Atheist zealots annoy me to no end.

[Gozu]

@Thudlow Boink

Well, my impression is that here on the SDMB atheistic zealotry is at least as prominent as any other kind. Other places, the proportions probably are a lot different.

My main objection to your objection is that it went something like this:

OP: I Pit people who do X.

First response: But people of type Y are so much worse.

That may well be very true, but that doesn’t mean that it’s okay to do X or that it’s wrong to be annoyed at people who do X.

My second objection is that you were being far less careful to avoid lumping all religious people in with the kind of destructive zealots you were denouncing than the OP was to avoid lumping all atheists together with the kind he was denouncing.

If we were ants, I would gladly share some of my honeydew with you

[Gozu]

@gonzomax

Define atheistic zealot. On this board there is a lot of religious argument . Does a response to the religious make you a zealot. ? Are we not entitled to our opinions? Are we not allowed to defend ourselves without being called names.?
Atheists are not hard wired to convert the religious. It will come to you when the contradictions are too much for you. When logic walks in the front door ,religion walks out the back. It is not arrogant to not believe. It is arrogant to say ,I know the truth, I understand that god exists and telepathically communicates with me and religious leaders. You must also believe because I am close to god and tells me he exists. Sorry ,I do not buy it. You believe but you KNOW nothing for sure. No body does. Your certainty is a reflection of the strength of your acceptance. It not about superior knowledge and understanding.

I agree with everything I have bolded and I disagree with nothing you say

[Gozu]

@Lobohan

I’m an atheist. I know there is no god. Just like christian religious types know there is no Zeus. I could be convinced otherwise if there were any proof, but there isn’t.

What bugs me about religion is the ignorant arrogance of it. Because you happened to be born to a specific church it’s the right one. Period. That’s utterly stupid.

Religious people aren’t all stupid, but they all believe stupid things. It’s moronic to believe that there is a magic guy in space who will kick the shit out of you forever after you die if you don’t telepathically think how awesome he is every so often. It’s primitive and belongs with blood letting and purging ill humors, left on the floor of history as a cute, but soft-headed practice cleaved to by people too ignorant to know that washing hands before sticking them into an open wound is a good idea.

If you believe in god it’s because you chose to. It’s stupid to defend something factual based on no proof.

I believe there is no god because a floating guy in space is pretty fucking silly. And if you tell me there is one, you better have something better than a ratty old book written by ignorant stinking primitives who wiped their asses with their hands and locked women up during their menstrual cycle.

In no way is not believing in god the equivalent of believing in him. Because one is based on what we can see in reality and the other is based on a “wish it were so” feeling.

If you’re talking to me (you didn’t quote anything), please quote the words I have said to avoid misunderstandings (particularly about the nature of God, Higher Power(s) and fallacious anthroporphisms and gross simplifications.)

Thank you! Come again!

[red_awning]

Its obvious that people are trying to lump Gozu’s words into a prepackaged hateogram because most people don’t seem to understand what he is saying.
by the way voyager

FUCKING BRILLIANT

Religion is the reason for active atheism, since otherwise we all would be left alone to do what we want.

[Gozu]

@Maureen

shrug… I don’t agree with most of what the OP said, and what he outlined isn’t really “atheist zealotry.”

The OP would like you to do him the basic courtesy of quoting his statements if you disagree with them and giving him a chance to educate the fuck out of you . Otherwise, you’re arguing with an imaginary OP in your head.

Most atheists don’t go around proselytizing. Most atheists don’t scold theists for their faith, telling them that nothing is going to happen to them after they die if they don’t change their belief structure (because, quite honestly, nothing is going to happen to them after they die even if they do, so what kind of threat is that?). Most atheists don’t burn down buildings and kill medical professionals because they’re trying to “save life.” In short, most atheists just want to get on with their lives, because they’re aware that this is all they have and they want the time they do have to mean something. And they would desperately appreciate the same consideration from theists.

Agreed.

It’s really quite simple. You believe what you want based on some book written by animistic nomads who couldn’t find their way out of a desert,

Don’t insult animistic nomads or pretend to know the past, you arrogant bitch! And don’t tell me what the things I believe in are based on you stupid cow.

and I’ll believe what I want based on available scientific evidence

And anyone who disagrees with your right to do that is an arrogant twat or evil person who will have to count on my active opposition.

and we’ll both leave each other the hell alone. How’s that sound?

No way. Loneliness sucks. I like you and I hope to enjoy your companionship, love you and share my happiness with you until death comes for one of us

[askeptic]

@Gozu

Non-sequitur. You fail.

No. (Strawman argument. You fail.).

You don’t know what a non-sequitur or a straw man is do you? You fail.

[Charger]

@Der Trihs

Religion is a blight on the world. And the religious are dangerously, and often violently irrational.

…and must be destroyed. Right? Isn’t that what comes next?

[Voyager]

@askeptic

That is not true. There is no reason to assume that since life exists here it MUST exist elsewhere. It is not arrogant to assume that, in the absence of evidence, that life exists only here. I don’t know whether or not life exists other places, hell, I don’t even know how to define life, but if someone makes an assumption that if life exists here it must necessarily exist elsewhere, I just smile…

When you add “necessarily” I agree with you. Without that, you might assume it didn’t for lack of evidence, or assume it does because there is no cause to think Earth is exceptional. If we had the evidence of one God, I’d be a lot more willing to believe in more.

However, even if it makes sense to assume the existence of some alien life, it doesn’t make sense to assume the existence of any particular alien life.

[askeptic]

@Voyager

When you add “necessarily” I agree with you.

That’s why I added it, sweetcheeks. I did not think it was superfluous when I typed it.

[begbert2]

@Gozu

The OP would like you to do him the basic courtesy of quoting his statements if you disagree with them and giving him a chance to educate the fuck out of you . Otherwise, you’re arguing with an imaginary OP in your head.

Here, I’ll quote you:

@Gozu

[…] you arrogant bitch! […] you stupid cow.

@Gozu

I like you and I hope to enjoy your companionship, love you and share my happiness with you until death comes for one of us

My considered response:

:dubious:

[Gozu]

@red_awning

**Eonwe you don’t understand the OP. Just because you ranted endlessly completely off topic doesn’t mean you actually said something? You know?
The OP refers to the position held that there IS NO GOD. Read Penn’s “This I Believe” post to see.

The OP refers to the idea that those who do believe there is a god are idiots. And the trend of “tallying up” all the bad that the religious do as evidence that** there’s a right to mistreat a believer simply because he wears the same boy scout badge as the evil ones.

**The arrogance is suggesting that any of us KNOWS with absolute certainty anything about the universe at all.

At least that’s how I took it, perhaps he’ll come back and trounce…**

Welcome to the boards. I agree with everything you said that I have bolded.

[Syntropy]

@begbert2

My considered response:

:dubious:

It’s that whole Madonna/whore complex.

Mother of god, is he really responding to each post one by one? I sense a prehensile tongue lashing in the immediate future…

[Lobohan]

@Gozu

If you’re talking to me (you didn’t quote anything), please quote the words I have said to avoid misunderstandings (particularly about the nature of God, Higher Power(s) and fallacious anthroporphisms and gross simplifications.)

Thank you! Come again!

I wasn’t talking to you. You are a stupid fuck however, if you’d like to know my opinion. I’m happy that you weelly wuv your imaginary friend though.

[Gozu]

@askeptic

That is not true. There is no reason to assume that since life exists here it MUST exist elsewhere.

Agreed.

It is not arrogant to assume that, in the absence of evidence, that life exists only here.

Yes it is.

I don’t know whether or not life exists other places, hell, I don’t even know how to define life

Agreed.

, but if someone makes an assumption that if life exists here it must necessarily exist elsewhere, I just smile…

Smiling is good. I like smiles.

[askeptic]

@Gozu

Yes it is.

Why?

[Lobohan]

@Charger

…and must be destroyed. Right? Isn’t that what comes next?

I don’t the the religious should be killed. I do think they should be viewed as complete weirdos akin to those who believe the moon landing was faked. I find it amazing that there could be a strongly religious president for instance. It’s crazy to trust someone who doesn’t care about proof with that kind of power.

Believing and structuring your life around nonsensical stories that have no proof to back them up is not a sign of strong moral value. It’s a sign that you don’t question things and accept them without thinking.

[askeptic]

@Lobohan

I don’t the the religious should be killed. I do think they should be viewed as complete weirdos akin to those who believe the moon landing was faked. I find it amazing that there could be a strongly religious president for instance. It’s crazy to trust someone who doesn’t care about proof with that kind of power.

Believing and structuring your life around nonsensical stories that have no proof to back them up is not a sign of strong moral value. It’s a sign that you don’t question things and accept them without thinking.

Amen.

[Gozu]

@Maureen

But, as gonzomax’s link showed in post 131, the “vast majority of the human population” does NOT disagree.

It showed no such thing. Please re-read my post.

[Gozu]

@Bryan Ekers

Wait, you’re telling me I’m not allowed to confidently know things if I’m in the minority, at the risk of annoying you?

No.

That’s rather arrogant of you. Tell you what, YOU can “know” whatever you want and I promise not to potentially get annoyed until you actually try to codify your knowledge into law.

made void by previous answer

[DanBlather]

@Gozu

SIGH! Have faith in what you wish, believe what you wish but do not be arrogant enough to KNOW when the vast majority of the human population disagrees with you (whether you’re an atheist, agnostic, deist, pastafarian, christian, muslim, buddhist, etc.) That’s foolish arrogance and it annoys me.

Well most of the world thinks that they do know, so by your reasoning you are arrogant for believing differently.