I actually think this guys for real. I think you're underestimating the stupidity of some people >_<

I do do that.

Perhaps he was invented by Satan to bamboozle people and keep the from the truth and the light.

Or maybe Satan wrote the bible and these people are actually falling for Satan's trick to keep them from the truth.

Maybe religion and the bible is God's way of determining who will blindly follow the teachings of man and who will use their Intelligently Designed brains to think for themselves and use their intelligence.

Christopher Hitchens plays "What if" with a Christian radio host.

"So you've broken the commandment of adultery right sir?"

"Non of your f**king business"

lol

Apparently god wants you to act like a drunk, mentally ill moron




If there is a god, I bet he laughs his ass off at people like this

I talk to some American Christians who firmly beleive that America is and always has been a Christian nation founded on Christian values.

These same people point at people like Stalin and proclaim he did what he did in the name of Atheism. They point to Mao Zedong and claim that his lack of belief in god and consequently his inevitable lack of morals lead him to commit the atrocities he did

Reasoning I can't agree with, but using such reasoning one could logically conclude that America president Harry Truman who was a Baptist killed over quarter of a million innocent people in Nagasaki and Hiroshima in the name of religion and god.

George Bush, a Christian who himself said that his political decisions were influenced by his faith and prayer to his god is responsible for the deaths of thousands of innocent Iraqi people.

Stalin and Mao Zedong never claimed inspiration from any higher beings for their political decisions yet a man responsible for thousands of innocent lives admits that his beleifs and prayer to god were pivotal in his decision making.


Gave me pause for thought

Up until 2:10, all they're missing is the flinging poo to be monkeys. Errrr, wait, not these folks since they don't want to have anything in common with primates...

It amazes me what our minds are capable of. I have no doubt that at least some of the people in that video really do feel something, and I think it's so cool that our brains can trick us into things like that. It's like drugs with no drugs.

Why I believe this is not for real: if something this drug-like was readily available by god, you can bet your goat that this would be seen in other cultures, not just American fundamentalist Christian sects.

You should also point out to those people that Stalin was a devout Christian who laboured under the apprehension that God supported his work. This was why he re-opened the churches, brought the priests back from interment and sent Christian icons off on parades and displays.

If you're going to state that about Stalin, whatever his personal beliefs were, his actions spoke loudly against Christians and religion in general, and as they say "actions speak louder than words", his actions did not speak of a religious man.




Note that these are referenced. Not some blog rant.

Now, I personally wouldn't use this argument to state that American capitalism is better than communism. In fact, I do believe that communism, as an ideal, is a good one, if unrealistic on larger scales. But, the rosy idea that atheists don't do bad things to promote atheism, and it only happens that people do bad things to promote religion, is illogical and not supported by history, as shown here. Yes, it is the person, and not the religion, that decides to persecute and promote such hatred and violence. The same goes for atheists. Just as a religious person can be corrupt and do evil things, an atheistic person can as well. Both are human, and both are subject to the same sort of rationalization, or temptation, or faults. It's just one expressed it within one framework, and the other, in a different one.

The task for both is to realize what they are doing is wrong and to mend that. For the religious person, they have something that teaches one morality and love, and they should heed that. For the atheist, they should have their own internal source of morality stemming from their compassion and their desire for logical thought. One would hope that they both use these assets.

Very good point, and Mao Zedong was a devout Buddhist, generally accepted as the most peaceful religion, yet you don't hear many people proclaiming he carried out his atrocities in the name of Buddhism.

I normally point this out but it leads somewhat off topic into a who's right, who's wrong about history. Unfortunately people tend to ignore fact in favour of what fits their argument.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joseph_Stalin#Religious_beliefs_and_policies

Scroll wheel not working?

The point was rather to refute that Atheism = Evil as some people preach, pointing out there are people in both camps who have committed atrocities, so religion has less bearing than some would like you to believe (although if you're going to to an absolute headcount then religion is winning).

We seem to be tending towards the same point though that blame lies ultimately with the individual.

Well, like I said, whatever he personally believed, actions speak louder than words. But of course, it is the individual.

I would also point out that religion simply could be winning because, per capita, there are more people in this world, much much more, that profess allegiance to a religion, rather than atheism. And, it just so happens that two of the most perceived violent religions, Islam and Christianity, are at the top of the list.

There is that, but I'd go for religion having had a longer run up at it.

The times we live in now are pretty much the first in history where a person can freely deny some sort of deity.

Almost by default all conflicts prior to last century had some sort of god involved in them so you could argue that the resulting deaths were religion related. Persecution and religious genocide have long time been a staple of human affairs too.

I'm pretty certain that humans are vicious enough creatures (or rather some humans) that if we'd not come up with the idea of gods there would have been some other reason.

Persecuting people for their beliefs, or lack of belief in a particular deity has been carried out by religious organisations for hundreds of years. Think Crusades.

The god of the bible encouraged and commanded persecution of religion, religion that didn't fit with Israelite tradition

Observe what I command you this day. Behold, I am driving out from before you the Amorite and the Canaanite and the Hittite and the Perizzite and the Hivite and the Jebusite. Take heed to yourself, lest you make a covenant with the inhabitants of the land where you are going, lest it be a snare in your midst. But you shall destroy their altars, break their sacred pillars, and cut down their wooden images (For you shall worship no other god, for the Lord, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God.)

Exodus, Chapter 34, verses 11-14

I've never heard anyone state this, ever. Of course not having a belief in any gods doesn't automatically exclude you from doing wrong or immoral things. That same as being religious in no way makes one an automatically better, more moral person.

Hmmmm, history shows otherwise.


The task for both is to realize what they are doing is wrong and to mend that. For the religious person, they have something that teaches one morality and love, and they should heed that.[/quote]The god of the bible commits genocide, infanticide, encourages the slaughter of millions and favours one race above others. It's hardly surprising that's it's adherents will commit atrocities in gods name, after all it's very much in the Judeo-Christian god's nature.


This is why it's not surprising that people like the WBC spout what they do about god destroying America for it's sins.

If you beleive the bible I don't know why what they say is so shocking and morally wrong, it's all in the bible.

Who's to say they aren't genuine prophets of god. After all when you read Samuel 15 where God spoke to Samuel and commanded the death of an entire nation, men, women, children and animals why is what the WBC preach so far out and improbable. If the bibles accurate and true that is.

Talk to God here.

alls i knows is that i was a pretty religious child until i got to catholic school. what really put me over the edge (to the, "dark side" if you will) was the day i saw my school allow all the b*****d protesters to stand out front and wave signs saying it was against god's will for gay people to get married.

i wasn't impressed.

i'm still not impressed.

my dad says i'm going to go to hell.

i'm pretty sure that if there IS a hell, and i'm there with all the gay people, it's going to be a LOT more fun than hanging out in the clouds with the phelps crew.

OK, here's a little topic for debate.

My starting point is non-empirical but is my perception. Even if it's not 100% accurate there are sufficient examples to make it worthy of note.

There seem to me to be more Christians who support the death penalty than atheists. Certainly and indisputably this has been the case historically but also seems to be the case now.

How does this sit with "Thou Shalt Not Kill"?

Well, I do not support the death penalty but my guess is they are falling back to "an eye for an eye"

A person would survive an eye-ectomy.

equal retaliation