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RE: Is Atheism Intellectual Cowardice?
August 16, 2011 at 8:37 am
The infamous post and run, what a pansy.
I am the Infantry. I am my country’s strength in war, her deterrent in peace. I am the heart of the fight… wherever, whenever. I carry America’s faith and honor against her enemies. I am the Queen of Battle. I am what my country expects me to be, the best trained Soldier in the world. In the race for victory, I am swift, determined, and courageous, armed with a fierce will to win. Never will I fail my country’s trust. Always I fight on…through the foe, to the objective, to triumph overall. If necessary, I will fight to my death. By my steadfast courage, I have won more than 200 years of freedom. I yield not to weakness, to hunger, to cowardice, to fatigue, to superior odds, For I am mentally tough, physically strong, and morally straight. I forsake not, my country, my mission, my comrades, my sacred duty. I am relentless. I am always there, now and forever. I AM THE INFANTRY! FOLLOW ME!
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RE: Is Atheism Intellectual Cowardice?
August 16, 2011 at 9:00 am
(This post was last modified: August 16, 2011 at 9:01 am by Godnose.)
(May 10, 2011 at 4:29 pm)diffidus Wrote: ... a claim that God does not exist can only be made on the grounds of probability, based upon current scientific knowledge.
Yup! I believe in all kinds of pretty unlikely things, including electricity, black holes and (a high probability of) dark matter, plus all kinds of other equally un-obvious stuff. The reason I believe in these things is because people have shown me various proofs not only of their existence, but of the need of their existence. I don't see any need for the existence of a god - everything works perfectly well without a divine entity, so what's the point of it?
Materially speaking, that is. Of course there is a HUGE point to belief in a divine being, but it's purely psychological. That's one of my biggest problems in life, that I have to face up to - the fact that things don't happen on account of some divine providence, but simply because they happen in consequence of other things that happened already.
Sometimes things happen that you really want to have happened because of some "message" or "meaning" or something other than the sheer plain starkness of the ugly reality. But just because I want something to be so does not make it so.
I often wish that I could believe in some deity or whatever whom I could blame for bad stuff and thank for good stuff but I can't - and I'm not prepared to pretend that I do just for the sake of some kind of fluffy personal comfort.
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RE: Is Atheism Intellectual Cowardice?
August 16, 2011 at 9:02 am
It's pretty lazy for a person to say that there is no evidence against God in the first place. Fact check your shit before it falls from the mouth.
I am the Infantry. I am my country’s strength in war, her deterrent in peace. I am the heart of the fight… wherever, whenever. I carry America’s faith and honor against her enemies. I am the Queen of Battle. I am what my country expects me to be, the best trained Soldier in the world. In the race for victory, I am swift, determined, and courageous, armed with a fierce will to win. Never will I fail my country’s trust. Always I fight on…through the foe, to the objective, to triumph overall. If necessary, I will fight to my death. By my steadfast courage, I have won more than 200 years of freedom. I yield not to weakness, to hunger, to cowardice, to fatigue, to superior odds, For I am mentally tough, physically strong, and morally straight. I forsake not, my country, my mission, my comrades, my sacred duty. I am relentless. I am always there, now and forever. I AM THE INFANTRY! FOLLOW ME!
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RE: Is Atheism Intellectual Cowardice?
August 16, 2011 at 2:05 pm
Quote:I don't see any need for the existence of a god - everything works perfectly well without a divine entity, so what's the point of it?
Now that is a very interesting point, Newbie. Welcome aboard.
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RE: Is Atheism Intellectual Cowardice?
August 17, 2011 at 12:32 am
The question assumes I give a rat's turd about what some moron says. AND that I share his view of the meaning and value of the word 'cowardice' .Moral values are not things I allow others to define for me.
There are perhaps 5 people on earth to whom I will sometimes justify myself. None are on an internet forum. Neither do I care about some dill arrogant enough to assert their personal view (say agnosticism) is the only rational or viable one. 
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RE: Is Atheism Intellectual Cowardice?
August 17, 2011 at 11:20 am
(August 17, 2011 at 12:32 am)padraic Wrote: The question assumes I give a rat's turd about what some moron says. AND that I share his view of the meaning and value of the word 'cowardice' .Moral values are not things I allow others to define for me.
There are perhaps 5 people on earth to whom I will sometimes justify myself. None are on an internet forum. Neither do I care about some dill arrogant enough to assert their personal view (say agnosticism) is the only rational or viable one.
To describe people who hold religious beliefs as "morons" is offensive, and unlikely to lead anywhere constructive. But then, that you would even consider the possibility of giving a "rat's turd" for any reason undermines the validity of your opinion on any other matter, I should say.
For my part, however much your views on religion might concur with mine, it would never occur to me to consult anyone who frames a post in such terms regarding any question of morality. One might as well poke a pig and try and invest its squeal with meaning.
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RE: Is Atheism Intellectual Cowardice?
August 17, 2011 at 11:22 am
(This post was last modified: August 17, 2011 at 11:24 am by The Grand Nudger.)
To describe people who hold religious beliefs as morons is offensive. It is also accurate. Think of it as a sliding scale whereby those that hold beliefs more strongly edge closer and closer to moron, and those that are liberal and metaphoric are simply confused.
I am the Infantry. I am my country’s strength in war, her deterrent in peace. I am the heart of the fight… wherever, whenever. I carry America’s faith and honor against her enemies. I am the Queen of Battle. I am what my country expects me to be, the best trained Soldier in the world. In the race for victory, I am swift, determined, and courageous, armed with a fierce will to win. Never will I fail my country’s trust. Always I fight on…through the foe, to the objective, to triumph overall. If necessary, I will fight to my death. By my steadfast courage, I have won more than 200 years of freedom. I yield not to weakness, to hunger, to cowardice, to fatigue, to superior odds, For I am mentally tough, physically strong, and morally straight. I forsake not, my country, my mission, my comrades, my sacred duty. I am relentless. I am always there, now and forever. I AM THE INFANTRY! FOLLOW ME!
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RE: Is Atheism Intellectual Cowardice?
August 17, 2011 at 8:33 pm
(This post was last modified: August 17, 2011 at 10:23 pm by Oldandeasilyconfused.)
Quote:To describe people who hold religious beliefs as "morons" is offensive, and unlikely to lead anywhere constructive.
Are you telling me that (a)because you think I don't know (I do) (2) Because you think I care? ( I don't) or because you think I will will change my behaviour after being patronised by some self righteous wanker ? (I won't) 
PS I referred to the OP as moron because of what he posted,not because he is religious IE he is a moron who happens to be religious,not a moron BECAUSE he's religious. There is a distinction.The former is a description,the later an ad hominem attack. Of COURSE one need not be a moron to be religious, but it IS a distinct advantage.
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RE: Is Atheism Intellectual Cowardice?
August 17, 2011 at 8:36 pm
(August 17, 2011 at 11:20 am)Godnose Wrote: One might as well poke a pig and try and invest its squeal with meaning.
One might as well, which is why some us likes...
(August 17, 2011 at 11:20 am)Godnose Wrote: To describe people who hold religious beliefs as "morons" ....
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RE: Is Atheism Intellectual Cowardice?
August 20, 2011 at 5:18 am
(This post was last modified: August 20, 2011 at 5:35 am by diffidus.)
(August 17, 2011 at 11:22 am)Rhythm Wrote: To describe people who hold religious beliefs as morons is offensive. It is also accurate. Think of it as a sliding scale whereby those that hold beliefs more strongly edge closer and closer to moron, and those that are liberal and metaphoric are simply confused.
Diffidus:
What about Isaac Newton or Albert Einstein?
(August 17, 2011 at 12:32 am)padraic Wrote: The question assumes I give a rat's turd about what some moron says. AND that I share his view of the meaning and value of the word 'cowardice' .Moral values are not things I allow others to define for me.
There are perhaps 5 people on earth to whom I will sometimes justify myself. None are on an internet forum. Neither do I care about some dill arrogant enough to assert their personal view (say agnosticism) is the only rational or viable one.
Diffidus:
Then why are you telling us?
(July 11, 2011 at 11:45 am)Rhythm Wrote: I don't know if lazy is the right word. Convenient, perhaps. The position of agnosticism can be leveraged to remove arguments from both the atheist and the theist. It also has to be said that agnosticism stood in as a alternative to the choice between "this god or no god", and was an argument developed before we had access to much of the information that one might use in forming an argument for atheism or theism today. In essence it was the divine "I don't know"....a strong argument for it's time.
Diffidus:
I am pleased you see it as a strong argument. But not just for its time.
We may know more than we did in previous times but how much do we know now. What if mankind's current state of knowledge were just a drop in the ocean? The fact is we don't know how much we don't know and so the agnostic argument is as strong as ever.
(July 12, 2011 at 7:40 pm)Ashendant Wrote: It's the opposite religion is intellectual cowardice
Just as explained by futurama
Diffidus:
I agree that religion is, like atheism, intellectual cowardice. In fact, any notions that are not based upon the facts as they exist are intellectually unsafe.
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