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Another challenge to atheists from The Week!

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Dexter

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Another challenge to atheists from The Week!

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http://theweek.com/article/index/260172 ... r-religion

TL;DR Only theism can explain self-sacrifice, and Christianity does it best of all
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Re: Another challenge to atheists from The Week!

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What are the odds? This guy's particular belief system is the one that makes the most sense to him!
-Geo
Question everything
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ant

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Re: Another challenge to atheists from The Week!

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Loud mouth atheists are mostly anti Christian, and that's about it.

Extreme militant atheism is bigoted and ultimately cancerous to society

The atheists I've encountered at Skeptic forums are extremely arrogant and just plain boring assholes that have nothing better to do than argue about the non existence of a God they're convinced does not exist.

Atheists are largely absent from hands-on charity.

Atheism itself has contributed close to NOTHING -( the historical record proves this) because of it's alienating nature. It's brand of spirituality is Materialism, which is utterly meaningless.

Atheists are more blind to their own bias than theists.

Atheism as a meme has been weak throughout history. It is more of a fad, like fashionable wear, that eventually disappears and reappears 20 years later.

Atheism is brutishly exclusionary.

Curiously, atheism has bored itself so much that it unabashedly hijacks words from religion to give itself more meaning (ie "spiritual)

Theists and agnostics are much more humble (PREDICTION - and always will be). There are always exceptions, of course.
I admire a few atheists myself.

Thanks for posting this article. It was great.
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Dexter

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Re: Another challenge to atheists from The Week!

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ant wrote:Loud mouth atheists are mostly anti Christian, and that's about it.

Extreme militant atheism is bigoted and ultimately cancerous to society

The atheists I've encountered at Skeptic forums are extremely arrogant and just plain boring assholes that have nothing better to do than argue about the non existence of a God they're convinced does not exist.

Atheists are largely absent from hands-on charity.

Atheism itself has contributed close to NOTHING -( the historical record proves this) because of it's alienating nature. It's brand of spirituality is Materialism, which is utterly meaningless.

Atheists are more blind to their own bias than theists.

Atheism as a meme has been weak throughout history. It is more of a fad, like fashionable wear, that eventually disappears and reappears 20 years later.

Atheism is brutishly exclusionary.

Curiously, atheism has bored itself so much that it unabashedly hijacks words from religion to give itself more meaning (ie "spiritual)

Theists and agnostics are much more humble (PREDICTION - and always will be). There are always exceptions, of course.
I admire a few atheists myself.

Thanks for posting this article. It was great.
Someone’s a little cranky about those New New Atheists!

How’s that VGD meme doing in history? You know, the Vague Generic Deity that makes up exactly zero percent of the world’s religions. You’ve got to wonder why it’s not more popular, it’s perfect — you don’t have to defend any false and contradictory beliefs, or know anything about anything, and yet it provides the basis for all morality, goodness, meaning and existence in the world! It is truly a miracle.
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ant

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Re: Another challenge to atheists from The Week!

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There is no need for a person who simply does not believe in teapots and Thor to jump to the defense of anti - theists

Of course it speaks volumes about what youre really all about, Mr Stardust Spiritualist
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Re: Another challenge to atheists from The Week!

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:nothingtoadd:

:-D

actually, i might just add
Mr Stardust Spiritualist
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J4Y93Qucbt0
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Re: Another challenge to atheists from The Week!

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ant wrote:Loud mouth atheists are mostly anti Christian, and that's about it.

Extreme militant atheism is bigoted and ultimately cancerous to society

The atheists I've encountered at Skeptic forums are extremely arrogant and just plain boring assholes that have nothing better to do than argue about the non existence of a God they're convinced does not exist.

Atheists are largely absent from hands-on charity.

Atheism itself has contributed close to NOTHING -( the historical record proves this) because of it's alienating nature. It's brand of spirituality is Materialism, which is utterly meaningless.

Atheists are more blind to their own bias than theists.

Atheism as a meme has been weak throughout history. It is more of a fad, like fashionable wear, that eventually disappears and reappears 20 years later.

Atheism is brutishly exclusionary.

Curiously, atheism has bored itself so much that it unabashedly hijacks words from religion to give itself more meaning (ie "spiritual)

Theists and agnostics are much more humble (PREDICTION - and always will be). There are always exceptions, of course.
I admire a few atheists myself.

Thanks for posting this article. It was great.
Ant, your slip is showing.
-Geo
Question everything
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Re: Another challenge to atheists from The Week!

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It's a good polemic piece. I have to say I was more impressed by the ad that appeared next to article when I looked at it--a bicycle-mounted wine rack! Isn't it amazing how good algorithms are getting at selling to us?

There's a basic error on either side of the question, seems to me. Why would any of us expect to have the market cornered on the best beliefs? Isn't that pretty greedy? As an atheist (but not a "proud" one) I accept that,of course, a believer may have an experience or an insight that I can't have. But non-belief is right for me and comes naturally; I'm aware of enjoying some aspects of it and think it also has its advantages.
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Re: Another challenge to atheists from The Week!

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Atheists have no way of explaining self sacrifice?

How about love? And doing what you think is the right thing, even if it costs you your life?

That's how i would explain rescuing a child from a sewer at great risk to myself. Or trying to get a grenade away from the rest of my squad. Or pushing somebody out of the way of a bus.

I have no difficulty at all explaining these things in terms of our moral perspectives, achieved through culture and reasoning, nor explaining that love can make us do heroic (trying to rescue people) or irrational (trying to rescue people that are CLEARLY doomed and can not be saved) things.

Top of the list why we do irrational and dangerous things, we are apes. Just animals with a smidge more ability to reason than others. Still prone to the will of our brain stem.

Our brains reason that we should stop smoking, stop over eating, go to the gym, stop drinking, stop letting ourselves be used by that one person who can press our buttons, stop buying lottery tickets, and to love the right things for the right reasons.

And our instincts tell us something else.

Sieze it, sex it, kill it, eat it, lay down.

Our minds are not perfect operators. We aren't capable of making all the right decisions all the time. Of ignoring our instincts and making choices on reason alone. We make un-healthy choices all the time and the majority of them are not noble ones. And I, with my allegedly inferior atheistic grasp of reality, have no problem understanding why we do things like rescuing a child at the cost of our own lives. Or why we also make irrational choices like gambling with the rent money, or cheating on our spouses.

And just like anyone else, understanding these things is not the same thing as being able to control them, or being immune to them. Ant likes to quack that HE thinks that atheists think they are above misguided beliefs. That we think we are hard wired not to believe. His favorite scarecrow atheist friend is a facist, and a biggot who thinks himself the superman we should all aspire to be.

But once again, these are the thoughts of Ant, and do not necessarily reflect the actual thoughts and opinions of the atheists he chooses to malign.

Nobody talks as bad about a whole group of peolpe on these forums as you, Ant.

You project your faults onto your scarecrow atheist and make believe you've heard them espoused by anyone but yourself.
In the absence of God, I found Man.
-Guillermo Del Torro

Are you pushing your own short comings on us and safely hating them from a distance?

Is this the virtue of faith? To never change your mind: especially when you should?

Young Earth Creationists take offense at the idea that we have a common heritage with other animals. Why is being the descendant of a mud golem any better?
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Re: Another challenge to atheists from The Week!

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For anyone honestly looking at the range of views held by atheists, I found Louise Antony's book,"Philosophers Without Gods" enlightening. The excerpt below from the hardcover edition explains the content.

"Atheists are frequently demonized as arrogant intellectuals, antagonistic to religion, devoid of moral sentiments, advocates of an "anything goes" lifestyle. Now, in this revealing volume, nineteen leading philosophers open a window on the inner life of atheism, shattering these common stereotypes as they reveal how they came to turn away from religious belief.

These highly engaging personal essays capture the marvelous diversity to be found among atheists, providing a portrait that will surprise most readers. Many of the authors, for example, express great affection for particular religious traditions, even as they explain why they cannot, in good conscience, embrace them. None of the contributors dismiss religious belief as stupid or primitive, and several even express regret that they cannot, or can no longer, believe. Perhaps more important, in these reflective pieces, they offer fresh insight into some of the oldest and most difficult problems facing the human mind and spirit. For instance, if God is dead, is everything permitted? Philosophers Without Gods demonstrates convincingly, with arguments that date back to Plato, that morality is independent of the existence of God. Indeed, every writer in this volume adamantly affirms the objectivity of right and wrong. Moreover, they contend that secular life can provide rewards as great and as rich as religious life.

A naturalistic understanding of the human condition presents a set of challenges--to pursue our goals without illusions, to act morally without hope of reward--challenges that can impart a lasting value to finite and fragile human lives.
Collectively, these essays highlight the richness of atheistic belief--not only as a valid alternative to religion, but as a profoundly fulfilling and moral way of life."
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