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defacto7

(13,485 posts)
97. I wrote this comment to stone space yesterday
Tue May 6, 2014, 11:14 PM
May 2014

and decided not to post it. I am glad I didn't because the discussion that ensued has been very well said and I may have disrupted it. It follows and would have been comment #15:

-------
I've noticed a couple of things too..

Respectfully, I am not convinced of your sincerity. In reading your comments you either have no interest in change when confronted by the necessity, you have no respect for atheism or its constituents, you are making up your own religion, or you are just playing atheist for some strange reason. You use terms that are inconsistent with atheism and you're choosing to be consistent at it. Why is that? Your arguments, as well as any other person's arguments are worthy of discussion but your insistence on concept conjuring, definitions that could be interpreted as theistic, and case mangling at will is telling. Certainly math or English 104 has nothing to do with it. Didn't you once write that God wants to be a mathematician? Hmmm?

Maybe you decided to be atheist last week and haven't caught up.. and really don't want to catch up. I suppose that would be consistent, and hey, there's nothing wrong with being a newbie. If you are a newbie I apologize for confronting you, but trying to look like you know what your talking about and not learning from mistakes is suspicious... at least to this non-theist.

Honesty.. dishonesty...? or maybe I just distrust clergy-speak.

Be well.

----

A person has to show some humility to be atheist because we can be wrong about a lot of things. Standing firm on a trusted premise is good but the real difference between atheists and theists is the ability to learn and evolve. Evolving does not include making up your own rules and expecting not to be confronted, that's naïve. Either our friend is new to atheism and has no desire to discuss outside his own world with it's own terms or he's very possibly not atheist at all.

I wish him well, but maybe it's time to grow up.

I knew exactly what you meant when you first said that. trotsky May 2014 #1
I don't see peoples' faith as being dishonest simply because they don't fit some fundamentalist... stone space May 2014 #2
I realize that dishonest has a really negative connotation, but I don't mean "deliberately lying" Warren Stupidity May 2014 #5
Maybe the problem isn't in the answers. Maybe the problem is in the questions. stone space May 2014 #7
What a terrible analogy. trotsky May 2014 #8
No, I'm saying that they might define their religious beliefs differently that... stone space May 2014 #9
Then you need a different analogy. trotsky May 2014 #18
i have many atheist beliefs (nt) stone space May 2014 #21
And I have a unicorn. trotsky May 2014 #23
would that be a literal unicorn or a metaphorical unicorn? (nt) stone space May 2014 #24
Yes! n/t trotsky May 2014 #26
cool! stone space May 2014 #28
Core beliefs? Work hard, be nice, and probably some spanish proverb... stone space May 2014 #66
And I don't know which is worse. Curmudgeoness May 2014 #3
There is something more to be respected about the literalist skepticscott May 2014 #6
Maybe they don't have any beliefs solid enough to pin down LostOne4Ever May 2014 #4
See my post #7 above. stone space May 2014 #10
Fundementalist Literalist Atheists? uriel1972 May 2014 #11
I was hoping somebody would notice that...lol. stone space May 2014 #12
I don't think an atheist can interperet the bible in such a manner... uriel1972 May 2014 #13
Well you could get that point across with just literalist atheist LostOne4Ever May 2014 #15
Well, I'm not really used to using the terms "literalist" or "modernist". stone space May 2014 #17
Well there is a difference between the common definition of the word LostOne4Ever May 2014 #61
I found a cool word on wikipedia once. stone space May 2014 #63
Here is another cool concept related to this topic LostOne4Ever May 2014 #64
No such atheist exists. trotsky May 2014 #19
That's a fine thing to do, in a discussion with a literalist christian. stone space May 2014 #20
Also a fine thing to do in a discussion with a moderate Christian. trotsky May 2014 #22
if you are a literalist atheist, then go for it stone space May 2014 #25
Again no such thing and I would appreciate if you would stop insulting atheists. trotsky May 2014 #27
i didn't see it as insulting, just descriptive stone space May 2014 #29
But not one of the flavors is "biblical literalist." trotsky May 2014 #30
If an atheist takes a literalist position with respect to the bible in a discussion with... stone space May 2014 #33
Aha - key word: "acting" trotsky May 2014 #34
Now there's an interesting question, regarding what makes one a christian. stone space May 2014 #35
I think it's been pretty well established... trotsky May 2014 #38
How so? stone space May 2014 #39
Math != religion trotsky May 2014 #40
I never said it was, but you are claiming that taking something literally = believing it. (nt) stone space May 2014 #41
When it comes to a holy book, uh, yeah, that's kind of the point. trotsky May 2014 #43
"Advanced Atheism"? That's sounds like an interesting topic worthy of its own thread. (nt) stone space May 2014 #44
Perhaps you could tell us a little about your atheism. trotsky May 2014 #46
answers stone space May 2014 #47
Why don't you believe in any gods? n/t trotsky May 2014 #48
Not sure I can point to any particular reason. It's just what I believe. I don't claim to have... stone space May 2014 #49
So you have no reasons, none at all, to reject belief in gods? trotsky May 2014 #52
I didn't just decide to call myself an atheist. I call myself an atheist because that's what... stone space May 2014 #54
Why don't you believe in any gods? n/t trotsky May 2014 #55
I don't know. stone space May 2014 #57
You keep using that term: "atheist beliefs." trotsky May 2014 #58
Oh, I have lots of atheist beliefs, far too many to list here. stone space May 2014 #62
I've got news for you. trotsky May 2014 #83
Do you tell Christians what their Christian beliefs are and are not, also? stone space May 2014 #84
Christianity is a religion. trotsky May 2014 #91
Speaking of patterns skepticscott May 2014 #100
You keep using the word "atheist" - mr blur May 2014 #86
Oh, Cluster Bomb Christianity has been around for a long, long time, also. stone space May 2014 #92
Atheism is about a lack of belief in any god. That is it. Goblinmonger May 2014 #93
I 'm not offended in the slightest. No need to apologise, mr blur May 2014 #94
And you may not have met one yet skepticscott May 2014 #101
wait, you have to start from: that book is the revealed truth from god. Warren Stupidity May 2014 #50
The post you replied to was only addressing the question of whether or not... stone space May 2014 #51
and again, when the text being read claims to be the truth Warren Stupidity May 2014 #53
Taking something literally does not = believing that the literal interpretation is true. (nt) stone space May 2014 #56
I give up. Warren Stupidity May 2014 #59
A literalist believer believes. stone space May 2014 #60
Perhaps it's you who is posting in the wrong Group? mr blur May 2014 #36
Am I? Are atheists not allowed here? (nt) stone space May 2014 #37
Of course atheists are 'allowed' here; you just seem a little confused. nt mr blur May 2014 #42
Oh, I'm confused about a lot of things. Aren't we all? (nt) stone space May 2014 #45
I find this insulting... JNelson6563 May 2014 #75
It's a haven for people to insult the families of atheists. stone space May 2014 #76
Believers and beliefs get discussed. JNelson6563 May 2014 #77
I don't even know what this means. stone space May 2014 #78
But you're an atheist, uh-huh, sure you are! JNelson6563 May 2014 #85
Claim atheism falsely? Am I being excommunicated? I didn't even know it was possible. stone space May 2014 #87
Just callin' a stinky pantload when I smell it. JNelson6563 May 2014 #89
My first foray into this discussion and my impression. Goblinmonger May 2014 #90
No dude you are being identified. Warren Stupidity May 2014 #95
Ha! EvolveOrConvolve May 2014 #80
Just so you know, the word "fundamentalist" is frowned upon here in A&A EvolveOrConvolve May 2014 #65
Oh, I get that. I'm atheist myself. stone space May 2014 #67
I've never met an atheist who "interpreted the bible literally" EvolveOrConvolve May 2014 #69
Ok, now I'm confused. stone space May 2014 #71
I said you were free to use it EvolveOrConvolve May 2014 #72
Freethinking has always had its consequences. stone space May 2014 #79
Incidentally, we are in a thread where people like my wife are being described with... stone space May 2014 #68
Sometimes the truth hurts EvolveOrConvolve May 2014 #70
The truth about my wife is that she is dishonest??? stone space May 2014 #73
I think Warren did a far better job upthread describing what is meant by "dishonest" EvolveOrConvolve May 2014 #74
and the alert nannies struck again. Warren Stupidity May 2014 #82
I don't like the word "nanny" EvolveOrConvolve May 2014 #96
"True atheism"? You've reached the 'No True Atheist' defence? mr blur May 2014 #81
delicate fee fees nil desperandum May 2014 #88
Who mentioned your wife? mr blur May 2014 #98
I don't see how your reply relates to my comment LostOne4Ever May 2014 #14
Fundamentalist? intaglio May 2014 #99
I get what you're saying. I don't personally know if any biblical literalists, TxDemChem May 2014 #16
All religions nil desperandum May 2014 #31
I understood your meaning. AtheistCrusader May 2014 #32
I wrote this comment to stone space yesterday defacto7 May 2014 #97
Latest Discussions»Alliance Forums»Atheists & Agnostics»Dishonesty and thoughtles...»Reply #97