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Post by schizophonic on Mar 16, 2009 15:48:04 GMT -5
I gotta admit, if the Christian God was real, I'd be royally pissed at him. Of course, that would still mandate I believed in Him, and I don't. I don't hate or fear Bogeymen, and see no reason to.
I think a lot of the presumptions that Atheists hate God come from the inability to separate various criticisms. There are many Christians I hate, though I know it probably speaks poorly of me, for various reasons. It's nothing to do with them being Christian; just with them using their faith as a weapon, an excuse for hate, etc. Contempt for Christians, however, is taken as contempt for Christianity in the same way that criticism of someone's idea is often mistaken for a personal attack.
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Post by Redhunter on Mar 17, 2009 3:30:40 GMT -5
Christians like to assume that we all know and loathe god because they often can't see their way to imagine a universe without THEIR god. They find their god to be so real and it has been pounded into their heads since birth, so to them it is like imagining a world without trees or sunshine. Alien.
On the other side of that coin I would vote that I'm an atheist because I was a christian for so long. I was told to learn and read about god and the more I did the more questions I had. The more questions that weren't sufficiently answered, the more doubt I had. The more doubt I had the less I believed.
If not for the constant barrage of religion, I would've seen through it earlier. This is why the truth is important to me today. I'm certain that the truth about nature and science would have kept most religions from flourishing as they did. It was ignorance and man's desire for explanations that led to supplication to invisible powers and the masters of the seasons. Now, like a beaten dog, it's tough to learn new tricks, but it's not impossible.
So extraordinary claims/proof is my answer. They all figure in to some degree, but it was my acceptance of the impossible, improbable, implausible and unprovable that held me to religion for so long. It's easy to see the "power of god" if you just give the character the benefit of the doubt from the get-go.
Some god's power only exists because other PEOPLE said that he had it and that he used it... and as far as that goes, they only believe that this one was a HE for that exact same reason. That's it. That's what christianity is: "I got a book with a bunch of stories in it... and they are true. Now... believe."
It's their claim, they need to show me what is so great or different about their unlikely story over thousands of others. Since they cannot, it is basically a version of "Who would could run faster; Superman or the Flash?"
Since neither are real, the answer is, I can outrun Superman and the Flash.
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Post by sukasa on Mar 17, 2009 12:16:54 GMT -5
I was raised that way, view religion as what used to be the most acceptable way of explaining the universe (science came later). Then again, there's also this: blogs.ibibo.com/ARUN2/hotter-than-hell
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ouabache
Junior Member
Official Pope
Posts: 73
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Post by ouabache on Mar 17, 2009 13:31:35 GMT -5
Option #2 (I really, truly hate God and can't wait to burn) is Maltheism, not Atheism. I guess everyone else already covered that atheist by definition cannot hate god. I just wanted to point out that there is actually a name for someone who thinks God is an evil bastard.
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Post by cosmopants on Mar 17, 2009 19:28:09 GMT -5
My atheism is the intermediary stage of a partially fulfilled and long-standing desire to corrupt and subsequently debauch a good Christian girl with my wicked, Godless ways, and ruin her good name in the small town where she grew up. But she wouldn't mind, so we'd run off together into the sunset, laughing like twats at the world and its foolishness, with a vintage suitcase full of stolen guns and money.
My fantasies are complex, and usually involve sunsets at the end.
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Post by Admiral Lithp on Mar 17, 2009 20:00:24 GMT -5
That was beautiful, Cosmopants.
Also, I would like to nitpick & point out that it is possible to think that God is an evil bastard and still not believe he exists. The whole, "I can't wait to burn" thing kind of gets in the way, though. Not that it matters, that's basically just an, "Eat it, Fundies, you're wrong--again" option.
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Post by antichrist on Mar 18, 2009 0:26:06 GMT -5
I went with Extraordinary claims require actual evidence. and Supernatural explanations for natural events suck.
Mostly because I'm sick of hearing how god is the reason my dog farts.
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Post by Redhunter on Mar 18, 2009 3:14:42 GMT -5
That was beautiful, Cosmopants. Also, I would like to nitpick & point out that it is possible to think that God is an evil bastard and still not believe he exists. The whole, "I can't wait to burn" thing kind of gets in the way, though. Not that it matters, that's basically just an, "Eat it, Fundies, you're wrong--again" option. I don't recall seeing anyone say that one couldn't think the concept of biblegod was "evil" while not believing it. The issue discussed was HATING a god that one doesn't believe in. If you are pointing out that they are separate things, then no one is arguing that, but one cannot hate someTHING that they don't believe in, otherwise that person would be hating the influence or the reaction of the people who DO believe. Since you said you wanted to 'nitpick'.
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