On Atheism, Queerness, Fundamentalist Totalitarianism, Organizational Fear, and Common Sense

[jesus_h_biscuit]

In a post I wrote a couple of years ago I expound on why I am an atheist. There are always more reasons than the ones given there, which is in part what motivated this. I think it is a given (unless you subscribe to the opinions of the religious Reich) that being Godless makes you a worldwide minority. Common sense dictates that there are always

Comments

[city_of_dis]

If one does not believe in elves, does that mean that they should take up a neutral position on the existence of elves? If we're to accept that God is possible, then we have to accept that anything, no matter how lacking probability, is also just as likely to exist as to not exist. That's inane.

To me, the lack of free will inherent in religion is one of fearmongering, programming and good, old-fashioned brainwashing. Conditioning someone from early childhood to believe in these things, obey these rules and act in a way completely contrary to your instincts...that's child abuse, in my view. *shrug* I think that the majority of people have been so saturated by the vats of religious effluvium that they can't see past the fact that their culture has programmed in them a need to believe in something that simply isn't there.

[city_of_dis]

Certainly, just because something is invisible doesn't mean it isn't there. But see, we can observe air. We can see how it moves the leaves on trees, we can feel it enterting our nostrils and our lungs. We can use equipment to get a closer look at the particles it carries. We can do none of this with God. Once upon a time, the faithful said that God was in the sky, up above the firmament, where the stars were hanging. As we got more advanced, learned that the stars were far away, that there was no firmament, and all of that fun stuff...once we went into space and didn't find God there, the faithful just adjusted the way they imagined he existed

[city_of_dis]

No, proving that we don't have a disease does not prove that that disease does not exist. It proves that it isn't in our blood. Proving that there is no gas in a mine does not prove that gas does not exist, merely that it is absent in that mine. In other words, we can't prove that God doesn't exist, only that he doesn't exist HERE, or if he does, he's hiding like a little bitch.

If an instrument was invented, which suddenly located God, then I would be in a postition to change my mind, examine the evidence and accept his existence. I imagine that he would have a lot of explaining to do at that point. The point is that until and unless evidence surfaces, I have no reason to believe in God any more than I do in leprechauns, elves or unicorns. It's not a red herring - it's perfectly analogous. Why should I accept that God could exist, but not any of those things?

[mondragon]

Blood tests don't test for the existence of virii in general, they test for the presence or absence in a particular quantity of blood. Same for canaries in the coalmine - the existence of poison gas is proven; what's being tested is its prescence in a particular place.

This is a specious argument.

Do you believe in the flying spaghetti monster?

[mondragon]

If calling someone's arguments ridiculous when they are bothers you, then you might try to not make ridiculous arguments. If you have some facts to present then you might try presenting them.

I do remember you. You give up when challenged while claiming the moral high ground.

See now, there's something to believe in because it's provable!

[mondragon]

I'm not the only one who responded to you saying the same thing. Yet you choose not to answer saying that I'm irrational. It's a weak strategy and very transparent.

[city_of_dis]

Do you believe in the flying spaghetti monster?

Oh, come now. Everyone knows that FSM exists. That's just common sense!

[mondragon]

You can't prove it doesn't exist!

::giggle::

[jesus_h_biscuit]

I fall on the side of logic, agnosticism makes theoretical sense but it doesn't suit me. You believe that there is some form of divination on a supernatural level, albeit one we may never understand, and I simply don't see how that is possible or makes any sense whatsoever. It's not that they deny free will, they just don't accept it in others - MY experience.

Bottom line, short of God appearing before me, there's no way I'm ever going to accept that any such thing is even remotely plausible given the 'evidence' offered in scripture, let alone believe it as an acceptable design for living.

[city_of_dis]

I can't speak for the biscuit, but I certainly apply the same rules to what is listed above. Money has no actual value, but since people keep giving me stuff that I want when I give them those little pieces of paper, I'll keep using the stuff