Author Topic: Percentage of atheists in prison (Read 2227 times)

Xargos · « **Reply #60 on:** September 04, 2007, 08:52:19 AM »

Being an atheist still makes you religious. There is no proof that God does not exist so therefor you are depending on faith that He does not exist. If that religion tries to force their beliefs on other people, they are no better then the Church during the Inquisitions.

lazs2 · « **Reply #61 on:** September 04, 2007, 09:00:35 AM »

well...yes... that is of course true and it angers athiests mightily... only they are allowed to have a faith based religion and not call it a religion... because....

well... religion is evil and they sure don't want to be evil.

lazs

Chairboy · « **Reply #62 on:** September 04, 2007, 09:37:21 AM »

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Originally posted by lazs2
eskimo... I think you said what I said. except for the risk taking thing.. I can't help but notice over the years that the avowed athiests I know are not risk takers and are mostly depressed.

I think that chair is too invested in his faith of athiesm that he puts too much into it. It is like he wants to be a martyr for the faith. Wasn't it you chair who felt a while back that the faithful were on some kind of vandalism rampage and tore a "darwin" magnet (horror of horrors) off a fellow faithfuls car?

lazs

Huh? I think I mentioned in passing that I knew a few folks who had Darwin placards (not magnets, silly) torn from their car, broken in half, and left on their windshields or on the ground behind the car. What does that have to do with being a martyr? It's just unfortunate.

Lazs, why are you lashing out against me and atheists in this thread? You seem to be posting as if I had written a message that says "Christians eat babies! Look at how evil they are!" or something dumb like that, but I didn't. You seem to be overcompensating in your reply, as if you've been holding a good ol' anti-atheist rant up for so long, that the very mention of the subject throws you into frothy mouthed rage.

Simmer down now, I asked why folks thought the proportions were different, and we were having a nice conversation about in-prison conversions and whatnot before you came in, spraying spittle and pointing fingers like a crazy person.

Deep breaths, Lazs... deep breaths.

swoose · « **Reply #63 on:** September 04, 2007, 01:15:07 PM »

Chairboy I am still praying for you

Neubob · « **Reply #64 on:** September 04, 2007, 01:19:06 PM »

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Originally posted by swoose
Chairboy I am still praying for you

Based on those stats, you should be praying for the Catholics... And Protestants.

indy007 · « **Reply #65 on:** September 04, 2007, 01:36:40 PM »

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Originally posted by lazs2
eskimo... I think you said what I said. except for the risk taking thing.. I can't help but notice over the years that the avowed athiests I know are not risk takers and are mostly depressed.

I'm happy and take risks.

You're still confusing science with a belief system. Science, while obviously subject to paradigm shifts and social interference, at heart is still an objective tool.

You can feel God's touch all you want. Hell, people see the Virgin Mary's image in a loaf of moldy bread and garage doors. You may as well believe in Astrology (total BS), that David Copperfield really does make airliners disappear (illusions), and Rosemary Altea really talks to the dead (cold-reading).

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refer to persons not inclined toward religious belief or a particular form of religious belief. An atheist is one who denies the existence of a deity or of divine beings. An agnostic is one who believes it impossible to know anything about God or about the creation of the universe and refrains from commitment to any religious doctrine. Infidel means an unbeliever, especially a nonbeliever in Islam or Christianity. A skeptic doubts and is critical of all accepted doctrines and creeds.

If you want to believe in a supreme being... go for it... as a skeptic like Chairboy, you have to prove it to us. "Because I said so" or "Because I felt it" does not make something truth in anybody's head but your own. If somebody can empirically prove it, yay, I'll change my tune and acknowledge whatever diety or creator it happens to be. If you can't prove it, and take it on faith, you're drinking the kool-aid.

lazs2 · « **Reply #66 on:** September 04, 2007, 01:59:38 PM »

so then...you are an agnostic indy?

lazs

indy007 · « **Reply #67 on:** September 04, 2007, 02:35:47 PM »

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Originally posted by lazs2
so then...you are an agnostic indy?

lazs

No, because I don't believe in any type of supreme being or deity. I'm pretty skeptical. I haven't seen anything that said "God exists because.." that isn't readily debunked. Especially one that's put forward by any of human's works (bible, koran, etc). It's shennanigans.

I don't discount the possibility, but I'll continue to know that there is not until there's some sort empirical evidence. Just because something is possible, doesn't make it reality. It's not saying "There is no God." It's saying, "There is no empirical proof of a God." The second statement is obviously correct, and the first one simply an assumption (making it the religion you're so found of). So in the end, I'm still an Athiest. Lacking solid evidence, there is no god.

Lets use your feeling as an example... you felt God's touch... but how do you know it wasn't something biological like a seratonin release? I can't measure and test "God's touch". I can measure lots of things that would relate to a change in your body you would interpret as a "feeling". If somebody comes up with solid evidence through empirical study, it will eventually cause a paradigm shift in understanding (has to fight through social controls first, but so did evolution), and Science will accept a diety. Until somebody can come up with those tests, it falls back on feelings & faith, which are junkscience. That's the major fundamental difference between religion and science. Science is at best, a tool to guide to objective understanding and development of provisional truths. Religion claims itself as truth.

Curval · « **Reply #68 on:** September 04, 2007, 02:39:04 PM »

I'm amazed lazs can poo poo all the global warming stats claiming there is no scientific proof that man is responsible in any way...and yet, on pure faith, is convinced there is a God and that anyone who doesn't feel that he/she exists is part of some religious-like cult.

It's rather funny to me.

...and I am NOT commenting on GW OR atheism...just making an observation.

JB88 · « **Reply #69 on:** September 04, 2007, 02:58:28 PM »

lasz just likes to argue.

he probably made a statement about it seven years ago and has had to argue for it since...

(shrugs)

eskimo2 · « **Reply #70 on:** September 04, 2007, 02:58:30 PM »

ink,

You have a unique perspective on this. What is your theory on why atheists are underrepresented in prison?

bozon · « **Reply #71 on:** September 04, 2007, 03:38:33 PM »

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Originally posted by Xargos
Being an atheist still makes you religious. There is no proof that God does not exist so therefor you are depending on faith that He does not exist.

No, not really. Any scientific experimetal "proof" is based on probability (better defined as confidence level). Being an Atheist means that you consider god to be so improbable, that he is not worth considering. Like the Baal, Thor, Zeus, Peter Pen, Santa, the tooth fairy, pink dragons or magnetic monopoles if you want a more scientific example.

If you insist on calling that agnostic, be my guest, just realize that it means that god is on the same confidence level as the tooth fairy.

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Originally posted by Holden McGroin
If Paris Hilton can find Jesus in jail, anyone can.

Jesus is in jail?!
Well, at least he didn't get crucification this time. Got a better lawyer I guess.

Gunthr · « **Reply #72 on:** September 04, 2007, 05:28:58 PM »

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No, not really. Any scientific experimetal "proof" is based on probability (better defined as confidence level). Being an Atheist means that you consider god to be so improbable, that he is not worth considering. Like the Baal, Thor, Zeus, Peter Pen, Santa, the tooth fairy, pink dragons or magnetic monopoles if you want a more scientific example.

If you insist on calling that agnostic, be my guest, just realize that it means that god is on the same confidence level as the tooth fairy. - bozon

and so we are now introduced to the new "confidence level" gauge of the probability of humans "knowing" about God...

does this come directly from the hobby section of the atheist forums? along with the sub forum "Questions to pose regarding theories about percentages of atheists in prison" and its ramifications?

I have my beliefs, but I don't endlessly preach them in the form of questions on forums. but then, my beliefs are not my intellectual hobby, nor are they the basis for my political flag waving.

ink · « **Reply #73 on:** September 04, 2007, 05:41:14 PM »

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Originally posted by eskimo2
ink,

You have a unique perspective on this. What is your theory on why atheists are underrepresented in prison?

well i believe someone already said it. i think when you are at your lowest,that is when you look above, ever notice when there is devastation or natural disasters even people who confess they dont believe in GOD will cry out to him.
i also know that in prison alot of the "I found GOD" is just what most believe. its a con,
i also believe that most people want to believe in GOD, because with out GOD then after life is nothing? that cant be so,
life does matter, what we do while we are here does matter, we will all stand before GOD and i just pray he will over look my sins.

Xargos · « **Reply #74 on:** September 04, 2007, 05:44:49 PM »

That's right, Scientist are never wrong. We know everything about the Universe, so there is no reasons for humans to perform anymore experiments.

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life does matter, what we do while we are here does matter, we will all stand before GOD and i just pray he will over look my sins.

Amen.