tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15599022.post8685077402311453810..comments2023-10-17T06:26:31.005-07:00Comments on Evolutionary Middleman: Time to get angry?John Evohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10868904051881865159noreply@blogger.comBlogger18125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15599022.post-49675938123357224472008-07-15T06:16:00.000-07:002008-07-15T06:16:00.000-07:00Well of course theists don't think alike. If the t...Well of course theists don't think alike. If the thousands of years of religious wars don't show that, just look at the number of different sects of christianity there are. What most theists should agree on, according to their religions, is a personal god. Seeing that many don't, for an atheist, is heartening to some degree.<BR/><BR/>Now in contrast, most atheists feel that there's only one PhillyChiefhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03355892225956705948noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15599022.post-81325584613106297562008-07-14T23:44:00.000-07:002008-07-14T23:44:00.000-07:00I have to admit that I'm genuinely amazed over the...I have to admit that I'm genuinely amazed over the consternation that this alleged 21% has caused among atheists. If it makes you feel any better, it is NOT true that 21% of atheists believe in God. Check out the study at http://religions.pewforum.org/reports<BR/><BR/>It's full of surprises. But for the purposes of this discussion, the numbers actually break down as follows:<BR/><BR/>Of those Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15599022.post-16214591947712789842008-07-10T15:14:00.000-07:002008-07-10T15:14:00.000-07:00Sarge said, "Most people really believe in BELIEVI...Sarge said, "Most people really believe in BELIEVING...."<BR/><BR/>He's got a point. How often have we heard, "You've got to believe in something!" or "Everyone believes in something?"<BR/><BR/>Believing in "something," for some reason, is supposed to be good for people. Maybe believing in something, anything, as long as it's something, is supposed to be equivalent to having hope. If you don't Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15599022.post-6841132086735458662008-07-10T12:30:00.000-07:002008-07-10T12:30:00.000-07:00Good points, Zara. I guess I'd say that drugs (of...Good points, Zara. I guess I'd say that drugs (of which alcohol IS one) make me feel good. Lying on a dark mountainside and starring out into space brings an undeserved sense of "wellness of the universe". So the difference is, as you say, knowing what's going on with my sparkling synapses fireworks show and not living my life 24/7 <I>as if</I> there were some greater truth in it.<BR/><BR/>I John Evohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10868904051881865159noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15599022.post-7952164986786492022008-07-10T12:12:00.000-07:002008-07-10T12:12:00.000-07:00To some degree, any time you've taken a drug or dr...To some degree, any time you've taken a drug or drank some alcohol you indulged in a bit of delusion and escape from reality, but of course you don't stay that way 24/7. Well I don't, at least. <BR/><BR/>I have a friend who is convinced he can't meet a girl because he's sober now, and that all his former charm used to come from the bottle. I don't know how to convince him otherwise.<BR/><BR/>PhillyChiefhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03355892225956705948noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15599022.post-10718386607142358422008-07-10T12:00:00.000-07:002008-07-10T12:00:00.000-07:00I just went through this with the wife this mornin...I just went through this with the wife this morning. She thinks she's alive today (and a decent person) because of religion. I tell her that when it comes to faith, I have more in her than she has in herself. I know she would be a decent human being - believing in god or not.<BR/><BR/>She <I>also believes</I> that it's "good for others". My argument that even if it is indeed "good for others"John Evohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10868904051881865159noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15599022.post-89753534866158004052008-07-10T07:04:00.000-07:002008-07-10T07:04:00.000-07:00Most of these people think faith is great...for ot...<I>Most of these people think faith is great...for other people.</I><BR/><BR/>I think that's probably true.PhillyChiefhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03355892225956705948noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15599022.post-8919369140533771972008-07-10T05:26:00.000-07:002008-07-10T05:26:00.000-07:00Most people really believe in BELIEVING rather tha...Most people really believe in BELIEVING rather than any diety, it's the rules and culture.<BR/><BR/>When I was much younger I was an atheist, but if someone asked I'd say "We're Baptist". It was true to the extent that this was the subculture I moved in whether I actually bought it or not.<BR/><BR/>Most of these people think faith is great...for other people. They regard religion is a brake that Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15599022.post-73399380766600695432008-07-08T20:49:00.000-07:002008-07-08T20:49:00.000-07:00I don't worry about losing people. Life's too shor...I don't worry about losing people. Life's too short for that, or surrounding yourself with people who waste your time.PhillyChiefhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03355892225956705948noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15599022.post-18075445148482778142008-07-08T19:55:00.000-07:002008-07-08T19:55:00.000-07:00Ex and Evo - your points are well taken. Different...Ex and Evo - your points are well taken. Different approaches are appropriate for different people in different circumstances. I have no problem with people who can be more outspoken and direct about where they stand than I often can be. When I was ready to take the final steps to faithfreeism, I appreciated the directness of their writings. In your cases, it possibly would be phony to take a Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15599022.post-60737077682314379752008-07-08T19:20:00.000-07:002008-07-08T19:20:00.000-07:00chappy:The one point you fail to make in your comm...chappy:<BR/>The one point you fail to make in your comment is that in your case, the Christian who converses with you feels as if he or she is talking to <I>a fellow Christian</I>. You're not fully "out" yet and you still have many ties to your church.<BR/><BR/>On the other hand, in Evo's case (and my case, and Philly's case, and ...), we're longtime atheists with essentially no connection to ourThe Exterminatorhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14452054124550486048noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15599022.post-49819712287760216362008-07-08T17:43:00.000-07:002008-07-08T17:43:00.000-07:00Chappy, I guess there is (despite my anger) more t...Chappy, I guess there is (despite my anger) more than one way to skin a Christian. Just do me a favor and talk shit at each and every church service you attend. Even if you have to spray a little perfume on it first. Meanwhile, some of us have to do it another way. Think of it as a multi-pronged pitchfork attack.John Evohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10868904051881865159noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15599022.post-33125596867949700612008-07-08T16:46:00.000-07:002008-07-08T16:46:00.000-07:00“Conversely, among respondents who say they are af...<I>“Conversely, among respondents who say they are affiliated with a religious tradition (Catholic, Jewish, Protestant, Muslim, etc.), a surprising number said they actually do not believe in a god or universal spirit.”</I><BR/><BR/>This doesn't surprise me in the least. I'm pleased that they were willing to admit their non-belief at all. I suspect that a lot of people go to church for Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15599022.post-69671903402402212802008-07-07T16:00:00.000-07:002008-07-07T16:00:00.000-07:00Crazy me; this is what I'm getting atCrazy me; this is <A HREF="http://www.publicintegrity.org/WarCard/?gclid=COyjjd7vrpQCFR8ZbAodXS64tw" REL="nofollow">what I'm getting at</A>John Evohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10868904051881865159noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15599022.post-3190126752663401462008-07-07T15:53:00.000-07:002008-07-07T15:53:00.000-07:00Evo:But you can still be rational and not strike o...Evo:<BR/><I>But you can still be rational and not strike out blindly.</I><BR/><BR/>Are you trying to say that not <I>all</I> Muslims were responsible for 9/11? What are you, a Commie?The Exterminatorhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14452054124550486048noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15599022.post-15338649182232271342008-07-07T15:35:00.000-07:002008-07-07T15:35:00.000-07:00@ Philly - that goes without saying, my friend. I...@ Philly - that goes without saying, my friend. I wasn't worried about encouraging <I>you</I>!<BR/><BR/>@ Ex - I'm not pretending. There's nothing inherently bad about "nice". It's as much a part of our evolution as the other parts. And it's not something I'd ever give up on. <BR/><BR/>But there are specific areas where "nice" doesn't work. When people fly jets into buildings, you can stop John Evohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10868904051881865159noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15599022.post-18129533109846314862008-07-07T15:24:00.000-07:002008-07-07T15:24:00.000-07:00Well, Evo, welcome to the world of the pissed off ...Well, Evo, welcome to the world of the pissed off people. Now maybe you'll stop pretending to be so fucking nice. <BR/><BR/>Go ahead. Smash that "Kumbaya" recording.The Exterminatorhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14452054124550486048noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15599022.post-39515679962070355942008-07-07T15:07:00.000-07:002008-07-07T15:07:00.000-07:00Well I really don't need numbers to help stoke the...Well I really don't need numbers to help stoke the flames of my bravado. I'll break their balls if I'm the only one around. ;)PhillyChiefhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03355892225956705948noreply@blogger.com