IMHO the atheists are worse. I've met plenty of stupid religious people and plenty of stupid atheists. Generally the religious people are nice, decent folk. If anything, their religious beliefs reinforce a basic moral system. On the other hand, atheists are so convinced of their intellectual superiority over the rest of humanity that they come off as a bunch of smug d-bags whenever the topic of religion comes up.
In my experience religious are worse. They constantly legislate based on their religion, push their religion everywhere, war over their religion, hate based on what they think their religion says, and to top it off, the whole idea of religion is absolutely preposterous!
In my experience religious are worse. They constantly legislate based on their religion, push their religion everywhere, war over their religion, hate based on what they think their religion says, and to top it off, the whole idea of religion is absolutely preposterous!
The person you quoted has a bit of a point. There can be said to be a form of religious atheism, the symptoms of which some posters here are exhibiting. They're not really much better than the religious since it's still an unconsidered and underdeveloped position. But a true atheist simply asserts that there is no evidence supporting the existence of gods. It's the religious who are arrogant, claiming certainty about the unknowable, and the religious who are dangerous because it's imprudent to believe things without proof. If you can't even figure out that we simply do not know where we came from, exactly, and that there's no real answer to the question of why we are here, then how can you be trusted to hold political office, or teach children, or to be a supreme court justice, for god's sake.
bah. humbug.
In my experience God is great - and I love Him! :wub:
Who cares what atheists think?
Prayer; sometimes it works every time.
Just because you don't know something, doesn't mean a magical being did it. One is a position of fact and the other is a position of fantasy. They are not comparable.
Being mad at being legislated based on religion, having it thrown up and pushed everywhere, and being hated/discriminated against because you do not believe in a certain brand of fantasy does NOT make you a "religious atheist.". Just more false equivalence.
Agnosticism - There may or may not be a God.
Atheism - There is no God.
Agnosticism - There may or may not be a God.
Atheism - There is no God.
Agnosticism - There may or may not be a God.
Atheism - There is no God.
I think this makes much more sense given the range of different beliefs people hold. It allows for the more rational position on both sides that fall short of absolute certainty, yet still express an opinion on the matter. It is particularly useful in explaining to theists, who actually do occupy the "absolute theist" position in large numbers, that Atheism is not necessarily the polar opposite of their own beliefs. In fact, most atheist likely occupy the "Strong Atheist" position, which is quite a bit different than "Absolute Atheist".Absolute Atheist - I'm certain there is no God
Strong Atheist - I am strongly inclined to believe there is no God, and live my life as though there isn't.
Weak Atheist - I'm not sure if there's a God, but I lean toward there not being one.
Agnostic - There is exactly the same chance of God's existence as there is of God's nonexistence.
Weak Theist - I'm not sure if there is a God, but I lean toward there being one.
Strong Theist - I'm strongly inclined to believe there is a God, and live my life as though he is there.
Absolute Theist - I'm certain there is a God.
I had cancer two years ago and was flooded from family members and friends with messages like "Keeping you in our prayers" "Praying for you" etc. I got letters from churches I'd never heard of, though their cards were nice but I'd never met these people.
When I was cured much of my family used language such as "Praise God!", "God is good!", "Thank the Lord!", etc...I am not religious in any fashion. I don't claim any religion, nor atheism nor agnosticism. I'm just simply not spiritual in any way and do not concern myself with religion much at all.
What bothered me most was hearing Thank God or Thank the Lord after I was cured. I wanted to say "No, if you want to thank someone send my oncologist, surgeon, and nurses some cards. I can give you their names and where to reach them. Also thank my insurance company who paid out over $120,000 on my treatment, and my mother who covered the rest."
For people to say God is Good because I was cured usually angers me. I know I am alive today only because I happened to be born in this country to a middle class family who happened to have good health insurance and the money to cover my treatments. I happen to have gotten cancer in 2011 when an effective treatment had been well tested and had proven results. Had it been back in 1991, or worse earlier, I likely would not have lived two years post diagnosis, as I am now.
Yet I rarely confront anyone over it. I know it's just a way of language, some people say such things without even being very religious themselves. For others it's the only thing they know to say and they realize that they have no real way of helping and so put faith in a God to help me for them.
I was not looking for a God, nor did I find a God through my cancer. For me to believe in a God I'd have to believe he caused the cancer, as nobody was involved in that. I would not be able to believe he cured it, as that means he would have done so in a very convoluted way of going through multiple physicians and large amounts of money. I would have to believe he lets countless others die all the time from the same cancer. That, or I would have to believe in a God who is completely hands off.
But I don't fault others for believing. Sometimes I wish I could believe in something the way they do, but I just don't.
I think it's quite a bit more complicated than that.
I think this makes much more sense given the range of different beliefs people hold. It allows for the more rational position on both sides that fall short of absolute certainty, yet still express an opinion on the matter. It is particularly useful in explaining to theists, who actually do occupy the "absolute theist" position in large numbers, that Atheism is not necessarily the polar opposite of their own beliefs. In fact, most atheist likely occupy the "Strong Atheist" position, which is quite a bit different than "Absolute Atheist".
Edit: Also, to give credit where it's due. I got this scale from a book by Richard Dawkins. I know a lot of people knock him, but this is the best explanation of the spectrum of belief I have come across.
It is fine to love make believe. Just don't use it to legislate your brand of morals or to hate/discriminate.
YOU are the one in fantasy land, baby, thinking that God does not exist...
Look at USSR, Red China, Cambodia under atheist Pol Pot, and North Korea. Atheist societies fell behind religious societies in technological advancements and human rights.
Make believe? Make believe what? Baby please!
YOU are the one in fantasy land, baby, thinking that God does not exist. And YOU are the one legislating your stupid gay marriage, fetal stem cell testing and gun grabbing nonsense.