Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Albert Bakker on January 7, 2012 at 8:16am

Wife: "Do you think this pants make my ass look fat?"

Scenario 1: It does, but you lie "No, darling whatever made you think that?"
Scenario 2: It does and you tell her truthfully the pants make her ass look gigantic.

Which of these do you think is more conducive to maintaining the peace?

Also please press the caps-lock once more. Using caps is the equivalent of screaming in people's faces, it is extremely rude.

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Permalink Reply by Barry Eckert on January 29, 2012 at 8:57pm

And Scenario 3: They do, but you tell her "no, it's all that cheesecake you eat that makes your ass the size of Texas".

This approach is known as getting to the real problem and is particularly not recommended.

In relation to the OP question, this approach would become "No I don't and people who think there is a god are deluded fools". Also not recommended for teachers and others who work in the public sector, in the US anyway.

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Permalink Reply by T A A on January 7, 2012 at 4:05pm

Though a small movie... The Invention of Lying, the first 3/4, felt like the ideal life for me. Little white lies are the foundation for a messed up society. In my fantasies about social renewal, I would decree an ethic that lying, even the smallest white lies, are frowned upon.

But of course we're stuck in this ridiculous society, where it seems that in everyday life, lies outnumber truths, by both our peers and our leaders.

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Permalink Reply by Neil C. Reinhardt on January 7, 2012 at 9:00am

HOPEFULLY IN THIS, YOU FIND SOME USEFUL INFORMATION YOU DID NOT KNOW AND PERHAPS SOME WAYS OF LOOKING AT THINGS YOU HAD NOT YET THOUGHT OF.

-----------------------------

WHAT FOLLOWS IS SENT TO A CHRISTAN FOR ONE REASON OR ANOTHER

--------------------------------


The odds are about 100% the only reason you are a Christian and not a Jew or a Moslem, is because you were raised by Christians and not Jews or Moslems. �

Had you been raised by the members of a religion other than the one you were, you would then believe in it just as strongly as the one you believe in now. (And YOU would do so without any actual proof.)

You were raised by Christians who taught you the same things they had learned from their parents. Things not learned by experience, the use of common sense and by logic. Those who raised have both learned, and taught you things which run counter to physics and to nature.

I doubt you even realize the odds are also 100 % the reason you do not believe, as well over Three Billon others do, in "Many Gods" rather than just the one god of the Christians, is because you were not raised by Hindus, or any others, who do believe in many gods.

How do you know the Hindus and all others who believe in many gods are not right and there actually are many gods?

Did you know humans have invented, then named and worshipped at least 25,000 gods so far? � That most of the millions of open American Atheists were once all Christians?

How do you know the well over one Billion Atheists in the world are not the ones who are right and that there are No Gods?

Or do you know most Americans who are Atheists are so Afraid of what Christians might do to them, they do not make it public knowledge they are Atheists? �

( Sadly some are even too afraid to inform their own close friends and their relatives what they really believe. )

The truth is, and many Christians agree, Evolution is both a Proven Theory and a Proven Fact. A fact which clearly proves we humans are only One life form out of many millions of life forms.

As we are only one life form out of many millions of life forms, we humans have no more intrinsic right to life than does any other living thing. Like it or not, we have no more right to life than any thing we kill to eat. Yet I doubt you have any trouble eating chickens, fish or beef. (I certainly do not.)

The only reason we "rule" and we can kill other living things to eat is because of the arraignment of our hands with our fingers & opposing thumb. This alone allows us to grasp from small, to larger things with both precision and dexterity.

Thus, we can build shelters, make tools and use weapons. Make and use writing devices we then use to record, compose and design. to draw and paint and play musical instruments. As I said, the facts are, the arrangement of our fingers and thumb on our hands is the only reason we humans rule.

Last, Atheists are the Leaders, or among the leaders in every field I know of other than Crime. (And of course, religion.)

As far as Crime, here in the United States, where Open Atheists comprise around 5% of the population, Atheists are Less than one Quarter of One Percent of those in American Prisons. Of course this means the other 99.9975 percent are all religious people and by far, most of them are Christians!


Proof of this is in these website's which lists many of the more famous open Atheists,

http://www.jmarkgilbert.com/atheists.html

http://www.celebatheists.com

IF you've read this far, you may be asking yourself just why you would want to reject the childish superstition of religion. So I'll share what I said, & what I am sure many other Atheists have said once they have finally De-Programmed themselves,

It is something to the effect of:

"Now for the first time, I know what true freedom of thought and of action are."

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Permalink Reply by T A A on January 7, 2012 at 4:01pm

The paragraph where you talk about prisoners/religions is a myth. It's kinda cool that atheists have become popular and united enough to have our own urban legends, but nonetheless. That myth is based upon a single purported personal correspondence from an ex prison employee. The fact is, USA/Canadian prisons do not census the beliefs of their inmates. I don't care to go through the entire 'demonstration' yet again, so I suggest you do some investigative research for yourself into the origins of this claim. It's fun to actually research such things, and you'll integrate it better anyway since it will come from your own hard work.

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Permalink Reply by Killingtonskier on February 19, 2012 at 8:17pm

Most of what is said is pointless because most humans are hardwired for some kind of belief that can account for how or why we got here. Instead of contemplating the uncontemplatable (how this life we know can be)--it is much more palatable to believe that something created it.

And to put it straight--something did create all this -- I just do not know how something could come from nothing --or what could have existed forever. 

The biggest problem is that so many blindly pursue the notion that God is something that should not be questioned because there are things that we have to accept that are beyond explanation. People also seem to be hard wired for thinking that if you do not think like them, there is something wrong with you. And if you do not believe in a mystical God, you have something  exceptionally wrong with you.  

Given that Communism was an Atheistic government, I am also not very impressed with the godless as well as the God-fearing. 

In fact, I am not very impressed with the human race. It appears to be a grand experiment that is failing and is a painful result of a unique consequence of a large explosion that happened to create a couple of gases that got things to happen that is as mind boggling as an almighty God that created an enormous amount of pain and suffering along with a stupendous capability for love and beautiful things. 

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Permalink Reply by Eric Redekop on February 19, 2012 at 8:27pm

Driving a car is a "godless" activity, too, and the activity is responsible for millions of deaths and injuries worldwide over the last century. I don't suppose you own/operate a car, then.

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Permalink Reply by Ron V on January 7, 2012 at 9:39am

Perhaps avoid the subject and tell the student it doesn't matter what you believe.  Then summarize the reality of this issue - "there are many people who believe in a god(s), and there are many people who don't.  That is for you to learn about and make a decision about on your own."

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Permalink Reply by Daniel on January 21, 2012 at 2:37am

I would really like it if the school systems actually worked that way but often in certain areas of the country they do not. Living in the midwest and growing up in a 99% white christian community I can attest to this.

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Permalink Reply by Daniel on January 21, 2012 at 2:23am

If you tell her that you do not believe in god; she could take you at your word and believe it because you told her so and she trusts you. If you lie to her then you do her a disservice also. The best way to go is to think of something that would make her question her own beliefs and give her tools to come up with an answer for herself. IMO Teach them to think not blind belief systems. 

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Permalink Reply by Killingtonskier on February 19, 2012 at 8:38pm

One must consider who and what is it you are teaching to-- An open minded community, a bigoted community, a close minded community, a very simple community,  a very complex community. One can teach in Hanover, NH and be mindfully creative, while a few miles away, they root for Rick Santorum.  

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Permalink Reply by redpepper on January 22, 2012 at 10:50am

You need not lie, but 6th grade social studies class isn't the place to discuss your personal beliefs - or lack of them.  If your curriculum touches on religion or whatever, follow your curriculum - but does curriculum require you to discuss your personal opinions and beliefs?  I am raising my child atheist. That's my business.  Unless or until class curricula includes personal discussions about a teacher's politics, religion (or lack of it), or sexual preferences, it should not be discussed.  It doesn't matter whether I agree with you or not.  And it doesn't matter the child's age.  It's a matter of what you are there to do - and not do.  I'd suggest that if asked, dignify the question and let her know you have a policy to not discuss your personal views in the class.

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