Why are you an atheist?

PBroderick

Sarky wrote: »

What makes me laugh is that all these clever religious people who think atheism is boring and uninteresting just can't keep away from the forum, despite several times swearing blind that they're not coming back. That and the lacklustre attempts at humour. But they're not "ha ha" funny.

It's not that Atheism is boring and uninteresting, it's just that Boards' Atheists are boring and uninteresting.

They spout clichés galore, their understanding of global religions is laughable and their whole raison d'etre is that they didn't like going to Mass and reading bits of the bible in school.

It is pathetic in the extreme.

They think they are at the cutting edge of humanity, when they are actually the most ignorant people one could encounter.

PS - Someone above just mentioned "Bigfoot"....

shizz

PBroderick wrote: »

What makes me laugh is that all these clever Atheists, basing their non-belief in any higher entity on factual science, is as old as the hills.

In fact, Jesus himself encountered such an Atheist who we all know as Doubting Thomas (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Doubting_Thomas).

Atheism is not new or clever, nor is it even interesting....it's a group of people who think that their existence; birth, life and death is completely meaningless and the result of nothing more than a happy accident.

You can follow that train of thought, or you can, as I have, attended a (free) lecture from the Dalai Lama in Manchester this week where you would have been truly enlightened.

Is it P Broderick or PB roderick?

Turtwig

Rasheed wrote: »

Never said that! Just meant I wouldn't like to insult anyone by downing a belief they have.

I wouldn't tell a jehovah witness that I think not allowing blood transfusions is silly. I don't think it's silly if is important to them. Not my cup of tea, that's all.

Aye and I understand that perfectly well. But every so often you'll have no choice but to call someone on their silly beliefs. Whether we like it not sometimes there are consequences we can't ignore. A friend I knew inexplicably believed that implanon offered protection from STDs. I'll put it another way if the silly belief has a direct impact on the well being of the person then we can't exactly stand idly by in good conscience and say "Well, it was their opinion and I should respect that.". The prime directive doesn't always apply.

Oh and for what it's worth feel free to call me out on anything you think I say is stupid. I'd much rather people were upfront and direct with me rather than saving face and secretly thinking silly of me. Also I love learning new stuff and being corrected on misconceptions.

Rasheed

King Mob wrote: »

I don't want you to say anything, I would just like you to realise that there is no difference between your belief in God and fairies and beliefs you don't accept.

Every point you've said to support your beliefs can be used equally as well for those other beliefs.
And when I asked you to explain the difference you admitted you couldn't.

So again, why do people believe in bigfoot etc when it's so clear to you that it's not true?

But sure it's not clear to me, I just havn't heard a big foot story that has made my rethink my belief. I'm not claiming to know for sure that fairies, big foot, ghosts, God, and the saints exist, I don't! But my beliefs are my beliefs Not my knowledge.

I still don't really get what this line of questioning has to do with the original question.

Turtwig

PBroderick wrote: »

they didn't like going to Mass and reading bits of the bible in school.
.

I've got to call you out on this one because it's something that rather annoys me. I like going to Mass, I still go. I still read the bible too.

Rasheed

Jernal wrote: »

Aye and I understand that perfectly well. But every so often you'll have no choice but to call someone on their silly beliefs. Whether we like it not sometimes there are consequences we can't ignore. A friend I knew inexplicably believed that implanon offered protection from STDs. I'll put it another way if the silly belief has a direct impact on the well being of the person then we can't exactly stand idly by in good conscience and say "Well, it was their opinion and I should respect that.". The prime directive doesn't always apply.

Oh and for what it's worth feel free to call me out on anything you think I say is stupid. I'd much rather people were upfront and direct with me rather than saving face and secretly thinking silly of me. Also I love learning new stuff and being corrected on misconceptions.

Oh ya ya I completely get you there. Like I'm a nurse and if someone said I believe that taking 6 panadol instead of 2 at a time is the same and will cause no side effects, I have the knowledge that it's not and will tell them ya know? But if someone said I believe the world is controlled by a robot that lives on Mars, then I won't tell them thats silly because I have no idea!

Ickle Magoo

PBroderick wrote: »

It's not that Atheism is boring and uninteresting, it's just that Boards' Atheists are boring and uninteresting.

And again, your fascination - bordering on obsession tbh - with the place would suggest otherwise...

I think you have a crush and you just can't admit it...awww, cute.

shizz

Rasheed wrote: »

Oh ya ya I completely get you there. Like I'm a nurse and if someone said I believe that taking 6 panadol instead of 2 at a time is same, I have the knowledge that it's not and will tell them ya know? But if someone said I believe the world is controlled by a robot that lives on Mars, then I won't tell them thats silly because I have no idea!

But would you not at least ask them to prove it? Not in a bad way either just like "woooah man no way? how do you know that?"

Sarky

I knew it. He's been flirting with me, the saucy minx.

Turtwig

Ickle Magoo wrote: »

And again, your fascination - bordering on obsession tbh - with the place would suggest otherwise...

I think you have a crush and you just can't admit it...awww, cute.

Dades

PBroderick wrote: »

What makes me laugh is that all these clever Atheists, basing their non-belief in any higher entity on factual science, is as old as the hills.

To be fair non-belief in a higher entity is based on the reality that the stories behind them are deeply flawed and cannot stand up to any kind of logic that we apply to anything else in our daily lives.

You'd know that's what behind non-belief if you bothered your arse to engage with anyone in this forum instead of throwing your toys out of the pram when your paper thin theology was questioned.

Your misunderstanding of non-believers is stereotypical but sadly not unusual. Our hope is that, having decided to post here, you might have least have had the honesty to understand what you are threatened by. I assure you, most here are very well versed in your religion, having been brought up with it and given it much more thought than your average "believer".

If you want to just continue to throw out jibes, so be it, but if you're really confident in what you preach you'll actually contribute to a discussion here. The choice is yours.

fitz0

PBroderick wrote: »

It's not that Atheism is boring and uninteresting, it's just that Boards' Atheists are boring and uninteresting.

They spout clichés galore, their understanding of global religions is laughable and their whole raison d'etre is that they didn't like going to Mass and reading bits of the bible in school.

It is pathetic in the extreme.

They think they are at the cutting edge of humanity, when they are actually the most ignorant people one could encounter.

PS - Someone above just mentioned "Bigfoot"....

I'm really confused by you. You have this preconceived notion of all unbelievers (it seems from your posts) and you cherry pick what you can to support this. You're so bored and uninterested by these unbelievers that you just can't stop posting condescendingly in an internet forum populated almost exclusively by them. Why?

I don't agree with your preconception. I don't agree with your statements on us or our various reasons for not believing. In fact, I don't think anyone used those reasons at all in this thread. I for one liked going to mass and reading the bible actually accelerated my journey along the path to disbelief. Everyone should be encouraged to read it so they can see for themselves the glaring contradictions in it.

I'm glad you think we're the cutting edge of humanity, that's nice of you to say. Although, I do admit to being quite ignorant of many things. I still have so much to learn, unfortunately I don't know all the answers to the big questions or the small ones and I'll never claim to.

I'm always glad when someone posts something like the quoted post. It cheers me up to know it could always be worse.

MagicMarker

There's nothing wrong with calling a spade a spade.

Believing Elvis is still alive and works as a plumber is silly.

Believing aliens run my local Eurospar is silly.

Believing in fairies is silly.

King Mob

Rasheed wrote: »

But sure it's not clear to me, I just havn't heard a big foot story that has made my rethink my belief. I'm not claiming to know for sure that fairies, big foot, ghosts, God, and the saints exist, I don't! But my beliefs are my beliefs Not my knowledge.

I still don't really get what this line of questioning has to do with the original question.

So what makes your stories more convincing? Or are people who believe in bigfoot just more gullible?

Or if it's that you simply haven't heard any bigfoot stories, why then why do you not count the amount of people who do believe in bigfoot stories they have heard? Surely their belief in stories they heard is as valid as yours, right?
If this is the case, why then do you still not believe in bigfoot?
If it is not the case, what makes your stories better, and why do they believe in stories that are not true?

This line of questioning is important because it is to get you to realise that anyone can honest believe in something that is not actually true, hence belief does not equate to reality, thus removing the only support you have for your supernatural beliefs.

PBroderick

Dades wrote: »

To be fair non-belief in a higher entity is based on the reality that the stories behind them are deeply flawed and cannot stand up to any kind of logic that we apply to anything else in our daily lives.

You'd know that's what behind non-belief if you bothered your arse to engage with anyone in this forum instead of throwing your toys out of the pram when your paper thin theology was questioned.

Your misunderstanding of non-believers is stereotypical but sadly not unusual. Our hope is that, having decided to post here, you might have least have had the honesty to understand what you are threatened by. I assure you, most here are very well versed in your religion, having been brought up with it and given it much more thought than your average "believer".

If you want to just continue to throw out jibes, so be it, but if you're really confident in what you preach you'll actually contribute to a discussion here. The choice is yours.

Dades, thanks for your considered response.

Before we go any further, have a look at the last few posts above your post....do you think this is a place where an intelligent discussion can be held?

Rasheed

shizz wrote: »

But would you not at least ask them to prove it? Not in a bad way either just like "woooah man no way? how do you know that?"

Well you could if you could keep it civil you know? Like this thread I started, I think has been 90% exactly how I wanted it to be. People rationally stating why they are atheists, not calling all religious people mad or whatever, and from my point of view, it's been very enjoyable.

The point I'm trying to make is neither me nor the person has been to mars so who am I to say they are mad! One persons mad is another's person sane. Sorry I know that last bit doesn't make sense but ya get my meaning!

PBroderick

MagicMarker wrote: »

There's nothing wrong with calling a spade a spade.

Believing Elvis is still alive and works as a plumber is silly.

Believing aliens run my local Eurospar is silly.

Believing in fairies is silly.

This is the kind of dim-witted clichéd crap I am talking about. To have such an ignorant, ill-informed view of religious beliefs held by hundreds of millions of people is downright disgusting.

Elvis, aliens....this is what this particular poster brings to the discussion.

What kind of education are these people getting? It's frightening to think this is what they equate to millions of Muslims, Buddhists and Christians all over the world.

What is worse is that they think they know better.

So this is your typical Boards atheist....someone who was watched Men In Black and thinks that a sizeable proportion of society believes in their Gods in the same fashion as one might believe Elvis is still alive.

Answer me this....who's the f*cking clown here?

Ickle Magoo

I don't mean to speak for Dades...

But of course it's a place where intelligent discussion can and does take place.

Perhaps liken your own lazy sweeping assumptions, crass generalisations and petty insults as akin to some mouthy out-of-towner barging into the local pub, bellowing loudly about how awful the place is and how everyone in the place is just suuuch a booor - and then stomps back off to their home town moaning to anyone who'll listen about just how rude and unfriendly that pub is...

Hmmm. Think that also answers your question...

Nodin

PBroderick wrote: »

......

What kind of education are these people getting? It's frightening to think this is what they equate to millions of Muslims, Buddhists and Christians all over the world.

What is worse is that they think they know better.

Considering that the same standard of proof is on offer from those that believe in fairies and those that believe in the various forms of deity/deities, he has a point.

Sarky

PBroderick, you're hardly covering yourself in glory. Come on, you can be better than this.

King Mob

PBroderick wrote: »

Elvis, aliens....this is what this particular poster brings to the discussion.

What makes genuine belief in elvis or aliens or even fairies so different to religious beliefs?
What makes it ok for you to disparage those "silly" beliefs but makes it a horrible affront for us to disparage other "silly" beliefs?

Could it be because the aliens and fairies and Elvis are obviously unsupported and nonsensical?

PBroderick

King Mob wrote: »

What makes genuine belief in elvis or aliens or even fairies so different to religious beliefs?
What makes it ok for you to disparage those "silly" beliefs but makes it a horrible affront for us to disparage other "silly" beliefs?

Could it be because the aliens and fairies and Elvis are obviously unsupported and nonsensical?

You need to read some books, get yourself a proper education.

You're embarrassing yourself with posts like this, you really are.

Turtwig

PBroderick wrote: »

This is the kind of dim-witted clichéd crap I am talking about. To have such an ignorant, ill-informed view of religious beliefs held by hundreds of millions of people is downright disgusting.

Elvis, aliens....this is what this particular poster brings to the discussion.

What kind of education are these people getting? It's frightening to think this is what they equate to millions of Muslims, Buddhists and Christians all over the world.

What is worse is that they think they know better.

(i) Quantity of people who believe something has no bearing on whether or not it is true.
(ii) What is so stupid about Elvis or aliens? Have you seen this guy?
(iii) I know it's a terrifying thought thankfully though your fears are unfounded.
(iv) How many times need it be said to you that the majority of regulars here don't think they know better?

Rasheed

King Mob wrote: »

So what makes your stories more convincing? Or are people who believe in bigfoot just more gullible?

Surely their belief in stories they heard is as valid as yours, right?
If this is the case, why then do you still not believe in bigfoot?
If it is not the case, what makes your stories better, and why do they believe in stories that are not true?

This line of questioning is important because it is to get you to realise that anyone can honest believe in something that is not actually true, hence belief does not equate to reality, thus removing the only support you have for your supernatural beliefs.

I'm sorry now, maybe I'm a bit slow but I don't get this! 'Or if it's that you simply haven't heard any bigfoot stories, why then why do you not count the amount of people who do believe in bigfoot stories they have heard?'

Long story short is I don't know if big foot is alive, dead or a figment of people's imagination.I realise that belief does not equate to reality but how has this anything to with why you are an atheist?! You answered my question back a few pages so thanks for that, that's all I wanted to know!

shizz

PBroderick wrote: »

You need to read some books, get yourself a proper education.

You're embarrassing yourself with posts like this, you really are.

You realise the only difference is the amount of people who believe either claims right?

Just because a lot of people believe something doesn't make it so. If the claim is unsubstantiated, then there is no reason to give it any merit.

Blowfish

PBroderick wrote: »

Before we go any further, have a look at the last few posts above your post....do you think this is a place where an intelligent discussion can be held?

I genuinely think you should re-read the thread from the very start. There were a lot of well thought out answers given to Rasheed up to a certain point. It's well worth identifying that point and figuring out what exactly happened to turn people towards flippant responses.

PBroderick

Ickle Magoo wrote: »

I don't mean to speak for Dades...

But of course it's a place where intelligent discussion can and does take place.

Perhaps liken your own lazy sweeping assumptions, crass generalisations and petty insults as akin to some mouthy out-of-towner barging into the local pub, bellowing loudly about how awful the place is and how everyone in the place is just suuuch a booor - and then stomps back off to their home town moaning to anyone who'll listen about just how rude and unfriendly that pub is...

Hmmm. Think that also answers your question...

Well they are such bores....this Atheism stuff is going on for the last 2,000 years (documented at least). It offers nothing new. It's the same old hackneyed views....evolution, more galaxies, blah blah blah...it doesn't offer anything new to the discussion.

Not one "Atheist" here has offered anything worthwhile. They are most certainly not Atheists, they are Agnostic.

PBroderick

Jernal wrote: »

(i) Quantity of people who believe something has no bearing on whether or not it is true.
(ii) What is so stupid about Elvis or aliens? Have you seen this guy?
(iii) I know it's a terrifying thought thankfully though your fears are unfounded.
(iv) How many times need it be said to you that the majority of regulars here don't think they know better?

where's that 'ignore' button when you need it

King Mob

Rasheed wrote: »

I'm sorry now, maybe I'm a bit slow but I don't get this! 'Or if it's that you simply haven't heard any bigfoot stories, why then why do you not count the amount of people who do believe in bigfoot stories they have heard?'

Long story short is I don't know if big foot is alive, dead or a figment of people's imagination.I realise that belief does not equate to reality but how has this anything to with why you are an atheist?! You answered my question back a few pages so thanks for that, that's all I wanted to know!

Again the point is to get you to understand that people can believe in things that are not true and that's why belief does not equate to reality.

And since this is the case, even though you don't want to admit that, how do you conclude what you believe is actually true? If you can't conclude that, why do you believe it in the first place?

Blowfish

PBroderick wrote: »

Well they are such bores....this Atheism stuff is going on for the last 2,000 years (documented at least). It offers nothing new. It's the same old hackneyed views....evolution, more galaxies, blah blah blah...it doesn't offer anything new to the discussion.

Who knew about evolution and galaxies 2000 years ago?