First of all, thank you for your input and your pictures. I must say that the pictures can be used as wallpapers.

Furthermore, I am sorry that some aspects of theism bother you. Yet, you mention characteristics of theists, not theism in general.
Thus my question is: Does theism in general bother you, or do some religious people and their opinions bother you?

"Belief" in general bothers me when it's based on pseudoscience and an unskeptical nature.

"Theism" bothers me if the particular flavor of theism preaches the aspects I mentioned (or others I haven't, such as violence against women). I honestly have less problem with a nature-oriented religion like Wicca than I do with monotheism, even though I find them both ultimately unskeptical for their belief in the motive power of the universe.

Religious people individually bother me if they're cock-ups. They piss me off if they're cock-ups in mobs.

You live in an awesome area Summer.

Yes I do, but I hope you don't think that any of those photos are from North Carolina.

(April 25, 2013 at 11:23 am)thesummerqueen Wrote: I heard a stunning amount of shit about how horrible the world is, and how much better the hereafter will be.

Many atheists also say that the world is horrible, perhaps even more than some theists do, especially when they bring up the "problem of evil" and then mention all the bad things in this world and the ugly things in this world and about natural disasters and so on. And sometimes they also like to point out "flaws" in design, like how the moon is blasted with impact craters, for example, in order to disprove the idea of intelligent design. You know what I'm talking about, right?

Beautiful pictures, though.

WOW

(April 26, 2013 at 4:24 am)Rayaan Wrote:

(April 25, 2013 at 11:23 am)thesummerqueen Wrote: I heard a stunning amount of shit about how horrible the world is, and how much better the hereafter will be.

Many atheists also say that the world is horrible,

Well it is Rayaan, but mostly it is horrible because of people. Earth herself? One can only stand back in awe.

(April 26, 2013 at 4:24 am)Rayaan Wrote: perhaps even more than some theists do,

Got any studies, peer reviews, research to back this up?

(April 26, 2013 at 4:24 am)Rayaan Wrote: especially when they bring up the "problem of evil"

There is no "evil" only people doing what can be viewed as "evil"

(April 26, 2013 at 4:24 am)Rayaan Wrote: and then mention all the bad things in this world and the ugly things in this world and about natural disasters and so on.

I don't think that natural disasters can be simplistically lumped in to this "evil" you seem to be speaking about. "Evil" is something people do and have invented, for me it is just a sick mind. Earth herself? No she is not "evil" she just is.

(April 26, 2013 at 4:24 am)Rayaan Wrote: And sometimes they also like to point out "flaws" in design, like how the moon is blasted with impact craters, for example, in order to disprove the idea of intelligent design.

No Rayaan,, the Moon is a poor example of flawed design. One only has to have knowledge of the human body to find flawed design and extrapolate that IF a deity actually DID design humans in such a poor state how could he/she/it have any hope of designing something as complex as the universe in it's entirety?

You also missed the impact craters on earth of which there are many so I would suggest that your combatants are undereducated. aka They missed Geo 101

(April 26, 2013 at 4:24 am)Rayaan Wrote: You know what I'm talking about, right?

Assuming this is directed @ SummerQueen.....

otherwise no

(April 26, 2013 at 4:24 am)Rayaan Wrote:

(April 25, 2013 at 11:23 am)thesummerqueen Wrote: I heard a stunning amount of shit about how horrible the world is, and how much better the hereafter will be.

Many atheists also say that the world is horrible, perhaps even more than some theists do, especially when they bring up the "problem of evil" and then mention all the bad things in this world and the ugly things in this world and about natural disasters and so on. And sometimes they also like to point out "flaws" in design, like how the moon is blasted with impact craters, for example, in order to disprove the idea of intelligent design. You know what I'm talking about, right?

Beautiful pictures, though.

The universe is only horrible if it is the way it is because some sentient being deliberately designed the hazards and horrors it contains. It would have to be intentionally set up to be a deadly obstacle course for the sole purpose of making progress more difficult and costly.

But, it is not a design, and therefore, it isn't horrible. It its full of deadly dangers, but that's nobody's fault. It is what it is. Tornados, meteoroids and gamma ray bursters are awesome and terrifying, but they are neither evil nor punitive.

You've got a point, Rayaan, but like Kichi said, I've heard it far less from atheists, who seem fascinated by the world if they're science minded. Most of the pissy ones have a problem with how humanity is fucking up the planet, not that the planet is in some way 'bad'.

I don't know where many of those suicidal Avatar fucknut people stood on the theist-atheist divide, but those people pissed me off too.