Author Topic: Atheists Least Trusted (Read 6472 times)

Vulcan · « **Reply #150 on:** March 27, 2006, 02:31:43 PM »

Quote

Originally posted by lazs2
vulcan... what are your questions regarding buddhists and why would I care what they believe?

Do you label them dishonest as well? Do you distrust the Dalai Lama?

Chairboy · « **Reply #151 on:** March 27, 2006, 02:32:00 PM »

I'm as much a preacher for the atheist religion as you are a preacher of the anti-Santa religion. I don't think God exists, and you don't think Santa exists.

Where do I send my tax exempt documentation to, then? Would you support that, Lazs?

lazs2 · « **Reply #152 on:** March 27, 2006, 02:37:33 PM »

vulcan.... I don't know the dali lama so niether trust nor distrust him. Telll you what....tell me something he said an I will tell ya what I think about it.. for the most part.... I couldn't care less about the guy.

chair... what about santa? I am agnostic (or was) about santa but now someone told me that he was a real man so I guess I am a santa believer now.... so what if anything does that have to do with you having faith in your religion?

lazs

Chairboy · « **Reply #153 on:** March 27, 2006, 02:43:29 PM »

Ya know, it doesn't really matter how many times you call atheism a religion, it's still not going to make it so.

A-theism. Lack of belief in god. By your logic, EVERYTHING you don't believe in equals a religious belief. Don't believe in flying elephants that play harp? Religious belief. Don't believe in candle holders that dance around, imbued with the spirit of some french guy? Religious belief.

Every _single_ thing you don't believe in is now a religious belief. Great. So now, what has this done for the basis of your other religious beliefs? How holy and significant are they in the face of the almost infinite number of religious beliefs you have about all the things that don't exist?

lazs2 · « **Reply #154 on:** March 27, 2006, 02:54:52 PM »

any soley faith based belief is by defenition a religion.

I have no idea why you keep bringing in all sorts of pink elephants or whatever into the thing.

If you leave no room for fact or doubt because of your faith then you are a practitioner of religion.

your religion happens to be that there is no god.... you are welcome to it but... don't put yourself in the same category as the agnostics here on this board..

You also can't put yourself in the same category as those who believe in god because..... well.... they are being honest about it being soley a faith based religion....

Sooo.... why would I trust an athiest who won't even admit the possibilty that he is wrong or that his belief is faith based?

As you see... only the athiest comes off as being well..... evasive or stupid at the least and totaly dishonest at most.

lazs

Chairboy · « **Reply #155 on:** March 27, 2006, 02:59:07 PM »

Well, thanks for the personal attack. You're entitled to your opinion, and I hope you'll agree that I'm entitled to mine.

Best regards,

cb

Reschke · « **Reply #156 on:** March 27, 2006, 03:08:28 PM »

Can you be a Christian Agnostic????? Is that possible?!?!?!?!?!

If so then that is probably what category I fall under. I have faith that there is a God who began this existence we live in BUT I also examine and listen to each side before making my own opinion about my faith. I don't push Christianity on others nor do I wear it on my sleeve like a badge of honor but I will defend MY position on the matter unless proven otherwise.

I believe that there is a higher power responsible for all of this but I honestly don't take the word of the Bible in a literal sense simply because (the Old Testament) it is a historical record more than anything. Maybe that is why I attend a Methodist Church...we don't hide our alcohol in a cabinet with sealed doors and we openly talk about the issues of the day no matter how controversial.

Call me a fence rider but at least I learned a long time ago to not argue about religion with people; it will get you nowhere fast and ultimately ends up with loosing a person who could be a friend regardless of their standing on how you live your life.

moot · « **Reply #157 on:** March 27, 2006, 03:13:54 PM »

You two aren't talking about the same thing.
Chairboy seems to use the definition of atheism as only the absence of belief in god, while Lazs seems to see it as belief in the absence of god.

Lazs might want you to just admit you're either religious if you conform to the latter, or dishonest if you do so without admitting to it being a leap of faith or conforming to the former while arguing for Atheism as defined in a dictionary.

Reschke, I don't think that's possible, considering they're mutually exclusive.
"ultimately ends up with loosing a person who could be a friend"
i.e. they can't cope with realizing they don't have the spine to survive reasserting their opinion of the moment?

Reschke · « **Reply #158 on:** March 27, 2006, 03:19:59 PM »

My favorite response to people who question my stance is this selection of verses from the Gospel of John but specifically verse 29 of the following.

Quote

John 20:24-29 (New International Version)
New International Version (NIV)

Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society
NIV at IBS International Bible Society NIV at Zondervan Zondervan

Jesus Appears to Thomas
24Now Thomas (called Didymus), one of the Twelve, was not with the disciples when Jesus came. 25So the other disciples told him, "We have seen the Lord!"
But he said to them, "Unless I see the nail marks in his hands and put my finger where the nails were, and put my hand into his side, I will not believe it."

26A week later his disciples were in the house again, and Thomas was with them. Though the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them and said, "Peace be with you!" 27Then he said to Thomas, "Put your finger here; see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it into my side. Stop doubting and believe."

28Thomas said to him, "My Lord and my God!"

29Then Jesus told him, "Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed."

moot · « **Reply #159 on:** March 27, 2006, 03:20:56 PM »

Is that for me?

Reschke · « **Reply #160 on:** March 27, 2006, 03:24:36 PM »

You know its funny how that works because you posted just a moment ahead of me and my next post was just to clarify my position. I had no idea you even edited your post to include me until just now. So before you wrote your last post...no it wasn't for you; but I guess now it does apply.

moot · « **Reply #161 on:** March 27, 2006, 03:26:13 PM »

Well I was only arguing the semantics of your title of Christian agnostic ; it's self-contradictory.

Reschke · « **Reply #162 on:** March 27, 2006, 03:34:39 PM »

I know it can but I feel thats the only way to express myself because of the faith and belief that I have. I even asked a very good and long time friend of mine who is a preacher about it and that was the only reasonable explanation we could come up with. I don't think that definition accurately describes the origin of the term or what it truly means but then it kind of gets drawn out in semantics with no real end.

Quote

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

The term and the related agnostic were coined by Thomas Henry Huxley in 1869, and are also used to describe those who are unconvinced or noncommittal about the existence of deities as well as other matters of religion. The word agnostic comes from the Greek a (without) and gnosis (knowledge). Agnosticism, focusing on what can be known, is an epistemological position (dealing with the nature and limits of human knowledge); while atheism and theism are ontological positions (a branch of metaphysics that deals with what types of entities exist). Agnosticism is not to be confused with a view specifically opposing the doctrine of gnosis and Gnosticism—these are religious concepts that are not generally related to agnosticism.

Yes I know Wikipedia isn't the best but it explains it a little better than I can without going really deep.

SirLoin · « **Reply #163 on:** March 27, 2006, 03:36:13 PM »

If all the world leaders were Athiest's..it would be a better place.

Just look at what the religious fundmentalists have done over the last several hundred years...and now the Islamic movement that is just coming to surface...?

What next??

Thrawn · « **Reply #164 on:** March 27, 2006, 03:43:46 PM »

Quote

Originally posted by SirLoin
If all the world leaders were Athiest's..it would be a better place.

Like Stalin and Mao?