It is definitely in the delivery, for sure. You can ask them if they want the short answer or the long answer. Invariably, they will ask for the short answer. Then you fire in the "can't distinguish between it and make believe" line in all serious - and immediately ask them to clarify it for you. Humbly admit that you don't know it all, and the believer may well be right - all you need is for them to tell you how you are supposed to distinguish their belief from make believe. It comes across as such a simple task....but, they will find it impossible to do.Pappa wrote:In my experience, saying something like that would be regarded as very dismissive and sarcastic. Or it would if I said it. Maybe it's my delivery.Coito ergo sum wrote:There are ways to respond to a theist without being strident.Bella Fortuna wrote:To an extent. If I voice my increasingly vehement opposition to religion, I'll be looked on as a whining, strident atheist. The thing is, though, the longer I live the more intolerant of religion I am becoming. I'm not obnoxious about it, but I think it is an enormous bane and an unmatched negative influence on mankind - and how can you not sound strident when you express that?Pappa wrote:<snip>
Do the rest of you have this problem?
Even my equally (and lifelong) atheist ex-husband thought I was overboard with my opinions, but then, he's an accomodationist and a twat.
One of the best short responses when you get into a situation where people are asking you why you are an atheist, you can just say, "because, while I may be missing something, I have never been able to distinguish religious belief from make believe. Could you explain how you make that distinction?" Most people are stumped, and the best responses amount to "I feel it," "I've had personal experiences that I can't prove to you," or "I just know it," but more commonly, the response is something to the effect of "oh, come on...it's not the same as make-believe!" (to which you can respond - well, I'm not saying it's the same - I'm saying I have not been able to make the distinction - can you help explain it to me? - they won't be able to).
Are you too angry about religion?
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Re: Are you too angry about religion?
Re: Are you too angry about religion?
(With the voice of Borat) Yes, is nice here. I like. The internets is nice.Feck wrote:Samuel wrote:Thanks for the empathy, but I must clarify that it's not a completely closed closet, as my wife is also an atheist :-) Mainly to avoid Pappa's dilemma: "The problem is, I find that my moderate religious inlaws and my old college friends and similar (who probably aren't even religious) all now regard me as the angry ranting atheist with a chip on his shoulder. "Charlou wrote:Sorry to hear it. Curious ... why in the closet?Samuel wrote:I'm a closet atheist, sad to say.
Most of my close relatives are Christian, and as much as I'd like to discuss theological issues with them in a rational manner, I feel that it will be impossible. Therefore I have chosen the cowardly option to mainly just avoid certain topics on Christmas dinners et cetera. But I feel infinitely lucky that my wife is also an atheist, my best friend, my lover, mother of our children and so on. My family (meaning me, wife + the kids) is a self-contained fully functional unit in a dysfunctional worldPlus we have some close friends, unrelated, that share our doubts about the divine.
And now you know us lot of god forsaken Ratz![]()
Re: Are you too angry about religion?
hehehe ... there'd be a ? inflection at the end ...Samuel wrote:(With the voice of Borat) Yes, is nice here. I like. The internets is nice.
no fences
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Re: Are you too angry about religion?
I have been talking to my liberal catholic friends, and they are disgusted with the pope and the hierarchy, and say so publically. Deep down, they would like to create a reformed catholic church, but can't see it happening. Some will drift away from the church, others will stay, but ignore most of the conservative teaching. It would be pointless me getting strident with them (that's their view of RD and similar figures, aggressive, strident atheists), but they accept that I see no need of a god to explain the universe, and that, in the end, they cannot prove the existence of their god, faith is all they've got... Anyway, woo aside, they're good people...
In return, I can say that I understand that their faith is an important and personal aspect of their lives, and we can agree to differ...
In return, I can say that I understand that their faith is an important and personal aspect of their lives, and we can agree to differ...
Nurse, where the fuck's my cardigan?
And my gin!
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Re: Are you too angry about religion?
They are Australian Jim... naturally irreverent, liberal and suspicious of authority figures.JimC wrote:I have been talking to my liberal catholic friends, and they are disgusted with the pope and the hierarchy, and say so publically. Deep down, they would like to create a reformed catholic church, but can't see it happening. Some will drift away from the church, others will stay, but ignore most of the conservative teaching. It would be pointless me getting strident with them (that's their view of RD and similar figures, aggressive, strident atheists), but they accept that I see no need of a god to explain the universe, and that, in the end, they cannot prove the existence of their god, faith is all they've got... Anyway, woo aside, they're good people...
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Re: Are you too angry about religion?
*cough*naturally irreverent, liberal and suspicious of authority figures.
You'd be surprised at how willing most Australians are to follow blindly the man with the prettiest hat.
"The fact is that far more crime and child abuse has been committed by zealots in the name of God, Jesus and Mohammed than has ever been committed in the name of Satan. Many people don't like that statement but few can argue with it."
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Re: Are you too angry about religion?
True in some ways, but these days there is a definite majority of catholics (IMO) that detests our good Cardinal Pell, and he's got a pretty hat...born-again-atheist wrote:*cough*naturally irreverent, liberal and suspicious of authority figures.
You'd be surprised at how willing most Australians are to follow blindly the man with the prettiest hat.
Nurse, where the fuck's my cardigan?
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Re: Are you too angry about religion?
That would be John Howard. Before him Malcolm Fraser and before him Bob Menzies. Between the three of them they told us what to do the majority of the time during the past 65 years, promoting the stodgiest, obedient, petty-bourgeois suburbanite values under the sun, and we kept voting them back in again and again and again and again and...born-again-atheist wrote:*cough*Pappa wrote:naturally irreverent, liberal and suspicious of authority figures.
You'd be surprised at how willing most Australians are to follow blindly the man with the prettiest hat.
Don't fall for that threadbare myth, Pappa. It's just that: a fucking myth.
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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Re: Are you too angry about religion?
Seraph wrote:That would be John Howard. Before him Malcolm Fraser and before him Bob Menzies. Between the three of them they told us what to do the majority of the time during the past 65 years, promoting the stodgiest, obedient, petty-bourgeois suburbanite values under the sun, and we kept voting them back in again and again and again and again and...born-again-atheist wrote:*cough*Pappa wrote:naturally irreverent, liberal and suspicious of authority figures.
You'd be surprised at how willing most Australians are to follow blindly the man with the prettiest hat.
Don't fall for that threadbare myth, Pappa. It's just that: a fucking myth.

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Re: Are you too angry about religion?
what the...FBM wrote:
After a degree in Philosophy, I've found it much easier to keep my mouth shut when I disagree with a religious person.
you telling me, you got a degree in philosophy and still missed God? how can you not spot someone that big?
oh man... what the hell were you thinking of in those philosophy classes. i bet you were concentrating on the ladies.
come on mate, be honest.
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Re: Are you too angry about religion?
We are, actually. Like everybody else on earth. Then conditioning sets in.Pappa wrote:Seraph wrote:That would be John Howard. Before him Malcolm Fraser and before him Bob Menzies. Between the three of them they told us what to do the majority of the time during the past 65 years, promoting the stodgiest, obedient, petty-bourgeois suburbanite values under the sun, and we kept voting them back in again and again and again and again and...born-again-atheist wrote:*cough*Pappa wrote:naturally irreverent, liberal and suspicious of authority figures.
You'd be surprised at how willing most Australians are to follow blindly the man with the prettiest hat.
Don't fall for that threadbare myth, Pappa. It's just that: a fucking myth.Damn, and there's me thinking Aussies are born cool!
Man is born free and everywhere he is in chains. - Jean-Jacques Rousseau
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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Re: Are you too angry about religion?
Things that don't exist are not "big."mandelson wrote:what the...FBM wrote:
After a degree in Philosophy, I've found it much easier to keep my mouth shut when I disagree with a religious person.
you telling me, you got a degree in philosophy and still missed God? how can you not spot someone that big?
oh man... what the hell were you thinking of in those philosophy classes. i bet you were concentrating on the ladies.
come on mate, be honest.
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Re: Are you too angry about religion?
It's called education. Try it sometime. God? Did you mean Allah? Your "mate" up there will be well hacked off that you got his name wrong. Peace be unto ... HE DOESN'T EXIST.mandelson wrote:what the...FBM wrote:
After a degree in Philosophy, I've found it much easier to keep my mouth shut when I disagree with a religious person.
you telling me, you got a degree in philosophy and still missed God? how can you not spot someone that big?
oh man... what the hell were you thinking of in those philosophy classes. i bet you were concentrating on the ladies.
come on mate, be honest.

Seth wrote:Fuck that, I like opening Pandora's box and shoving my tool inside it
Re: Are you too angry about religion?
what? so you agree with me that concentrating on ladies is called education?Tigger:
It's called education. Try it sometime.
now you talking mate.

you learn a lot by just listening to the women. the practical teaches you even more. trust me.

ofcourse i meant Allah; which other God is real. Allah is the only true God out there.God? Did you mean Allah?
who you talking about now tigger? whos gonna be hacked by who.Your "mate" up there will be well hacked off that you got his name wrong.
excuse me mate. Mohamed peace be upon him does exist, alright. are you on weed or something.Peace be unto ... HE DOESN'T EXIST.
i know that. duh. i also know things that do exists can be small as well, such as your willy.Coito ergo sum:
Things that don't exist are not "big."
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Re: Are you too angry about religion?
Mandelson, I will draw your attention to a post I made in reply to one of your topics of verbal diarrhea.mandelson wrote:what? so you agree with me that concentrating on ladies is called education?Tigger:
It's called education. Try it sometime.
now you talking mate.![]()
you learn a lot by just listening to the women. the practical teaches you even more. trust me.![]()
ofcourse i meant Allah; which other God is real. Allah is the only true God out there.God? Did you mean Allah?
who you talking about now tigger? whos gonna be hacked by who.Your "mate" up there will be well hacked off that you got his name wrong.
excuse me mate. Mohamed peace be upon him does exist, alright. are you on weed or something.Peace be unto ... HE DOESN'T EXIST.
HERE: ----------> http://rationalia.com/forum/viewtopic.p ... 75#p429396
You clearly don't read or absorb the replies made by others, but I'm asking you again to stop calling me mate. I find your opinions offensive, and I think if I met you, I would find you offensive. I therefore am not your mate, so stop calling me it.

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