Celsus Posted November 15, 2005 Share Posted November 15, 2005 Great read... http://brentrasmussen.com/log/node/363 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dianka Posted November 15, 2005 Share Posted November 15, 2005 Dammit Bruce I am trying to rip myself away from the computer and 2 seconds before I sign out you post this. Very interesting. A little too interesting. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vigile Posted November 15, 2005 Share Posted November 15, 2005 This one reminds me of just about every xtian visitor we get (bar Amanda, Tap, and a handful of others). D.Paul especially exemplifies this: And no matter how many times you patiently explain that Rudolph's existence and his nose is no more rational or supported than Santa's, that the question exhibits a fundamental logical fallacy by assuming the premise, you are ignored as if your response is invisible to your questioner and the same question is thrown endlessly back in your face as if it's a dead-cinch proof of Santa. You begin to understand that these folks aren't only whacked in the head, they're either liars or unable to think beyond the level of a toddler. Because it really is like arguing with a two-year old most of the time, only these aren't two-year olds, these are grown educated human beings. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Godless Wonder Posted November 15, 2005 Share Posted November 15, 2005 Reminds me a lot of something I wrote on Christian Forums about leprechauns, and leprechaun hunters when I was trying to get across what it felt like to be an atheist, only this is longer and more fleshed out. Good job, dead-on, bull's eye. Wish they'd let you search CF, else I'd dig it up and link to it. Hmm, let me hunt around a bit... here it is, on being asked why atheists bother to debate Christians: You haven't tried to put yourself in an atheist's shoes or you wouldn't say such things. If Christianity were a harmless little superstition, you'd have a point, it would be rather silly to argue against it. The problem is many atheists know by direct experience that Chrisitiantiy is not harmless. Not by a long shot. I will try to explain to you what being an atheist in the U.S. feels like. I'm going to use an analogy which I've used before. You'll probably object to this analogy, saying it doesn't map well to Christianity for a number of reasons. However, none of those reasons will have anything to do with the purpose I'm using the analogy for, which is to explain what it FEELS LIKE to be an atheist in the U.S. The analogy is leprechaun belief. That is how silly Christianity appears to many atheists. (Of course you don't agree that it's that silly, that's ok. Bear with me.) Imagine a world in which 80% of the people believed in leprechauns, spent loads of money on leprechaun hunting gear, told stories about how they'd seen a leprechaun in this field, or that forest (but nobody ever seemed to actually catch one, or get any leprechaun gold). Imagine that half the population spent their sundays out hunting for leprechauns. Imagine that special leprechaun stores were exempted from taxation. Imagine that there were special schools which taught all about leprechauns (from old books about leprechauns, which nobody seemed able to really verify). Imagine that public schools didn't really teach anything about leprechauns one way or the other, but that leprechaun-believers were constantly trying to sneak leprechaun classes into public schools anyway, even though this was against the law. Imagine that leprechaun believers held non-believers in disdain, and while perhaps not shunning them completely, would never think of marrying a non-leprechaun-believer, and that it was perfectly ok for politicians to denigrate non-believers, and that a non-believer stood no chance of being elected to public office in the vast majority of the country. THAT is what it is like to be an atheist in this country. So you're damn right we argue against Christianity, the same way you'd argue against leprechaun-belief. If you can't see that, you have not even tried for a millisecond to see it Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ouroboros Posted November 16, 2005 Share Posted November 16, 2005 And don't forget the countries that believe in gnomes instead of leprechauns, and do attacks on the leprechaun countries, and the leprechaun countries attack back, because they were absolutely certain that the gnome country had magic dust. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fweethawt Posted November 16, 2005 Share Posted November 16, 2005 I'm looking forward to reading the second part of that article. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spamandham Posted November 16, 2005 Share Posted November 16, 2005 Here's what it's really like to be an atheist. You have three kids and a wife. You love them all, but they drive you nuts often enough nonetheless. You secretly desire other women (hell, it's not that secret) because after all, you're just a stupid guy driven by two heads. Your boss is bipolar. You don't dare start a conversation lest you find out he's on a down day and rips you a new ass for saying "hi". You're electricity and water bills have been skyrocketing and threaten your dreams of early retirement. You drive a new s2000 and have recently rediscovered that music from your childhood invokes strong emotions in you. You enjoy drinking and wonder if you're an alcoholic, but you don't care as long as you remain below the safe level of 4 drinks a day. You are obsessed with gold and probably would have been either a king or pirate in a previous life. You enjoy posting on internet forums and wonder if you're addicted, but don't care as long as you keep it below the safe level of 4 drinks a day. Plus, you don't believe in god. (edit; and you bust a gut at your own jokes). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fweethawt Posted November 17, 2005 Share Posted November 17, 2005 If anyone is interested, the second part of this article has been posted today. HERE'S THE LINK Enjoy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Godless Wonder Posted November 17, 2005 Share Posted November 17, 2005 You guys see the comments in the open thread on dailykos? http://dailykos.com/story/2005/11/16/121048/86 Pull that up, then search for "santa" Just in case you're interested in how it's received by a more general (though liberal) audience. Many could not get past being insulted by the Santa analogy and see that the main thrust was not that analogy, but to try to convey what it feels like to be an atheist. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
essence Posted November 17, 2005 Share Posted November 17, 2005 Great read...http://brentrasmussen.com/log/node/363 107413[/snapback] But that is the purpose of the Churches; to house the liars, cheats and theives, the "scum" of society and at least once a week, so they can repent and vent all their mean and hatefilled thoughts. Have you actually considered how this method of behavior modification protects the rest of us? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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