Does Atheism make sense?

[thesummerqueen]

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I've a feeling I've posted this before, but still. When Einstein was sixty seven he wrote what he called "Autobiographical Notes" about his early emotional and intellectual transition from religion to science:

Even when I was a fairly precocious young man the nothingness of the hopes and strivings which chases most men restlessly through life came to my consciousness with considerable vitality. Moreover, I soon discovered the cruelty of that chase, which in those years was much more carefully covered up by hypocrisy and glittering words than is the case today. By the mere existence of his stomach everyone was condemned to participate in that chase. Moreover, it was possible to satisfy the stomach by such participation, but not man in so far as he is a thinking and feeling being. As the first way out there was religion, which is implanted into every child by way of the traditional education-machine. Thus I came – despite the fact that I was the son of entirely irreligious (Jewish) parents – to a deep religiosity, which, however, found an abrupt ending at the age of 12. Through the reading of popular scientific books I soon reached the conviction that much in the stories of the Bible could not be true. The consequence was a positively fanatic [orgy of] freethinking coupled with the impression that youth is intentionally being deceived by the state through lies; it was a crushing impression. Suspicion against every kind of authority grew out of this experience, a sceptical attitude towards the convictions which were alive in any specific social environment – an attitude which has never again left me, even though later on, because of a better insight into the casual connections, it has lost some of its original poignancy.

It is quite clear to me that the religious paradise of youth, which was thus lost, was a first attempt to free myself from the chains of the ‘merely personal,’ from an existence which is dominated by wishes, hopes and primitive feelings. Out yonder there was this huge world, which exists independently of us human beings and which stands before us like a great, eternal riddle, at least partially accessible to our inspections and thinking. The contemplation of this world beckoned like a liberation, and I soon noticed that many a man whom I had learned to esteem and to admire had found inner freedom and security in devoted occupation with it. The mental grasp of this extra-personal world within the frame of the given possibilities swam as highest aim half consciously and half unconsciously before my mind’s eye. Similarly motivated men of the present and of the past, as well as the insights which they had achieved, were the friends which could not be lost. The road to this paradise was not as comfortable and alluring as the road to the religious paradise; but it has proved itself as trustworthy, and I have never regretted having chosen it.

Clearly a xtian.
[/irony]

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I'm really fucking sick of Christians hijacking Einstein for their proof. He was a Jew, and a "bad Jew" at that. It's bad enough that actually religious Jews ride on the coattails of non-religious Jews when it comes to accomplishments. It's not our goddamn fault the vast majority of Christians are dumb fuckwits who don't value education or learning. You have plenty of other "smart" people you could fall back on who unfortunately DO believe in Christ...quit acting as if the disputed (but obviously not irrefutable) belief or lack thereof of one of humanity's smartest men will in some way reinforce the shaky house of cards Christianity stands on. And while you're at it, reading a bit of that other Bad Jew Spinoza would do you some fucking good.

I'm arguing slavery in the bible is okay

This is all I need to read to realize that you're a crazy fundie. In fact, I think I'm going to use it as my sig line for a while.

In the bible, slaves were also taken as spoils of war. I don't see how this would be considered selling yourself into slavery to repay a debt. And if biblical slavery were so good, why did the Israelites leave Egypt en masse ? Shouldn't they be sued for breach of contract, since they all apparently sold themselves into slavery?

I hope that was a rhetorical question...Min's collected a goodly amount of sources on this site showing that the Jews WEREN'T slaves in Egypt. (But I still like the holiday that came out of it best in all our holidays so SHHHH.)

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Why do I get so angry about this? Because "my people" place a very high emphasis on nerd pursuits. Education is highly respected. There exists a stereotype about Jewish mothers wanting their children to be doctors or lawyers for a reason.

And yet throughout a LOT of history Christians can't respect Jews for anything UNLESS they feel it in some way benefits THEM. YOU fucking left Judaism to follow your zombie God because apparently our laws and ways weren't enough (or were too hard) for you. YOU were the ones who decided education was the Devil. YOU were the ones burning books and massacring Jews for not being like you.

So, as I wish this could get all over the nets, to any Christian who might stumble across it: think twice before you spread some other fundie-driven wrongly-attributed or misinterpreted quote of Einstein's. He was never yours, nor are any of the other accomplished Jews who speak of God in broad or naturalistic terms in order to express some feeling inside them though they might not have a god-belief. Nor are the accomplishments of secular people who do the same in any way "yours". None of it helps you. Stop doing it, because you only look like a prick and a liar when you're caught out. If you can't come up with something new, if you can't find new arguments beyond "argument by numbers" or these wrongly expressed "arguments by authority" MAYBE YOU SHOULD FUCKING RETHINK WHAT YOU'RE SPREADING AROUND.

Fucktards. Jesus Harry fucking Christ people piss me off.