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What do people think of atheists?
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Post by
Modibybob
i love atheists actually..
they don't care what you do and they want to mind their own business..
the other day.. 2 brainwashed mormons came to my house and asked if i was saved.....
-___-
I would've responded with "Only to Naxx 25 and 10 man VoA, you?"
Post by
313143
This post was from a user who has deleted their account.
Post by
Laihendi
What is there to work past... ?
Post by
313143
This post was from a user who has deleted their account.
Post by
Laihendi
No, you can't compare his religion to yours, because he doesn't have one. Either way, that still shouldn't be any obstacle in any healthy friendship...
Post by
Montrevux
As stated in my belief, I must respect other religions. I have Muslim friends, and something funny happened to me 3 years ago.
I had a friend in school, we were friends from grade 1. In grade 4, the teacher asked us to say something about ourselves.
My buddy said he was an atheist.
But still that didn't make a difference to our friendship, because we carried on perfectly like before, nothing really happened. Made me happy actually that our friendship was so strong we could work past this.
I just misunderstand how they can't believe in anything.
It's honestly fairly simple. Why should we?
Post by
Skreeran
It's honestly fairly simple. Why should we?Exactly. Scientific method. Your idea is wrong unless you can present evidence that it is right.
Post by
184848
This post was from a user who has deleted their account.
Post by
184848
This post was from a user who has deleted their account.
Post by
Skreeran
There's a lot more I can say on this subject, but I think this is enough for you to understand it wasn't simply an issue of evolution versus creation or religion versus science for me. Again, I'm not trying to convince anyone, and if anything it would be better for you to come up with your own questions and your own answers. And yes, I'll admit there is bias in my writing; but after all, I
am
atheist.In reference to your above post, I went through bassically the same thing. I just fell into hatred and bitterness once I came to that conclusion. In life the universe is cold and uncaring, in death it's even worse, because you're not even around any more to comtemplate it.
If you don't mind me posting my own little bit of long text, here's something I wrote a while back, trying to pinpoint what I was feeling:
"Why?"
The question was all that was left of any sort of soul or essence that remained in Michael's heart. He had grown weary of all other branches that broke away from that terrible question. He knew most of the What, and the How.
Who? Us. Me.
Where? Here. The Universe. The whole of Existance.
When? Now. Before. After. Until The End.
But Why? Why was the Universe so cold? So bitter?
"Because."
That was the only logical answer. There was no god, and thus there was no creation.
Michael had long ago come to the conclusion that the religion of his family and friends, his ancestors and kinsmen, was nothing more than religion. Man-made rules and laws and history, designed in the cold and distant past when some prehistoric man decided to rise out of his ignorance and come up with reasons for things.
What made the sun rise, or the rain fall? The answer was obviously a greater power. Something that he could not understand, but only hope to appease for its favor. So he designed rules. Customs. Traditions for the worship of his gods. Other people seeking purpose and guidance learned from him, hoping that they too could gain favor with the operators of the world. After that man died, a few of his followers narrowed his rules. "Surely," they thought, "if the gods appreciated our efforts before, our penance and contrition will be rewarded tenfold."
And so the earliest religions appeared. Where beliefs differed, fights broke out. People began to slay other people simply for believing different and equally false beliefs. They called them "crusades" or "jihad," simply speaking, the purging of those who are not us.
However, as times changed, and beliefs softened, so too did the gods. No longer were the malevolent beings to be appeased or held at bay, but they became personal gods, supposedly interested in ones own life. Yet people continued to hold tight to their beliefs that their gods were one and the same as those of their ancestors, and in a sense this was true; they remained tools for holding people together. Tools for taking and holding power.
Or at least this is what Michael saw. He no longer knew what to believe. Everything that he thought he knew seemed to be a lie. Even as he cried out to his god for guidance, his spirit had been broken by silence. What now could he trust? The only things he could truly put his faith into were those for which evidence could be supplied. And yet, without a creator, the universe seems all the colder. Surely this was why people believed even after science surpassed religion as the authority on the mechanics of the universe. It gave them hope. Purpose. The feeling that they may be worth something after all.
But all this was lost on Michael. Many times before had he joked that he would rather be right than happy, but the weight of that statement was crushing down upon him moreso than ever. If there truly was no creator, then in fact the universe was meaningless. And if there was no meaning to the universe, than he had no meaning or purpose either. Whether measured against the immeasurable vastness of the universe or against the limitless grind of time, he meant absolutely nothing in the big picture, which itself meant nothing.
Life lost its value in his eyes.
"Why continue?"
A person is born. They live a little. And then they die. And that was the end. What mark they made in the world was meaningless both due to the fact that the world was meaningless, and their acts served to give it no more meaning as a whole, and by the fact that once they perished, they were gone. It matter not what the did in life, for the mind dies with the body. Death was truly the worst thing he could imagine. Even in the most dire pain, existance is more desireable to nonexistance. It truly was indescribable in its finality.
But still his mind wandered to the pills. It would be so easy. Why did he even consider willingly entering the inescapable pit of nonexistance when it was so terrifying to think about? The problem lay in the fact that it was inevitable. No matter how cleverly he dodged Death's grasp. How deftly he delayed its onset, he could not stop it. Why try? Why even continue if everything you do will eventually be taken from you? Your mind even! How could you live life knowing that its all worthless? If he was going to die, he couldn't see a reason to continue. Quit while you're behind. The only things that kept him from commiting the action were the survival instinct that he could not overcome, and the knowledge of the pain he would cause his family. Yes, he wouldn't be around to experience their pain, so it didn't truly matter, but it made him feel bad thinking about they would be put through in his absence.
And so he battled, day after day, doing his best to remain numb to the pains and truths of the world. He silently hoped that someone would be kind enough to take his life for him. How much easier it would be to be the victim of a car crash or a drive-by shooting than to attempt to take his own life. but as long as he could, he had decided to hold on to life.
"Perhaps it will get better."
"I doubt it."
"Perhaps... I don't even know. Just wait a little longer."
"I just want it to end."
People say that it's foolish to believe that death is rest, as rest is a feeling and cannot be experienced after death, but the End is approaching at breakneck speed. All he wanted was to bypass the bleak and hopeless road of life to reach the bitter and cold End that was death.
Post by
ASHelmy
There's a lot more I can say on this subject, but I think this is enough for you to understand it wasn't simply an issue of evolution versus creation or religion versus science for me. Again, I'm not trying to convince anyone, and if anything it would be better for you to come up with your own questions and your own answers. And yes, I'll admit there is bias in my writing; but after all, I
am
atheist.In reference to your above post, I went through bassically the same thing. I just fell into hatred and bitterness once I came to that conclusion. In life the universe is cold and uncaring, in death it's even worse, because you're not even around any more to comtemplate it.
If you don't mind me posting my own little bit of long text, here's something I wrote a while back, trying to pinpoint what I was feeling:
"Why?"
The question was all that was left of any sort of soul or essence that remained in Michael's heart. He had grown weary of all other branches that broke away from that terrible question. He knew most of the What, and the How.
Who? Us. Me.
Where? Here. The Universe. The whole of Existance.
When? Now. Before. After. Until The End.
But Why? Why was the Universe so cold? So bitter?
"Because."
That was the only logical answer. There was no god, and thus there was no creation.
Michael had long ago come to the conclusion that the religion of his family and friends, his ancestors and kinsmen, was nothing more than religion. Man-made rules and laws and history, designed in the cold and distant past when some prehistoric man decided to rise out of his ignorance and come up with reasons for things.
What made the sun rise, or the rain fall? The answer was obviously a greater power. Something that he could not understand, but only hope to appease for its favor. So he designed rules. Customs. Traditions for the worship of his gods. Other people seeking purpose and guidance learned from him, hoping that they too could gain favor with the operators of the world. After that man died, a few of his followers narrowed his rules. "Surely," they thought, "if the gods appreciated our efforts before, our penance and contrition will be rewarded tenfold."
And so the earliest religions appeared. Where beliefs differed, fights broke out. People began to slay other people simply for believing different and equally false beliefs. They called them "crusades" or "jihad," simply speaking, the purging of those who are not us.
However, as times changed, and beliefs softened, so too did the gods. No longer were the malevolent beings to be appeased or held at bay, but they became personal gods, supposedly interested in ones own life. Yet people continued to hold tight to their beliefs that their gods were one and the same as those of their ancestors, and in a sense this was true; they remained tools for holding people together. Tools for taking and holding power.
Or at least this is what Michael saw. He no longer knew what to believe. Everything that he thought he knew seemed to be a lie. Even as he cried out to his god for guidance, his spirit had been broken by silence. What now could he trust? The only things he could truly put his faith into were those for which evidence could be supplied. And yet, without a creator, the universe seems all the colder. Surely this was why people believed even after science surpassed religion as the authority on the mechanics of the universe. It gave them hope. Purpose. The feeling that they may be worth something after all.
But all this was lost on Michael. Many times before had he joked that he would rather be right than happy, but the weight of that statement was crushing down upon him moreso than ever. If there truly was no creator, then in fact the universe was meaningless. And if there was no meaning to the universe, than he had no meaning or purpose either. Whether measured against the immeasurable vastness of the universe or against the limitless grind of time, he meant absolutely nothing in the big picture, which itself meant nothing.
Life lost its value in his eyes.
"Why continue?"
A person is born. They live a little. And then they die. And that was the end. What mark they made in the world was meaningless both due to the fact that the world was meaningless, and their acts served to give it no more meaning as a whole, and by the fact that once they perished, they were gone. It matter not what the did in life, for the mind dies with the body. Death was truly the worst thing he could imagine. Even in the most dire pain, existance is more desireable to nonexistance. It truly was indescribable in its finality.
But still his mind wandered to the pills. It would be so easy. Why did he even consider willingly entering the inescapable pit of nonexistance when it was so terrifying to think about? The problem lay in the fact that it was inevitable. No matter how cleverly he dodged Death's grasp. How deftly he delayed its onset, he could not stop it. Why try? Why even continue if everything you do will eventually be taken from you? Your mind even! How could you live life knowing that its all worthless? If he was going to die, he couldn't see a reason to continue. Quit while you're behind. The only things that kept him from commiting the action were the survival instinct that he could not overcome, and the knowledge of the pain he would cause his family. Yes, he wouldn't be around to experience their pain, so it didn't truly matter, but it made him feel bad thinking about they would be put through in his absence.
And so he battled, day after day, doing his best to remain numb to the pains and truths of the world. He silently hoped that someone would be kind enough to take his life for him. How much easier it would be to be the victim of a car crash or a drive-by shooting than to attempt to take his own life. but as long as he could, he had decided to hold on to life.
"Perhaps it will get better."
"I doubt it."
"Perhaps... I don't even know. Just wait a little longer."
"I just want it to end."
People say that it's foolish to believe that death is rest, as rest is a feeling and cannot be experienced after death, but the End is approaching at breakneck speed. All he wanted was to bypass the bleak and hopeless road of life to reach the bitter and cold End that was death.
You probably will not listen to this, but want me to try and help you?
Post by
TheMediator
Ivokk, if you're so scared of death, you could always consider suspended animation. Eventually we'll figure out how to prolong life to a desirable length.
Personally, I'd rather go into death knowing that it will be the end of me. Those who want or believe they'll get eternal life are foolish. Eternity is a long, long time. You will lose your sanity, and forever live as a mad man... that's worse than any other punishment I could think of.
Post by
ShadowSerpent
Personally, I'd rather go into death knowing that it will be the end of me. Those who want or believe they'll get eternal life are foolish. Eternity is a long, long time. You will lose your sanity, and forever live as a mad man... that's worse than any other punishment I could think of.
QFT
Post by
316035
This post was from a user who has deleted their account.
Post by
184848
This post was from a user who has deleted their account.
Post by
ASHelmy
Someone needs anger management. Any who, I say that it wasn't altered cause there was no proof that it was. In fact, there is proof that it
wasn't
; It was never translated (it was first written in Arabic); A lot of people make sure that it is never changed (and they do so with immense zeal). You bundled religious people as a bunch of ignorami, when it fact (and I hate to say), it was you who was ignorant in this case.
Again, the same rubbish. I am angry because you completely fail to grasp the concepts of truth and proof. Please, don't attempt to use the word
proof
for your propaganda. Proof is an empirical tool that the educated employ to demonstrate that something observed will occur again. Arbitrary statements about the Qu'ran (or any other religious text) are not
proven
until some evidence is produced.
1. Garbage that is not translated remains garbage.
2. People making sure that garbage is never changed...see where I'm going with this?
Science > Religion because we do not claim to be correct. An idea is only as good as it's evidence. If a fossil was found outside the strata that it could possibly have evolved in, I would consider that solid evidence that the theory had been challenged, and it would have to be reformulated or explained by further research. It disgusts me that people can be brainwashed into never thinking for themselves, never attempting to discover the truth of the universe, but swallowing some spiritualist dogma.
You are a human being, the only discovered species in the entire universe to have evolved a brain and independent conscious thought.
USE IT.
Actually, I happened to have an experience similar to skreeran ( but on a much much much smaller scale) and the reason I stuck with my religion is that I came to the realization that Islam doesn't say that their's a big man in the sky, but rather That their is something out their that is inexpliciable, and we just happen to call that thing god. You see, Islam isn't claiming that we are right, it's admitting that you know nothing. And that post I made was to prove that the Qu'ran was unchanged, not an attempt to give it value.
Post by
Laihendi
Ivokk, if you're so scared of death, you could always consider suspended animation. Eventually we'll figure out how to prolong life to a desirable length.
Personally, I'd rather go into death knowing that it will be the end of me. Those who want or believe they'll get eternal life are foolish. Eternity is a long, long time. You will lose your sanity, and forever live as a mad man... that's worse than any other punishment I could think of.
What are you talking about... ?
Post by
Skreeran
You probably will not listen to this, but want me to try and help you?I honestly doubt there's anything you could do to help me. I've talked to all sorts of people who thought that they could help me, and they couldn't answer any of my questions.
Post by
184848
This post was from a user who has deleted their account.
Post by
ASHelmy
You probably will not listen to this, but want me to try and help you?I honestly doubt there's anything you could do to help me. I've talked to all sorts of people who thought that they could help me, and they couldn't answer any of my questions.
Not going to try to answer. Honestly, I went trough what you did, but on a smaller scale. You are obviously smart, for someone like you I suggest two thing: First, focus on using your brain in something useful and constructive, I suggest biology; should suit you. Try getting a higher degree in bio and getting a job. Second (and this is the part you are gonna flame/ not like), I suggest you consider Islam; Islam doesn't claim to have all the answers; Islam doesn't claim that god is a man in the sky, Instead all we say is that there is something that we don't know out there, and we just call that thing god.
Islam leaves the door open for the mind to think, sure some people will stick to creationism and other myths (sorry for the harsh term), but I myself believe in evolution and the big bang. Muslims don't claim to have all the answers, we admit we don't know and move on. You will find that Islam is free of most religious stereotypes. Religion should give you enough purpose in life, and Islam just lets science do it's thing; something you should like. If you have anything to ask, let me know, and please consider this.
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