Holy Crap!
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Ronja
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by Ronja » Wed Oct 12, 2011 9:48 am
At least one of our members has contributed to the
collection of short pieces titled “Why I am an atheist” hosted by PZ Myers on the
new version of his Pharyngula blog. And done it very well, IMO.
Simply spiffing, lordpasternack! 
I am an atheist, in short, because I am a rationalist and a scientist. I am an atheist because of reason – because of a simple love of the power of reasoning and rational thinking to bring real clarity, resolution and a grasp of the closest thing you really will get to get to real ‘truth’ while living out your lives on this pale blue dot. (Or indeed while living anywhere else in the cosmos – to any readers tuning in from the International Space Station, Mars, Europa, or wherever.)
I don’t believe in gods for much the same reason that I don’t believe in fairies, bogeymen, ghosts, lucky gems, leprechauns, Santa or the Easter Bunny. There isn’t a shred of convincing evidence for the existence of any of them, plenty of evidence that they are grossly surplus to requirements for explaining any phenomenon, and that proposing them just creates more problems than it solves.
...
More here:
http://freethoughtblogs.com/pharyngula/ ... n-atheist/
If anyone wonders: I did ask her before posting this, just in case."The internet is made of people. People matter. This includes you. Stop trying to sell everything about yourself to everyone. Don’t just hammer away and repeat and talk at people—talk TO people. It’s organic. Make stuff for the internet that matters to you, even if it seems stupid. Do it because it’s good and feels important. Put up more cat pictures. Make more songs. Show your doodles. Give things away and take things that are free." -
Maureen J
"...
anyone who says it’s “just the Internet” can
. And then when they come back, they can
again." -
Tigger
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charlou
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by charlou » Wed Oct 12, 2011 9:49 am
How many have simply said "I'm an atheist because I don't believe in deities"?
no fences
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rachelbean
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by rachelbean » Wed Oct 12, 2011 9:55 am
Cool
How I came to be an atheist might be interesting, but WHY I am an atheist is because I couldn't convince myself that God existed, any longer.
charlou wrote:How many have simply said "I'm an atheist because I don't believe in deities"?
Well, it would make for some pretty boring reading
lordpasternack wrote:Yeah - I fuckin'
love oppressin' ma wimmin, like I love chowin' on ma bacon and tuggin' on ma ol' cock…
Pappa wrote:God is a cunt! I wank over pictures of Jesus! I love Darwin so much I'd have sex with his bones!!!!
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klr
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by klr » Wed Oct 12, 2011 9:56 am
Excellent
That hat-sharing session must have worked
[/obscure reference]
God has no place within these walls, just like facts have no place within organized religion. - Superintendent Chalmers
It's not up to us to choose which laws we want to obey. If it were, I'd kill everyone who looked at me cock-eyed! - Rex Banner
The Bluebird of Happiness long absent from his life, Ned is visited by the Chicken of Depression. - Gary Larson
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Gawdzilla Sama
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by Gawdzilla Sama » Wed Oct 12, 2011 9:56 am
All I could say is "I've never been anything else and have no reason to believe."
Ein Ubootsoldat wrote:“Ich melde mich ab. Grüssen Sie bitte meine Kameraden.”
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Pappa
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by Pappa » Wed Oct 12, 2011 10:05 am
I'm an atheist because my parents didn't indoctrinate me with religion, and it all seems pretty silly when you view it from the outside. They didn't bring me up as an "Atheist" either. Religion was almost never mentioned at home because it was a thing of no consequence or significance. When I was old enough to spend time thinking about it all in my teens, I dabbled with Buddhism for a bit while I was seeking answers to the big questions, I read about lots of religions and some philosophy... but deities and spirituality still seemed very silly and improbable. So I continued just not believing in any of it as before. I only began self-identifying as an atheist about 5 years ago when my son came home from school saying, "God made all the trees and butterflies" and I discovered that schools in England and Wales are obliged by law to foist Christian worship on the kids unless the parents actively opt their children out. It was a massive shock to me, and seemed like such an anachronism. Since then I've been a Militant Atheist very much like this one.
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Gawdzilla Sama
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by Gawdzilla Sama » Wed Oct 12, 2011 10:08 am
Ya'll get over there and share, damn it!
Ein Ubootsoldat wrote:“Ich melde mich ab. Grüssen Sie bitte meine Kameraden.”
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charlou
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by charlou » Wed Oct 12, 2011 10:19 am
love that cartoon.
no fences
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Robert_S
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by Robert_S » Wed Oct 12, 2011 10:21 am
Great essay LP!
What I've found with a few discussions I've had lately is this self-satisfaction that people express with their proffessed open mindedness. In realty it ammounts to wilful ignorance and intellectual cowardice as they are choosing to not form any sort of opinion on a particular topic. Basically "I don't know and I'm not going to look at any evidence because I'm quite happy on this fence."
-Mr P
The Net is best considered analogous to communication with disincarnate intelligences. As any neophyte would tell you. Do not invoke that which you have no facility to banish.
Audley Strange
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Hermit
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by Hermit » Wed Oct 12, 2011 10:40 am
klr wrote:That hat-sharing session must have worked
[/obscure reference]
What are you talking about?
I am, somehow, less interested in the weight and convolutions of Einstein’s brain than in the near certainty that people of equal talent have lived and died in cotton fields and sweatshops. - Stephen J. Gould
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Magicziggy
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by Magicziggy » Wed Oct 12, 2011 10:41 am
I want to write one now. Great essay LP.
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lordpasternack
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by lordpasternack » Wed Oct 12, 2011 10:47 am
charlou wrote:How many have simply said "I'm an atheist because I don't believe in deities"?
That just pushes back the question they were obviously meaning to ask - which is why you don't believe in deities. And I suppose you could answer that you don't believe in deities because you're an atheist. It's kinda like someone asking someone else why they are a musician, and getting the reply: "I am a musician because I make a living playing musical instruments."
The answer might of course be "no discernible reason" or "I've never known anything else" - but even that's better than starting a semantic loop.
Then they for sudden joy did weep,
And I for sorrow sung,
That such a king should play bo-peep,
And go the fools among.
Prithee, nuncle, keep a schoolmaster that can teach
thy fool to lie: I would fain learn to lie.
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charlou
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by charlou » Wed Oct 12, 2011 10:51 am
lordpasternack wrote:charlou wrote:How many have simply said "I'm an atheist because I don't believe in deities"?
That just pushes back the question they were obviously meaning to ask - which is why you don't believe in deities. And I suppose you could answer that you don't believe in deities because you're an atheist. It's kinda like someone asking someone else why they are a musician, and getting the reply: "I am a musician because I make a living playing musical instruments."
The answer might of course be "no discernible reason" or "I've never known anything else" - but even that's better than starting a semantic loop.
I know.
I'm curious how many people have simply said that.
no fences
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lordpasternack
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by lordpasternack » Wed Oct 12, 2011 10:59 am
If there were any, PZ would never publish them. He abhors dictionary atheists.
Then they for sudden joy did weep,
And I for sorrow sung,
That such a king should play bo-peep,
And go the fools among.
Prithee, nuncle, keep a schoolmaster that can teach
thy fool to lie: I would fain learn to lie.
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Gawdzilla Sama
- Stabsobermaschinist
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by Gawdzilla Sama » Wed Oct 12, 2011 11:01 am
Speaking of PZ, anybody going to Skepticon IV?
Ein Ubootsoldat wrote:“Ich melde mich ab. Grüssen Sie bitte meine Kameraden.”
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