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Why are atheists thought ill of?

juggernaut

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What the hell are you talking about? I just responded to the title of the thread. What makes you think I care at all about true atheists? from an epistemological point of view, they're not half as interesting/puzzling as theists.
 

INA

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What do you want us to understand?

I guess it's that we're supposed to have more respect for god-believers than pink-unicorn believers because the former build their lives around the unprovable belief (and are therefore "interesting") and the latter do not (usually).
 

Blackmail!

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What the hell are you talking about? I just responded to the title of the thread. What makes you think I care at all about true atheists?

Again, you're very sly.
Why do you want us to focus on the dreaded ontological argument? I thought the matter was definitely settled since Kant, so why?

(anyway, that's a very old, rusty and dusty argument. Outside theistic countries [USA for instance: they are an anomaly within the West], it's very outdated)

from an epistemological point of view, they're not half as interesting/puzzling as theists.

It's not a question of epistemology, and I think you know it.
 

ptgatsby

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So you're saying that having a belief is now a matter of not having a belief...and you don't see something logically problematic with this claim? :thinking:

That's what you are saying by defining atheism as a positive assertion. I'm saying that you can not have a belief by not having a belief, thus leading to... not having a belief, which is also a part of the definition (ie: 'without').
 

juggernaut

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That's what you are saying by defining atheism as a positive assertion. I'm saying that you can not have a belief by not having a belief, thus leading to... not having a belief, which is also a part of the definition (ie: 'without').

No, I'm not. Atheism is the belief that one is without god. Please see etymological breakdown provided earlier.
 

Blackmail!

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Atheism is the belief that one is without god.

Do you think that the lack of faith is a faith in itself?

Do you think that the absence of a thing is comparable to the presence of it?

Non A = A?

That's an epistemological question.
 

Blackmail!

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When you're dealing with metaphysical entities, yes.

That's what I said. Only Theists can say that Atheists are believers. This idea can only originate within a theistic mind.
 

Quinlan

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I think it takes faith to say "there is absolutely no possibility of the existence of god" but it takes no faith to say "god is a possibility but there is not enough evidence to support a belief in that possibility".
 

Mole

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Atheists are thought ill of because they question power

Yes, it's a question of power.

The most complete expression of power is to rape a child and have your organisation cover it up.

And we know that the officers of this organisation and the organisation itself covered it up because we have the criminal convictions to prove it.

At the same time this organisation tells us we should not only fear their god, but we should also love their god. They tell us we should love and fear their god.

This is precisely what abusers want from their victims.

This is called the psychology of abuse.

Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely. Their god has absolute power and demands the impossible - to be loved and feared at the same time. And what better way to exercise this absolute power than over small children.

And they exercise their power over small, defenceless, trusting victims.

And it is a betrayal of trust by those in positions of trust. "Trust us", they say, "Trust us and have faith in the absolute power of our god".

So quite naturally, theism turns our stomachs.

And atheism seems to be only common decency.

No wonder atheists are hated by people of faith, just as Peguy hates me.
 
S

Sniffles

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That's what I said.
Yes I guess we do have a bad habit of coming to the same point from opposite directions.

I believe Pascal once stated that you can never convince an unbeliever of God's existence, only that it has merit to it. That's pretty much my position. you can only take the discussion so far, and after that you have to go your seperate ways.

Being an ex-Atheist, I know how Christians can be annoying when trying to convert others. Especially with threats of Hell. If you don't believe in Hell, then such a threat is hollow. I'm often reminded of that line from the MADTv skit involving Woody Allen fighting terrorists:

Terrorist: "I'll see you in Hell!"
Woody Allen: "Oh I don't believe in Hell, how about Los Angeles?"


Not only that, trying to bring people to God with threats of Hell is not the proper form of evangelization, as St. Bernard of Clairvaux articulated in his work On Loving God.

If you don't believe in God, then you don't believe in God. There's not much else I can say to you really.

Does your disbelief in Zeus require faith, Peguy?

Why yes it does.
 
S

Sniffles

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The greatest expression of power is to rape a child and have your organisation cover it up.
Does anybody else notice Victor's obsession with issues involving pedophilia?

Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely.

Thank you Lord Acton, who for the record was a Catholic.
 

ptgatsby

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Atheism is the belief that one is without god. Please see etymological breakdown provided earlier.

God(s), I assume you mean. The etymological breakdown is a literal 'without god/gods', or a theos, so I still don't know exactly what you are referring too.
 

professor goodstain

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I don't think atheists are thought ill of. In america anyway. I think it's all in their head. Possibly from second guessing themselves all the time.
 
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