I'm an Atheist. James is a Christian. Aziz is a Muslim....

[Deleted]

If your religious affiliation is strong enough to describe you it IS important.

Let's say for example from the day I was born I was a christian, doesn't mean I was a good christian or actually believed in anything. Now my pass says I am an atheist but I do believe in Buddhism.

From that you could only say I am a buddhist, not a christian and not an atheist which, especially true if I made this choice by myself, would tell you a lot about my believes.

[The Whimsical Dwarf]

I thought religion wasn't allowed to be discussed and yet I see a new thread every day talking about it.

[Justpassing]

I thought religion wasn't allowed to be discussed and yet I see a new thread every day talking about it.

mods are asleep post religion

[Dezerte]

I thought religion wasn't allowed to be discussed and yet I see a new thread every day talking about it.

The thread's subject isn't really about religion, it's more so about human psychology & sociology. Granted, if the thread gets derailed into a religious discussion it'll probably get closed.

[Deleted]

The thread's subject isn't really about religion, it's more so about human psychology & sociology. Granted, if the thread gets derailed into a religious discussion it'll probably get closed.

I don't see how we can discuss people's reactions to those self-identifying labels and apparent adherence to belief (or lack thereof), without actually commenting (even if it's only indirectly) about the religions involved.

Anyway, I would assume that you, the atheist, would place more importance on reason and evidence than your friends, that you perhaps were less prone to superstition, you would have more of a liberal-leaning (socially anyway) and that you maybe were more concerned about finding or creating value in this life than the Christian and Muslim, because, to you, this is the only life you will ever have.

I haven't done anything to alter preconceived biases personally, except for pointing out that some liberal/moderate/reformist Muslims exist like Maajid Nawaz, Asra Nomani and Malala Yousafzai, when the subject comes up in discussion.

[Vargulf the Happy Husky]

I thought religion wasn't allowed to be discussed and yet I see a new thread every day talking about it.

no one is forcing you to read any of this...

[BatteredSausage]

I thought religion wasn't allowed to be discussed and yet I see a new thread every day talking about it.

These brainwashed nutjobs can talk about religion all day but say in a post 'god doesn't exist' and hello a tempory ban. A bit like the one ill prob get for this post...like i give a fuck.

[S7orm]

How do these classifications give you an initial perspective of who someone is as a person? Do they not change initial perceptions? What have you done to change and alter preconceived biases toward those of various faiths?

I'd try to understand if you (atheist) are so because of laziness or because you actually questioned your parents' religion and if James and Aziz actually read the books

Of course I'd consider you to be smarter compared to the religiuous guys for statistical reasons, but that won't change my attitude towards any of you 3

[Deleted]

I mean Bill Gates probably has all three of those up on you, and he's a devout catholic.

I doubt he's a devout catholic considering his history of driving people to suicide and destroying companies with pretty un-christian ethics.

But hey, I guess that's what a 'devout catholic' is.

[Raldazzar]

Well since you asked, I would assume the atheist is a total bellend. anybody who is so arrogant that they are openly claiming nothing exists is a dick. I'm fine with agnostic, the kind of.. I don't think anything exists, but hey, prove me wrong! but atheists are just nobheads most of the time, especially the ones that feel the need to announce it.

As for the Christian, I have no issues, I've met good ones, I've met bad ones. same for the Muslim, but I can honestly say, as soon as somebody says they are a Atheist, I think.. bellend. same goes for Vegan, feminist, meninist or any other fuckwittery.

[Jessicka]

Feel free to provide an up-to-date, credible source for that claim.

http://www.pewforum.org/2009/11/05/s...ts-and-belief/

USA Figures show 51% of scientists believe in a specific religion or 'higher power'.

That's America though, it will vary from country to country and since most of the rest of the world is more religious than the USA, we can only see that number getting higher.

- - - Updated - - -

I doubt he's a devout catholic considering his history of driving people to suicide and destroying companies with pretty un-christian ethics.

But hey, I guess that's what a 'devout catholic' is.

Doesn't mean he doesn't ascribe to the religion or believe in its deity. It's this stupid Dawkinsian Atheism that I really cannot stand.

[TonyMonktana]

How do these classifications give you an initial perspective of who someone is as a person? Do they not change initial perceptions? What have you done to change and alter preconceived biases toward those of various faiths?

This is how it is.

If you're an atheist I automatically know that you are indeed capable of CRITICAL thought. This means we can communicate on a more authentic level than the others.

Someone who believes in God or Allah has clearly never even used their brain to do critical thinking on the subject for any longer than 2 minutes.

[Jessicka]

This is how it is.

If you're an atheist I automatically know that you are indeed capable of CRITICAL thought. This means we can communicate on a more authentic level than the others.

Someone who believes in God or Allah has clearly never even used their brain to do critical thinking on the subject for any longer than 2 minutes.

Like the Atheists who immediate jump to 'you can't prove it' to try to dismiss and handwave discussion?

You really want people to ascribe to Atheism to 'look smarter'?

[Deleted]

http://www.pewforum.org/2009/11/05/s...ts-and-belief/

USA Figures show 51% of scientists believe in a specific religion or 'higher power'.

That's America though, it will vary from country to country and since most of the rest of the world is more religious than the USA, we can only see that number getting higher.

A few things...

a) You are showing only US data. Furthermore, the US is incredibly religious, and has God everywhere. Absolutely everywhere. Nowhere in Europe, apart from perhaps the Mediterranean countries, will you find people being similarly openly religious. It's way, way more likely that scientists outside the US are nowhere near as religious as those within the US. So no, the number would most likely absolutely not get higher. You're also missing this crucial point from the very same link you posted...

By contrast, 95% of Americans believe in some form of deity or higher power, according to a survey of the general public conducted by the Pew Research Center in July 2006.

b) Your data is from soon 7 years ago. The world is changing constantly, and there are more and more nonreligious people out there every year.

c) 51% is barely a majority, with such an infinitesimally small margin, that it's within the mere margin of error, not to mention, as I said, it's outdated data.

[Deleted]

Well since you asked, I would assume the atheist is a total bellend. anybody who is so arrogant that they are openly claiming nothing exists is a dick. I'm fine with agnostic, the kind of.. I don't think anything exists, but hey, prove me wrong! but atheists are just nobheads most of the time, especially the ones that feel the need to announce it.

An atheist worth their salt would not claim that "nothing exists", they would simply state that not enough evidence exists to support belief in the supernatural.

An atheist can still believe in a variety of things, they would just (typically) need a reason beyond faith to hold those beliefs. Personally, I believe in humanism, social democracy, social libertarianism etc. Some atheists are objectivist, others fascist, anarchist or monarchist. The only common thread is that atheists don't feel there is enough evidence to support the existence of the supernatural.

[Deleted]

I mean the OP is written exactly like a short-answer homework question.




I'd say that writing off groups of people that include individuals far smarter, far more wealthy, and far more influential than yourself as "morons" is a pretty moronic thing to do. I mean Bill Gates probably has all three of those up on you, and he's a devout catholic.


Buy you go and be that star-bellied sneetch.

So fame and success makes a person not a moron? Shit, I'm all wrong about Kanye West then I guess. He must be brilliant!

[TonyMonktana]

Like the Atheists who immediate jump to 'you can't prove it' to try to dismiss and handwave discussion?

You really want people to ascribe to Atheism to 'look smarter'?

In my eyes atheists are perceived as not so much more intelligent as they are realistic

I like realistic

[Jessicka]

A few things...

a) You are showing only US data. Furthermore, the US is incredibly religious, and has God everywhere. Absolutely everywhere. Nowhere in Europe, apart from perhaps the Mediterranean countries, will you find people being similarly openly religious. It's way, way more likely that scientists outside the US are nowhere near as religious as those within the US. So no, the number would most likely absolutely not get higher.

The world isn't just American and Europe. There are more people in India and China than those two combined, both are culturally heavily spiritual nations. Both have space programs. Then there's South America which is very Catholic.

b) Your data is from soon 7 years ago. The world is changing constantly, and there are more and more nonreligious people out there every year.

c) 51% is barely a majority, with such an infinitesimally small margin, that it's within the mere margin of error, not to mention, as I said, it's outdated data.

7 years isn't such a huge time to create the sort of generational demographic shift over something as fundamental to individual identity as religion.

[Deleted]

An atheist worth their salt would not claim that "nothing exists", they would simply state that not enough evidence exists to support belief in the supernatural.

An atheist can still believe in a variety of things, they would just (typically) need a reason beyond faith to hold those beliefs. Personally, I believe in humanism, social democracy, social libertarianism etc. Some atheists are objectivist, others fascist, anarchist or monarchist. The only common thread is that atheists don't feel there is enough evidence to support the existence of the supernatural.

An atheist can believe in ghosts. Atheism is about gods, not the supernatural in general.

[Mirishka]

All three fall in the same category, assuming they come out and label themselves without being asked: all are antagonistically judgmental of anyone that doesn't believe the way they do.

Life is a little more complex than 'all <name of group> do this'.