Are atheists converting into nothing but Jesus bashing mob?

Aya_: I have had many religious discussions here. I dont know if Atheism should be considered t a religion or not. Since a religion is a belief system and so is atheism. But, from what I have seen here, they all come up with exactly same logic, which could also mean they are just good in copying what an actual atheist once mentioned. Atheism should be more about how existence of God isnt possible rather than existence of "jesus" or any other deity in my opinion.

ghostgeek: Does thinking that the "God" of the Bible was nothing more than a volcano make one an atheist?

Aya_: Its more about the existence of that volcano,if, it was one.

ghostgeek: There's nothing unusual about a volcanic eruption. The fact is, there's about fifty a year. Just consider one aspect of the Exodus story, that of the Israelites being guided by a pillar of cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night. Does this not sound like a description of an active volcano? Also, remember that the Israelites ended up in Midian, where Moses first encountered the Mountain of God. Midian, it is generally agreed, was situated in what is now the north western part of Saudi Arabia, a land brimming with extinct volcanoes. Logic suggests that the God of the Hebrews was nothing more than just another volcano god, of which there are quite a few.

Aya_: Well, if the atheists view are only limited on Bible then they should be called BibleAtheists. Since, atheists in general, refuse everything quoted in different religions. Not just bible. And also, the topic isnt about what has been said in Bible and how legit it is. If they think religions is the only proof for the existence of God, if there is existence, then proving the content wrong in religious scriptures would make them legitimate atheists which imo isnt right.

fustler: As a Christian, I happen to feel a strong kinship with the atheist. We have both journeyed as far along the path of understanding as the the legs of reason could carry us. Then, we each took a leap of faith. If we only set religion aside and focus on love and understanding, the world would be a better place.

ghostgeek: Most people's views on God or gods are intimately tied up with religion. Let us say, for arguments sake, that all religions can be discredited, not just those based on the Bible. That in itself wouldn't disprove the existence of some form of deity, it would just leave us with nothing to say on the subject. It would not be possible to be theistic or atheistic because we would have no knowledge on which to form a judgement.

Aya_:

deuce916: Atheism is about truth, finding the truth. Believing in jesus is not being truthful to yourself. He died 2000 years ago. He's dead & won't be coming back. Did he even exist considering the gospels were written 80 years after he supposedly died.

Aya_: Atheism is about *finding* the truth and as far as I know, finding the truth about something which has been going on and on for centuries takes alot of wisdom and knowledge. I dont know if jesus or any other dieties mentioned in different religions ever existed but if something "bad" happened in your life or you just saw a bunch of atheists saying "Oh, these religious people are retards" and that made you convert into one, then youre more stupid than a blindly religious person.

deuce916: There is no god, no matter who tells who what. There is no god. So there must be something else. But what is it? If there is no god then what's going on? Well I know. But I can't understand why nobody else does.

Aya_: If you understand everything then you are great.
I am human and there are alot of things which is beyond my understanding. But, you are genius. =p

deuce916: Ok, I'll buy that. If you say so.

Aya_: *pun intended*

Charles Darwin: An atheist can believe in ghosts....an atheist can believe that Jesus was the greatest human and role model that ever lived. He/she can believe religion/Christianity is a good thing for all of mankind. You can't really say "atheists are X" when they're such a diverse group of people.

I do take issue with the comment above that atheism is a "belief system" in the same way that religion is. It's precisely the lack of belief in something. You'd have to be getting very technical to say "well, lack of belief in something is a belief system!" You wouldn't say that a person who lacked belief in, say, the Minotaur had a special "belief system" because of that lack of belief.

You do seem to have some distinctly different types of atheists out there and, of course, people that fall in between these categories.

You have the very young people who have fairly recently lost their "faith" in religion...perhaps in the last year or two....and these people are usually vicious about it...many times relying on a lack of understanding of science (still a better understanding than most religious folks) for their arguments, parroting arguments they hear other atheists use without doing research for themselves, etc. These are the people you'll often times hear make the explicit claim "there is no such thing as a god or gods" or "God does not exist" and many tend to like to insult religious people. These kinds of people are very loud and feed off of one another in a sort of pack mentality...unfortunately, many folks who are not atheists only see and hear this group and so they start to think they that this is just how atheism is.

You also have evidentialist atheists. These people reject belief whenever there doesn't seem to be sufficient evidence for it. These folks tend to be more well informed than the other groups in my experience, actively attempting to avoid any sort of logical fallacies and researching historical/scientific issues routinely. These folks tend to be more able and willing to discuss things in a civil manner than the first group.

You also have a pretty uncommon group of people that may call themselves atheists, but probably are not. I've met quite a few people who claim to be atheists and when asked why, it has to do with some sort of anger/frustration they have at a God they already believe in or with their church...and they feel that calling themselves an atheist is some sort of insult. Sometimes they're young teens who want to anger their religious parents.These are the religious folks you'll hear talking about being former atheists a lot of times.

This is just what I've noticed after spending a lot of time discussing science and religion online. With all that said, I once met an atheist who believed that there were once deities, but they died....leaving spirits (such as demons) free to roam the world. Did that make him any less of an atheist? Not at all. He didn't believe in a God, and that's all atheism means.

sprocket girl:
Charles I love you... but ugh
A hurt angered person who lost faith and is acting on emotion relies on a weak understanding of science "still a better understanding than most religious folks". Good grief Charlie Brown good grief.

That is the hog wash bull that drives me crazy. The atheist is all wise and scientific. The theist is a bumbling moron ignorant of the sciences. I will venture to say I have a vaster knowledge of science than most my age regardless of religious view. Why the hell can science not be science and religion be religion?

The Bible does not date the planet. It in no way attempts to do so. Yes, some moron can use the narrative of scripture in a way it was not intended and with a headache of trouble kinda maybe get close to a date. (Let us not forget The Bible tells of people not descendant of Adam) Also, it should be noted in no way is a day in the eyes of God equal to that of man. The whole listing of each day of creation as literal days, sunrise to sunset is told so man knows we require a day of rest. Not only for spiritual reasons but also for literal physical recovery. Many atheist and theist alike seem to for some unkown reason (as it goes against many theological explinations) believe Genesis is absolutely literal. Of course they have made a bum load of assumptions. Have dismissed other scripture but they argue on the God created Adam a literal number of days after creating the heavens and the Earth. In the end atheists and theists seem have much in common about Bible interpretation.

Here is why some of us say the athiest has a beliefe system. There is literally no science that shows there is not a supreme diety. A ton of science points toward intellegent design. But hey most theists are ignorant of science. Tell that to all the doctors who believe in some form of higher power.

The flat out fact is the average atheist is as closed minded as the average theist. Most atheists know hardly nothing beyond 11th year science. Guess what the same applies to most atheists. Just like most atheists and theists have absolutely no clue as to in what manner The Bible was written. Using The Bible to date the Earth and Universe is as ignorant to how and why The Bible came to be, as using The Theory of Evolution to show there is no creator. In this way the average theist and atheist is quite equal.

If ignorance is bliss this does not discreminate between the atheist and theist.

Anyways people should believe whatever the hell they want. I am just so tired of the atheist being the superior intellect take. Some dumb punk teen who dismisses the possibility of God because you know evolution. Is somehow a greater intellectual than Medical Doctors, Doctors in Theology and anyone else who believes in a creator.

Most theists and atheists are sheep following a crowd of other sheep. But I will say, I myself have followed in ignorance. A wise Theologian recently told me, "George ole girl, disputing evolution based on your knowledge of theology is pretty dumb." I actually concure but would like add, equally as dumb as dismissing theology based on ones knowledge of evolution. Fact is most at best understand science or theology. The rare person who studies both in my humble opinion will discover science does not point away from creation. Sure some science craps all over religious denominational doctrines. However, theology does this much better than science. You want to debunk a religious groups doctrine seek out a Theologian. You want to argue science theories, seek out a scientist.

What I have yet to determine is which group is ruder, atheists (bashing others that are the smarter group) or theists (bashing others with their righteousness).
I do know for me personally, I find the atheist equally as insulting as the theist. Sadly, there is really not much of a way to avoid being bashed by both.

So, I conclude the atheist is pretty much equal to the theist. Both may be wrong. Both are rude in defending their view. Both are typically not well eductaed in the sciences or theologies. Both make assumptions. Seems after all shockingly both are human.

Who woulda guessed that?

sprocket girl:
If people would quit needing to be on a team (excluding sports) and stop having to be on the winning team, the whole world would be better off. Seems the trouble with society and life is both the atheist and theist. Take the intellectually superior atheist, add the selfrighteous theist, throw in the intelectually honest agnostic and you have people and yep people basically suck. They is no winning team as all three groups are just people, people are a mess, more often incorrect than correct. Mean and agenda driven, rude and opinionated. I of course am no acception. Who is correct, the atheist, theist or agnostic? If history is correct whoever bashes others more and fights the hardest for their team to win. Currently it seems the atheist insults the best, yells the loudest and bashes the most. Thus maybe they are winning.

Of course there is absolute truth. However it is always unattainable. So, accepted truth will be whoever wins in society. Personally I hope the agnostic comes out ahead (though they won't) as they are the least insulting. Before anyone points fingures stating I am cheering on my team. I technically am a theist. Just so happens my team is equal in extreme suckage as the atheist.

ghostgeek: Can we be certain that there is such a thing as "absolute truth"?

sprocket girl:
While technically I want to agree that not believing is not a belief. I am some what confused by groups like the American Atheist Foundation or Association (sorry forget the name). They send out information recruiting others to not believe with them. I get politically why they exsist. But I do question a group making efforts to recruit others to not believe. At some point it seems disbelief becomes a belief system of its own. Let us look at the people who do not believe in Minotaur. They have not formed groups nor have they tried on a mass level to gain followers. Okay, maybe athiesm is not a belief system but it appears to be an ideology. Most forms of non belief do not become ideologies. I personally can not think of one outside atheism.

sprocket girl:
Ghost, I would agree I am not certain there is Absolute Truth but logic dictates there is. How life began on Earth there is an answer to. If anyone actually know it, is different. Is there a theory aposing Absolute Truth? Like a theory of alternate realities. Even then is not it in fact still only one actual truth? Like even with the concept of a Matrix there is still an absolute.

ghostgeek: Would the group you're referring to be the "American Atheists" by any chance?
[ http://atheists.org/ ] It's the first time I've heard of them and, I must confess, I won't be joining.

sprocket girl:
There are absolute truths, such as there are not square circles. On a larger level it is impossible to illustrate because it requires knowledge of truth. So, for example I can not state the Earth is a sphere. It can be stated the Earth is perceived and accepted to be a sphere. However, if perception is being altered by an outside force it is possible the Earth does not exist and it is injected in the mind by aliens. I do not believe that, am just illustrating that Absolute Truth is absolute and not dependent on accepted reality.

The denial of Absolute Truth seems to me to require that multiple realities exist and none are absolute. I honestly am unsure and confused by a concept of no absolute truth.

sprocket girl:
Ghost! wise on not joining. I think that is the group. There is an American group that does things like put up flying spaghetti man during the holidays. While of course they have a right to post their view. It to me seems it becomes more a belief than a simple lack of belief.

Also, I do not view all atheists the same just as all theists are not the same. As to what good the group does or does not do I have no clue.

sprocket girl:
In defense of the atheist. Atheist organizations probably do more harm for his stance than good. Just as many theist organizations do to the common theist.

I have more atheists attack Catholicism and Judaism when telling me I am wrong for being a theist, than any other approach. Since I do not follow either religion, I am always mostly perplexed as to how to respond.

ghostgeek: Debating the existence of "absolute truths" seems to me to be the province of philosophy, something for Colin maybe. As for Atheism, I never call myself an atheist or anything else besides. That doesn't mean I believe in the God of the Bible, it just means I won't make claims I can't make a convincing case for.

deuce916: sprocket girl, if we atheists don't go on the attack to theists then it will be the other way round where theists attack atheists. But the theists have got a good record of deadly persecution when it comes to making them feel better. And that includes their murderous god.