(January 18, 2018 at 11:23 pm)KevinM1 Wrote:

(January 18, 2018 at 11:18 pm)Banned Wrote: All do.

You're wrong, of course.  But, you haven't shown you actually grasp what atheism is, so I'm not surprised.

Banned, in response to Kevin's comments, you ought to provide a definition of what you think atheism actually is. That way, we can accept/reject it on the merits of its validity. If it is not rejected then we can proceed with the debate because we have a common understanding.

(January 18, 2018 at 11:19 pm)The Valkyrie Wrote: Oh, this old chestnut.

"You wouldn't be commenting if you didn't really believe deep down."

Pure, 100%, undistilled BS.

We comment on religion because it affects us and those around us. Even where I am there are relugious people knocking on doors, stopping us on the street, trying to push their beliefs on us. There are those trying to get their religions put into our laws. This is a universal problem with religions.

We comment on religion because we can, and because it's about time someone did.

Because I comment in places on Skyrim, doesn't mean I belueve in dragons or magic.

Why do you care about bullying religionists if you aren't somehow spiritual?

(January 18, 2018 at 11:34 pm)Banned Wrote:

(January 18, 2018 at 11:19 pm)The Valkyrie Wrote: Oh, this old chestnut.

"You wouldn't be commenting if you didn't really believe deep down."

Pure, 100%, undistilled BS.

We comment on religion because it affects us and those around us. Even where I am there are relugious people knocking on doors, stopping us on the street, trying to push their beliefs on us. There are those trying to get their religions put into our laws. This is a universal problem with religions.

We comment on religion because we can, and because it's about time someone did.

Because I comment in places on Skyrim, doesn't mean I belueve in dragons or magic.

Why do you care about bullying religionists if you aren't somehow spiritual?

And then the victim card gets played.

Full house!

(January 18, 2018 at 11:21 pm)drfuzzy Wrote: Oh, that one is EASY.  I'm not fighting against the existence of your imaginary friend.  You can dance and pray to a blue hippopotamus for all I care.
But most of us are surrounded by people who don't keep their hippo-worship to themselves.  No!  They insist that we join them, and judge us as sub-human if we don't!
So the only way to combat this assault and disrespect is to point out the REASON we're not sold on hippo-worship, and to point out the concepts that we cannot accept. 
The "Way of the Blue Hippo" is fiction . . . until you provide the HIPPO in the flesh.  And then Ol' Hip would probably be outraged at the ridiculous crap that was written about it.

I was raised Pentecostal.  In this thread I shared the sick, twisted, ignorant brainwashing that I'm grateful with every breath to have escaped.  There is no "spirit", no "god", no "spirituality", no "soul", no "afterlife".

If I were in your place, I'd think the same.

(January 18, 2018 at 11:27 pm)vulcanlogician Wrote: Banned, in response to Kevin's comments, you ought to provide a definition of what you think atheism actually is. That way, we can accept/reject it on the merits of its validity. If it is not rejected then we can proceed with the debate because we have a common understanding.

All productive discussion depends on at least -one- shared point of departure, eh? We can;t even get that between two -christians-...so it;s no surprise that conversations about the christer god collapse like a flan in a cupboard.

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(January 18, 2018 at 11:34 pm)Banned Wrote: Why do you care about bullying religionists if you aren't somehow spiritual?

Well..magic book -did- say you'd be persecuted everywhere you go.  We're just doing our part to enact god's grand plan.  If we don't bully you, it would turn god into a liar. 

(January 18, 2018 at 11:27 pm)vulcanlogician Wrote:

(January 18, 2018 at 11:23 pm)KevinM1 Wrote: You're wrong, of course.  But, you haven't shown you actually grasp what atheism is, so I'm not surprised.

Banned, in response to Kevin's comments, you ought to provide a definition of what you think atheism actually is. That way, we can accept/reject it on the merits of its validity. If it is not rejected then we can proceed with the debate because we have a common understanding.

I have already stated what that is, and Kevin disagrees. Would you like me to tickle his ears?

(January 18, 2018 at 11:20 pm)Banned Wrote:

(January 18, 2018 at 10:47 pm)vulcanlogician Wrote: It sucks that you two don't get along because you are both people who make AF.org something awesome and extraordinary.

Illusions of conflict.

Fuck you, Banned. You are an idiot.

You are perfectly within your rights to chime in on this conversation. But I'm perfectly within my rights to point out that you are full of shit.


You are dishonest, you have an agenda, and I take everything you say with a grain of salt.

(January 18, 2018 at 11:37 pm)The Valkyrie Wrote:

(January 18, 2018 at 11:34 pm)Banned Wrote: Why do you care about bullying religionists if you aren't somehow spiritual?

And then the victim card gets played.

Full house!

Victim card?
What's that?

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(January 18, 2018 at 11:42 pm)vulcanlogician Wrote:

(January 18, 2018 at 11:20 pm)Banned Wrote: Illusions of conflict.

Fuck you, Banned. You are an idiot.

You are perfectly within your rights to chime in on this conversation. But I'm perfectly within my rights to point out that you are full of shit.


You are dishonest, you have an agenda, and I take everything you say with a grain of salt.

You are a passive aggressive, and intelligent too, which is why you get away with it.

To answer your question in the OP, VL, I find the notion of admitting one's a sinner to be silly on the surface (mostly due to the idea of sin itself), but troublesome overall.

Demanding that people label themselves in such a way can be damaging.  There are plenty of deconverts who can attest to that, our own drfuzzy among them.  And that's because the label 'sinner' tends to come with a lot of negative baggage, which is evidenced in the language a lot of Christians use when talking about themselves.  "I was nothing before I found god," "It's only through god's grace that I can do <whatever>," etc.  It seems to often manifest as a negative feedback loop for one's self-esteem.  That all positive things happen because of god, and all negative things happen because the individual is worthless and terrible.

It's psychologically unhealthy.

Now, obviously not all Christians fall into that kind of head space.  There are plenty (most?) that are well (enough ) adjusted.  But I'm not a fan of the practice as an outsider, and I give Olympic gold medal quality side eye to people who start their religious spiels with some version of "I'm a sinner, but/yet...."

(January 18, 2018 at 11:44 pm)Banned Wrote:

(January 18, 2018 at 11:42 pm)vulcanlogician Wrote: Fuck you, Banned. You are an idiot.

You are perfectly within your rights to chime in on this conversation. But I'm perfectly within my rights to point out that you are full of shit.


You are dishonest, you have an agenda, and I take everything you say with a grain of salt.

You are a passive aggressive, and intelligent too, which is why you get away with it.

How is "Fuck you, Banned" PASSIVE aggressive?