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RE: To speak or not to speak?
September 16, 2013 at 7:56 pm
(September 16, 2013 at 7:49 pm)AtheistCreed Wrote: (September 16, 2013 at 7:04 pm)Captain Colostomy Wrote: If they aren't concerned about obnoxiously spouting off their views, why should you? You can't coerce beliefs, anyway. Either you, or they, see merit in the opposing person's argument, or you don't.
AtheistCreed- Lol. Whut?
lolwutwut
It's possible man. Keep people religious and stupid so they keep buying potato chips and prefer to see Miley Cyrus naked than a scientist.
We need to buy more science pron.
In all seriousness though, the average person is lacking due to public education being sub-par, we're in a complacent society of sheep.
Conspiracy or not, the fact remains that if we removed dogma and had a more progressive free-thinking society, we would be years ahead of our current selves.
I could be wrong, but it seems like a logical outcome.
Stupidity and religious belief are not correlated.
ronedee Wrote:Science doesn't have a good explaination for water
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RE: To speak or not to speak?
September 16, 2013 at 8:10 pm
(This post was last modified: September 16, 2013 at 8:11 pm by AtheistCreed.)
(September 16, 2013 at 7:56 pm)CleanShavenJesus Wrote: (September 16, 2013 at 7:49 pm)AtheistCreed Wrote: lolwutwut
It's possible man. Keep people religious and stupid so they keep buying potato chips and prefer to see Miley Cyrus naked than a scientist.
We need to buy more science pron.
In all seriousness though, the average person is lacking due to public education being sub-par, we're in a complacent society of sheep.
Conspiracy or not, the fact remains that if we removed dogma and had a more progressive free-thinking society, we would be years ahead of our current selves.
I could be wrong, but it seems like a logical outcome.
Stupidity and religious belief are not correlated.
No (I'm not implying they are inherently correlated), but combining lack of a proper educational foundation with the dogmatic sheep mentality of religion and you have a recipe for a society that is complacent with knowing only enough to fit into their small corner of the world.
I am not one to speak in generalities, but for all intents and purposes:
Take for instance the typical uneducated Southern Baptist (this is not to imply that all Southern Baptists are uneducated, ofc), he has never traveled the world and believes that all Muslims are terrorists and spawns of satan... Perhaps even that Obama is the Anti-Christ.... He cannot be convinced otherwise because a threat against his worldview is met with hostility and strong rejection.
Closed minds, educated only in basic maths, American history, basic American politics, and basic biology/chemistry... a household opposed to the teachings of evolution in public schools... Where can that individual possibly go?
The following quote comes to mind:
"Religion is regarded by the common people as true, by the wise as false, and by rulers as useful." — attributed to Seneca the Younger, ca. 3 BCE - 65 CE
Rulers throughout history have used religion and stifling of thought as a means of control, why should today be any different?
“Live a good life. If there are gods and they are just, then they will not care how devout you have been, but will welcome you based on the virtues you have lived by. If there are gods, but unjust, then you should not want to worship them. If there are no gods, then you will be gone, but will have lived a noble life that will live on in the memories of your loved ones.” - Marcus Aurelius
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RE: To speak or not to speak?
September 17, 2013 at 9:22 am
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RE: To speak or not to speak?
September 18, 2013 at 4:12 am
I have a 'friend' on FB (who is a nurse) who likes to post silly things about God healing the sick through medicine, and who once posted that stupid link about Einstein supposeduly schooling a Professor on the nature of god (a completely bogud internet spam that has been around since the early naughties).
I made the mistake of bitchslapping her with common sense, but after that I've just blocked all communication on my FB feed from her (but kept her as a 'friend'). They don't know you've blocked them and you can't see their shit. Everyone's a winner.
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RE: To speak or not to speak?
September 18, 2013 at 10:28 am
(September 18, 2013 at 4:12 am)Fidel_Castronaut Wrote: Everyone's a winner.
'Winner' and 'Facebook member' are mutually exclusive terms.
And yes...I just so happen to NOT be a FB member. So??? :p
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RE: To speak or not to speak?
September 18, 2013 at 6:25 pm
(September 16, 2013 at 6:56 pm)Beta Ray Bill Wrote: Over and over, time and again I hear or read things from people that royally piss me off.
1.
Just the other day, I was getting off the ferry and overheard the two young men walking behind me badmouthing secular morality and that atheism was stupid. It took all of my energy not to spin around and take a stance in front of those men, but I was meeting someone and my son was with me. Not a good time to debate, but boy did I want to.
2.
I have a "friend" on Facebook who is an Eastern Orthodox Christian. He and I don't get along well, but he is an old high school friend so I don't delete him. However, he sure likes to praise the perfection of his faith and the stupidity of atheism. I debated him once on FB, and he went frantic. It was obvious that I was winning, and breaking him, but my sense of morals kicked in and I stopped the debate right then and there. I gave a hefty apology and promised never to debate him on Facebook again. I don't believe I have the right to de-convert anyone that doesn't want to.
3.
Just today, my FB friend put a link to some Orthodox blog that explains how stupid atheism is. I was so tempted to slap a link to a pro-atheist, anti-Christian essay I know of, but I just couldn't do it. I couldn't bring myself down to his level. I sure wanted to, but I had promised myself no more Facebook debates.
So, basically, I have told myself (using my "inferior" morals) to keep my debating to this forum. But god-be-damned, it sure is hard to stay calm and reasonable when I keep hearing and reading so much anti-atheist bullshit! I'd love to take down these haters, but I just don't think it's my place to. No one has the right to impose their beliefs upon another, IMO.
I wonder if the Christians will ever learn that? 
Rise above it.
MM
"The greatest deception men suffer is from their own opinions" - Leonardo da Vinci
"I think I use the term “radical” rather loosely, just for emphasis. If you describe yourself as “atheist,” some people will say, “Don’t you mean ‘agnostic’?” I have to reply that I really do mean atheist, I really do not believe that there is a god; in fact, I am convinced that there is not a god (a subtle difference). I see not a shred of evidence to suggest that there is one ... etc., etc. It’s easier to say that I am a radical atheist, just to signal that I really mean it, have thought about it a great deal, and that it’s an opinion I hold seriously." - Douglas Adams (and I echo the sentiment)
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RE: To speak or not to speak?
September 18, 2013 at 6:33 pm
I am proud of myself. I have not logged into FB in over a week. 
"Never trust a fox. Looks like a dog, behaves like a cat."
~ Erin Hunter
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RE: To speak or not to speak?
September 18, 2013 at 6:42 pm
Well, I caved in and debated the jerk on FB again. But this time, he got help. So here I am battling a squad of Orthodox nimrods all by myself. I didn't give up, but I did just say "fuck it" and blocked the guy.
It would have been awesome to have the backup I can get here, but I don't have a lot of atheist FB friends. So, no more FB debating for me!
"Believe nothing, no matter where you read it, or who said it, no matter if I have said it, unless it agrees with your own reason and your own common sense.”
- Buddha
"Anyone wanting to believe Jesus lived and walked as a real live human being must do so despite the evidence, not because of it."
- Dennis McKinsey
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RE: To speak or not to speak?
September 18, 2013 at 7:21 pm
Nothing wrong with spreading ideas, everyone is responsible for what ideas they adopt and what ideas they spread. Proselytizing is annoying, but they don't need an invitation to start proselytizing, and we don't need an invitation to bash their god(s). I think the only legitimate reason for not speaking up would be because it's not strategically sound or you don't give a shit.
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RE: To speak or not to speak?
September 18, 2013 at 7:36 pm
Well the good news globally is that their has been a 9% increase worldwide of atheists in the past decade.
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