Letters to the Editor
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@ Picko, who asks why I participate in this discussion.
The answer is that because right now it happens to amuse me to do so.
As to your other questions which indicate a lack of subtlety and humor that I find too tedious to address, I refer you to my post history. Just click the link below my name. When you can come back and tell me that you have read them all, then I will be glad to discuss my psyche with you. ;-)
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Liberal fundamentalists?
They must be destroyed, of course. Line them up Shadow and take your shots.
However, don't expect to have much effectiveness from the shadows.
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Worthless
A diploma from a fundamentalist religious institution is not worth the paper on which it is printed. The exception to this general rule occurs for fundamentalist employers who would find such an "education" an asset in a compliant employee.
Seems like the letter-writer is trapped in a distasteful narrow world. Good luck on creating a viable escape plan! At least you are living in a part of this planet where disclosure of disbelief is not punished currently by a beheading or burning alive at the stake.
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@Picko
"If you can't disprove it, it must be true" is also a common logical fallacy"
Agreed. You must have not read my post, or you'd have noticed I don't believe myself. I'm certainly not making that argument.
"But I think "If I don't see it, it doesn't exist" is a straw-man definition of atheism."
I would agree with that also, but a common statement made during this conversation is that believing in God is obvious nonsense and only stupid people do it. Another common statement is the painting of religious people with a broad brush, as though none of them think for themselves. My statement covers both: just because you haven't experienced God (and I haven't either) doesn't mean it's "obvious" that it's nonsense to any thinking people, and that if the religious people you've experienced are stupid and sheeplike that doesn't mean they all are.
"By the way, it's a joke to use the phrase "when Christians again are in the minority" - are you referring to the days of the Roman Empire, perchance?"
Yes, actually I was. In the US today, Christianity is still the biggest religion, at least according to what people claim about themselves. My point is that it seems whatever religious view is in the majority, the proponents seem to become bullies. Perhaps buddhism is an exception. Perhaps there are other exceptions. But observing world history, it seems to be the case. And it seems to me that many of my fellow non-theists are sort of itching to get their turn at it.
"Oh, I'm sorry - I'm probably being mean or disrespectful. By all means, then, let's abjure all opinions or points of view that might possibly offend the piety of our fellow man - goodbye Voltaire, goodbye Nietzsche, goodbye Mark Twain! (They never contributed anything to Western civilization anyway.) Goodbye, open intellectual debate!"
Now you're flying off in left field, because I have ideas nothing like what you're attributing to me. Disagreeing with people is not the problem. Disrespecting them is. Looking down on people because they have different life experiences and thoughts about it is, because nobody gets anywhere that way. If you want to have discourse where people can exchange ideas and sharpen their thoughts against one another, and perhaps find some place to agree, you have to have respect. I'm disagreeing with you, so obviously I have no problem with that. But I do have a problem with your hostility, in which you've chosen to put words in my mouth, misinterpret what I have said, and deal with it by being sarcastic, which is really just an expression of aggression, rather than ideas. You've kind of proved my point. It's easier to judge than discuss.
I would suggest that those whose ideas have really changed other people's minds (rather than just found a sympathetic audience) start with expressing the disagreement with compassion and understanding.
And the reason I feel so strongly about this is that it's in me too. I'm fighting against it. I'm trying to deal with things in a better way. It seems it takes the whole of one's life to learn to disagree with respect, doesn't it? Well, this conversation is over for me.
But, shit, do I get tired of having to deal with people who don't bother to read what I've actually written before drawing all sorts of unwarranted conclusions. I'm thinking of giving it up.
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To AKA Smith
"Unfortunately in Texas, racism, homophobia, and misogny too often IS religion."
That's very sad to hear. It might just be the parts of the country I live in; California, NY, Mass, and Hawaii, but the conservative Christians I know are a lot more tolerant, in fact I would say most of them are actually inclusive, as they see the seats in Church becoming less and less filled.
From what I understand decreasing Church going numbers are phenomenon everywhere in America, and I believe Sunday Morning football has a lot to do with that. I go to the Buddhist temple with my wife and kids almost every weekend (she goes every weekend), and I am astonished at how my "Christian" conservative coworkers, neighbors, and friends, whom almost never go to Church, claim that they are more religious than I am. Their reasoning is that they don't consider Buddhism a serious religion, and in their mind being a good Christian means only believing in Jesus (even if you have never talked to a Christian priest/reverend/minister in your life, and have never read a page of the bible).
I am beginning to believe that Christianity to American Fundies is more of a patriotic thing than anything else. Correct me if I am wrong, but isn't Mormonism the fastest growing branch of Christianity in America, and isn't that the Branch of Christianity that claims that Jesus came to America, and that God will create Heaven on Earth in Salt Lake City?
One of my biggest falling outs with Christianity was that I saw it is a death cult, whose practitioners believed that the world is coming to end, possibly tomorrow, because god (or Jesus) is coming, and we're all f*cked, unless we get baptized.
I'm sorry, but that just doesn't jive with the World and the Universe as I see it.
There is so much more to live for. The world and the Universe is beautiful, and I am going to love as much of it as I possibly can, regardless of what city or culture I walk through.