All myth-based religion i evil. I see no reason to be civil when you are dooming our entire species to never ending war.

They make like they’re the perpetual victims when they actually run the show.

I don’t preach my “atheism” in other people’s faces, but I can’t count the number of times I’ve had religion preached in mine.

It’s time to put these ancient fairytales to rest.

I have listened to and read a lot from Dawkins/Harris and others and I have yet to see any of them call anybody an idiot!!! Please point this out to me! All I have seen is them stating what they believe and saying why… What exactly is wrong with that?! The closest I have seen to either of these people calling anyone stupid is Dawkins challenging anyone going to that religious school labeling the earth as being 6000 yrs old. He told them they should change schools. Anyone who still believes that IS a little off!.. I’m sorry.

Like the song goes,
Please don’t dominate the rap, Jack,
If you got nothin’ new to say.

I asked Oliver “is this why?” and he said no.

Oliver told me why, and that’s perfectly understandable.

Why’d he have to go off and call someone a catamite?

I overheard my girlfriend’s sister-in-law and stepmother-in-law at a holiday discussing atheism. The s-i-l didn’t get it (devout catholic). Anita, the S-m-i-l tried to explain that atheists , and I’m quoting, “don’t beleive in anything.”

I felt it necessary to correct her and said, “No, that’s anarchists. Atheists just don’t believe in God.”

God is nothing more than Man’s attempt to explain away the unexplainable.
Atheists want proof. That’s all. No sense getting all shrill about it.

That’s not like you.

Secondly: There is a very strong case to be made that atheists have it right. God doesn’t exist. Read The God Delusion and maybe you’ll “convert.” But to say that a belief in no God is simply the converse of a belief in God (which has no basis in observable reality), and that both ideas are equally likely to be true, is just completely wrong. Rex is right… if we were framing it as a scientific question, Theism would be the alternative hypothesis, the one that would need to be demonstrably true with some degree of certainty. Burden of proof is not on the atheists’ hands.

Finally, I’m going to repeat… it’s wrong and insulting to say that atheists are doing the same thing as the wacko Christians. Let’s imagine a meeting between me and Jerry Falwell:

Jerry: “Hello, it’s good to meet you. Say… is that a Black Sabbath t-shirt? Don’t you know that’s the music of the devil, son?”
Me: “What’s up Jerry. Yeah, it’s Sabbath. But I don’t believe any of that stuff about God and Satan and whatnot. I’m an atheist.”
Jerry: “Oh, well I’ll pray for your soul. But you’re very misguided, son. If you don’t find Jesus, you’re doomed to a lake of enternal fire, where demons will sodomize you and eat your flesh. The Bible tells us so.”
Me: “You’re a dick, Jerry. I am an atheist because there’s no empirical evidence for his existence. The Bible, for example, is merely a novel written by man; there’s no way to demonstrate that it was written by them as dictated by God himself. Besides there being a lack of evidence, what makes you think your God is more likely than Allah, Zoroaster, Vishnu, or Zeus? Give me a GOOD reason. Finally, there’s a strong logical case to be made for the lack of parsimony inherent to religious beliefs. God existing is simply more complicated than his non-existence, and adds nothing to our power to explain the world.”
Jerry: “Hellfire! Hellbeasts! Dying, over and over! Burning, searing pain! SOOOODOMY!!!!
Me: “Fuck you, Jerry, you’re a dick. And you’re wrong.”

Yes, Oliver, there’s a WHOLE lot of similarity in the tactics of the two sides.

I’m open to discussion if someone can prove me wrong.

After that we can address my theory that we’re all Cylon hybrids and when we die we’re actually resurrected on a distant base star. Deja Vu is just a glitch in our programming…or the Matrix….whatever. Remember, the Force will be with you…always.

O-dub, you could not be more fucking wrong about this. Firstly your case that there is no argument that can be made toward the nonexistence of god is flatout wrong. Saying these arguments are invalid or incorrect is one thing, but saying “it cant be proven” is wrongheaded in the extreme, not least of all because atheism is the null hypothesis whereas theism is the theory that should be proven.

While you can think whateer you like about god (in all honesty I’m more believer than not) the fact is that it is the structure of religion itself that is the problem. There is no real church of atheism, no temple, no atheist leaders (ok, Dawkins maybe) and no organized structure. Religion is destrutive because it denies debate about what you believe and tells you who will be punished eternally in what ways for such minor offenses as not having water splashed on yur face. A ten year old’s close friend dies in a car accident, and because that friend was a protestant, that child knows for the rest of his life and eternity that his friend is suffering undying hellfire and torment, agony in scales immeasurable to man and everlasting torture to crush what little remains of his soul. As a result of the Falwells and Dobsons of the world wanting notoriety, power and a seat on sunday talk shows, the mentally oppressive structure of the church gives this child nightmares and robs him of his innocence in a time of grieving. Conversely, as a result of a few atheists not being ashamed of what they are, you are made to feel uncomfortable at the sight of some of them saying what they believe on Youtube. Bit of a gap there I think.

you don’t have to become like your opponent to beat him.
Fuck you in the nostril. Name a single goddam atheist who has ever suggested that their belief in lack-of-god leads them to think that anyone is less human than they are for whatever reason, be it gender, sexuality, color, nationality, what have you. Name a one. (I’m not counting insults of intellect here, those fly around everywhere, I’m talking degradation of humanity the way one religion for instance persecutes another because of their view of them as being inferior)

Provided you cant, then we have the religious right on one side, people with power, an agenda, and a desire to deprive others of rights. On the other side we have atheists, which bother you because a few of them are dicks, and abpparently the reason theyre dicks is because theyre willing to be public about being atheists. And youre seriously under the impression that the two are at all alike?

In general, atheists are as bad in their beliefs as the believers they mock. Prove to me that there’s no God, Yahweh, Allah, Phil Of Insufficient Light, etc. You can’t, no more than I could prove that they exist. The dogmatism of the believers on either side is exactly the same. You guys walking around saying God is fake is exactly as annoying (though with less power) as the guy telling me I’m going to burn in a lake of fire unless I send him a love gift of $29.99 while operators stand by.

Same. Thing.

While I don’t share the atheistic belief system, you’ll hardly find someone more sympathetic but the language of “sky-gods” just turns people off. Why is it so hard for you guys to believe what you believe without slagging everyone else? Yes, you believe there’s no God. Awesome. Nothing bless you. But don’t be an ass about it. I don’t like it from the religious right who I disagree with on practically everything, I certainly don’t like it from the people I agree with more often than not.

I want separation of church and state, I want evolution taught in schools, I think kids ought to learn about global warming. But I’m not telling you you’re going to hell for being an unbeliever so don’t automatically call me an idiot because I think there’s A Purpose To Life.

Read on about the person who believes in religion denying the rape victim the second of two prescribed Plan B pills.
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2007/1/30/0139/40875?detail=f

Now try to find a story about the atheist not allowing a rape victim to pray.

Seriously, as an atheist, I’m sick of religion being thrown in my face at every turn. Certainly was more of a problem when I lived in Kansas (I’m in L.A. now) but still…

Atheists truly are vilified in our culture. We’re practically social lepers, even though our beliefs are, unquestionably, more grounded in observable reality than the beliefs of religious people.

Oliver, I gotta disagree with you… strong and steadfast atheists are not simply the mirror image of crackpots like Falwell. That’s demonstrably untrue, and incredibly insulting.

While I think challenging some of the negatives about religion is great and I would encourage it, I would agree with Oliver’s point, atheists could be a little less smug and know-it-allee.