It's a belief.. Period..

It's a belief.. Period..

Listen mate, who gives a fuck whether God exists or not. If God does exist, he doesn't want us to fuck around worshipping for him remember that.
Atheism is good because atheists don't fuck around at church- they actually change the world. Atheism is also good because there are no rules that you must follow- you can be independant and create your own rules, which shows individualism, independance and your own values and morals.

Critical thinking is a learned behavior...it develops over time with age and experience. But prior to developing it....children really don't have a reference point to decide what should or should not be believed. An adult says Santa exists, therefore it's unquestioned that a fat man squeezes himself down chimneys to eat cookies and leave presents. It's only fact because there is no critical thinking involved, and therefore not a chosen belief, but something that's just accepted because someone older and theoretically more knowledgeable said it was true. Most religions want their believers to stay in that sort of childlike state, but only in regard to *their* beliefs. Otherwise, people would simply accept the existence of any supernatural being.... unicorns, leprechauns, faeries, etc.

Is it a belief system to discount as false the belief that alien greys inhabit the system of Zeta Reticuli and regularly have contacts with human? 

Is it a belief system to discount as false the belief that volcanos can be influenced to not erupt by the casting of a virgin into the crater?

Is it a belief system to discount as false the belief that the sun is actually the Greek god Apollo riding his chariot of fire from one horizon to the next each day?

Is there a pink elephant orbiting Jupiter right now?  Did Obama go back in time and cause the extinction of the dinosaurs?  If you masturbate, will it really make a kitten die?

Let's hope not.

Now, aside from children, who, as Alysaria pointed out above, have a vested interest in believing adults without question when they're told to run into the cave right now lest a sabre tooth tiger eat them, the default position of everyone  is or should be to doubt what's being communicated lest the speaker have credibility and, ideally, evidence.

You, the reader of this post, have an infinite number of things and concepts in which you don't believe, nor will you ever believe without sufficient evidence.  For an Atheist, disbelief in Yawheh (the Christian God) is just one miniscule thing in their infinite pool in which they won't believe without evidence.   To say that it is a focus point of their disbelief system is inaccurate. 

We /all/ have a disbelief system or we couldn't function in the world without being taken advantage of...  we just apply it in different ways and to different degrees.  In some cases we suspend that disbelief entirely, most commonly in regards to religion where we were taught from an early age that faith (believing without need for evidence or speaker credibility) is a virtue and something to be admired.   And, in one nice package, that early indoctrination to suspend disbelief along with comfort against the uncertainty of death, social interaction and affirmation from our peers, and a promise that the individual is special, loved, and will live for eternity in utter happiness in the afterlife is often all it takes to for followers to give that religion an exemption in their disbelief system.  And I can understand that.   Aliens and astrology, though...

Regardless, Scientology, Christianity, Islam, and countless other religions all rely on the individual's willingness to make an exception for their personal disbelief system and they use childhood indoctrination, promises of a better life, social pressure, and the twin barrel of guilt and redemption to do it.  And, in the end, the power figures of the religion don't exactly lack for wealth and power, do they?  Perhaps the leaders have a vested interest in getting people to believe what they say, give their money, and let them tell them how to live?  Hmm...

 

 

You two are fucking smart cunts. God doesn't exist.

Please be respectful.

Posted By alysaria on 14 Oct 2011 10:48 AM
Please be respectful.

Don't really mean to "defend" him since I see where you're coming from as well but that is more or less "respectful" from him. 

Hey Kingoftheforum, welcome to ENFPland!!

Please try to watch your language as others may be offended by being called cunts and you swearing a lot! This is the land of happiness, kittens, rainbows, peace & love!

Posted By Kingoftheforum on 13 Oct 2011 11:29 PM
You two are fucking smart cunts. God doesn't exist.

Don't really mean to "defend" him since I see where you're coming from as well but that is more or less "respectful" from him. 

Rough around the edges happens....some folks just address themselves in a "gritty" sort of way....but intentionally phrasing things abrasively to get a reaction is trolling. It's the benefit of the doubt requesting for more consideration to other members....and an acknowledgement of the rules of the site. We don't have many and they're meant to keep the site fun and happy.

Posted By alysaria on 14 Oct 2011 01:36 PM

Don't really mean to "defend" him since I see where you're coming from as well but that is more or less "respectful" from him. 

Rough around the edges happens....some folks just address themselves in a "gritty" sort of way....but intentionally phrasing things abrasively to get a reaction is trolling. It's the benefit of the doubt requesting for more consideration to other members....and an acknowledgement of the rules of the site. We don't have many and they're meant to keep the site fun and happy.

 

You're the admin, just saying that the main point of his message was saying that you and the other one is "smart" though the "cunt" part may be harsh but I don't believe he meant it as being "bad."

You guys do understand when I said fucking smart cunts I was giving you a compliment...
I heard one of you have been complaining about me to the moderators, and I find it disgraceful that you couldn't tell me to my face. I am trying to get to know you all, however I expect that people tell me front on if there is an issue. Thank you.

It's hard to understand irony sometimes, don't call other forum members cunts, meant as a compliment or not...

No one has complained about you behind your back, it's not possible, since we don't have a IM system or visible email addresses, we moderate what we see, when we see it. You were told to tone it down a little, which you have. Your beef is with me and no one else. There's no specific rules on this forum except don't be a jerk, so have fun here and post away

Posted By Psyko on 15 Oct 2011 08:33 AM
It's hard to understand irony sometimes, don't call other forum members cunts, meant as a compliment or not...

No one has complained about you behind your back, it's not possible, since we don't have a IM system or visible email addresses, we moderate what we see, when we see it. You were told to tone it down a little, which you have. Your beef is with me and no one else. There's no specific rules on this forum except don't be a jerk, so have fun here and post away

 

Okay then, sorry to anyone I harmed in the process.

Mass' point is very well made and I'd like to see Justin or others try to refute it. Atheism is not a "belief" anymore so than a disbelief in talking potatoes is "a belief". Religious folks try to obfuscate the issue by calling it a belief so that they can frame the debate as a competition between two theories/assertions, which it's patently not since it's religion that makes the outlandish metaphysical claims and theories of creation. While atheism is , simply put, a lack of belief in such explanations.