"Research is Not the Answer"

[_Dr. Shades]

(And yes, atheism is a religion too.)

If you believe that atheism is a religion too, then you believe that infertility is parenthood, too.

[_JLHPROF]

And my favorite TV series of all time is "Black Adder", a clever satire on British history starring Rowan Atkinson.

Have you ever read Graham Greene's "The Power and the Glory", about a Mexican state in the 1930s that banned religion? The main character in the story is a Catholic priest who continues his work although he is threatened with death at every turn. The story is based on actual historical events in Mexico.

Blackadder and Graham Greene...a man of very good taste here.

[_JLHPROF]

(And yes, atheism is a religion too.)

If you believe that atheism is a religion too, then you believe that infertility is parenthood, too.

Is atheism an inability to believe in God then? A lack of something within that other's have naturally.

[_kjones]

Is atheism an inability to believe in God then? A lack of something within that other's have naturally.

I don't know. I confess it is not something I have thought much about. I have never read Sam Harris, Richard Dawkins, Christopher Hitchens, or any of those guys.

However ... I do believe that atheism has its own set of conventions, absurdities and improbabilities, just the same as any religion. You have to accept a lot on faith.

In the end, it is a choice. Just like belief in God, belief in atheism is about choice. One is making a choice.

On another note, or a similar note ... I came across a very interesting article in the New Yorker a while back . . .

https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2015 ... ck-bostrom

. . . and I was struck by how similar the language of atheism is to the language of a religion—at least in some instances. Atheists sometimes speak in ways that are very similar to the ways in which religionists speak. I first noticed this about ten years ago when I was reading about Edward Wilson, the biologist, and I see it again in this New Yorker article, a profile of Nick Bostrom.

P.S. - I'm going to bow out now. It's been fun. Thanks.

[_I have a question]

Is atheism an inability to believe in God then? A lack of something within that other's have naturally.

Is atheism an ability to see belief in God for what it really is then? Something within that others don’t have naturally?

[_I have a question]

However ... I do believe that atheism has its own set of conventions, absurdities and improbabilities, just the same as any religion. You have to accept a lot on faith.

It’s no wonder you’re bowing out....

[_Morley]

Atheists sometimes speak in ways that are very similar to the ways in which religionists speak. I first noticed this about ten years ago when I was reading about Edward Wilson, the biologist, and I see it again in this New Yorker article, a profile of Nick Bostrom.

From this comment, I get the impression that the only time you've read E.O. Wilson was when you googled the word "atheism" to harvest some names to drop.

[Guest]

Is atheism an inability to believe in God then? A lack of something within that other's have naturally.

I don't know. I confess it is not something I have thought much about. I have never read Sam Harris, Richard Dawkins, Christopher Hitchens, or any of those guys.

However ... I do believe that atheism has its own set of conventions, absurdities and improbabilities, just the same as any religion. You have to accept a lot on faith.

In the end, it is a choice. Just like belief in God, belief in atheism is about choice. One is making a choice.

On another note, or a similar note ... I came across a very interesting article in the New Yorker a while back . . .

https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2015 ... ck-bostrom

. . . and I was struck by how similar the language of atheism is to the language of a religion—at least in some instances. Atheists sometimes speak in ways that are very similar to the ways in which religionists speak. I first noticed this about ten years ago when I was reading about Edward Wilson, the biologist, and I see it again in this New Yorker article, a profile of Nick Bostrom.

P.S. - I'm going to bow out now. It's been fun. Thanks.

deleted for excessive snark

[_Maksutov]

I confess it is not something I have thought much about. I have never read Sam Harris, Richard Dawkins, Christopher Hitchens, or any of those guys.

However ... I do believe that atheism has its own set of conventions, absurdities and improbabilities, just the same as any religion. You have to accept a lot on faith.

-Snip more ignorant babble-

P.S. - I'm going to bow out now. It's been fun. Thanks.

Try thinking and actually reading instead of projecting your theist biases for a change. Never mind, you're just another drive by douche.

[_fetchface]

kjones,

When I read Robert Lifton's study of Chinese thought reform programs, I was struck by one small thing. When people were arrested they would defend themselves by saying something like, "there must be some mistake." A common response by the prison official would then be, "the government doesn't make mistakes."

Clearly, even though the communists were "atheists," faith was a problem with them. You can't classify that kind of faith in government as rational thinking. Faith and theism can be and should be treated separately. They are two different things.

Faith is what is unjustifiable, whether applied to theism or atheism. I've yet to come across a good argument for it, and you and Elder Oaks are failing yet again to provide one.