Apparently atheists live their lives like animals... - General Discussion Discussion

[–] ShogunofYonkers (71359) 5 years ago

Do your thing
I'll do mine
No worries buddy👍

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[–] MovieManCin2 (26342) 5 years ago

That's a dumb statement.

😎

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[–] [deleted] 5 years ago

Mine, or the YouTube comment?

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[–] MovieManCin2 (26342) 5 years ago

The YouTube comment of course.

😎

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[–] twinA (4826) 5 years ago

"Those of us who are Christians must have sincere love and respect for those who share different convictions. Let us not hide our differences under a basket. Let us follow the counsel of Martin Buber: Don't try to score points or defeat your partner in dialogue, understand him or her; respect your partner's uniqueness; establish a warm relationship."

- Billy Graham, evangelical Christian

Let's call each other the happiest of friends, Hod.

~~/o/

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[–] [deleted] 5 years ago

Hardest thing for me to believe isn't that god exists but rather that he would be good and care about us. A loving god doesn't give children cancer, create nature disasters and other terrible things. That is what an evil dictator would do. The world seems to be run by the devil rather than god based on that state it is in.

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[–] twinA (4826) 5 years ago

It certainly feels that way. We all have to strive to be good to each other, which is the hard part.

~~/o/

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[–] [deleted] 5 years ago

How does being good prevent things that are out of our control like accidents and diseases?

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[–] twinA (4826) 5 years ago

It doesn't, but help others in their time of need.

~~/o/

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[–] [deleted] 5 years ago

So God is bad then since he is the only one who can fix things but he refuses.

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[–] twinA (4826) 5 years ago

Nothing worse than an overbearing parent unwilling to let their children learn things on their own. Not the same as neglect.

~~/o/

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[–] [deleted] 5 years ago

Keeping your child healthy and safe from harm is overbearing?

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[–] twinA (4826) 5 years ago

Our pain and ills is our own doing. We're the ones who scrapped our knees playing in the mud from the rain.

~~/o/

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[–] [deleted] 5 years ago

Your pain isn't always your own doing, like being hit by a car driving to fast. How is a child responsible for getting a illness or disease?

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[–] twinA (4826) 5 years ago

It is regrettable and saddening for bad things to happen that could have been prevented.
All people share a collective responsibility to each other, as a civilization and by nature.

For what it's worth, Ged, I'm glad we could exchange things meaningfully.
You are a kind, intelligent person and I will think about what you've told me.
Let's have more thoughtful shares such as these in the future.

~~/o/

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[–] [deleted] 5 years ago

Whenever you want.

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[–] twinA (4826) 5 years ago

You've given me a lot to consider as it is, and that's a good thing! 👍
Baby steps.

~~/o/

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[–] [deleted] 5 years ago

Glad you can at least consider, that is pretty rare from my experience, theists i talked to normally can't or doesn't want to.

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[–] twinA (4826) 5 years ago

That's a real shame to hear, Ged. I was taught that the best way to strengthen one's faith is to ask questions. Without doing so becomes indoctrination and not educating.

~~/o/

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[–] [deleted] 5 years ago

It's a shame for sure, but it's the truth. Wish all believers were like you. It's always so hard to hold a real discussion. After a few questions all one get are quotes from the bible like a broken record and that is pretty much the end of the talk. Glad to know there are exceptions out there to the rule.

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[–] [deleted] 5 years ago

If God exists, and I don't really believe God does, why is it a stretch to imagine that this God is not an interventionist God?

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[–] [deleted] 5 years ago

Yeah, basically a parent neglecting his children, he just watches shit unfold. Probably with a bucket of popcorn in his hands.

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[–] twinA (4826) 5 years ago

One day on Earth is only a fraction of a second for God. Everything that has happened has only been the blink of an eye until an eventful return. We are free to act independently of our creator.

~~/o/

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[–] [deleted] 5 years ago

That isn't an excuse i think.

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[–] twinA (4826) 5 years ago

It's not.

~~/o/

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[–] [deleted] 5 years ago

Alright then XD

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[–] [deleted] 5 years ago

I'll take the concept of God seriously for a moment: God is the Creator. Everything that flows from that creation is down to the rest of us. It's a consequence of free will.

Would you prefer a God that was operating us like a frickin' puppeteer and preventing us all from making our own choices?

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[–] [deleted] 5 years ago

I want something in between. Like you would threath your own child. Allow freedom but with a watchful eye and interfer when you are needed as a parent.

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[–] [deleted] 5 years ago

Interfere how? What do you want? A big finger to emerge from the sky and a booming voice to say "Stop!"?

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[–] [deleted] 5 years ago

He can start by erasing cancer from existence.

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[–] [deleted] 5 years ago

Cancer is an ugly, awful disease. But, at the risk of causing offence, if we were to erase it, what consequences would that have for the population?

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[–] [deleted] 5 years ago

Probably no consequence at all, i never heard cancer is actually needed for something, but i might be wrong.

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[–] [deleted] 5 years ago

I certainly don't think cancer is needed for anything. I apologise for any offence I may have caused by such an inference.

Cancer is an awful, prolonged, and painful disease that society is quite rightly working to eradicate. I'm just curious about the larger implications of eradicating such prolific diseases in terms of population. Then again, the reason that the population explosion is such a concern for many, like myself, is due to the suffering it entails, and nothing causes greater suffering, at least in the Western world, than cancer.

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[–] [deleted] 5 years ago

I guess all deseases are in a way needed to keep population down, but as you say overpopulation in itself isn't what is worrying but rather what comes because of it, it's doesn't have to be a bad thing if we solve those problems together. We humans are gifted with intelligence that makes it possible to do that.

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[–] [deleted] 5 years ago

I completely agree.

Just to be clear, cancer is one of the worst diseases anyone can suffer, maybe the worst, but from a purely clinical perspective, I do wonder about the impact on population control if we were to eradicate all diseases.

That said, I'd always want people to suffer as little pain as possible and for their deaths to be quick and free from agony.

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[–] [deleted] 5 years ago

Some cancer types are easily worse than death, and there are literally hundreds of them. Apparently liver cancer is in top 3 most painful ones, thruly horrible to go through. A cure can't come soon enough.

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[–] Kazak (2007) 5 years ago

Because that would not be a theistic God, but rather a deistic god, and thus, not the sort of god that we could make any substantive claims about...

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[–] Knish (1721) 5 years ago

So you don't believe in god or are you mad at god?

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[–] [deleted] 5 years ago

A little of both.

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[–] [deleted] 5 years ago

PS, I have no problem with people who find comfort in religion. As a matter of fact I can empathise and see how it is a good thing in that regard.

Then it sounds to me like you're a good person!

Unfortunately, there are theists who attack atheists, and there are atheists who attack theists. Both types of critic are a-holes IMHO.

I say, just let people be, as you evidently do, to your credit. As long as they're not using their faith, or lack thereof, to justify the persecution and discrimination of others, they're 100% entitled to believe whatever they want, including Santa Claus and Tooth Fairies.

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[–] bohemianroxie (2471) 5 years ago

I hate the way that some atheist and theist go back and forth demonizing one another. There's room for all beliefs when really nobody knows for certain. Why not live and let live?

I rejected religion at a young age but never could reject the idea of a God or supreme being. Life just did not compute or have meaning for me without it so it remains within me.
I just see religion as an early attempt to explain the unexplainable and sometimes an attempt to control according to the beliefs of the time. Taken to extremes it can be a negative force but it can also be a comfort so I no longer pick at their literal interpretations as long as it isn't invasive to others.

As far as how could a God allow this or that... how could there be free will with constant intervention? And how could he pick and chose one over another?
It's our ballgame. It's all up to us while we're here.
I do think God is capable of giving comfort and I just feel, for me, that life is too nihilistic without some spirituality.
In the end it doesn't matter. If I'm wrong and we just cease to be than I'll never even know.

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[–] Catbookss (13664) 5 years ago

"I just see religion as an early attempt to explain the unexplainable and sometimes an attempt to control according to the beliefs of the time."

That's exactly what I think.

I do believe in what people refer to as God, but not in a way most if not all religious people would understand it.

HodWatt and all of our other MC atheists, ignore the ignorant, and too often outright hateful, comments you may hear or read.

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[–] TexasJack (12515) 5 years ago

You filthy animal!

All kidding aside, if you’re looking for others’ views to vindicate your lack of religious faith, I wonder if you’ve really decided the question. I would look to the numerous essays and talks by the late Christopher Hitchens if you seek an intelligent case for atheism.

Unfortunately, the negativity is dished out from both sides. Atheists can be vile in their mockery of believers.

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[–] slimone (7996) 5 years ago

Hodwat, I agree with you completely. I've been an atheist for many years and I respect others who are religious and wish I would get the same respect.

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