Why Should Someone Be an Atheist?

[Whateverist]

Even the moderates, intelligent or not, harden their hearts when you confront them with the absurdity of their belief. Few have the ability to transcend their own certitude. Most become quite churlish when challenged. True, the sieve of the internet tends to strain out the pathetic and the unworthy and deliver them to the doorstep; yet even the worthy demonstrate themselves lacking in worthwhile attributes when their faith and certitude is challenged. I was posting a bunch of quotes from "Things creationists must hate," quoting the things, like gravity, that they must deny to maintain their fictions. This "moderate" liberal Christian, of considerable intelligence and possessed of good judgement, proceeded to go on the war path against me on account of my "hating on Christians." I believe there are few innocents in this polarity. I am regularly dismissed as a religious person on account of my being reasonable about things. Perhaps that's a self-fulfilling stereotype; those that are reasonable are discounted as being legitimate examples of the faith. Even in conversations I'm participating in here, people will refer to staff member Rayaan as an example of a reasonable religious person, passing over the example that I represent, while I'm effectively standing right there. My suspicions are, that moderates like you and Rayaan, choose your stances in order to fly under the radar, to gain acceptance, while dissembling from your true feelings.

Well .. .. actually .. .. about that, I for one have tried to probe your theism but have found very little to latch onto. At the risk of being ripped a new one .. .. I have to confess that all I know of you as a theist is that you claim to be Hindu and a Taoist, an odd pairing given that I think your favorite goddess is Kali the destroyer. Then again, I suppose water is also a destroyer.

Now who - between Jacob, Rayan and you - fly the lowest under the theism wire?

"Gooood kitty" *reaches for a chair and whip*

Rayan is the most out there in terms of laying bear his beliefs so it can't be him. He is also consistently kind, fair and kind of shy. That could be interpreted as flying under the radar but .. .. there are alternate explanations.

I'd say Jacob comes in a clear second as regards being disclosive. Or maybe it only seems so because of my habit of "seeing through a glass darkly". He has at least attempted to say some things directly in response to such questions. If what he says feels slippery I suspect it is because what there is to say is subtle. He holds his religion -whatever that may be- lightly and at little cost to his capacity for reason, or so it would seem.

Now you my dear, mysterious and fearsome Rasetsu by comparison play your theist cards very close to your vest. If we forget that you are theist it is not so surprising. I for one would love to know more.