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#50 – You’re correct except you’re using a bad example. In the case of Global Warming, there is no “evidence” There is misintrepreted facts, bad data, supposition and Oscar winning fiction.
Comparing belief in gravity and religion is a better analogy.
#61 – MrBloedumpSpladderschitt,
Actually, I have read a climatology text book, and a couple of other full length books and a number of articles on the subject. I’ll stick to the real evidence thanks. And, no, Inconvenient Truth didn’t convince me. In fact, it didn’t tell me anything I didn’t already know.
If you’re genuinely willing to consider reality instead of ExxonMobil press releases, and are further willing to read a book or two on the subject, I’d recommend either of the following. The first is a lighter, easier read, despite being an actual text book.
Is the Temperature Rising: The Uncertain Science of Global Warming – S. George Philander: A relatively light book and highly readable for a climate science text book.
The Weather Makers – Tim Flannery: Details the reality of anthropogenic climate change. What is known, what is not, what we must do, and what can and cannot be saved.
#61, 62,
Sorry, I forgot to mention that both books are chock full of references to numerous peer reviewed articles that were the sources of their information.
#56 – y’all are a bunch of hate-filled atheism zealots. You’ve made hating religion your religion.
Bla bla bla… Whine whine whine… Get your god out of our business and you won’t hear from us anymore.
And take a remedial English class so you won’t make yourself look like an illiterate hick who doesn’t know what “religion” means.
@#57
Most of the supposed atheists aren’t atheists at all, but antithesists as Misanthropic Scott used as a term above.
I myself am a true atheist, I don’t hate religion and respect others beliefs to the extent it is –frankly — not stupid.
If one is a true atheist, you instead view people like Jesus and Buddha through the context of either great philosophers and/or social activists.
Jesus’s concept of peace is truly inspiring even from a atheist point of view, for instance.
I hate “wannabe atheists” who are in fact anti-religious zealots who make a lot of noise and stir up hate.
True science does not know hate.
True science seeks to understand the world through the context of observation.
Hate and atheism are incompatible because to be an atheist, one must put science above all else.
And the fact of the matter is, a lot of “atheists” are nothing of the sort and are, in fact, anti-religious bigots. Truth be told.
Send the church packing.
Most war and strife is over resources and money; to be short, stuff. If we were not so materialistic we wouldn’t have to use religion as an excuse for murder.
Imagine. Pol Pot’s Cambodia. Moa’s China. Stalin’s USSR.
We can always hope.
#65 – Hmeyers,
Just to be clear. From a belief standpoint, I don’t have one. I am an atheist. I do oppose religion. I believe it has had a huge deleterious effect on humanity, as evidenced by its huge number of deleted humans.
I do NOT, however, hate religious people. I hate religion. I have nothing against people that believe it.
I have much against people that attempt to force religion on others, from words in the pledge of allegiance, modified to add the godvertisement in 1954 (thank you McCarthy), to the godvertisement on our paper money, added in series 1963 bills, to people blocking stem cell research, blocking teaching of real science, bombing clinics, murdering doctors, flying planes into buildings, etc. It’s all bad. What positive effect religion has had is tremendously outweighed by its negatives.
However, as some religious people say, “Hate the sin, love the sinner.” I would say, “Hate religion, respect the religious.” Similarly, I hate our species while liking many of its members and even loving a few. These things need not be contradictory.
#56
I think you have us confused with Mormons.
imagine no…
Mother Theresa,
Ghandi,
Martin Luther King Jr.,
Desmond Tutu,
JRR Tolkien,
Abraham Lincoln,
George Washington,
John F. Kennedy,
etc…
If man is “evolving” into some kind of higher being, why is it that we still can’t get along?
If Atheism is the new Christianity, is it heading for the same growing pains? For you super intelligent Atheists I shouldn’t have to explain the parallels.
#7- If any of that were true, it would be great. I certainly hope that not all your “Christian friends” were adversely affected by this bit of fiction. Or have you bothered looking any of it up?
#27- In 1975 the entire scientific community was up in arms about the certainty of the coming ice age. How did that work out, by the way? Seems like it wasn’t such an intelligent position.
#29- You too seem to have some innate need to believe. You believe there is nothing beyond human existence. And, you proselytize vigorously to the heathen Christians.
#45- “Those of us who are atheist…” You just created a group of people with a similar or common goal, kind of like Christians… A group of believers who are “Christ-like”. A group of non-believers who are “Anti-establishment”. Why is it that Atheism is not a religion again?
I don’t spew hate. And I don’t like to have hate spewed at me. Christ’s example was to be meek, and kind. I might have indulged myself just a little, but what kind example are you people setting? Will anyone look at your writings in 2000 years and say “You know that ‘Rabble Rouser'(#11) had a very salient thought.”
People respond much more readily to kindness than hatred. So tell someone that you love who is tied up with the Christians that you love them, because there is no one else who can. And I’ll continue to tell you Atheists that Christ loves you much better than I can.
@69 Misanthropic Scott
“I do NOT, however, hate religious people. I hate religion. I have nothing against people that believe it.”
Then you will never be a Jedi 😉
# 54/53 grog “so you don’t believe in free speech?”
It’s not clear, but I was trying to link suppression of free speech and #3 THCs emotion-driven rave against those who think and speak differently than himself in a kind of post-ironic sarcasm echoing of Socrates. Or not.
RBG
“emotion-driven rave against those who think and speak differently than himself”
You’re always a hoot, RBG.
A) Characterizing considered, concisely-stated words on a Web page, devoid of all physical cues, as “emotion-driven” is nothing more nor less than a sly ad hom swipe.
B) Just as peaceful persons are opposed to the belligerent and the law-abiding look down upon the criminal, it is only logically and ethically consistent that I, as a member of the deliberately rational and non-emotionally-dominated minority of humankind, should direct my opprobrium toward those who willfully abjure rational thought and behavior. The ways of my kind are what have brought everything progressive and beneficial to humanity. The ways of your kind retard and impede human progress and perpetuate the worst of humanity’s pathologies.
My intellectual ancestors and brethren are the ones humanity can thank for imagining and building the technical boons and wonders of modern architecture and jet airplanes. Your emotionally-compelled sheeple brethren are the ones who smash one into the other, to bring about horror and destruction in the cause of your idiotic, primitive collective delusions which, despite their logical impossibility and obvious origins as products of ignorance and emotion are nonetheless clung to out of atavistic caveman mob instinct and projection of your ignorance onto those more intelligent than you. You can’t reason well enough to understand why it isn’t so, and since no one can possibly reason more accurately than you, then you must be right – because you believe you are, proof to the contrary be damned.
No, as a matter of fact, I don’t approve of people who think like idiots – which is to say, unlike me. The undercurrent of so much of what you say is a tacit appeal to the myth of democracy. “How dare you arrogantly think that you’re right and that the sincere beliefs of the majority of mankind are wrong!” Adults who make the cowardly choice of living in a superficially comforting land of childish delusion deserve no respect. Pity, sometimes.
That’s why, despite your clever pseudointellectualizations, you remain an insecure, frightened member of a superstitious mob that lives parasitically off of the intellectual product of mature, sane human minds and yet feels that your majority status bestows validity on your bovine fear and ignorance which demonstrably work against all human advancement.
“…a kind of post-ironic sarcasm echoing of Socrates. Or not.”
What you said. The second one. 🙂
Beliefs are often intangible so arguments about beliefs are equally intangible.
A/ I don’t like soccer.
B/ Why not its great?
A/ Its nothing compared to chess and people don’t get hurt.
Its a useless argument to continue – see my point?
Cheers
T_H –
Why not go look up the terms ‘subjective’ and ‘objective’ – and while you’re at it, look into the meaning of de gustibus non disputandum est.
Of course subjective matters – of things such as tastes, opinions and beliefs – are not productive. But the total absence of a single atom of evidence of an invisible man in the sky who can do anything is not a subjective matter. It is fact. The absence of, and ignorant, ultimately dangerous and destructive disregard for, critical reasoning capabilities among the majority of humanity is only a matter of dueling opinions in the uninformed judgment of the ones who do not comprehend the primacy of provable fact over subjective personal emotions. No matter how strongly you believe something, no matter how utterly unshakable your conviction that what you feel is right – reality, provable, repeatable, observable reality, if it conflicts with those beliefs, is always and forever the one that is correct. Beliefs are not things that are true by definition. Facts are. There is no evidence and never has been that that invisible, all-powerful man that poofed everything into existence is anything other than simply one of many primitive superstitions – and no matter how much you believe, there is still zero evidence.
Fact and reason prove it is a childish fairytale. No amount of belief can negate facts – and the only people who think it can are those who don’t know how to reason and / or don’t know what facts are.
When we say, ‘”God” does not exist,’ we are trying to explain to pre-math children that 2 things added to 2 more things can never be 22 things, even though it seems that way to their undeveloped minds. They don’t yet grasp that others are no longer children and know far more than they and that they need to learn humility, shut up and listen to those who, unlike them, know more things than they even are aware exist. And most children do. But a child’s mind in an adult’s body with an adult’s ego cannot accept that without feelings of inferiority, which must be fought, tooth and nail. Hence, obstinate ‘adult’ insistence that their absurd fairytales are true.
Ridiculously gross oversimplification, but that’s the essential gist, in broad swathes of primary colors…
#78 THC
I know the difference.
The point again – but perhaps clearer. 🙂
Most people who are soccer fans grew up in a soccer environment, say Brazil.
Most people who are Muslims grew up in a Muslim environment, say Iran.
Cheers
Sure – you integrate into your personality that which you are immersed in during your impressionable, formative years. This is the only way that irrational beliefs can be passed to another generation, by poisoning the minds of developing children BEFORE they are capable of logically examining it and noticing all the fatal flaws… once those victims of brainwashing have reached adulthood, statistically few have sufficient powers of reason and strength of will to objectively review and then reject that brainwashing. Exactly as those who perpetuate religious belief have known for millennia. But even average adults can learn the difference, and reason it our correctly. But they have to be willing to, and they have to want to. That’s too much like work to your average human. 🙂
So, really…How did those Crusades go?