Ah Twatter, I find it funny that mediums that give people a voice are used the most by people who have the least to say.
America is 2013 years old, apparently. :)
- Thread starter sandbender
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Biker
Bushcrafter (boy, I've got a lot to say!)
And say it with such conviction.......
Totally agree, some of those comments are criminal.
I'll get my coat.
It's easy and a bit lazy to make fun of the stupidity of Americans (not that was the intention perhaps) what people forget is the scale of the country. You only need 10% of a country that sized to be stupid or raving loonies for them to be a major distraction. If only 10% of those loons post on Youtube or on forums and you can kid yourself that the country is downright demented. Of course that conveniently ignores the fact that 90% of them are perfectly rational and going about their day having ordinary thoughts and doing ordinary things.
That wasn't my intention, I know a few folks from the US, a very bright and worldly wise bunch.
Sorry to stir the pot and go OT here, but I believe this is what he was referring to.
About 70% of Canadians say they Believe in God
About 90% of Americans
And only about 38% in the UK.
But I digress.
Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Demographics_of_atheism#North_America
About 70% of Canadians say they Believe in God
About 90% of Americans
And only about 38% in the UK.
But I digress.
Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Demographics_of_atheism#North_America
A belief in God, a God or Gods is not indicative of low intelligence or naiveness. Posting comments like the one in the OP may be.
has this strayed into religion/politics??
reckon the mods will be along shortly lol
and to be fair i think it actually says a lot about SOME of the kids about today, with everything at their fingertips SOME of them have become very lazy, not wanting to know even the most basic of facts.
Whilst engines like google can be put to great use in actual learning, sadly SOME people use it as en excuse not to think at all! (just my 2 cents)
oh and the OP was pretty funny tbh
Dave
reckon the mods will be along shortly lol
and to be fair i think it actually says a lot about SOME of the kids about today, with everything at their fingertips SOME of them have become very lazy, not wanting to know even the most basic of facts.
Whilst engines like google can be put to great use in actual learning, sadly SOME people use it as en excuse not to think at all! (just my 2 cents)
oh and the OP was pretty funny tbh
Dave
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Personally I think unbelief should be a private matter, along with belief.
I don't care what you believe in, as long as you buy your round.
I don't care what you believe in, as long as you buy your round.
I can't say I go along with that as it is much harder for non believers to be visible then. Unless you close down all the churches and religious radio and TV channels of course then you could have a point. If only the religious are visible then peer pressure will ensure that many will tag along with the idea no matter how irrational or lacking in evidence the local religion is.
My point exactly.
A belief in God, a God or Gods is not indicative of low intelligence or naiveness. Posting comments like the one in the OP may be.
I disagree. Maybe not low intelligence but its certainly naiveness or ignorance. Especially those who had it taught/drummed into them as "truth" or "fact" as a child (which I seriously consider a forum of child abuse).
There's a lot of people who would think your stance on religion is naive and ignorant...
Perhaps I made my point poorly; all I meant was that I tend to keep to myself the fact that I am a Rationalist, unless there is a specific reason to reveal it. I find certain 'look-at-me' unbelievers (Dawkins the obvious archetype) as rude, pushy, smug and pious as any ranting, foot-in-the-door evangelist.
Ignorant and naive in the way that Kant was ignorant and naive? or Voltaire, Hume, Bólya, Leibniz, Bacon, Heisenberg, Hesse or Spinoza were?
The list of people who were/are really very very bright and anything but naive and yet expressed a faith of one sort or another is endless as is the list of those who were/are equally intelligent and worldly and were/are confirmed atheists.
Sweeping comments condemning all people of faith as being ignorent and naive however, now that is dumb.
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I take your point on Dawkins being a bit strident but I would suppose he would argue that unless he matches fire with fire he does not get heard or a platform to be heard from. As strident as he can be he would never murder anyone for his views and yet in many parts of the world to this day he would be killed for saying what he does. Being rude to people that come up with flimsy arguments for things is peanuts in comparison.
I see your point; I just think that there are so many more interesting things to argue about. And I really don't care a jot what other people believe in, nor do I think religion makes people behave worse than they would otherwise - take religion away and we as a species are never slow to devise some other justification for killing one another,
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In many parts of the world you can be killed for glancing at someone in a way they find offensive, or for driving in a manner that another driver imagines to be disrespectful etc.
Pretty much. Although granted that reading from a different big book of secrets, or allowing ladies or just anyone to do so. has been the cause of much distress and misery both in the past and today.
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It's not really fair to name people from history as examples. They did not have the modern discoveries of science or even freedom to speak that we do these days. There are more top scientists named Steve than their are top Scientists who do follow organised religions these days. People are free to believe what they right and I would defend that right but the following quote is very true in my book.
“With or without religion, you would have good people doing good things and evil people doing evil things. But for good people to do evil things, that takes religion.”
― Steven Weinberg
I don't know, I think it happens all the time, without benefit of clergy. People can be wrong, frightened etc and do the most monstrous things from the best motives. Grab a copy of Graham Greene's 'The Quiet American' some time, it's a fascinating read and its theme is that very topic, how people can do the worst evil for the best reasons.
I suppose it depends on definitions. How far back before it becomes "history?" Just what do you call "top" scientists?"
My definition of "modern" (or at least recent) includes Albert Einstein. Also my definition of "top."
But then you said followed "organized" religions. Does not following an organized religion necessarily preclude their belief in god?
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