Do "believers" only believe because they are conforming? [ATHEISTS ONLY]

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

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Anonymous wrote:

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Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If you want to hear from atheists only, the Religion board may not be the best place for you. But you knew that.

I wonder how quick it will take Jeff to delete this troll thread.

Well if he's going to start deleting, then he has his work cut out for him on the other thread.

You yourself just admitted it's merely a retaliation thread. You've also tried to prevent other people from answering. I think you'll find your attempt at trolling is not turning out the way you'd hoped

See - here is where usernames would come in handy. I didn't say that it was a retaliation thread. Just saying that this thread has a similar tone to others. If this one is deleted then the others should be deleted too. I didn't ask to delete those.

And who have I prevented from answering?

"Believers"

So atheists can't discuss amongst themselves? What's wrong with that?

Just answering the question "And who have I prevented from answering?"

The whole clueless act is running kind of thin. It's very obvious to everyone what you're doing. Though I don't think anyone particularly cares, it's NAGL for you.

Why in your opinion do you feel entitled to inject your input into a discussion by people who do not see the world as you do?

The mere fact that you don't think other people are entitled to have their own opinions without your input (thanks anyway) is interesting. I'm not allowed to formulate my opinion about something unless you tell me what to think first? Is that how it goes?

Well that is how religion works, right.

that's how religion works for kids. They are taught the religion of their parents - or no religion if their parents don't have one. Kids eventually may be influenced by other kids (or maybe grandparents) and then are influenced by other factors when they grow up. But they have little choice when they are small children, just as they don't have choice about where they live or what language they speak or what food is available to them. However, kids can and do reject certain foods that are offered to them. It's an early show of individuality.

[Anonymous]

Well this thread is a new low in childishness, efforts to manufacture a false sense of outrage, and general pointlessness.

Already the insults against faith have been just as bad as anything on that other thread. But who cares about that, not me. Just pointing it out for the record.

The truly sad thing about this thread is the only "point" is a transparent desire to annoy people of faith and for retaliation.

If you *really* want to know what religious people think, the dumbest way to go about it is to build walls (are theists Mexico?) against their views so that you can speculate among your uninformed selves.

And what's with the whining that any theist who comes here to tell you what SHE actually thinks is really telling YOU what to think. Unbelievably stupid.

I started a thread on the feedback forum about how we need usernames on this one. I don't know if it's technically possible.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:***This is a discussion just for atheists, so please do not chime in if you believe in religion/god(s).***

I was not brought up with any religion so I was never taught to believe in any particular god(s)/religion. From my observations, it does seem like most people who are brought up in families that practice even some limited amount of religion do end up practicing the same, or similar, religion. Are they just doing this to conform? What motivates them to do this?

I'm trying to form an opinion on my own here with the help of other atheists.

It actually sounds kind of like you feel you had a deprived childhood and think you've been missing something.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'm not sure why others do what they do but I can answer as someone who's mother is super religious. I do not feel compelled to conform. Maybe it's because she relies on me and there is a different power play(?) but I just won't do it. I love her and she loves me, she tells me often that she is grateful for all that our family does for her, but I will not go to church and pretend to believe in anything just to make her happy. And she has accepted this.

If it makes your mom happy to play "let's pretend" at church once a week, why not do it once in a while JUST to make her happy? As an atheist, you're not violating any principal by simply going to church with your mom and sitting there while the religious rituals are occurring. Just sitting in church can't make an atheist "magically convert" into a person who believes in god. (I don't think--if it does, probably not really an atheist in the first place.)

What's wrong with attending a function for which you don't believe in the metaphysics of, JUST to make your mother, who you love, and who loves you, happy? Nothing's wrong with it. We all do things to make our moms happy now and then that we think are silly or ridiculous or that we don't agree with, don't we?

I mean you're not afraid that some Holy Water will accidentally splash you and turn you into a god bot are you?

What about other religious based rituals like weddings and funerals? Does this mean you never go to a religious themed wedding or funeral because you are afraid that being within close range to a bunch of god bots will turn you into a god zombie?

LOL

You're not much of an atheist if you're afraid of setting foot inside a church with your mom. Nothing's going to "happen" to you. God isn't going to pop out from behind a stained glass window and give you an epiphany.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If you want to hear from atheists only, the Religion board may not be the best place for you. But you knew that.

LOL apparently some atheist somewhere has faith that merely saying "ATHEISTS ONLY" has some mystical supernatural powers which will prevent other people from posting on this thread. Sounds kind of superstitious to me, I wonder if OP is actually an atheist?

[Anonymous]

[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]I'm not sure why others do what they do but I can answer as someone who's mother is super religious. I do not feel compelled to conform. Maybe it's because she relies on me and there is a different power play(?) but I just won't do it. I love her and she loves me, she tells me often that she is grateful for all that our family does for her, but I will not go to church and pretend to believe in anything just to make her happy. And she has accepted this. [/quote]

If it makes your mom happy to play "let's pretend" at church once a week, why not do it once in a while JUST to make her happy? As an atheist, you're not violating any principal by simply going to church with your mom and sitting there while the religious rituals are occurring. Just sitting in church can't make an atheist "magically convert" into a person who believes in god. (I don't think--if it does, probably not really an atheist in the first place.)

What's wrong with attending a function for which you don't believe in the metaphysics of, JUST to make your mother, who you love, and who loves you, happy? Nothing's wrong with it. We all do things to make our moms happy now and then that we think are silly or ridiculous or that we don't agree with, don't we?

I mean you're not afraid that some Holy Water will accidentally splash you and turn you into a god bot are you?

What about other religious based rituals like weddings and funerals? Does this mean you never go to a religious themed wedding or funeral because you are afraid that being within close range to a bunch of god bots will turn you into a god zombie?

LOL

You're not much of an atheist if you're afraid of setting foot inside a church with your mom. Nothing's going to "happen" to you. God isn't going to pop out from behind a stained glass window and give you an epiphany.[/quote]

Well he's given epiphanies to others. Just saying

That said, I don't think PP should go to church if she disagrees with it. Even if she just thinks it's s waste of her time and would rather find peace sitting in her garden with a cup of coffee. I find your tone offensive, and I say that as a believer.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If you want to hear from atheists only, the Religion board may not be the best place for you. But you knew that.

I wonder how quick it will take Jeff to delete this troll thread.

Well if he's going to start deleting, then he has his work cut out for him on the other thread.

You yourself just admitted it's merely a retaliation thread. You've also tried to prevent other people from answering. I think you'll find your attempt at trolling is not turning out the way you'd hoped

ALL atheist threads directed to religious people either overtly or by implication (as this one clearly is--"LOOK AT ME, I'M FUTILELY TRYING TO YOU RELIGIOUS PEOPLE FROM THE DISCUSSION") are in a sense "retaliation." Atheism is a reaction to religion, an attempt to negate it, not simply (as atheists often claim) a non-belief in god. People who don't believe in god don't believe in god but have absolutely no need to constantly broadcast it. Atheists are sort of like those people without kids who declare themselves "childfree." They spend all of their time explaining and justifying why they DON'T have children and why that's O.K. and how discriminated against they are by people who have kids. It's all very butt hurt.

I'd wager most of us don't believe in pink elephants yet for some reason we don't feel any need to argue about the non-existence of pink elephants with people who do believe in them.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If you want to hear from atheists only, the Religion board may not be the best place for you. But you knew that.

LOL apparently some atheist somewhere has faith that merely saying "ATHEISTS ONLY" has some mystical supernatural powers which will prevent other people from posting on this thread. Sounds kind of superstitious to me, I wonder if OP is actually an atheist?

Heh!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If you want to hear from atheists only, the Religion board may not be the best place for you. But you knew that.

I wonder how quick it will take Jeff to delete this troll thread.

Well if he's going to start deleting, then he has his work cut out for him on the other thread.

You yourself just admitted it's merely a retaliation thread. You've also tried to prevent other people from answering. I think you'll find your attempt at trolling is not turning out the way you'd hoped

See - here is where usernames would come in handy. I didn't say that it was a retaliation thread. Just saying that this thread has a similar tone to others. If this one is deleted then the others should be deleted too. I didn't ask to delete those.

And who have I prevented from answering?

"Believers"

So atheists can't discuss amongst themselves? What's wrong with that?

Just answering the question "And who have I prevented from answering?"

The whole clueless act is running kind of thin. It's very obvious to everyone what you're doing. Though I don't think anyone particularly cares, it's NAGL for you.

Why in your opinion do you feel entitled to inject your input into a discussion by people who do not see the world as you do?

The mere fact that you don't think other people are entitled to have their own opinions without your input (thanks anyway) is interesting. I'm not allowed to formulate my opinion about something unless you tell me what to think first? Is that how it goes?

Well that is how religion works, right.

Exactly. But not how atheists are supposed to operate, but they do anyway. Is atheism just like a religion, only without the god part?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If you want to hear from atheists only, the Religion board may not be the best place for you. But you knew that.

I wonder how quick it will take Jeff to delete this troll thread.

Well if he's going to start deleting, then he has his work cut out for him on the other thread.

You yourself just admitted it's merely a retaliation thread. You've also tried to prevent other people from answering. I think you'll find your attempt at trolling is not turning out the way you'd hoped

ALL atheist threads directed to religious people either overtly or by implication (as this one clearly is--"LOOK AT ME, I'M FUTILELY TRYING TO YOU RELIGIOUS PEOPLE FROM THE DISCUSSION") are in a sense "retaliation." Atheism is a reaction to religion, an attempt to negate it, not simply (as atheists often claim) a non-belief in god. People who don't believe in god don't believe in god but have absolutely no need to constantly broadcast it. Atheists are sort of like those people without kids who declare themselves "childfree." They spend all of their time explaining and justifying why they DON'T have children and why that's O.K. and how discriminated against they are by people who have kids. It's all very butt hurt.

I'd wager most of us don't believe in pink elephants yet for some reason we don't feel any need to argue about the non-existence of pink elephants with people who do believe in them.

OK the bit about child-free people is just mean. My sister and her DH are child-free by choice and have never once said these things.

That said, I agree OP is a babyish whiner whose only purpose here is to antagonize believers and even create a gang bang of abusive post after abusive post.

[Anonymous]

Ugh. Is anyone else ever annoyed by the amount of religiousity in this country? We'd be so much better off with a more secular setup like Sweden. Instead, noooooooo we get the left with the vestiges of Puritanism. England sent all its rejects over and now their descendants want to enshrine intelligent design into our school system, retard scientific progress, and criminalize forms of pleasure they find morally objectionable. It would be funny if it wasn't so sad. I honestly feel bad for indoctrinated children. They're too young to know any better, especially at such an important time of memory formation.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Well this thread is a new low in childishness, efforts to manufacture a false sense of outrage, and general pointlessness.

Already the insults against faith have been just as bad as anything on that other thread. But who cares about that, not me. Just pointing it out for the record.

The truly sad thing about this thread is the only "point" is a transparent desire to annoy people of faith and for retaliation.

If you *really* want to know what religious people think, the dumbest way to go about it is to build walls (are theists Mexico?) against their views so that you can speculate among your uninformed selves.

And what's with the whining that any theist who comes here to tell you what SHE actually thinks is really telling YOU what to think. Unbelievably stupid.

I started a thread on the feedback forum about how we need usernames on this one. I don't know if it's technically possible.

Not just this thread. "Atheism" per se is a huge troll on religious belief.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If you want to hear from atheists only, the Religion board may not be the best place for you. But you knew that.

I wonder how quick it will take Jeff to delete this troll thread.

Well if he's going to start deleting, then he has his work cut out for him on the other thread.

You yourself just admitted it's merely a retaliation thread. You've also tried to prevent other people from answering. I think you'll find your attempt at trolling is not turning out the way you'd hoped

See - here is where usernames would come in handy. I didn't say that it was a retaliation thread. Just saying that this thread has a similar tone to others. If this one is deleted then the others should be deleted too. I didn't ask to delete those.

And who have I prevented from answering?

"Believers"

So atheists can't discuss amongst themselves? What's wrong with that?

Just answering the question "And who have I prevented from answering?"

The whole clueless act is running kind of thin. It's very obvious to everyone what you're doing. Though I don't think anyone particularly cares, it's NAGL for you.

Why in your opinion do you feel entitled to inject your input into a discussion by people who do not see the world as you do?

The mere fact that you don't think other people are entitled to have their own opinions without your input (thanks anyway) is interesting. I'm not allowed to formulate my opinion about something unless you tell me what to think first? Is that how it goes?

The level of projection is astounding. You have a very creative interpretation of words

It's not a question of OP's rights. It's a question of OP's stupidity.

Does OP/PP speculate about why Muslim women wear hijab in a thread that says "no Muslim women allowed?" What on earth would she expect to learn from that.

And why can't OP/PP see the obvious difference between (1) believers telling you what they think, vs. (2) believers telling you what you should think.

Oh right, this thread is a circle jerk for posters who want to abuse faith. It has nothing to do with the pursuit of understanding.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If you want to hear from atheists only, the Religion board may not be the best place for you. But you knew that.

I wonder how quick it will take Jeff to delete this troll thread.

Well if he's going to start deleting, then he has his work cut out for him on the other thread.

You yourself just admitted it's merely a retaliation thread. You've also tried to prevent other people from answering. I think you'll find your attempt at trolling is not turning out the way you'd hoped

ALL atheist threads directed to religious people either overtly or by implication (as this one clearly is--"LOOK AT ME, I'M FUTILELY TRYING TO YOU RELIGIOUS PEOPLE FROM THE DISCUSSION") are in a sense "retaliation." Atheism is a reaction to religion, an attempt to negate it, not simply (as atheists often claim) a non-belief in god. People who don't believe in god don't believe in god but have absolutely no need to constantly broadcast it. Atheists are sort of like those people without kids who declare themselves "childfree." They spend all of their time explaining and justifying why they DON'T have children and why that's O.K. and how discriminated against they are by people who have kids. It's all very butt hurt.

I'd wager most of us don't believe in pink elephants yet for some reason we don't feel any need to argue about the non-existence of pink elephants with people who do believe in them.

This is wrong. *Some* atheists do that but not most. You just are more aware of that subset because they are being loud and obnoxious. Perhaps you should give it a clarifying label such as militant atheist?

As a reasonable person who does not have faith and for whom the definition of atheist applies I am not willing to cede the term to your definition.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Ugh. Is anyone else ever annoyed by the amount of religiousity in this country? We'd be so much better off with a more secular setup like Sweden. Instead, noooooooo we get the left with the vestiges of Puritanism. England sent all its rejects over and now their descendants want to enshrine intelligent design into our school system, retard scientific progress, and criminalize forms of pleasure they find morally objectionable. It would be funny if it wasn't so sad. I honestly feel bad for indoctrinated children. They're too young to know any better, especially at such an important time of memory formation.

Stop lumping all religious people with the intelligent design nuts, if you want to appear intelligent yourself.

Also, puritans =\= fundamentalist intelligent design