I'm A "Scathing Atheist." Ask Me Anything.

A simple concept with inspiration obviously drawn from reddit's AMA articles.

Over the years I've seen several religious groups create surveys meant to define different categories of atheists. While I don't particularly agree with the conclusions of those surveys, nor do I agree with compartmentalizing the atheist movement, I would certainly have to agree that I fall somewhere between what is typically referred to as an "intellectual atheist" and "activist atheist." I am an avid proponent of social justice, and I am fairly well read on the typical atheist reading material and debate such as the works but forth by Dawkins and the late Mr. Hitchens.

Feel free to ask me anything in a level-headed manner, and I'll be sure to give you a level-headed response!

I really liked The God Delusion.

Who do you think Dawkins works for?

I don't understand why you choose to not believe in the greatest American ever known ! ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, which was Jesus Christ.

Originally posted by VoidHawk
I really liked The God Delusion.

Who do you think Dawkins works for?

I believe Dawkins works first and foremost for the atheist community, if that's what you're asking. His background in biology is certainly prevalent but to be fair I would have to argue that most of his time is absorbed battling theocracy. If you're insinuating that he has an agenda - perhaps he does - but I believe that agenda is his own, not anyone elses. I also believe if he does have an agenda, it comes from the code of morality he accepts as a secular humanist.

Many of his personal beliefs are but forth in this Q&A one-on-one debate between himself and Cardinal Pell in quite a straightforward manner. Cardinal Pell is certainly not a shining example of Theocratic thinking, but his questions are more than sufficient enough to bring forth answers from Dawkins that are very telling of his worldview. I choose to recommend this interview because neither of the speakers attempt to "pull the wool over the other's eyes" so to speak. That is to say, I feel neither of them resorts to cheap trickery.

It can be found here: Dawkins vs Pell

Originally posted by jazztrance
I don't understand why you choose to not believe in the greatest American ever known ! ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, which was Jesus Christ.

It is not as if I never tried to be faithful. I did. Most people who are genuinely atheist have tried to find their faith at one point or another. When I was a child my family went to both Catholic and nondenominational churches. From a very young age (probably around 10 or 11) I developed a very skeptical point of view towards religion. I equated a lot of the stories in the Bible to a lot of campfire stories I was told. I knew when I was 4 or 5 that Santa wasn't real, and I figured it out without being told by my peers or adults. Maybe it seems ridiculous to a Christian to question the validity of Jesus because one can question the validity of Santa Claus, but from an atheist's point of view it's a legitimate comparison. In my earlier teen years I scoured the internet for evidence of ET life and tried to cast spells from various books of Wicca. I prayed to God, Jesus, Odin, and several other deities at times. I never whole-heartedly believed in any of them, but I did whole-heartedly try to believe in them. Eventually, it was my intellectual journey that made me into the atheist I am today, as I chose to only trust evidence which could stand up to scientific scrutiny. So far (despite claims) I have found no such evidence from any of the religions which I have researched.

That is not limited to Christianity/Catholicism - It also included Islam, Judaism, Buddhism, Hinduism, Taoism, the tenants of Philosophers such as Confucius, Mormonism, Scientology, Evangelism, Wicca/Paganism, and so forth. I've looked into just about anything that had material available to me. And yes, I have read the Bible.

Originally posted by jazztrance
I don't understand why you choose to not believe in the greatest American ever known ! ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, which was Jesus Christ.

what are americans now proclaiming jesus was american?????????????

then again that really doesn't surprise me much

Originally posted by freedomSlave

Originally posted by jazztrance
I don't understand why you choose to not believe in the greatest American ever known ! ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, which was Jesus Christ.

what are americans now proclaiming jesus was american?????????????

then again that really doesn't surprise me much

Mormonism purports the garden of eden to have been somewhere near Alabama, and claim that Jesus came to the Americas after he died on the cross.

Do you believe there is anything out there greater than yourself?.

reply to post by HairlessApe


well i don't have a picture of a facepalm ..

never knew that they thought that .. and how do they figure how he crossed the ocean ?

that really has to be one of the absurd things i have heard in awhile

Originally posted by freedomSlave
reply to post by HairlessApe

 

well i don't have a picture of a facepalm ..

never knew that they thought that .. and how do they figure how he crossed the ocean ?

that really has to be one of the absurd things i have heard in awhile

I'm not very clear on the specifics, but I do think that the Mormon belief is that he came here after "rising to his father's kingdom." So basically he came as sort of a supernatural resurrected version of himself. Mormons also belief that Native Americans are a lost tribe of the Israel. (Jews)

Originally posted by HairlessApe
Many of his personal beliefs are but forth in this Q&A one-on-one debate between himself and Cardinal Pell in quite a straightforward manner. Cardinal Pell is certainly not a shining example of Theocratic thinking, but his questions are more than sufficient enough to bring forth answers from Dawkins that are very telling of his worldview. I choose to recommend this interview because neither of the speakers attempt to "pull the wool over the other's eyes" so to speak. That is to say, I feel neither of them resorts to cheap trickery.

It can be found here: Dawkins vs Pell

Thanks for that
I'll go watch and then return.

Originally posted by hotel1
Do you believe there is anything out there greater than yourself?.

That depends on your definition of "greater than myself." Could you be more specific?

reply to post by HairlessApe


If you think there isn't a God then you must have an idea of what a God is.

What, by your definition of a God, do you feel constitutes your disbelief thereof?

Where do you enjoy holidaying...?

Originally posted by HairlessApe

Originally posted by hotel1
Do you believe there is anything out there greater than yourself?.

That depends on your definition of "greater than myself." Could you be more specific?

Do you for instance believe in the forces of chance, destiny, karma, and such like?.

Originally posted by Bleeeeep
reply to post by HairlessApe

 

If you think there isn't a God then you must have an idea of what a God is.

What, by your definition of a God, do you feel constitutes your disbelief thereof?

edit on 8/4/2013 by Bleeeeep because: (no reason given)

This is among the best questions I have seen on this site.

Originally posted by Bleeeeep
reply to post by HairlessApe

 

If you think there isn't a God then you must have an idea of what a God is.

What, by your definition of a God, do you feel constitutes your disbelief thereof?

edit on 8/4/2013 by Bleeeeep because: (no reason given)

A lack of scientific evidence to back up the claims of a God.

Atheists do not purport to have an idea of what a God is, they simply refute the claims others make about God. My definition of God changes depending on the definition of God given to me by the person with whom I am debating.

Originally posted by hotel1

Originally posted by HairlessApe

Originally posted by hotel1
Do you believe there is anything out there greater than yourself?.

That depends on your definition of "greater than myself." Could you be more specific?

Do you for instance believe in the forces of chance, destiny, karma, and such like?.

Chance is a mathematical probability and can be scientifically verified. Karma... The belief that good things happen to good people... Is true in my opinion to some extent, but that's only because I believe that humans generally want to treat one another fairly - it does not come from an external force or anything supernatural. Destiny, no. I do not believe in anything supernatural. If something we think is supernatural today is later explained by science, it is no longer supernatural.

Originally posted by MadMax7
Where do you enjoy holidaying...?

Where? Europe is nice. Asia too.

If you mean which Holidays do I celebrate, I celebrate Christian holidays (most of which have pagan origins) because my family celebrates them, and I do not forsake my family simply because we hold different views.

Much like Jews who do not believe the tenants of Judaism are still cultural Jews, I am a "cultural Christian." To an extent.

How can you believe that there is nothing intelligent structuring this universe? Even chaos has structure, it has a defined path. I wouldn't want to live in the world of Pan.