Religion

djean111

(14,255 posts)

30. What theists feel or say about my atheism is totally irrelevant and unimportant.

Sun Jul 27, 2014, 10:47 PM

Jul 2014

I certainly don't care enough to feel insulted - why should I, the person saying stuff is not worth the bother.
What is relevant and important to me is the evil done in the name of religion. There's a lot of well-funded and organized religious folk who would do me harm, directly or indirectly, if they could (Dominionists, for example). And those people feel quite smugly justified in dealing out harm to others who do not believe as they do.
Look what Bush wanted to do in the names of Gog and Magog. Totally deranged and dangerous, and people like these have high positions in government. That's fucking frightening, not who-the-hell-cares-about-their-opinions insulting.
That's why I will never be able to just not give religion a thought - best to be aware of the really bad stuff.

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Atheists, do you wish you could afford to ignore religion completely? [View all] Htom Sirveaux Jul 2014 OP

Well sure, but that's a privilege not available to atheists. Erich Bloodaxe BSN Jul 2014 #1

Yes - Very Tired Of Organized Religions cantbeserious Jul 2014 #2

Do you really think edhopper Jul 2014 #3

If you can believe religion, you can believe anything! immoderate Jul 2014 #6

Not true. hrmjustin Jul 2014 #7

With some exceptions, which would be self-evident, can you cite some beliefs that NO religious... immoderate Jul 2014 #8

Well we don't believe that Lizards really rule the Earth. hrmjustin Jul 2014 #10

You can't prove they don't. cleanhippie Jul 2014 #13

No but the fact we believe in religion does not mean we will believe anything. hrmjustin Jul 2014 #18

Says you. cleanhippie Jul 2014 #19

yes! says me. hrmjustin Jul 2014 #21

Which really means very little. cleanhippie Jul 2014 #22

This message was self-deleted by its author hrmjustin Jul 2014 #23

That wasn't an insult. cleanhippie Jul 2014 #25

my bad! Common sense says you can't get a religious person just to believe anything. hrmjustin Jul 2014 #29

When people believe a dead person came back to life... cleanhippie Jul 2014 #31

Some would agree with you but there are plenty of things you can not get me to believe. hrmjustin Jul 2014 #32

Not through this medium, at least. cleanhippie Jul 2014 #36

The fact is some people are gullible but being religious does not mean you are automatically hrmjustin Jul 2014 #37

Says who? You? cleanhippie Jul 2014 #38

lol! It is my opinion. you asked my opinion. hrmjustin Jul 2014 #39

We're not talking about being gullible. cleanhippie Jul 2014 #40

Not always no but sometimes. hrmjustin Jul 2014 #41

Then you've just negated your entire hypothesis. cleanhippie Jul 2014 #42

It is late so if I did I am sorry. hrmjustin Jul 2014 #44

The original question was Fortinbras Armstrong Jul 2014 #81

Obviously you can. rug Jul 2014 #46

I suppose if you put everyone through a big enough juicer, you could tell. AtheistCrusader Jul 2014 #54

There's no time for that, what with all these giant lizards walking around. rug Jul 2014 #67

Not ALL religious people believe that, but you can be pretty sure some do. immoderate Jul 2014 #33

Well I like to think I am very rational. hrmjustin Jul 2014 #34

Funny thing though, EVERYBODY thinks they're rational. immoderate Jul 2014 #43

One can be "very rational" and believe in ridiculous stuff for which there is no evidence. Warren Stupidity Jul 2014 #62

Name the religion that does. rug Jul 2014 #47

The 1) current article in Cognitive Science says that Christians tend to accept fantasy as real Brettongarcia Jul 2014 #48

I see. You can't, your allusion to Irish Catholics notwithstanding. rug Jul 2014 #70

Though the "lizard brain" might seem to some, to motivate many. Brettongarcia Jul 2014 #69

explain please? hrmjustin Jul 2014 #71

Psychology posits that deep in the human brain, is a residual brain like a lizard. Close to the stem Brettongarcia Jul 2014 #73

Thanks for the link and explaination. hrmjustin Jul 2014 #74

No, the list was in no particular order. Htom Sirveaux Jul 2014 #9

Why wouldn't someone find that insulting edhopper Jul 2014 #11

Indeed, and my question assumed that Htom Sirveaux Jul 2014 #12

It sounded to me like you thought the biggest problem we have edhopper Jul 2014 #16

I was just trying to illustrate a state of religion Htom Sirveaux Jul 2014 #20

I guess if no one acted primarily on their edhopper Jul 2014 #24

A state of religion that has no negative impact? cleanhippie Jul 2014 #28

I was imagining a world where all religions were harmless. Htom Sirveaux Jul 2014 #35

Richard Nixon was a Quaker; UU's lend more credibility to the rest of religion than it deserves Brettongarcia Jul 2014 #49

That escalated quickly. Htom Sirveaux Jul 2014 #55

You might think we'd be free from religious coercion, 1) if religions were more pacifistic. Brettongarcia Jul 2014 #66

It would be better if you asked me what I think, instead of Htom Sirveaux Jul 2014 #72

Is insulting a bad thing? rug Jul 2014 #14

Rational discourse is much better Brettongarcia Jul 2014 #50

I agree but he didn't answer the question. rug Jul 2014 #68

They have no right to be offended. Leontius Jul 2014 #76

I actually consider myself more of an agnostic SheilaT Jul 2014 #4

As I have said before, Curmudgeoness Jul 2014 #5

That would be significant, though vanishingly unlikely skepticscott Jul 2014 #15

The question wasn't whether I would be happy about it. Curmudgeoness Jul 2014 #17

No airwaves? Htom Sirveaux Jul 2014 #27

The point is that people won't keep their destructive religious views to themselves; Brettongarcia Jul 2014 #51

Yes. nt Curmudgeoness Jul 2014 #78

Well, just screw that nasty old First Amendment. okasha Jul 2014 #79

If GLBT people would just keep their sexuality in their homes and clubs cbayer Jul 2014 #61

cbayer, this is really dishonest. trotsky Jul 2014 #64

Wow. Curmudgeoness Jul 2014 #77

Well, I think that assuming that all people choose whether to believe or not is probably a mistake. cbayer Jul 2014 #80

You misunderstand. Curmudgeoness Jul 2014 #82

Again, I agree with you about the power that the religious right has taken cbayer Jul 2014 #83

Religion is just interesting to study. safeinOhio Jul 2014 #26

What theists feel or say about my atheism is totally irrelevant and unimportant. djean111 Jul 2014 #30

I would try not to customerserviceguy Jul 2014 #45

I live in a place where religion and atheism doesn't hold much sway....I really don't think about.. Tikki Jul 2014 #52

But with them constantly shoving it down our throats... philip.chinery Jul 2014 #56

A liberalish part of So.California...the only passive aggressive outspoken here that I've ever run Tikki Jul 2014 #65

There are many examples of religions, some practiced in the US, that I never give a second thought AtheistCrusader Jul 2014 #53

since you asked gwheezie Jul 2014 #57

Nope. If it would stay on the other side of the church-state barrier Warpy Jul 2014 #58

I'm sick of the Abrahamic religions. Manifestor_of_Light Jul 2014 #59

That is an awefully big If. longship Jul 2014 #60

Sure because that would mean that religion was irrelevant. Warren Stupidity Jul 2014 #63

It would still kind of annoy me... gcomeau Jul 2014 #75