Dear Atheists..

[burning blue soul]

I am unsure how, due to an advanced brain development and therefore a need to ask the questions, "why am i here?" "Why me?" "What is it all for?", the human desire to know the unknowable can be achieved.
Those who believe in god do so because of a pathological fear of the unknown and death. It is a self-preservation reaction to control the uncontrollable.
Religion also has a very handy double edge, whereby the few can control the multitudes. You will believe the person that can ease your fears of death. Its just so handy that if you are a model citizen and do as you are told, after you die you will live on. Just so convenient that religion can snuggle up to your biggest fears and ease them, no worries.
Religion is a mass confidence trick, and THE pyramid scheme of pyramid schemes.
Im am agog that the Psychological, Sociological, Anthropological, Philosophical, and fucking Cosmoslogical communities haven't come together to provide all the required cohesive evidence needed to explain away this penchant for obsessive self preservation, AKA Religion!
Oh hang on; they could do but the egotistical masses, that believe the bullshit, get awfully tetchy if you try to remove their comfort blanket. They do so much want to live forever.... bless them.

The definition of religion is "A personal set or institutionalised system of attitudes to beliefs and practices"
But, in reality it's "A fear of death and a need for belonging".

 

[johnny crossan]

On what grounds? Because they actually articulated what the meant by a god, and therefore had something to discuss? You see it's very easy to maintain the possibility of god as long as you do absolutely nothing to define the term whatsoever, because no-one can ever disprove something that doesn't even exist as a coherent concept.

There are flaws in each of the traditional arguments but we can be certain as beings conscious of a place in the universe we exist and are in a relation to something we can’t say. The modern argument from reason is convincing to me but not a proof in a philosophical sense

Argument from reason - Wikipedia

en.m.wikipedia.org

I am unsure how, due to an advanced brain development and therefore a need to ask the questions, "why am i here?" "Why me?" "What is it all for?", the human desire to know the unknowable can be achieved.
Those who believe in god do so because of a pathological fear of the unknown and death. It is a self-preservation reaction to control the uncontrollable.
Religion also has a very handy double edge, whereby the few can control the multitudes. You will believe the person that can ease your fears of death. Its just so handy that if you are a model citizen and do as you are told, after you die you will live on. Just so convenient that religion can snuggle up to your biggest fears and ease them, no worries.
Religion is a mass confidence trick, and THE pyramid scheme of pyramid schemes.
Im am agog that the Psychological, Sociological, Anthropological, Philosophical, and fucking Cosmoslogical communities haven't come together to provide all the required cohesive evidence needed to explain away this penchant for obsessive self preservation, AKA Religion!
Oh hang on; they could do but the egotistical masses, that believe the bullshit, get awfully tetchy if you try to remove their comfort blanket. They do so much want to live forever.... bless them.

The definition of religion is "A personal set or institutionalised system of attitudes to beliefs and practices"
But, in reality it's "A fear of death and a need for belonging".

See above, but the answer to your opening questions is indeed a drive to understand and a desire for meaning in our mortal coil. Your take is a little bleak for the development of human civilization and without what you consider a universal confidence trick there is little chance any of us would be sitting here chewing the fat. Cheer up bbs, you might be wrong ;-)

 

[burning blue soul]

There are flaws in each of the traditional arguments but we can be certain as beings conscious of a place in the universe we exist and are in a relation to something we can’t say. The modern argument from reason is convincing to me but not a proof in a philosophical sense

Argument from reason - Wikipedia

en.m.wikipedia.org

See above, but the answer to your opening questions is indeed a drive to understand and a desire for meaning in our mortal coil. Your take is a little bleak for the development of human civilization and without what you consider a universal confidence trick there is little chance any of us would be sitting here chewing the fat. Cheer up bbs, you might be wrong ;-)

I don't want to be wrong. Your version of events is literally hellish.

The way you bat off every posters pov in this "now, now, don't be like that" tone shows me more about your real self than you realise.

Maybe you were indoctrinated at an early age and were brought up believing what you were told,; or you have arrived at the pious party a bit late in the day hoping the drink in all the hosanna's quick sharp to get your dues paid up.
Whichever it is, I see the doubts you have from the reactions and responses you make.
Very telling. To even start a thread titled 'Dear Athiests' is provocative. Because that was your aim. You strike me as a bloke looking for self-validation in his beliefs, and by conquering all the heathen non-believers you are somehow renewing your faith.
It's either that or you are intrinsically argumentative.
Problem is, your counter comments (I won't call them arguments as they do not warrant that clasification) do not address many of the valid points of opinion raised. You even did it just now stating (and I'm paraphrasing here because what you mean is deeper inside what you say) "if it wasn't for god we all wouldn't be here to worry about not being here. So worrying about not being here is a god given thing"
Your brain is wired to compute all statements contrary to the evidence, it just manipulates them to reinforce your personal belief system. Btw, I'm talking of your brain in the 3rd person because it automatically filters your actual reality before the original you gets a look in.
Religious types remind me of the 20Q electronic ball gizmo that can guess what you are thinking of after you answer 20 questions, only your answer is always "Because god"
You are not up to the challenge of converting folk on here as I believe you are only just holding your own god shit together as it is.
You might want to take a little breather.

 

[johnny crossan]

I don't want to be wrong. Your version of events is literally hellish.

The way you bat off every posters pov in this "now, now, don't be like that" tone shows me more about your real self than you realise.

Maybe you were indoctrinated at an early age and were brought up believing what you were told,; or you have arrived at the pious party a bit late in the day hoping the drink in all the hosanna's quick sharp to get your dues paid up.
Whichever it is, I see the doubts you have from the reactions and responses you make.
Very telling. To even start a thread titled 'Dear Athiests' is provocative. Because that was your aim. You strike me as a bloke looking for self-validation in his beliefs, and by conquering all the heathen non-believers you are somehow renewing your faith.
It's either that or you are intrinsically argumentative.
Problem is, your counter comments (I won't call them arguments as they do not warrant that clasification) do not address many of the valid points of opinion raised. You even did it just now stating (and I'm paraphrasing here because what you mean is deeper inside what you say) "if it wasn't for god we all wouldn't be here to worry about not being here. So worrying about not being here is a god given thing"
Your brain is wired to compute all statements contrary to the evidence, it just manipulates them to reinforce your personal belief system. Btw, I'm talking of your brain in the 3rd person because it automatically filters your actual reality before the original you gets a look in.
Religious types remind me of the 20Q electronic ball gizmo that can guess what you are thinking of after you answer 20 questions, only your answer is always "Because god"
You are not up to the challenge of converting folk on here as I believe you are only just holding your own god shit together as it is.
You might want to take a little breather.

I didn't start this thread - I'll be generous and assume you're confusing me with someone else but even so doesn't excuse all that juvenile claptrap. What are you talking about? Like some refugee from the darkweb has surfaced here - quite unsettling really.

 

[Irwell]

I don't understand how religion has spread as far around the world as it has. Surely any rational person applies Hitchens's razor and the Sagan standard as part of their evaluation when the concept of a god is raised?

 

[deano ou812]

Don’t know if it's been told in this thread,but atheist talking to minister/ priest turns round and says you know what “ thank God I’m an atheist “..

 

[tonea2003]

The absurdity of the atheist position doesn't need much exposing, in fact I'd be surprised if you could find any professional philosopher to defend the idea these days. If a proof of God was as obvious it would empty our freedom to act of purpose - the moral path would simply be prudential - ergo we each have to work out the steps to salvation according to the doctrine or tenets of whatever church or religion or belief system we espouse. Or just ignore ultimate questions about our existence, what's good or bad as unanswerable or misconceived and crack on with the show - until you can't.

johnny johnny johnny what claptrap

 

[tonea2003]

You said you were an atheist- therefore you claim God doesn't exist. Prove it.

you know this game

you make the claim it is on you to prove it not the other way round

 

[tonea2003]

85+% of the world's current population and 99.99% of everybody who has lived since homo sapiens evolved would disagree with you. Not so clear really.

you really are on shallow arguments these days (although this one you run on a regular basis) , numbers does not equate to fact you know that

 

[ChicagoBlue]

Gervais: There are about 4,000 religions in the world and they all believe they have THE supreme deity and the others are “wrong” and thus don’t believe in 3,999. I just believe in 1 less!

Personally, I think all 4,000 are looking for a salve and the power religions create always seem to rest in the hands of men, who then wield control over others, esp women. Shocker!

No-one likes the idea that when you die, you are just gone. However, perhaps even more controlling is the fact that if you believe there’s “something else,” then your loved ones will be there and, one day, if you’re really good and “follow all the rules,” you’ll see those loved ones again!

How do they know this can happen?
They don’t!
But, have “faith!”

Oh, and don’t forget to leave 10% on the basket in the way out!

Uh huh…suuuuure.