Message 46 of 71 (551367) 03-22-2010 2:12 PM

Reply to: Message 38 by Den 03-22-2010 12:13 PM

We non-religious folk have this thing called the computer, where if I type "charity" in any search engine, we'll get about 6 million different what we call "websites" that we can select. From there, we do what we call "click" on a charity to find out how we donate this cash that's currently burning a hole in our wallet. We also have this instrument called the "telephone". When combined with what we commonly refer to in evolution-ese as "The Yellow Pages", it offers us yet another option.

Now I agree with you that this ridiculous number of steps is absolutely too much for some, but it's what we put up with when we don't have access to the "tin plate".

Have a good one.

Message 48 of 71 (551369) 03-22-2010 2:32 PM

Don't feed the trolls.

Message 49 of 71 (551385) 03-22-2010 3:52 PM

Reply to: Message 48 by Rahvin 03-22-2010 2:32 PM

I enjoy mocking people like this, so I'm going to mock him. Do you object?

It harms nothing except his pride.

Edited by Dr Adequate, : No reason given.

Message 50 of 71 (551392) 03-22-2010 4:12 PM

Reply to: Message 48 by Rahvin 03-22-2010 2:32 PM

If, like me, you think that religion does more harm than good in the world, there's every reason to encourage people who choose to discredit it in public on the internet. In your religious days, wouldn't the enormous numbers of nutty and/or ignorant internet defenders of Faith have contributed to your doubts?

Feed away, and let religion shoot itself in the foot, I say.

Message 51 of 71 (551397) 03-22-2010 4:23 PM

Reply to: Message 50 by bluegenes 03-22-2010 4:12 PM

{I say "them" referring to creo-fundies because Den smacks of being one, albeit in an attempted disguise.}

"Show me where Christ said "Love thy fellow man, except for the gay ones." Gay people, too, are made in my God's image. I would never worship a homophobic God." -Desmond Tutu

Message 52 of 71 (551404) 03-22-2010 4:40 PM

Reply to: Message 30 by Den 03-22-2010 11:37 AM

Proselytizing does not help anyone. If you spent as much money on mosquito netting as christians do on missions based literature we could save millions of children from malarial disease.

Just imagine the number of Salvation Army volunteers we would lose if people stopped believing in Santa Claus.

Message 53 of 71 (551405) 03-22-2010 4:42 PM

Reply to: Message 51 by hooah212002 03-22-2010 4:23 PM

Well, so they do.

It is quite probable than our new friend "Den" will feel that somehow, according to some gibberish hermeneutics that he just made up in his head, he has won.

But in fact he lost when he posted his OP. And anyone else reading this thread will know this, unimpeded by his pride, folly, stupidity, or other mental deficiencies.

Message 54 of 71 (551433) 03-22-2010 6:10 PM

Reply to: Message 30 by Den 03-22-2010 11:37 AM

That seems like a good thing to me. The purpose of charity is to give to others from your heart, not because you can get something out of it. Do you think people tithe in the collection plate at church because they're feeling so generous every single Sunday? No, it's because of peer pressure. They don't want their judgmental counterparts to start gossiping about how they allowed the collection plate to pass them.

Moral superiority because they may donate more to charity? How about, sanctimonious horseshit???

First, let's assume that Christians do give more to charity. For one thing, there are far more Christians than atheists on the earth, so you'd first have to figure out who gives more per capita, which really cannot be done if you are donating properly.

Secondly, are the moral superior Christians giving to charity because they want to or because they feel compelled to, either by the pressure exerted by other Christians or a fear that God will not bless them if they do not tithe their 10% or more to God?

Thirdly, if an atheist does give to charity, it isn't done with trumpets and all this drama. Let me know if this verse rings a bell:

"Be careful not to do your 'acts of righteousness' before men, to be seen by them. If you do, you will have no reward from your Father in heaven.

"So when you give to the needy, do not announce it with trumpets, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and on the streets, to be honored by men. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full. But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your giving may be in secret. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you." --Matthew 6:1-4

Den, you sound extremely self-righteous and antagonistic. Your sense of moral superiority seems more like you masquerading as an angel when you're nothing but a false prophet.

Message 55 of 71 (551442) 03-22-2010 6:44 PM

Reply to: Message 51 by hooah212002 03-22-2010 4:23 PM

Of course. I'm well aware of that. But I'm also aware that there are many intelligent young people who've been brought up with a religion which they've been taught is truth, and who will sooner or later question that truth. People like the author of this O.P. inadvertently stimulate that questioning.

Also, they give me the opportunity to point out that the countries with the highest levels of non-theism are relatively well functioning societies (Sweden, France, Japan etc.) and are net contributors to world aid, which is invariably received by highly religious societies.

I like pointing things like that out.

Message 56 of 71 (551453) 03-22-2010 7:40 PM

Reply to: Message 55 by bluegenes 03-22-2010 6:44 PM

And we don't even have to look at other countries, where there could be other factors influencing the statistics: we can look at the differences in statistics for things from violent crime rates to divorce to childhood pregnancies and compare them against the state and county proportions for religious and non-religious people. It comes as no surprise (to me) that "bible belt" communities are higher in the stats than liberal areas.

Massachusetts - even with gay marriage adding to the number of marriages - still has the lowest divorce rate in the country.

I just did a google on "red state morals" and one of the hits was

http://www.oregonherald.com/...2_red-state-moral-values.html

Overall, it's rather amusing eh?

Enjoy.

Message 57 of 71 (551454) 03-22-2010 7:40 PM

Reply to: Message 39 by Theodoric 03-22-2010 12:18 PM

I don't yet know if you continue in this vein in this thread, I'm only up to Message 39, but please stop. Stick to the issues and the facts.

Everyone else, same message. Please extend Den every courtesy.

Message 58 of 71 (551491) 03-22-2010 11:12 PM

Reply to: Message 1 by Den 03-21-2010 1:16 PM

May I say just a few words? Please, please, please stop. Wars of words don't accomplish anything good.

1. Gotta treat everyone with respect. Atheist, Agnostic, or Christian, just the same..... Yeahh, being assertive may feel great, but being submissive fosters a friendly conversation. So, choose.

2. And please remember that.. if you're a believer, you're not a soloist...you represent the church, so please don't defame it.

Thanks.

Message 59 of 71 (551494) 03-22-2010 11:20 PM

Reply to: Message 58 by Pauline 03-22-2010 11:12 PM

I think I read about this in the Book of Revelation. It was somewhere between the rain of blood and the plague of giant locusts.

THE END OF THE WORLD IS AT HAND!!!

Message 60 of 71 (551496) 03-22-2010 11:24 PM

Reply to: Message 59 by Dr Adequate 03-22-2010 11:20 PM

Hi Dr A. Yes, I was terribly at fault for what I said in the Forum name change thread. [referring to repent or perish...] Rahvin understood me. I, I do regret it. I'm VERY sorry. I'll try to do better in the future.

You have a good one.