(July 12, 2015 at 5:00 pm)KUSA Wrote:

(July 12, 2015 at 4:32 pm)Catholic_Lady Wrote: What are you angry at Him about?

Because he is a dick. I had an important meeting and got a mustard stain on my shirt. The bastard wouldn't clean my shirt no matter how much I pleaded with him.

My bad, I thought you were serious.

(July 12, 2015 at 5:01 pm)Catholic_Lady Wrote: My bad, I thought you were serious.

We usually aren't when saying things like that. Can't be angry at something you don't believe exists. It would be on the same lines as being angry at Mickey Mouse. But at times I find the god fan club more tiresome than the one of Mickey.

(July 12, 2015 at 5:17 pm)abaris Wrote:

(July 12, 2015 at 5:01 pm)Catholic_Lady Wrote: My bad, I thought you were serious.

We usually aren't when saying things like that. Can't be angry at something you don't believe exists. It would be on the same lines as being angry at Mickey Mouse. But at times I find the god fan club more tiresome than the one of Mickey.

Very true! That's why I was confused lol.

I don't mind religion but I believe in weeding out the bigots and crazies. So I suppose anti theist kinda

(July 12, 2015 at 5:01 pm)Dystopia Wrote:

(July 11, 2015 at 10:52 pm)Pyrrho Wrote: I am an anti-theist.  Religion has impeded science and progress.  Religion promotes irrationality.  Religion is in back of the hatred against gays and all sorts of other such things.  Religion is evil.

Not to sound too invasive of your privacy - But do you think being an American atheist makes one more likely to be anti-theist as a result of religious influence in society?

Yes.

(July 12, 2015 at 5:01 pm)Dystopia Wrote: Living in a place where most people don't get asked what they believe, I've encountered many atheists with similar and different views on many subjects, but I rarely spot an anti-theist - Most people just don't care, they may be interested in an intellectual debate about the existence of god but aside from that "live and let live" suits most of us.

I still think religion is bad even so, but I would likely be less strong in my hatred for religion if I had lived all my life in one of most of the countries of Europe.  Or, to be more exact (since it is impossible to know what I would think if I were raised in a dramatically different environment), I did not like religion in Europe when I was there, but it seemed less obnoxious than it often is here.

I really did not want to come home when my time was up, and I tried to think of how I could stay.  But I had no money, and I was not going to try living on the streets or any such crazy thing like that.

If you Europeans had a heart, maybe you would start an adopt an American program, in which you rescue Americans from the fate of having to return to America!  

(July 12, 2015 at 6:36 pm)Pyrrho Wrote: If you Europeans had a heart, maybe you would start an adopt an American program, in which you rescue Americans from the fate of having to return to America!  

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Somehow, though, I think you would not like that for several reasons, one of which is that there would be fewer sane voters in the U.S., and so our international mischief would be worse than it is now.

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You know, you guys are Europeans too. Sort of. So don't worry about offending Mother Europe too much. Just remember your roots, that's all.

(July 12, 2015 at 5:28 pm)Catholic_Lady Wrote:

(July 12, 2015 at 5:17 pm)abaris Wrote: We usually aren't when saying things like that. Can't be angry at something you don't believe exists. It would be on the same lines as being angry at Mickey Mouse. But at times I find the god fan club more tiresome than the one of Mickey.

Very true! That's why I was confused lol.

Cath, as a quick rule of thumb, no atheists can be angry at any god.
Only religios who are having a domestic with their dear "father".

(July 12, 2015 at 1:01 pm)Salacious B. Crumb Wrote:

(July 12, 2015 at 3:37 am)Parkers Tan Wrote: Huh? It's taught across most of the country here in America.  Where do you live?

Las Vegas. It wasn't taught in my schools (I took accelerated classes in biology, chemistry, physical science, etc). If I really looked hard in some of the books, there would be about a page or two out of the entire science text book talking about the theory of evolution and natural selection. Everyone that I've talked to out here has never been taught it. I'm sure many areas in the bible belt don't teach it, because it would enrage people. I'm not talking about college, but schooling before that. Maybe they're including it moreso now, and I don't realize it, but I've talked to people in a few different states, and they were never taught it either, when in school.

Then you should make sure you're voting in the elections for your local school board.

I was taught evolution in high school (California, 1984), my cousins in Texas were, albeit with a foreshortened syllabus and more "it's just a theory" bullshit (1977-1982), my nephew in Ohio (2005). Be it noted that Texas is in the Bible belt.

I put atheist, as a semantics thing. I'm against the sin, not the sinner.
I'd be anti-theology where it makes no sense, (to: me / logic / reason / evidence).

I'd be interested to know how people's answers would change in the following scenario:

Imagine religion still exists, but it somehow does no harm anymore, in any real way. Obviously it still involves some irrational thinking to believe in it, but it's not been forced on anyone anymore (especially children) and any other negative factor you can think of has been neutralised. It's a secular masterpiece.

Would you still consider yourself "against" religion (further to it being irrational) and if so, to what degree?

Personally I'd be very happy, in fact ecstatic, with this scenario and I wouldn't be against it at all. I'd still encourage more rational thought of course, and keep a beady eye on things.

I just realised this may well be a loaded/obvious question! Oh well, discussion welcome