Targeting Atheists and Agnostics

[Abedeus]

Yeah Christianity is America's problem. Shits not so bad here in the UK, it's not pushed onto us at all at school or anything like that.

I'm a strict atheist, I think religion is just a phase that will die out in the next few hundred years.

Oooh. So you mean that, like, Egypt few thousand years ago had a religion and it died out? Nice phase. Quite long.

Its not even a blink of the eye in the scale of our world, the more advanced we get and more we learn of course we dont need falsifications I would also like to beleive its a phase. That being said people will always be manipulative and manipulated so it might never die off completley but definently get less of a grasp.

Yes, I am pretty sure that something since the first monkey-people won't just die out. It happened few times before, you know. First people turn to religion, then to science, then to religion again, and now science again.

 

[WarpGhost]

To the people who think religion is dying out, im afraid it isnt happening that way. What is happening is that society is becoming more *polarised* on religion. That is to say, rather than a big stodgy mash of people who are all fairly 'meh' about the whole being religious thing, instead we are seeing people either becoming irreligious or their absolute opposite. Whilst overall religion is on a downward trend, look at the numbers a bit more closely and you'll see that the slowly shrinking proportion of religion is becoming rapidly more evangelical at the same time. People naturally disposed towards religion believe they're in danger so run the protection of the Bible-thumping fire-breathers, whilst those who are not so disposed see those same people and realise they want none of it.

So we're losing the moderates, the people that whilst not seeing eye-to-eye can at least work alongside the other. Its becoming a question of 'purity', the feeling that if you're not with us, you're against us.

 

[Northpaw]

Agnosticism, guaranteed to be correct no matter what happens FTW.

Admitting you don't know something does not make you correct no matter what.

"I don't know if Obama or McCain will win the election."

*months later*

"Holy crap, I was right the whole time that Obama would win!"

Somehow that's not logical.

 

[Megatheist]

Just another reinforcement to my desire to get the hell outta the U.S.

Come here! We accept defecting yanks :3

Thanks but I hear you pay up the arse for games and some don't even make it there ... but given I've only been playing PC and PSP/DS games I suppose being that they're essentially region free oh what the hell.

 

[high_castle]

To the people who think religion is dying out, im afraid it isnt happening that way. What is happening is that society is becoming more *polarised* on religion. That is to say, rather than a big stodgy mash of people who are all fairly 'meh' about the whole being religious thing, instead we are seeing people either becoming irreligious or their absolute opposite. Whilst overall religion is on a downward trend, look at the numbers a bit more closely and you'll see that the slowly shrinking proportion of religion is becoming rapidly more evangelical at the same time. People naturally disposed towards religion believe they're in danger so run the protection of the Bible-thumping fire-breathers, whilst those who are not so disposed see those same people and realise they want none of it.

So we're losing the moderates, the people that whilst not seeing eye-to-eye can at least work alongside the other. Its becoming a question of 'purity', the feeling that if you're not with us, you're against us.

Bingo. I've seen it happen to quite a few people I know, people who used to be mildly religious then develop into born-again bible-thumpers (including my own mother). Me, I'm somewhere between atheism and agnosticism, believing we're probably all alone out here, but not arrogant enough to think I know for sure. Mostly I try to leave religion out of the conversation. Unfortunately, I've noticed more and more people who want to have meaningful conversations about god. These are folks who barely know me. And should I happen to say I don't believe in god, I'm automatically a bad person.

There's a feeling going around that you can't be a moral person if you don't believe in god. I have absolutely no idea how it happened, but it's there. And on the other side of the fence, there are atheists out there who believe ALL Christians are fundamentalist bible-thumpers. This just isn't the case. But it looks like the moderates are getting smaller, and less likely to speak out. Ridiculous. The bell curve says more people should be moderate in their religious views. Apparently we're just not vocal enough for it to come across this way. I hear far more from extremists on both sides of the issue than I do from people who shrug and admit they just don't know.

 

[Zactar]

Agnosticism, guaranteed to be correct no matter what happens FTW.

Admitting you don't know something does not make you correct no matter what.

"I don't know if Obama or McCain will win the election."

*months later*

"Holy crap, I was right the whole time that Obama would win!"

Somehow that's not logical.

No, you're right, that was poorly phrased on my part. BUT, it is the most honest answer at the time, and you will not be WRONG:

"I don't know who will win the election," for example.

 

[Megatheist]

You could emigrate to Sweden, or any other Scandinavian country. There, the religious people are the weirdos, not the other way around.

ooo I like that. thanks for the tip.

 

[Nmil-ek]

You could emigrate to Sweden, or any other Scandinavian country. There, the religious people are the weirdos, not the other way around.

ooo I like that. thanks for the tip.

Forget all that come to Scotland and enjoy such local sights as neds, deep fried mars bars and uhh drunk neds.

 

[Doug]

Agnosticism, guaranteed to be correct no matter what happens FTW.

Admitting you don't know something does not make you correct no matter what.

"I don't know if Obama or McCain will win the election."

*months later*

"Holy crap, I was right the whole time that Obama would win!"

Somehow that's not logical.

Its more like saying "Obama or McCain could win". Then when Obama win, we simply nod as a group, "Indeedie." Anyway, why take a fixed stance on the issue? Theists have to prove God exists, Atheists have to wait for the unlying laws of physics to be understood and for them to disprove all possibly of God. US Agnoistics can be easy going about the whole thing...

Agnoistics prayer:

"Dear God/God-like entity who may or may not exist and might be listening,

If you exist, kudos on that, and if your feeling in the mood, please look kindly on us.... kindly definited from a human point of view, of course.

Ahem possibly"

 

[SoonerMatt]

Oh, just to clarify a few things about my OP....

1. I'm in the US of A
2. I'm in the Bible Belt
3. I'm Greek, so a good portion of my family is Greek Orthodox.