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Natachan · September 3, 2014 at 10:58 am

Quote:I respect peoples right to believe and practice their religion so long as:

1. It doesn't infringe on the law
2. It doesn't infringe on my personal space or my right not to believe in their given god(s) (if someone asked if I'd heard the good news and I said not interested, with them saying ok no worries, that's fine. Start speaking at me instead of to me though and that's crossing the line).
3. It doesn't attempt to gain special privileges from government (tax exemptions) or exemptions from ratified legislation (eg. Exemptions on slaughter practices for halal and kosher meat).

I'd like to add one point to this:

That it doesn't try to harm another person.

For years religion was used to justify slavery, segregation, and lynching of gay people. It's still used to justify making women a second class citizen. And that's not acceptable.

Bad Wolf · September 3, 2014 at 11:04 am

(September 2, 2014 at 10:14 pm)Polaris Wrote: I am glad I have never met one of you in person....I would lose faith in humanity if that were to happen.

You've probably met lots of people just like us, and not realised.

And I return your sentiment, I would never like to meet you in person. You have demonstrated yourself as an angry, petty, bitter, judgemental little person, who becomes particularly enraged when faced with an opposing opinion and is incable of debating anything in a civil manner.

Fidel_Castronaut · September 3, 2014 at 12:21 pm

(September 3, 2014 at 10:58 am)Natachan Wrote:
Quote:I respect peoples right to believe and practice their religion so long as:

1. It doesn't infringe on the law
2. It doesn't infringe on my personal space or my right not to believe in their given god(s) (if someone asked if I'd heard the good news and I said not interested, with them saying ok no worries, that's fine. Start speaking at me instead of to me though and that's crossing the line).
3. It doesn't attempt to gain special privileges from government (tax exemptions) or exemptions from ratified legislation (eg. Exemptions on slaughter practices for halal and kosher meat).

I'd like to add one point to this:

That it doesn't try to harm another person.

For years religion was used to justify slavery, segregation, and lynching of gay people. It's still used to justify making women a second class citizen. And that's not acceptable.

I'd argue that (now) that's incorporated into point 1 and certainly point 2. 'My personal space' I would posit refers to the person's health, be it physically or mentally. But I take your point.

Thumpalumpacus · September 3, 2014 at 12:22 pm

(September 2, 2014 at 7:06 pm)PhiloTech Wrote: I am not fond of this whole "harsh word" thing. A person's worth is easily measurable, if you cannot employ common sense and reasoning you are in all terms worthless.

[...]

If you cease to use reasoning or behavior that produces beneficial results then you are "without worth" int he simplest sense of the term.

I totally disagree. Even people who don't think rationally, as I would prefer them to do, still have value and worth. Not all knowledge is material and factual.

How we each deal with people is so varied and complex that purging it down to one metric for value is to me a gross oversimplification. I can stand to learn something from any- and everyone, regardless of their standpoint on reason, faith, or any other modality of thinking.

If reason alone is the metric for worthiness as a human, would you find Deep Blue more worthy than Kasparov?

**Mister Agenda** · September 3, 2014 at 4:12 pm

(September 2, 2014 at 10:45 pm)Losty Wrote:
(September 2, 2014 at 10:24 pm)Beccs Wrote: jashlbagash's fancy birthday drink.

I just died.

(September 2, 2014 at 10:14 pm)Polaris Wrote: I am truly ashamed there are atheists that act the way you guys do....I am glad I have never met one of you in person....I would lose faith in humanity if that were to happen.

Why do you think we are all so terrible? I always thought I was a pretty nice person.

That's what he needs to think in order to feel good about himself while being such an asshat to us. Like anyone else who is contemptuous toward a minority group that's united only by one characteristic but doesn't want to think of himself or herself as a bigot.

Polaris · (This post was last modified: September 8, 2014 at 8:41 pm by Polaris.)

It's called karma. You do realize I mirror your BS back to you, right? When you get angry with my replies to your posts, you are seeing what type of a person you actually are and more importantly (since I am self-centered and all about how you people make atheists look) how your actions make normal atheists appear when theists use you as a stereotype.

Asshat; I have only seen that word used online a few times, generally by the most degenerate of Americans...I assume it's an American word because I have never meet a non-American (used mostly in the Red States based on my observation) that used the word.

Losty · September 8, 2014 at 8:46 pm

Polaris is the only non-American on this forum hehe

Polaris · September 8, 2014 at 8:48 pm

There are quite a few non-Americans on this forum, but there are quite a few that have clearly demonstrated their American upbringing. Truth be told, the British don't tend to fare much better these days.

**The Valkyrie** · September 8, 2014 at 8:54 pm

There's a lesson many Americans (and others) can learn from this:

http://www.patheos.com/blogs/friendlyath...ve-in-god/

Losty · September 8, 2014 at 8:55 pm

I was only teasing because you seem to call everyone you don't like an American :p
Just a bit of friendly teasing is all.
Would you maybe like to be nice to anyone on the forum and make some friends? I mean I like to be friends.

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