Do you believe in Santa Claus? Odin? Fairies? Pixies? Pink Soap Elephants? Vishnu? Dragons?
Or do you have actually evidence for them NOT existing? (Hint: You can imagine an infinity of entities whose existence cannot be disproven. Do you need faith NOT to believe in them?)
Technically, if you conduct your life like there is no God, you qualify as atheist. If further you consider that it's impossible to know whether God(s) exists or not, you are Agnostic.
You can easily be both, you can be an Agnostic Christian (you don't "know" but you choose to believe) and so on.
As an atheist myself, I *tend* to agree with the OP: religion is based on Faith, or "believing things out of your feelings and regardless of evidence" which is akin to "being gullible". And yes, I do think this attitude is poisonous to our society, where many of us make important choices, including political ones, out of being gullible...
However, I won't claim that being atheist is the solution, but rather, a consequence of the solution.
You have obviously never quarrelled with a pious man. Suffering the horrible pain of Hell for eternity comes out often. Now, I don't know your books, I know what your fellow Christians (I am assuming you are) tell me. Why should I trust you over them?
Many hold positions like these: http://www.bible.ca/su-annihilation-refuted.htm (which I don't give squat whether they are biblically accurate or not, it's your problem, not mine). Others argue that an offence against an infinite being warrants an infinite punishment. Many agree that there is some form of eternal suffering.
So, don't waste your time explaining the Bible to an atheist. Explain it to your fellow Christians, since they are apparently wrong. (Why you religious people can never agree on your own doctrine? Eeeew!)
We humans confuse our ideas for ourselves, we identify with them, we belong in that comforting, familiar reality, even when those ideas make us suffer. We don't give a shit about truth and consistency. Attack those ideas, we will defend as if you were attacking the person. Destroy those ideas, we will be lost.
There is no proof that there is no Santa Claus either. Yet it seems many people live their lives as if Santa Claus was real. Or the Flying Spaghetti Monster. Or, in fact, any possibly thing you may conceive in your head. Can you prove that they don't exist? Do you live your life as if they exist?
This is why Occam's Razor is important.
Likewise, until we have any reason to assume that there is a "why", we can only conclude that there is none. Our understanding can be only provisional, and open to be amended *once new evidence becomes available*.
And the the religious text offer no answer. Because if Gos is the answer to our "Why?" this just moves the goalpost. "What is the purpose of God's existance?" "Why does God exist?"
Are the followers in Christ those nice fellows who consider just and merciful that 90%+ of humans that ever lived be HORRIBLY TORTURED FOR ETERNITY?
Now, this is by far the most evil and sick thing I have ever heard in my life, and still the thought that its proponents, or anyone else for that matter, deserve the same is just inconceivable.
Just as all our understanding depends on the fact that reality seems to be governed by constant laws, all our understanding depends also on the application of Occam's Razor. Why? Because there are always infinite explanations (or candidate laws) for any given trivial phenomena.
Even if you can prove neither, to understand anything or to make any argument based on reality you need both assumptions.
There is a considerable ROI for the US, coming from the political and economic pressure they can apply through their army, just think about the Oil control, that many countries are forced to pay in dollars. True, most of this ROI ends in the pockets of few rich elites.
Consider also that most of the suppliers are in the US themselves: the US is not losing that much money. Is just transferring them from the citizens to the rich elites.
But it's much better to think that you hare the Holy Warrior that keeps the World at Peace and everybody should be Thankful of your Noble Effort...
The US, and every other nation for that, uses its own army exclusively for its own gain. It's deluded to think otherwise. Or all of the sudden the US has become a bastion of compassion and altruism?
It's like the school bully believing he's the police.
"real religion"? This is a No True Scotsman fallacy, sir.
Religion teaches a society to accept Arguments by Authority as valid, and that gullibility (aks "Faith") is a virtue to be arrogantly pursued. Both those teachings are proving the bane of a healthy democracy.
Scum, I don't know, but they definitely took part in an unlawful invasion, and this is kinda criminal. Hey, they were duped into thinking that it would have resulted into something good for the US and the Iraq. It didn't. Those people put themselves at risk and/or sacrificed their lives to protect the interest of a few rich. They are criminals, and gullible ones at that. National fanaticism is no nicer than religious fanaticism.
Patriot ACT passed and the stalwart defenders of the Second Amendment are still on their armchairs watching TV. Having weapons is utterly useless if someone else is telling you where to shoot.
I'm not from the US, I don't know muchabout Anonymous, but (at least in my EU country) they managed to attract the attention on the issue. This is worth.
CIA and Mossad kill an iranian scientist every month or so, so Iran is kinda justified in its paranoia. Still, this is probably just propaganda and lies.
Are you also fucking sick by your government and the police trampling the Constitution? Are you also fucking sick by people like you having to pay for the mistakes of the bankers? If not, your priorities for being "fucking sick" appear to be a bit screwed.
Which facts did Monsignor Georges Lemaitre bring to the table, to convince the scientists of the time? Science is a very conservative discipline: big statements need to be backed by big evidence.
Unlike religion, that at best changes the interpretation of the sacred book according to social convenience, Science eventually corrected itself.
Science awards its greatest prizes to those that blow up its laws, and thrives on it. Religion threatens those who challenge its laws, because once they are challenged religion dies.
Religion is based on dogma and faith, and both are the antithesis of scientific inquiry. Religion is for people who cannot accept reality, science is an attempt to embrace reality. Religion is subjective, Science strives for objectiveness.
If you really need a cosmic tyrant threatening you to behave nicely towards your fellow humans, there's a very fundamental problem.
Also, as an atheist, I'm not too keen on doctrines that consider right, merciful and just that I be TORTURED for ETERNITY for not sharing their beliefs. (Jesus himself says this several times in the Bible, BTW) I don't really think anyone'd deserves that.
So, instead of encouraging normal porn consumers to report CP, they further push them in a hole of shame and social disapproval... That's an awesome way to protect the children and punish the actual criminals...
Slashdot Mirror
But you are with us, my friend.
Do you believe in Santa Claus?
Odin?
Fairies?
Pixies?
Pink Soap Elephants?
Vishnu?
Dragons?
Or do you have actually evidence for them NOT existing?
(Hint: You can imagine an infinity of entities whose existence cannot be disproven. Do you need faith NOT to believe in them?)
Technically, if you conduct your life like there is no God, you qualify as atheist.
If further you consider that it's impossible to know whether God(s) exists or not, you are Agnostic.
You can easily be both, you can be an Agnostic Christian (you don't "know" but you choose to believe) and so on.
As an atheist myself, I *tend* to agree with the OP: religion is based on Faith, or "believing things out of your feelings and regardless of evidence" which is akin to "being gullible".
And yes, I do think this attitude is poisonous to our society, where many of us make important choices, including political ones, out of being gullible...
However, I won't claim that being atheist is the solution, but rather, a consequence of the solution.
You have obviously never quarrelled with a pious man.
Suffering the horrible pain of Hell for eternity comes out often.
Now, I don't know your books, I know what your fellow Christians (I am assuming you are) tell me.
Why should I trust you over them?
Many hold positions like these: http://www.bible.ca/su-annihilation-refuted.htm (which I don't give squat whether they are biblically accurate or not, it's your problem, not mine).
Others argue that an offence against an infinite being warrants an infinite punishment.
Many agree that there is some form of eternal suffering.
So, don't waste your time explaining the Bible to an atheist.
Explain it to your fellow Christians, since they are apparently wrong.
(Why you religious people can never agree on your own doctrine? Eeeew!)
We humans confuse our ideas for ourselves, we identify with them, we belong in that comforting, familiar reality, even when those ideas make us suffer.
We don't give a shit about truth and consistency.
Attack those ideas, we will defend as if you were attacking the person.
Destroy those ideas, we will be lost.
There is no proof that there is no Santa Claus either.
Yet it seems many people live their lives as if Santa Claus was real.
Or the Flying Spaghetti Monster.
Or, in fact, any possibly thing you may conceive in your head.
Can you prove that they don't exist?
Do you live your life as if they exist?
This is why Occam's Razor is important.
Likewise, until we have any reason to assume that there is a "why", we can only conclude that there is none.
Our understanding can be only provisional, and open to be amended *once new evidence becomes available*.
And the the religious text offer no answer.
Because if Gos is the answer to our "Why?" this just moves the goalpost.
"What is the purpose of God's existance?"
"Why does God exist?"
I wish I could upvote you beyond 5.
Are the followers in Christ those nice fellows who consider just and merciful that 90%+ of humans that ever lived be HORRIBLY TORTURED FOR ETERNITY?
Now, this is by far the most evil and sick thing I have ever heard in my life, and still the thought that its proponents, or anyone else for that matter, deserve the same is just inconceivable.
Just as all our understanding depends on the fact that reality seems to be governed by constant laws, all our understanding depends also on the application of Occam's Razor.
Why? Because there are always infinite explanations (or candidate laws) for any given trivial phenomena.
Even if you can prove neither, to understand anything or to make any argument based on reality you need both assumptions.
There is a considerable ROI for the US, coming from the political and economic pressure they can apply through their army, just think about the Oil control, that many countries are forced to pay in dollars.
True, most of this ROI ends in the pockets of few rich elites.
Consider also that most of the suppliers are in the US themselves: the US is not losing that much money.
Is just transferring them from the citizens to the rich elites.
But it's much better to think that you hare the Holy Warrior that keeps the World at Peace and everybody should be Thankful of your Noble Effort...
The US, and every other nation for that, uses its own army exclusively for its own gain.
It's deluded to think otherwise.
Or all of the sudden the US has become a bastion of compassion and altruism?
It's like the school bully believing he's the police.
Are you really suggesting to use tax dollars to save lives!?
Socialist!
Many people steal for many different reasons.
Some I may be more sympathetic than others.
But they are still thieves and criminals.
I don't think all soldiers are sociopaths.
I think they should take the responsibility of their choice of working for the army.
Your first block is a ridiculous and unjustified generalization.
Your second block basically states that if we have a sadistic serial killer that once rescued a kitty then it's not REALLY a sadistic serial killer.
The third block says that over-generalizations are stupid.
Ironic, given how you started your post, but agreeable.
"real religion"?
This is a No True Scotsman fallacy, sir.
Religion teaches a society to accept Arguments by Authority as valid, and that gullibility (aks "Faith") is a virtue to be arrogantly pursued.
Both those teachings are proving the bane of a healthy democracy.
Scum, I don't know, but they definitely took part in an unlawful invasion, and this is kinda criminal.
Hey, they were duped into thinking that it would have resulted into something good for the US and the Iraq.
It didn't.
Those people put themselves at risk and/or sacrificed their lives to protect the interest of a few rich.
They are criminals, and gullible ones at that.
National fanaticism is no nicer than religious fanaticism.
Patriot ACT passed and the stalwart defenders of the Second Amendment are still on their armchairs watching TV.
Having weapons is utterly useless if someone else is telling you where to shoot.
The media takes proper care of friends and family already.
I'm not from the US, I don't know muchabout Anonymous, but (at least in my EU country) they managed to attract the attention on the issue.
This is worth.
CIA and Mossad kill an iranian scientist every month or so, so Iran is kinda justified in its paranoia.
Still, this is probably just propaganda and lies.
Are you also fucking sick by your government and the police trampling the Constitution?
Are you also fucking sick by people like you having to pay for the mistakes of the bankers?
If not, your priorities for being "fucking sick" appear to be a bit screwed.
Which facts did Monsignor Georges Lemaitre bring to the table, to convince the scientists of the time?
Science is a very conservative discipline: big statements need to be backed by big evidence.
Unlike religion, that at best changes the interpretation of the sacred book according to social convenience, Science eventually corrected itself.
Science awards its greatest prizes to those that blow up its laws, and thrives on it.
Religion threatens those who challenge its laws, because once they are challenged religion dies.
Religion is based on dogma and faith, and both are the antithesis of scientific inquiry.
Religion is for people who cannot accept reality, science is an attempt to embrace reality.
Religion is subjective, Science strives for objectiveness.
If you really need a cosmic tyrant threatening you to behave nicely towards your fellow humans, there's a very fundamental problem.
Also, as an atheist, I'm not too keen on doctrines that consider right, merciful and just that I be TORTURED for ETERNITY for not sharing their beliefs.
(Jesus himself says this several times in the Bible, BTW)
I don't really think anyone'd deserves that.
So, instead of encouraging normal porn consumers to report CP, they further push them in a hole of shame and social disapproval...
That's an awesome way to protect the children and punish the actual criminals...
This is called "competition", and yes, as a Linux zealot, I still think it is better to have Apple (or MS) than not to have it.
Uhm, no.
Being poor in Cuba you get healthcare.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Healthcare_in_Cuba