quote:Well, I know I talk differently than other people do sometimes, and sometimes I'm really thick-headed, but if you ever think I'm attacking you or judging you that's not my intention. Sometimes I think I do try to shake people up a little to get them to see another view, but I don't mean no harm I really don't.
Actually that was just wondering on my part if judgement was the right word to use - but since I couldn't come up with something better...
quote:My father-in-law died of cancer. My father had cancer when he died, although he had so much wrong with him I don't know what he died of. For various reasons I didn't have to do much of the caretaking. I can't imagine how difficult it would be to not only have to do that, but take abuse for it. No, there's nothing easy about any of that.
His doctor has told him to go on an anti-depressant - hopefully that will help.
"Say what you will about the sweet miracle of unquestioning faith. I consider the capacity for it terrifying." ~Kurt Vonnegut, Jr.
Someone asked the question above about what the actual representation of atheists in US prisons is.
I decided to do the research myself and the results are:
According to the christians I asked, all christian criminals had by their actions violated the tenets of their faith and were thereby effectively excommunicated. The muslims I asked gave me the same repy. The jews I asked told me that they rejected crminals in the same way.
I guess the answer is that criminals are 100% atheist. Maybe the woman who wrote this letter has a point!!
The above, of course, is merely a reworking of the answer which I frequently obtained when asking my catholic teachers why the church had allowed such carnage in its name.
It's a neat argument: there is no such thing as an evil christian, because evil disbars the wrongdoer from membership of the club.
There is a complicating factor, however. That is forgiveness, which allows for the excommunicee to re-enter the church. Perhaps since this is not an option for atheists, we should we dealt with *less* severly by the law than those who hold faith.
quote: Someone asked the question above about what the actual representation of atheists in US prisons is.
That was me; I just decided to do a Google search for the phrase "Atheists in prison", and the first hit gave me some stats. We may wish to check this out further, but you can have a look at this link;
"Hey Butt-Head check this book out! There's a talking snake, a naked chick, then some guy puts a leaf on his SCHLONG!!" [Beavis and Butt-Head Do America]
I never discuss my religion (or lack thereof) to anyone who is religious. I simply state that I believe whatever exists, exists, and I am not about to be blasphemous about it. If that "whatever exists, exists" agrees with their religion, then so be it. They usually leave me alone about religion and I do the same with them.
Nobody is about to wipe away religion. One can only hope that the nasty parts of certain religious beliefs can be tempered by the kind of thinking which went into the making of the Constitution of the United States and of the Bill of Rights. The important thing to do is to preserve these rights, so that there is a freedom of thought for everybody, including those who are religious.
I do not tend to have many problems with most religious people that I know, nor do they with me, because religion is not an issue which they need to defend.
I do not discuss religion with anybody, however.
ljbrs
*Nothing is more damaging to a new truth than an old error.* Goethe
What about those of us who consider ourselves to be agnostic. Technically we aren't atheists so maybe we could stay in the country but live on a reservation or in a camp of some kind. Maybe we will be allowed to still live among the American people but will have to wear a big "A" sewn on to our clothes. I must admit it would be a change of life style. I guess I could get used to it. god bless america
Somebody's asking me how to use this thing? I don't know what you mean, I just use the reply function usually. Then you have to add "(quote}" and (/quote)" without the "'s and with a [] instead of a ().
quote: What about those of us who consider ourselves to be agnostic. Technically we aren't atheists ...
Mmmmm....an Atheist is a person who lacks a belief in a god. An Agnostic does not know if god exists or not...therefore they cannot be said to have a belief as they are suspending judgement. By this reasoning all Agnostics are Atheists, but not all Atheists are Agnostic.
We'll save you a seat.
------- The brain that was stolen from my laboratory was a criminal brain. Only evil will come from it.
I've heard it said that atheism is about a lack of belief, and agnosticism is about a lack of knowledge. So, an agnostic can actually believe in a god, but think that that god cannot be known. What's the correct definition of agnosticism?
quote:
Mmmmm....an Atheist is a person who lacks a belief in a god. An Agnostic does not know if god exists or not...therefore they cannot be said to have a belief as they are suspending judgement. By this reasoning all Agnostics are Atheists, but not all Atheists are Agnostic.
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