Atheism

Post by **heidiramma** » Mon Dec 17, 2007 11:08 am

anticlmber wrote:what does some guy that made a dog salivate have to do with this?

that's Pavlov retard

Post by **Crankmas** » Mon Dec 17, 2007 11:44 am

I like that Christmas carol with the "walking round in womens' underware" line in it: that is soo crazy!

Post by **heidiramma** » Mon Dec 17, 2007 12:35 pm

huh?! a must hear. what is it?
I like Frosty the Snowman, sung with "three eyes made out of coal".

Post by **Solomon** » Mon Dec 17, 2007 11:51 pm

ynot wrote:That's what I thought. athiest but you still celebrate Christmas. It's like like soloing El cap with a crashpad.

That's a witty analogy ynot. It reminds me of a comment that I once read about an old school climber who remarked something similar to, "Bouldering at the Gunks would be like masturbating in a brothel."

Anyway, as an atheist I'd like to respond... Although I don't believe in a god (or gods), I do believe that Jesus existed and that he was a good man. Most atheists would probably agree that there is much to be admired and respected about this great man. However, he was still just a man.

I'm certainly willing to celebrate his birthday once a year (even if Christmas isn't really the actual date of his birth). Of course, the possibility of a virgin conceiving a child seems highly unlikely to me and the extremely short development of the fetus in less than a month makes no sense to my scientifically inquisitive mind either.

That doesn't change the fact that this man existed and was worthy of our praise and celebration once a year. We can learn much from his teachings and the way he lived his life and died. But, to worship him as a savior and to attribute god-like qualities to him is just plain wrong.

Apotheosis Denied.

Post by **Shamis** » Tue Dec 18, 2007 12:16 am

Didn't jesus tell his disciples to abandon their families?

Post by **Saxman** » Tue Dec 18, 2007 12:49 am

Jesus also said the old testament laws were in effect until the end of human existence but christians ignore that too.

Post by **Solomon** » Tue Dec 18, 2007 8:14 am

True. You guys must have read Dawkins, "God Delusion" book. However, I do believe that the teaching of Jesus held more good than bad. Unfortunately they have been heavily distorted and misinterpreted over the years by his many followers and thus many of the current religions are a perversion from his earlier teachings.

Personally, I prefer the insights of Darwin when it comes to understanding life. Living in the middle of the bible belt in the south is often deeply frustrating to me because of the overwhelming ignorance of the general population concerning natural selection and other scientific matters (of course, there are some intelligent people down here, but they are far outnumbered by morons).

We named our dog "Darwin" and sometimes when he roams the neighborhood I must walk down the street yelling, "Darwin. Darwin! DARWIN!". It's fun to watch the neighbors (especially the Baptists with their 10 commandment signs) give me dirty looks as they hurriedly cover the ears of their children and slam their doors (and their minds) shut.

Many consider rational inquiry to be a tool of the devil in the south. Crazy, but true.

Post by **ynot** » Tue Dec 18, 2007 8:55 am

I was pretty agnostic untill I watched my kids being born.

Post by **Shamis** » Tue Dec 18, 2007 2:28 pm

Solomon wrote:True. You guys must have read Dawkins, "God Delusion" book. However, I do believe that the teaching of Jesus held more good than bad. .

I'll agree that Jesus' core message is good. Unfortunately, I don't know of any religion that only follows the new testament, and ignores everything in the old testament. The old testament is where most of the problems come from.

Post by **Saxman** » Tue Dec 18, 2007 4:51 pm

ynot wrote:I was pretty agnostic untill I watched my kids being born.

So watching a biological event that has happened with humans around 12 billion times finally convinced you to become an atheist?