Atheists... Your life is pointless

You are implying/stating that I have some duty not to try to enlighten others concerning how silly the major religions beliefs systems are because to do so will harm the society as a whole?

Sorry but I see in history no benefits from such believes and a great deal of harm cause instead, so for that reason alone your arguments, as I understand them, have no merit at all.

Now your idea that such believes are stability influences on the US or the world society is silly on it face.

If the leaders of such faiths was no longer a power center the world would function just fine as the main stability are citizens looking out for their and their families’ best long term interests not concerns about not making some god mad at them. See how well Europe is now doing now as the true believers population are becoming rarer and rarer.

Why would people who are stake holders in a society allow someone in power who they think would cause harm, because they no longer buy into a father/god in heaven idea?

im pretty sure that mean what you do will come back at you, dont judge unless you want to be judged...

But you are flying by the seat of your fantasies Bill. It's a belief you are expressing. A hope. Wishful thinking.

It is too easy to say the religious belief is the cause of the harm when you don't consider human nature itself as in the frame. And especially a human nature in large and complex units in direct competition with each other over land, water supplies and scarce resources on which they are dependent. You might just as easily blame the harm on the different national costumes because religion is a sort of mental costume. Both are exterior glosses upon the basic human nature.

And you don't answer the key point that you are having a free ride on the religious framework. Your argument is based on an entity which doesn't exist here and which you are trying to make exist with your preaching.

You are basically milking the udder of human kindness which is very nice and it helps in being highly thought of. It's as if you are the only one against harm. Like you have a corner on being against harm.

It's as if you think the whole human race in all its manifestations, which all embraced some belief system, is completely stupid and has a wish to cause harm and that you can walk in the door and just assert a few superficialities and extremely broad generalisations that there is no sense in a collective belief system and --hey presto--we are are saved and we have been silly for our whole existence. I think that is solipsism of the highest category.

It doesn't matter if the beliefs are becoming rarer. You are arguing for them not to exist at all. Short of that you concede the position. There are no relatives with atheism. It's an all or nothing bet.

Stalin may have closed the churches but he daren't demolish them and now they are open and Mr Putin has attended services. Mr and Mrs Obama, Mr and Mrs Biden, Mr and Mrs Clinton and Washington's great and good attended a church service together at the inauguration.

Look at Sweden and tell me that a country that is not religionist does not exist!!!!!!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Demographics_of_atheism

According to Wikiped only 23 percent are religion by the normal meaning of that term and an equal amount are out and out atheists with the rest 53 percent having some beliefs in a "life force" of some kind not a god.

They seem to be doing just fine my friend.

Most of Europe is going in that direct also.

So no falling apart because people stop believing in fairy tales.

Side note it can not be proven but I would bet and in fact I even had "faith" that a large percent of the population that now give lip service to being god fearing members of society are no such thing.

After a few thousands years or so where anyone not following the line of whatever faith was in control of an area was torture to death it is somewhat hard to stand up and openly declare your non-belief even now. Hell in some areas people are still being kill by stoning for not believing in the right god and not worshiping him in the right way.

When I was growing up I can remember very clearly the hate directed at Madalyn O'Hair. It take something to take that kind of heat.

Okay... I'm sure this must have been said already... forgive me for not reading through all ten-thousand pages, but...

Isn't it really the theist's life that is pointless? Sure it's a good practice run, but, I mean, the real deal doesn't start until this life is over and the good lord (or evil lord, depending on your performance) calls you home. Am I right?

It takes a full rejection of that sort of superstition to truly appreciate how real and spectacular (spectacularly awful, imo) life really is.

Why does anyone's life have to be pointless? Is a practice run pointless? No - it achieves a purpose aside and apart from the actual race- to use your analogy.
Not that I agree the good lord calls anyone home anywhere depending on your performance to start anything more real than what you're already experiencing.

Nobody's life is pointless. If one chooses to live their life according to a faith then that is not a practice run. It is being the best they can be. If an atheist lives according to what they believe or don't believe and don't condemn those who actually have a believe then that is ok too. Live and let live.

When the divergent views of atheists and deists converge, it's usually in one of your posts. You are appreciated

O'Hair was famous for having the Supreme Court banning prayer in public schools. I remember very well being forced to listen quietly to religious ceremonies in public schools, which, even as a kid, I deeply resented. The separation of church and state, which is always being tested, in our country is a great asset.

I deeply resent that other atheists and I are forced to indirectly support religion in this country. For instance, those who contribute to churches get valuable tax deductions, even when the contributions are sub rosa tuition payments to parochial schools. Also, churches are exempt from all taxes, although they get all services from the government.

Perhaps, to be fair, it should be pointed out that churches also provide valuable and much needed social services to the less fortunate in the community. Also, those who contribute to charities etc. also get valuable tax deductions. Unless things are different in the States than they are in Canada.

Do not tell the PA school system, but I would hid the teacher bible to reduce that nonsense.

A large number of people deeply resent that they are forced to indirectly support all sorts of things. The political process is there to balance democratically these opposing forces of resentment and necessity.

Discontent is an abiding characteristic of human life. It is quite normal. It has been selected in by evolution. It is part of that "Golden Age" or "Millenniary" complex so popular in Arcadian style art and optimistic science fiction where all was wonderful or all will be wonderful if only we could stop doing what we are doing now. Most philosophers associate the feeling with property and sexual communism found in people who have little property and are not getting laid enough for their liking.

It is not only a false feeling because discontent would have existed in the wonderful world of the sepia-toned past ( not having ice-cold beer or anti-biotics for example) and will exist in the wonderful world of the bright and shining future ( being a cog in a machine say) but it is also contra evolution theory where the weak have no territory or females. Or, for that matter, no beer and no machines.

what unripe manure you attempt to spread on our fields.

The social services provided by churches do not come near compensating for their general parasitism.

Perhaps they should withdraw those services and you can then comment on their general parasitism and the huge lack of social services that results.

But it's a good way to hide your parasitism.

Exactly.

Does it not depend on what is meant by "social services"?

Is it being suggested that the people who support churches are getting nothing useful, as they see it, out of doing so? If so it beggars belief that so many Americans do support churches.