Shouldn't Atheists learn to accept religion?

[The Grand Nudger]

In the sense that making a positive assertion about a possibility without support ("there is no god" springs to mind), it could be argued that that is a statement of faith ... whether or not the person admits as much or not.

Again, anything can be argued...especially when you get to determine what the other person will say. As a strong atheist, I'd tell you that the statement is mechanically absurd and fundamentally uninformative. There are thousands upon thousands of gods...but that's not what we're talking about, eh?

I try to be careful not to impute things to others, so I use phrases like "it could be argued".

I know that some strong atheists make the positive assertion that there are no god(s). It's been my experience that they don't seem to get so butthurt by challenges to that assertion.

.........lol?

[robvalue]

I have no opinion about "God" until someone narrows it down from meaning absolutely anything.

If they point to a story book, I'm good with being a strong atheist (I believe that shit is fiction), and I wouldn't call it faith. I'd call it a lack of correlation with everything I've ever experienced. I'd call it a sensible probabilistic conclusion. Stating otherwise is simply the argument from ignorance, and you can do it with any story book.

[Losty]

Are you saying that there are no positive/strong atheists? I mean, they have a positive belief that god(s) don't exist -- and it could be argued that it's a faith.

I feel like you're just arguing for the sake of arguing...

I'm not even sure we are in complete disagreement here. I never said I haven't seen theists who get personally offended by the hatred of their beliefs. I said it's only natural for them to respond that way. I said I think most people probably do.

I believe certain things about child rearing and I become offended by those who attack my beliefs on this matter even though they're not hating me personally.

[Edwardo Piet]

I think that demonstrates that you value your beliefs.

[IATIA]

The responses we learn as children, turn into reflexes. We learned to respond without thinking about it.

It even shows in the posting on this forum. The jibber jabber that goes on in some threads at almost real time, tend to display heated reflexes. The slower threads generally show more thought in the responses.

IMHO

[Thumpalumpacus]

In the sense that making a positive assertion about a possibility without support ("there is no god" springs to mind), it could be argued that that is a statement of faith ... whether or not the person admits as much or not.

Again, anything can be argued...especially when you get to determine what the other person will say. As a strong atheist, I'd tell you that the statement is mechanically absurd and fundamentally uninformative. There are thousands upon thousands of gods...but that's not what we're talking about, eh?

I try to be careful not to impute things to others, so I use phrases like "it could be argued".

I know that some strong atheists make the positive assertion that there are no god(s). It's been my experience that they don't seem to get so butthurt by challenges to that assertion.

.........lol?

You don't understand. I'm not telling anyone what they say. I'm taking what some atheists say and analyzing it. I'm not talking about you, personally, and am happy to take your statements at face value, too. *shrug*

[The Grand Nudger]

I'm suggesting that you're not properly analyzing those things they say, or their positions - which leads you to conclude that they have faith, or that "it could be argued" that they have faith. I doubt it could be argued any way other than mild-wild equivocation on the very term of faith itself....and I think you'd find surprisingly little faith -by any definition- in the subset of strong atheists in the general, regardless.

[Thumpalumpacus]

Are you saying that there are no positive/strong atheists? I mean, they have a positive belief that god(s) don't exist -- and it could be argued that it's a faith.

I feel like you're just arguing for the sake of arguing...

I'm not. I'm explaining my view on the matter.

not even sure we are in complete disagreement here.

I don't think we are, really. But an example of what I'm talking about can be seen in the Christian persecution-complex here in America.

[Thumpalumpacus]

I'm suggesting that you're not properly analyzing those things they say, or their positions - which leads you to conclude that they have faith, or that "it could be argued" that they have faith. I doubt you could argue that any way other than mild-wild equivocation on the very term of faith itself....and I think you'd find surprisingly little faith -by any definition- in the subset of strong atheists in the general, regardless.

Perhaps, on both counts. I've been wrong before and am sure to be wrong again.

I don't think I am in this case, but hey, it's not so important to me that I'll build earthworks to defend it.

[The Grand Nudger]

I would have expected the earthworks to have been built before you chose to make the claim, and then kinda sorta - but not...back down from it.  It's a peeve because we (as in..strong atheists) get this particular argument from all sides, and no amount of discussing it ever seems to correct either the christers -or- our fellow atheists.  

We watch you field arguments responding to theists claiming that -you- are "atheists based upon faith" effortlessly, so it's a "WTF?" moment to see you parrot not only the arguments, but the weaseling language...of those same godbothering dipshits.