Why are you an atheist?

Rasheed

Never heard about big foot because I'm from rural Ireland not the North America or where ever big foot is from or claims to be from.

Don't know about ghost because I've never heard a solid story that has made me question my belief.

I have, however heard stories that have made me question my belief in fairies. I have no proof, obviously, or you'd know me from the late late show.

But I do believe in them, wouldn't mess with fairy forts because I believe they shouldn't be messed with and perhaps bad thing may happen if you do. This is well documented and I'd post a link if I could but I'm slow on computers so I can't!

So thats me and my fairy belief! And with all due respect, I think this is slightly off the thread.

Knasher

Rasheed wrote: »

I'd never ever mess with a fairy fort now, my luck does be bad enough!

There is a bunch of archeologists doing a dig on the fort on my Dads farm at the moment. We would get in trouble if we messed with it all right, but only because it is a protected archeological site. Ironically the archeologists say that all the interesting stuff is in the field around the fort, which would have been a small village, and AFAIK doesn't enjoy the same legal protection, rather than the fort itself.

fitz0

My mother's home has a fairy ring on it and not a single person from her side of the family will go near it. The won't touch it for anything. There's stories from them about messing with it as kids and all sorts of mishaps as a result. I remember a cousin wanted to build a house on it and the argument he got was enough to convince him to move the house about 200m down the field.

I like the stories, they're a sort of cultural record of rural Ireland. I don't believe them but I love hearing them.

King Mob

Rasheed wrote: »

Never heard about big foot because I'm from rural Ireland not the North America or where ever big foot is from or claims to be from.

Don't know about ghost because I've never heard a solid story that has made me question my belief.

But there are people who have heard and tell these stories. So they must be as valid as the stories that you have heard and repeat, therefore big foot and ghost must exist right?

Rasheed wrote: »

I have, however heard stories that have made me question my belief in fairies. I have no proof, obviously, or you'd know me from the late late show.

But I do believe in them, wouldn't mess with fairy forts because I believe they shouldn't be messed with and perhaps bad thing may happen if you do. This is well documented and I'd post a link if I could but I'm slow on computers so I can't!

But what bad things? How do these bad things happen? Why do they happen?
How do you know that fairies cause any bad things ever? How do you know that fairy forts are actually connected in any way to fairies even if they do exist?

And what about the similarly "well documented" cases of alien abduction? Do you believe that these things prove that they happen?

Rasheed wrote: »

So thats me and my fairy belief! And with all due respect, I think this is slightly off the thread.

No it's precisely on topic, because you already understand the reasons why most of us are atheist as they are the same reasons you don't believe in ghosts or bigfoot. My point now is that there are no differences between those things you don't believe and the supernatural things you do believe aside from the seemingly totally arbitrary distinction you've settled on that anything you are told is true.

coffee_cake

philologos wrote: »

My preexisting worldview was agnosticism. You clearly don't know me at all

philologos wrote: »

And to hazard a guess most of the people here were raised Roman Catholics. It seems very few of you are Roman Catholics today.

Bear in mind you're committing a genetic fallacy.

You're committing a "i don't remember what we were talking about so FALLACY!!"

phil wrote:

I don't doubt the sincerity of any of the testimonies written here, yet you and robindch claim to know more about me than I do!

robindch wrote:

Or philologos who, as far as I can make out,

me wrote:

you were brought up christian

One of those is heavily disclaimered, the other is true


stop talking nonsense will ye

Corkfeen

Rasheed wrote: »

Sorry now but are you saying that by asking the question 'Why are you an Atheist?', I'm interfering in other people's finite existence?

You're posing an interesting question and not being in any way preachy or judgmental to posters. You're ten times better than other people who visit these parts simply to troll. You aren't ignoring posts and you are giving genuine responses unlike the people who merely want to prove a point and ignore the posts. So I would say you've gained respect by doing so.:)

Dades

philologos wrote: »

Bear in mind you're committing a genetic fallacy. A number of different reasons lead me to think that Christianity is true and I spent quite a bit of time mulling it over before I decided to follow Jesus over 5 years ago.

Whatever I think about the reality of your beliefs - I dont doubt you've thought about them.

King Mob wrote: »

So why do you believe in them but not say bigfoot or ghosts?

Ah, now. When garden fairies run our schools - then's the time to ask the hard questions. Lets leave it at God for this thread!

PBroderick

endacl wrote: »

I get you. Paradoxically, I really have no interest in changing minds. Respect right to belief and all that (even if the belief is crackpot)....

It's the meddling 'thou shalt nots' that boil my pi55.

Damn right....condemning killing and stealing....who do they think they are?

PBroderick

Practically all Atheist replies so far have expressed opinions about Christians, particularly Roman Catholics.

There are a whole load of other religions out there you know. Are Buddhists "crackpots" too?

fitz0

The RCC is the religious denomination most people here have experience with given that the Buddhist, Muslim, Jainist, Scientologist, Jewish, etc communities are rather small here. We do, however, criticise all religions that espouse silly things as fact. A quick tour of the forum will show you that.

Bannasidhe

PBroderick wrote: »

Practically all Atheist replies so far have expressed opinions about Christians, particularly Roman Catholics.

There are a whole load of other religions out there you know. Are Buddhists "crackpots" too?

Practically all of the Atheists who replied here were baptised into Christian religions, particularly Roman Catholicism.

Malari

That's because most Irish people would have grown up in Catholic homes. For me it's not the religion, it's any belief in any supernatural god I don't accept, whether it's a major religion or a small cult.

Sarky

Some Zen Buddhist wrote:

Ryokan, a Zen master, lived the simplest kind of life in a little hut at the foot of a mountain. One evening a thief visited the hut only to discover there was nothing to steal.

Ryokan returned and caught him. "You have come a long way to visit me," he told the prowler, "and you should not return empty-handed. Please take my clothes as a gift."

The thief was bewildered. He took the clothes and slunk away.

Ryoken sat naked, watching the moon. "Poor fellow," he mused, "I wish I could have given him this beautiful moon."

Yeah, they sound like paragons of sanity. Are you sure you're concerned about what people mostly talk about? I could be terribly mistaken, but it does kind of sound from your post there that you were trying to take a small dig at atheists who live in a predominantly Catholic culture.

Dades

PBroderick wrote: »

Practically all Atheist replies so far have expressed opinions about Christians, particularly Roman Catholics.

There are a whole load of other religions out there you know. Are Buddhists "crackpots" too?

You haven't really gotten over being called on your bible assertions earlier in this thread, have you?

You should know about this forum if someone - anyone - says something that people don't think stands up to scrutiny it will be challenged. For the most it's Christians we see, but we're not picky. There's also politics and social issues threads that don't involve religion at all.

In short this is place where you'll be asked to back up your assertions or stand down.

Sonics2k

PBroderick wrote: »

Practically all Atheist replies so far have expressed opinions about Christians, particularly Roman Catholics.

There are a whole load of other religions out there you know. Are Buddhists "crackpots" too?

Beside what everyone else has said, it's also mostly because it's Christians, and mainly Roman Catholics, who keep coming in here and asking questions.

It's not as if we have a 'Religion of the Day' ™ rota and point out the flaws one by one.

shizz

PBroderick, Dead one hasn't been in here in a while. (he banned?) So we've been lacking in diversity.

endacl

Rasheed wrote: »

endacl wrote: »

Have been following this one for a while now. My flippant sounding answer, for what its worth, is....

I'm an atheist because I'm a grown-up. I've no room in my head for illogical, fluffy, childish thinking. I grew out of it at the same time I grew out of the other childish silliness.

Doesn't mean I don't enjoy fiction and the suspension of disbelief. The recent Avengers movie was particularly enjoyable. Religious fiction, on the other hand is badly written, poorly plotted, and displays for the most part, a lamentable lack of character development. Just doesn't hold my interest.

I really can't engage with the question. For me, it really is like arguing with children over the existence of Santa*. I mean, the idea is attractive, but its impossible to take seriously anybody who seriously holds the notion.

*I don't argue the Santa question with children. That would be mean. But adults arguing the existence of god? FFS. Grow up. Accept reality. Get on with making the most of your finite existence. And for the noisy minority of ye, stop interfering in other people's finite existences. This may in fact be my main problem with the question. It reminds me of those pricks in youth defence, the taliban, orange knobends marching up and down, Omagh, no pints on ****e Friday....... etc........etc......

Rant done.

Sorry now but are you saying that by asking the question 'Why are you an Atheist?', I'm interfering in other people's finite existence?

Not at all. You asked a perfectly reasonable question.

Turtwig

PBroderick wrote: »

Practically all Atheist replies so far have expressed opinions about Christians, particularly Roman Catholics.

There are a whole load of other religions out there you know. Are Buddhists "crackpots" too?

Which one were you promoting again? Why don't you believe in those other religions?

Sonics2k wrote: »

It's not as if we have a 'Religion of the Day' ™ rota and point out the flaws one by one.

That would be excellent. One flaw per person.

fitz0

Jernal wrote: »

Sonics2k wrote: »

It's not as if we have a 'Religion of the Day' ™ rota and point out the flaws one by one.

That would be excellent. One flaw per person.

Oh, can we? Please?

We musn't forget Brown Bomber when speaking of diversity. Between him saying we only pick on Muslims and Ferris Bueller saying we only pick on Christians we're doing quite well.

Don't forget The Peoples Front of Judea!

Sarky

Maybe we could persuade one of the buddhists to complain about how we always pick on them?

Turtwig

Sarky wrote: »

Maybe we could persuade one of the buddhists to complain about how we always pick on them?

Well we did steal the cookies from the cookie jar. Only recently has that constant-in-your-face-grievance of a complaint finally been dropped.

Corkfeen

fitz0 wrote: »

Oh, can we? Please?

We musn't forget Brown Bomber when speaking of diversity. Between him saying we only pick on Muslims and Ferris Bueller saying we only pick on Christians we're doing quite well.

I recently got accused of being a false prophet, beat that. :pac:

philologos

I agree that actually quite a few creeds get criticised here (rightly or wrongly). What would be my bugbear about how a lot of atheists and agnostics deal with different faiths is that on the basis of a limited experience (in some cases only having been involved in one church for example) they conclude that all religion is the same.

MagicMarker

philologos wrote: »

I agree that actually quite a few creeds get criticised here (rightly or wrongly). What would be my bugbear about how a lot of atheists and agnostics deal with different faiths is that on the basis of a limited experience (in some cases only having been involved in one church for example) they conclude that all religion is the same.

Well, deep down they are exactly the same.

Sarky

I suppose you're here to tell us that your particular blend of jebus-worship is the real deal?

God, it must hurt, knowing that you can't save us.

philologos

MagicMarker wrote: »

Well, deep down they are exactly the same.

That's where I can't agree. In many many ways they are fundamentally different.

Sarky wrote: »

I suppose you're here to tell us that your particular blend of jebus-worship is the real deal?

God, it must hurt, knowing that you can't save us.

I posted initially to correct a false claim that robindch made about my faith in Christ.

Turtwig

philologos wrote: »

MagicMarker wrote: »

Well, deep down they are exactly the same.

That's where I can't agree. In many many ways they are fundamentally different.

In religious parlance you're both saying the same thing.

MagicMarker

philologos wrote: »

That's where I can't agree. In many many ways they are fundamentally different.

Of course you don't agree, because you believe yours is true and the rest are false.

I, on the other hand, believe they're all false.

Nothing new here.

Dades

philologos wrote: »

What would be my bugbear about how a lot of atheists and agnostics deal with different faiths is that on the basis of a limited experience (in some cases only having been involved in one church for example) they conclude that all religion is the same.

Religions aren't all the same - but they often have a lot in common. The way they all claim to be the truth, offer more than this life, tell people how to live, and sound as ridiculous as each other under the cold light of logic.

If one religion over another was to offer a single credible shred of evidence as to it's veracity, then that would warrant special treatment.