Atheism Discussion 2.0 - Roundtable Discussion in Progress

I'm not speaking as a moderator. I'm speaking as a poster. Nancy, your posts aren't backed up by evidence, are generalised despite repeated refutations by just about everybody else in here, you're totally hostile to atheists and make unfounded accusations against all of them, and you've been warned repeatedly, and banned, because of your conduct in this thread.

Frankly, I don't know how you dare accuse any of us in here of trolling.

 

Its not that its because you dont agree with us. Its because you keep on trolling, ignoring any argument that you cant win against, and just plain being so repetative we want to burn our eyes out so we dont have to read the same thing over and over again.


You might have heard the quote that goes, "If one person says your a duck, you ignore them. If two people say you're a duck, then you need to look in the mirror. If three people call you a duck you better buy some lakeside property and start quacking."

In this case replace duck with troll.

 

nancy: I think we've actually gone out of our way to provide comprehensive answers to your questions about atheism from both a personal and general perspective. We've actually spent considerable time and effort answering specific questions thay you have raised and have answered questions that you have repeated over and over again. I think we have established that you find Darwin Bedford, Sam Harris and Richard Dawkins offensive and that you spend considerable time derdging up anti-religious propoganda.

What more is to be gained from you posting in this thread? What new avenues do you think you can explore which haven't already been explored and answered. What value can you add? You have demonstrated a cause against anti-theism. Good for you. Perhaps you can start an anti-theism thread and discuss the evils of anti-theism there. You could argue your position with Bedford supporters in that thread.

Please try and read other people's comments in the context that they were posted. There is a certain continuity going on here. I don't respond to every post but I read them all. You want to discuss antitheist fascism - we don't. Every time we get off the subject of anti-theist fascism you come back in and dredge it back up again, continuously. So in that context, I wish you would go and post somewhere else - hence my comment. If that offends you, then I'm sorry.

For the purposes of ensuring that this very interesting discussion does not continue to periodically fall off the rails, I promise not to respond in future to any post that you make. This will be my small contribution, though it will take herculean effort.

 

You're all angry, you want revenge against religion, against those who have turned on you. I can understand that but it doesn't have to be this way.

 

Senate Rules:

2: Flaming, Baiting, and trolling are not allowed under any circumstances. Avoid negative personal comments about any other users. Keep things to the issues, not the people. Avoid generalizing about or labeling the beliefs of those who disagree with you. If you see any of the above behaviors, please report them to the moderators immediately.

So Nancy, you're in violation of the Senate rules. I suggest you stop and actually post something that's vaguely worthwhile.

Incidentally, I have to lol@the irony of Nancy accusing us of being angry.

 

*Shakes head*

Ignored once again. Now I am expecting it.

*Sighs*

Looks like it is time to go to a higher power. And by that I dont mean God.

 

I'll rephrase...one of the web sites I posted indicated that a lot of atheists are very angry about one of the most prominent atheists became religious. They, including atheist heroes such as Richard Dawkins and Sam Harris, have been on the warpath, they even resort to lies and ad hominem attacks such as that he's gone senile, Christians forced him to write about religion, ect. If I wasn't convinced before I'm certain of it now, it has been my experience that just about any atheist reacts badly to any attempt to reason that they are wrong. I have found it when I have tried and I have found it when any other theist has tried, and if that's a generalization then I make no apologies for it because I have found atheists who can be rational when taken to task is the exception rather than the rule.

 

Be glad. It's a good thing.


I repeat. What's the topic?

Edit: I do have a question and I apologize if it's been covered before. For those who work, do people at work know your religious views? Same with school.

 

Except those articles prove nothing except that those people dont like thiests. Also think about it. If anti-thiest hate thiests to begin with. When one of them becomes a thiest wouldnt it be a resonable line of thought that they would then hate that new thiest as well? But no, you make the illogical jump that since he became a thiest, it is because he "deserted" that they hate him.

 

EDIT: OK, Antony Flew is the prominent atheist. Nevermind.

If I wasn't convinced before I'm certain of it now, it has been my experience that just about any atheist reacts badly to any attempt to reason that they are wrong.

You mean they argue back using evidence and reason and actually prove their opponents wrong?

I have found it when I have tried and I have found it when any other theist has tried, and if that's a generalization then I make no apologies for it because I have found atheists who can be rational when taken to task is the exception rather than the rule.

Really? Most atheists I've encountered are extremely rational. Moreso than their theistic counterparts, who generally explode with "You're going to hell, heathen" or something equally stupid when the atheist they're arguing with is countering every argument they make.

 

If I wasn't convinced before I'm certain of it now, it has been my experience that just about any atheist reacts badly to any attempt to reason that they are wrong. I have found it when I have tried and I have found it when any other theist has tried, and if that's a generalization then I make no apologies for it because I have found atheists who can be rational when taken to task is the exception rather than the rule.

When have you tried reasoning in this thread? Ever? You swept in with blanket generalizations, straw men, unfounded assumptions, and ad hominem attacks. When these have been addressed, quite reasonably I might add, you ignored them and responded by repeating your accusations. You have held the posters in this thread responsible for posting on other message boards, which is asinine, and then accused people of harassing you, making assumptions about theists, and of getting angry. When I count the number of posts without punctuation and with CAPS LOCK (hallmarks of angry rants), your posts stand out from everyone. When I count the number of posters in here that have required modly attention, you stick out like a sore thumb.

You need to reevaluate your "reasoning" and motivations for being here, because your behavior is trollish (and having banned my fair share in both my times moderating this site, I know one when I spot one).

 

LOL. I've had that happen to me or else they say that they will pray for me. Well, good for them. If it makes them feel better, go ahead. No difference to me.

 

Yeah, I find it intresting that you call us unreasonable. We gladly listen to reason, if you can show us any. Listening to reason does not mean following whatever people say without a second thought. If it did, then you would be the most unreasonable person I have ever met. Because whenever we counter one of your arguments, you ignore us and continue on some other tirade. Then when its been long enough to forget about the previous comments, you go back and make the same argument that we just countered a few pages ago.

 

Edit: I do have a question and I apologize if it's been covered before. For those who work, do people at work know your religious views? Same with school.

Here in the UK religion is way down on the list of things to talk about because it isn't seen as that important. That said, I think just about all of my work colleagues and former university/school mates know that I am an atheist (or Pastafarian as I sometimes tell them)

 

As for workmates and school mates...Yes, they know that I dont believe in a god.

But if you ask me about my family, then they dont know. The only reason i dont tell them is mainly because of my mom. She is devoutly christian and it would break her heart if she knew I was athiest.

 

Okay, I'll bite. What is a Pastafarian? Someone who likes pasta?

Very, very few people at work know that I'm an atheist. I keep it very quiet since I've had some run-ins with religious people who were quite willing to harass me at work. My husband also keeps it very quiet where he works. I've taught my kids to not talk about it as well. We do live in a very polyglot area - which helps. In fact, we had originally thought to retire to Colorado but realized that the religious right has a large hold over most of the state so we are staying put.


SWBob, my father doesn't know either. He's devoutly Baptist. My husband's family knows and prays for us every day.... :: If it had been up to me, they wouldn't have known either.

 

Pastafarian = Follower of the Flying Spaghetti Monster.

 

The Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster

Were I required to believe in a god, any god, it would be His Noodliness.

 

I live in California, so people around here seem to be more tolerent of other beliefs.

 

I keep my agnosticism (close to atheism these days) quiet at work as well, discussing my views only with a single like-minded teacher.

 

I live in NJ and there are large Jewish, Hindu and Muslim populations so they tend to keep things in balance. No one religion dominating another.

 

I've told no one in real life I'm an atheist, which I have been for about a year. I would literally be disowned by my father if he were to find out, so the slightest risk of it getting back to him is not at all worth it.

 

The town I live in actually have a pretty large diversity. Infact I think my county was rated as one of the top ten diverse counties in the country. Solano County. We have Catholic, Methodist, Lutheran, Sighk(sp?), Muslim, and Prespityrian(sp?). Dont think we have a reall signifigant Jewish popuation, I've only known one. And then there is a medium sized Athiest poulation, at least if you judge by the friend I keep.

 

Sikh and Presbyterian.

I taught comparative religion here in Pittsburgh, and I was able to find guest speakers for Judaism, Islam, Hinduism, and Buddhism from large centers of worship.

 

I'm sorry to hear that but it's completely understandable.