When do you think people will finally start to understand atheism?
Alright, so a couple of days ago I was talking to a friend of mine in class. And we began to talk about religion. Now I'm far from the kind of person that likes to showcase my views on things, But I told him I was an Atheist. He Actually didn't believe me at first, and said that people have to take a oath to become an atheist. We literally argued about this for 5 whole minutes before I finally said lets go to an computer and get google the definition. after I showed him what atheism actually is, He still retained doubt. I just said forget it, and ended the conversation on it there.
What I'm asking is how long will people remain that ignorant on atheism. It's not like he's dumb when it comes to other topics. He says He's a christian and he never even read the bible. And when I told him and another friend I read it They Laughed. Oh yeah and I forgot to mention one of the guys laughing has a tattoo that says "blessed" on his chest. And he never read the bible. That's just stupid to me, But I kinda want to know what other people think about this.
Tags: Atheism, Christianity
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Unseen on -
By arguing for what one feels is the right action, and by arguing against what one feels are misguided actions, one is always doing what they think furthers the cause.
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Permalink Reply by archaeopteryx on -
RE: "My ego is big enough to handle that, certainly."
Oh yeah --
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Permalink Reply by Unseen on
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Sex, politics, and religion are the "impolite" topics we aren't supposed to talk about in social situations.
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Permalink Reply by Dale Headley on -
I find that even some of the J.W.'s and Mormons who come to my door on Saturday mornings have not themselves read the Bible, and they seem a little taken aback that I, an outspoken atheist, have read it cover to cover. In fact, I re-read the Book of Genesis every now and then for a good laugh. I remember asking a couple of J.W.'s once what they thought about all the death and destruction depicted in the Pentateuch. They asked me, "What is the Pentateuch?" With barely concealed glee, I explained to them that it is the term that describes the first 5 books of the Old Testament, in which God establishes his creds as a vengeful, jealous, genocidal megalomaniac (It makes one wonder how it was that His "son" turned out to be such a gentle, generous, self-sacrificing milquetoast; that's one acorn that fell far from the oak).
For most religionists, their beliefs are not formed out of thoughtful reflection, but the result of their having been indoctrinated as credulous children. Included in their early training is the assumption that "atheism" and "evil" are synonymous terms. At the outset of any debate I have with Christians I always make sure they know that I am not only an atheist, but a proud one; that I am proud that I choose to base my decisions in life on reason and evidence, not childish superstition.
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Permalink Reply by Michael R on -
I've done the same thing in the past. I used to have fun with this. This does have the effect of putting you on the "do not return to this person's house" list. They don't come and play any more.
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Permalink Reply by Unseen on
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Why not invite them over for a Bible Study night even before telling them your own position? THAT would be real fun!
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Permalink Reply by Unseen on
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Strictly speaking, it means disbelief in a "theistic" god, meaning a personal deity. At the same time, most atheists do disbelieve in any other kind of god (like a jackal or bear or thunderbird god), as well as religions in general. I would assume most of us would reject Buddhism as well, which in its original form was an atheistic religion. The Buddha wasn't a god or even a prophet, just a teacher.
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Permalink Reply by Darlene Edelman on -
According to a Buddhist friend, Buddha is still considered a teacher; also he worships no god.
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Permalink Reply by Unseen on
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I never indicated the Buddha worshipped anything. His followers can be a different story entirely. Your Buddhist friend is ignoring mahayana Buddhism, which is the majority of Buddhism today. It can believe in deities and incorporates such "divine" nonsense as the following:
Twenty-five centuries ago, King Suddhodana ruled a land near the Himalaya Mountains.
One day during a midsummer festival, his wife Queen Maya retired to her quarters to rest, and she fell asleep and dreamed a vivid dream. Four angels carried her high into white mountain peaks and clothed her in flowers. A magnificent white bull elephant bearing a white lotus in its trunk approached Maya and walked around her three times. Then the elephant struck her on the right side with its trunk and vanished into her.
When Maya awoke, she told her husband about the dream. The King summoned 64 Brahmans to come and interpret it. Queen Maya would give birth to a son, the Brahmans said, and if the son did not leave the household he would become a world conqueror. However, if he were to leave the household he would become a Buddha.
You can read more here.
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Permalink Reply by archaeopteryx on
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Does it say how an elephant managed to climb to a mountain peak?
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Permalink Reply by matt.clerke on -
I believe it says the elephant did it "like a boss"
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