does not make one an intellectual.
But if you can spell it, I'm pretty impressed. No Baggers need apply, cuz their standard is more like "Velcro or Ties own shoes?"
DeleteYou wanna see Baldy go into a panic, put a couple of those words with more than 5 letters into the TelePrompTer. Hell, she can't even pronounce "deal" without failing.
When one person suffers from delusion, it's all insanity. When many people suffer from delusion, it's called religion.
ReplyDelete