enlighten me!

[thesummerqueen]

lol, I meant here in NC - they think all black clothes means you're dabbling in witchcraft.

[fr0d0]

For a start I don't think serious atheists put much store in Richard Dawkins. His points are far too easily defeated, although he's a great writer and has convinced a great many people of their irreligion.

[thesummerqueen]

So what I'm interested in is YOUR opinion on A) religious violence B) cognitive science on religion and C) morality.

A) It's bad
B) It's good
C) It's fuck all to do with religion

Nah I'm just fucking with you. I think the general consensus is if you could give us a bit more direction, it might make things easier. However, you should take note of padraic's comments. It's crucial that you don't confuse atheism with opposition to religion, which are two very distinct things. There is plenty of overlap between atheists and secularists/the anti-religious, but they aren't necessary for each other.

Fuck you added more just as I was responding. I was going to say - I love a man who has a sense of brevity.

[IntriguedStudent]

I promise it's not a trap. I'm just a young UCF student trying to gain some knowledge (and of course a decent grade). In fact I have a letter head from the school officiating my research.

You go to UCF??? I'm hoping to get in as well.

That I am. I couldn't imagine going to any other university, they seriously have so much to offer and legitimately care about their students.

ALSO if anyone has shown interest so far I'll most definitely be private messaging you by the end of the week with more information, and possibly the actual interview questions.

Thank you so much to any of you have shown interest. I've been trying to look for subjects for weeks and it's harder than pulling teeth.

[ElDinero]

To clarify, I'm happy to give you my opinions on more or less anything, but you should not infer from it that this is 'the atheist position'.

[searchingforanswers]

I promise it's not a trap. I'm just a young UCF student trying to gain some knowledge (and of course a decent grade). In fact I have a letter head from the school officiating my research.

You go to UCF??? I'm hoping to get in as well.

That I am. I couldn't imagine going to any other university, they seriously have so much to offer and legitimately care about their students.

ALSO if anyone has shown interest so far I'll most definitely be private messaging you by the end of the week with more information, and possibly the actual interview questions.

Thank you so much to any of you have shown interest. I've been trying to look for subjects for weeks and it's harder than pulling teeth.

Yeah they do...plus the volleyball girls I saw wear those tight shorts everywhere. Btw I'm also interested in answering your questions.

[ElDinero]

For a start I don't think serious atheists put much store in Richard Dawkins. His points are far too easily defeated, although he's a great writer and has convinced a great many people of their irreligion.

I do recommend people who are unsure about their beliefs reading the God Delusion as a kind of 'eye opener'. He's a biologist first and foremost, so he is hardly the final word on the matter, but I think broadly speaking that book does get people thinking about what they believe.

[fr0d0]

Which us always a good thing.

[Violet]

Religious violence: as pointless as all violence tends to be.

Cognitive science on religion: don't give a damn.

Morality: Wholly subjective, and capable of changing according to the situation (read: malleably adaptative).

---

lol, I meant here in NC - they think all black clothes means you're dabbling in witchcraft.

Given how many witch costumes I've pulled off since I got here... I bet people think I'm an active practitioner

[Minimalist]

While Dawkins makes many valid points ( don't listen to Frods...he's a believer in bullshit ) he suffers from the problem of most really smart people. That is, they do not understand exactly how fucking stupid theists are when it comes to their idiotic gods. Such people cannot be taught. They can be refuted but they don't listen.

Anyone who is stupid enough to put this bumper sticker on their car:



is not interested in science. They simply want to believe in bullshit. Sometimes you can plant a seed of doubt in their minds but it has to grow on its own.

There really is no reason to remain ignorant in this world except for the simple fact that many people prefer ignorance. Science, history, geology are no barrier to people who run around shrieking 'jesus! jesus! jesus! ( or allah! allah! allah! - they are all the same.)

So, I am not a militant atheist. I won't go looking for stupid fuckers. However....if they show up here sprinkling jesus dust ( or allah dust ) around then it is open season. They've asked for it.