(November 12, 2010 at 10:20 pm)Shell B Wrote: There are no common beliefs among atheists. Some might believe in fairies, though I am sure most do not. If you want to find people with common beliefs, go to a church. Atheists have common knowledge of one thing only. Sorry to disappoint.

Cando Wrote:I should think there's a lot of arguing amongst atheists in that case. And a lot of snobbery. Not a very unified or effective group at all. No wonder you don't get anything done.

Interesting that you think we are a group. Just because you place us all in the same ill-conceived pigeon hole doesn't mean we fit there. We're just people who don't "believe" in god, in some way or another.

Who said we were trying to be unified or effective? It's snobbish of you to insist we're failing at something we're not even trying to do. If you're going to resort to the "atheists are meanies" position, you better come up with something better than that. You won't, though.

Why are you guys taking this Cando seriously?

(November 13, 2010 at 7:14 am)Cando Wrote:

(November 12, 2010 at 10:20 pm)Shell B Wrote: There are no common beliefs among atheists. Some might believe in fairies, though I am sure most do not. If you want to find people with common beliefs, go to a church. Atheists have common knowledge of one thing only. Sorry to disappoint.

I should think there's a lot of arguing amongst atheists in that case. And a lot of snobbery. Not a very unified or effective group at all. No wonder you don't get anything done.

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Despite the contrary being the case, if you want to class us a group with objectives I'd say the ever decreasing power of religion and the constantly falling numbers of people buying into your bullshit over the course of the past couple of hundred years is a pretty good work in progress for us.

But of course we are not a group who share anything other than a lack of belief in a god. And we certainly have no objectives collectively. You may find other common ground between us but they are simply surplus to what being an Atheist is.

(November 13, 2010 at 7:14 am)Cando Wrote: I should think there's a lot of arguing amongst atheists in that case. And a lot of snobbery. Not a very unified or effective group at all. No wonder you don't get anything done.

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Baiting are we? Some atheists maybe snobs, but probably understandabley, given the towering arrogance of the religious; abley demonstrated by your ridiculous rejoinders.

Ad hominem.

Quote:I'll throw my shoe at you in a minute.

Then you'll be one shoe short....and you better hope that I don't "believe" in beating the shit out of people who throw shoes.

(November 13, 2010 at 7:53 pm)Minimalist Wrote:

Quote:I'll throw my shoe at you in a minute.

Then you'll be one shoe short....and you better hope that I don't "believe" in beating the shit out of people who throw shoes.

You're right. I didn't think it through. Ok then, I'll throw a hernia.

Shell B Wrote:Who said we were trying to be unified or effective?

Well your plan is working. Maybe if more atheists were unified, something would get done.

What do I believe IN? I won't say what I dont believe in since that is not the question.

What I believe in is best said by Carl Sagan : The choice is with us still, but the civilization now in jeopardy is all humanity. As the ancient myth makers knew, we are children equally of the earth and the sky. In our tenure of this planet we've accumulated dangerous evolutionary baggage — propensities for aggression and ritual, submission to leaders, hostility to outsiders — all of which puts our survival in some doubt. But we've also acquired compassion for others, love for our children and desire to learn from history and experience, and a great soaring passionate intelligence — the clear tools for our continued survival and prosperity. Which aspects of our nature will prevail is uncertain, particularly when our visions and prospects are bound to one small part of the small planet Earth. But up there in the immensity of the Cosmos, an inescapable perspective awaits us. There are not yet any obvious signs of extraterrestrial intelligence and this makes us wonder whether civilizations like ours always rush implacably, headlong, toward self-destruction. National boundaries are not evident when we view the Earth from space. Fanatical ethnic or religious or national chauvinisms are a little difficult to maintain when we see our planet as a fragile blue crescent fading to become an inconspicuous point of light against the bastion and citadel of the stars. Travel is broadening.