No matter how open-minded...

[ramboondiea]

lots of things,
alotof fetishes.
grunge music
death metal
who the fuck keeps giving alan titchmarsh work?
why my local tapas restaurant serves a carvery

 

[Necron_warrior]

I don't understand people who do things 'out of the goodness of their heart'. There's no profit for the doer, unless the doer has the ideas of favours in mind, it just seems illogical to me.

Really?
The idea of doing something just for the sole purpose of helping someone else is that strange?
Today I have a stranger I never saw, and probably will never see again, a Euro because he was on the same bus as I and lacked a euro for the ticket.

He didn't look poor, and he probably could have gone to a ATM and catch the next bus, but I had a spare Euro and now he can go to whatever in time.

I lost a Euro, but I helped someone out.

I know people do it, and it is a natural human thing to do, I just wonder why?.

 

[Sinclair Solutions]

I think you guys tend to generalize religion and portray it in more of a bad light than it deserves. There are many things about religion that have benefits. Yes, there are negatives to religion, but there are negatives to everything. Yes, the more zealous religious folk can do some very immature and very mean things, but so can a very zealous atheist.

Religion, in general, should serve one purpose for people: comfort. This comfort comes in many ways. It may come as comfort living in a bad situation, or handed a bit bit of bad luck, wondering why that is. Isn't the thought that maybe some unknown force that maybe has your eventual best interest in mind a more soothing thought that just thinking that your life is shit for no reason? That maybe, you are suffering now, but after you die you will enter into a paradise so blissful it cannot be described? Also, doesn't the idea that someone shaped us in His image make us sound so much more important than such an insignificant speck in the confines of the universe?

I understand that a lot of people defend that everyone has a right to believe whatever they want to believe as long as it isn't hurting anybody. I understand because I think that way too. However, you have to understand that most people who are against religion don't hold that point of view because they think it's silly or unnecessary, but because religion is really, really dangerous.

For every person who believes in God and thinks they should be kind to everyone they meet, there are two more who want homosexuals locked up. There have been thousands of wars fought over religious beliefs and tens upon millions of deaths because of it. Religion has unarguably brought more suffering and injustice to this world than any other idea ever conceived.

I know you still think it's impossible to stop people from believing whatever they want to believe, but think of this. Are they really believing what they want to believe? If an institution educates you from your youth and convinces you that their millenial beliefs are fact, is that freedom? Is that really what's best for that individual?

Religion is after all an organized belief system. If you take away the organization it isn't anything anymore and what's more, it's practically harmless. I think that in time, you might realize that anybody that needs something ethereal to hold faith in can always use a little more willpower and come up with their own conclusions. I think they can be happier that way.

I understand you arguments completely. As I said, religion has many negatives. But, the way I think about it, humans could bend any ideal or philosophy and bend it into a way that causes pain and destruction. Excuse the poor example, but remember that episode of South Park where Cartman goes to the further to get the Wii and all the Atheist groups are fighting over what they should be called? No matter what the debate is, no matter what the time or place or ideology, humans can and most likely will find a way to fight about it. Unfortunately, that is the way we are wired.

As for the organization of the Church, I find that many of what the Church teaches does promote hostility and completely agree with your "willpower" idea. But can people not still believe in God and make their own conclusions? My views are not based on the Church's teachings but my own thoughts about the world and God's role. I decided for myself how I saw Him and what He did. The two can still be mixed. I think it would be marvelous if humans could take only the good parts of religion (more specifically, Christianity, since that seems to be the trend here) and promote those. Alas, that is not the case; but it is what I follow.

 

[retyopy]

The Ponies.

You might want to expand on that so you don't get hit with a low content warning.

OT: For me, it's rap and hip hop. I can't get how people can honestly like that stuff.

Wow, that was really mature. Good job. Point for the bronies and the pegasisters.

OT: "Politically correct" people. You're still judging them, you're just judging them diffirently.

The extreme right. Here's why. [http://www.teapartypatriots.org/news/connie-lanzisera-why-i-joined-the-tea-party/]




I love this bit, just thought I'd quote it:

Now, I have discovered that the federal government is subverting our U.S. Constitution. There are over 30 czars that hold positions of power, running our country outside of our constitutional framework. The president, not the Congress, has created these czars. This means Congress does not have oversight of them. This is in direct violation of our Constitution.

Wow! 30 secret czars are in control of my country? That sounds completely logical!

 

[cgaWolf]

I know people do it, and it is a natural human thing to do, I just wonder why?.

Altruism in pack animals is an evolutionary advantageous tactic for the species as a whole.

 

[Soleron]

I don't understand how all politicians end up acting the same way. Surely by now someone idealistic (not acting in pure self interest at all time) would have ended up in power and remained so, even if only by chance?

 

[Rayne870]

People who dye their hair.

I can handle nose rings, nipple piercings, earrings, belly-button rings, and tattoos, but dying your hair, or altering any aspect of your body that you were born with just doesn't feel right.

Same with any cosmetic surgery.

I um...don't understand this rationale. Tattoos essentially dye your skin and will be with you for life, where as hair dye pretty much only lasts until it fades out or the hair grows out.

I cant understand people on facebook that routinely post chain letters or obvious spam. The latest example of this being several of my friends re-posting a "recall" on baby food, without having checked for news sources or a recall notice for the company, especially when they are given all of the tools to do so, a faux batch number is even provided in the spam. Furthermore there are no links to say a credible news outlet. I just don't understand people that will spread rumors without checking facts.

 

[Dango]

Why anyone cares about anyone else's religion.

 

[Sir Thomas Sean Connery]

Snip

snip

Not sorry to burst your bubble here, but you've failed to argue that atheism is not a religion.

Here's why:
In order for something to be seen as fact by people, they need to have faith in it. Do you honestly think a scientist would come up with a scientific theory if he didn't have faith in it?

How many scientist believe that Hawkins theory about Black Holes is 100% fact despite there being no way it can be proven it. (Keep in mind that Hawkins himself lost faith in his own theory.)

I know what you're going to say. "It can't be proven, yet." And I say, "exactly." The other religions can make that same argument with the same result.
There's no logical way to prove a deity or all powerful entity exists, and no logical way to prove they don't exist either.

I've watched a number of atheist videos on YouTube, and none of them succeed in disproving the existence of theoretical deities or entities. All they succeed at is being a blatant attempt to justify intolerance towards, and bulling of, those who do believe in such things.

I mean why did you become an atheist?

I bet it was because you didn't have faith in the other religions, and needed something else to have faith in. You wanted something else to believe in. Thus you turned to atheism. You put your faith in atheism.

Faith = religion. Belief system = religion.

1+1=2 is only a fact because people have faith that it is a fact.

If mankind as a whole were to decide that the order the numbers 0-9 are to be changed say 0, 1, 3, 2, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9 instead of 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9.
Then suddenly 1+1=2 stops being a fact.

Facts aren't always concrete. If you really think about it, many are quite fragile and only exist because we allow them to.

So, according to what you are saying, 1+1=2 is math. 1+1=2 is faith. Faith = Religion. Therefore, math is a religion??? Under this same logic, every ounce of our daily lives could be considered religion.

Faith does not instantly equal religion.

 

[The Unworthy Gentleman]

People who are entirely logical about things. You know the kind, the ones who make the list and weigh up the pros and cons and make a decision based on that, not what they actually want. They're just so boring and I can't understand why the don't just act on impulse and do something because they can and not because it's beneficial to their life, their career, their grandkids, their coffin and the worms that will soon be devouring their corpse because the coffin was actually shit.

 

[Ranorak]

I don't understand people who do things 'out of the goodness of their heart'. There's no profit for the doer, unless the doer has the ideas of favours in mind, it just seems illogical to me.

Really?
The idea of doing something just for the sole purpose of helping someone else is that strange?
Today I have a stranger I never saw, and probably will never see again, a Euro because he was on the same bus as I and lacked a euro for the ticket.

He didn't look poor, and he probably could have gone to a ATM and catch the next bus, but I had a spare Euro and now he can go to whatever in time.

I lost a Euro, but I helped someone out.

I know people do it, and it is a natural human thing to do, I just wonder why?.

Because I can.
Honestly, best answer I can give you.
I like being nice to people, and if I can help I will.
I won't put myself in serious risk or help someone at the cost of myself.
But I can afford to lose a euro and to be honest I was probably going to spend it on food, which I could do with a little less

 

[Unesh52]

I'll concede the point.

...

Thank you for the correction.

Am I still on the internet? Are you sure? This is... weird.

I still stand by the belief that religion in general should not be protected or even set equal to standpoints/arguments that are actually backed up by scientific means. By this I mean that everyone should of course be entitled to believe what they wish (within parameters of sanity/danger to society and so on, of course) but should not be allowed to make decisions affecting others if there's actual backed up arguments to the contrary available.

Proof/Reason over Belief within things like politics, medicine and so on, in short.

Humanity simply needs to grab all the useful ideals and messages from religious sources and grow out of the childish need for the fairy tale world that the moral message was couched in. I very firmly think that this is the only path that'll allow humanity to create a better future. I can't prove this, thus this becomes just an opinion of course, but tell me... does the alternatives sound better?

In a lot of ways, I agree. I was trying to say something like this in my response to Grunt. I think my exact views on the merits of irrational belief systems requires a more nuanced response than I really want to try to give here. Certainly, they are not all destructive, nor are all rational belief systems necessarily uplifting to the human condition, which has significant implications with regard to what beliefs are practically viable. My intuition too tells me that we should do away with religious faith as a means of developing personal beliefs, but I won't argue as such until I have something relevant to add to the discussion.

 

[Foratin]

I guess I will never be able to understand those people, I guess we all know them, who stand at a bus stop, train platform ,market or whatever and just start spitting on the ground for no apparent reason, except looking "cool" I guess? Even all the soccer players and other athletics do that. I don't know why, but I just think it's gross.
Keep your bodily fluids to yourself gentlemen.
If they have more saliva in their mouth than they need, why not swallow it but well, I guess I will never get it.
Or does someone have a suitable reason, except looking "cool"?

 

[cgaWolf]

1+1=2 is only a fact because people have faith that it is a fact.

That's not correct. 1+1=2 because we said so.
While an arbitrary decision, that has nothing to do with faith.

Because I can.
Honestly, best answer I can give you.

Perfectly valid reason

 

[Scarim Coral]

Ok it's more like taking a character you like and then that artish tarnish everuthing about that character. Ok yes this can be apply to many things like rule 34 or drawing that person out of character but changing the phyiscal apperances of that character to something unappealing I cannot stand.
Yes that would be somewhat hypercritic of me since I'm a Brony but the things is or at least from my stand point is that the whole fat and muscular is seen as a fetish and yes even there is pony fetish out there but I am no where near into that at all.
Beside yes the pony show is consider to be weird but last time I check, fat or muscular fanart is no where accepted by the masses in the most posistive light at all (most of it).

Scarim, I'm tempted to give you leniency because I feel like you're an active member in the pony group here, but I can't help but point out your philosophical inattentiveness(and your misspellings - it's hypocritical, not hypercritic). You seem to acknowledge that it's ok to like things not accepted by the masses, but you make an exception so you can condemn people with an obesity fetish. That's not fair. Unless you can come up with a relevant difference between that and you being a brony (and no, it being gross to you is not a relevant difference), then your argument is wrong. Simple as that.

Need I remind you I still referring to the fanart of the character not real life obese or muscular people as I stated before it's not my place to judge those. As far I see real life and fanart of cartoon or anime characters are seperate.
What do you mean by "it's ok to like things not accepted by the masses" since the whole brony culture is somewhat getting closer to be accepted by the people since there had been plenty of article praising the show. Yes there are still negative attitudes it but in my view such negative will not bring it down.)

Also yes I really should of spellcheck my spellings but it's getting late now which I'm getting tried.
Yeah arguement is really not my strong point (something I lack but want to be better at) so take it as you will. (Quote me again if you must and I do my best to reply back.)

 

[Dr Pussymagnet]

Because religion and atheism have already been mentioned a hundred god damn times, I'm gonna go ahead and say furries.

 

[Sinclair Solutions]

The extreme right. Here's why. [http://www.teapartypatriots.org/news/connie-lanzisera-why-i-joined-the-tea-party/]




I love this bit, just thought I'd quote it:

Now, I have discovered that the federal government is subverting our U.S. Constitution. There are over 30 czars that hold positions of power, running our country outside of our constitutional framework. The president, not the Congress, has created these czars. This means Congress does not have oversight of them. This is in direct violation of our Constitution.

Wow! 30 secret czars are in control of my country? That sounds completely logical!

I think you're misreading this. There aren't secret czars. Last time I checked, the czar position is relatively well known or at least publicized when every a new one is appointed. I remember there was a big hubbub about some economic czar and that's how I found out about the position. Second, they don't run the country entirely like some shadowy organization. They run organization that assist the government. Third, she's sort of right about the President choosing these men/women without Congress Consent, and that being a violation of the Constitution. The Constitution states that a president's appointments need to be authorized by the majority of Congress. That might have changed as more laws giving more power to the Executive came about, but as the Constitution was written, the President needed that majority.

 

[Zagzag]

German grammar...
IT MAKES NO SENSE!!

I really do have to disagree with you there. It all makes perfect sense, but that doesn't make it any easier to learn all of it and actually get it right.

 

[OutcastBOS]

I just can't understand atheists...Nothing against them, but I know that I wouldn't be able to go through life at all knowing that everything I've done was for nothing. Not to mention, I don't think I could have the heart to believe that NOTHING happens when you die...it makes me feel a little better thinking that I could live on somewhere, or be re-incarnated, or something. And...It's also nice to think that all this terrible shit happens for a grander plan, rather than just science and nature being an asshole.

 

[Unesh52]

Yeah, I see what you're saying here. Having faith is okay as long as it not detrimental to the well being of others, or yourself.

I also know that the only way to measure the well being of people is through physical, and emotional, evidence.

Well, I'm not saying exactly that. I'm not a fan of paternalistic laws that prevent me from endangering myself (and only myself). But that's barely related, so let's move on.

I agree with that last statement, but I'm not sure if it's entirely relevant to anything any of us has said in this short conversation. Could you maybe expand on that a little or explain why you mentioned it?