# On the SDMB, why do atheists and theists have to be such utter dicks to each other? **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [July 12, 2008, 2:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/on-the-sdmb-why-do-atheists-and-theists-have-to-be-such-utter-dicks-to-each-other/456207 "2008-07-12T02:31:16Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 33
**Author:** ![Autolycus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/22d042/32.png) [@Autolycus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Autolycus)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2008, 2:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/on-the-sdmb-why-do-atheists-and-theists-have-to-be-such-utter-dicks-to-each-other/456207/641 "2008-07-18T02:59:46Z")
[QUOTE=Charogne] Nothing to see here. The needledick possum-felching squirrel molester Magellan’s just being a typical christian . . . [/QUOTE] Again with the broad brushes… ---
**Author:** ![Uzi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/91b2a8/32.png) [@Uzi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Uzi)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2008, 3:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/on-the-sdmb-why-do-atheists-and-theists-have-to-be-such-utter-dicks-to-each-other/456207/642 "2008-07-18T03:16:57Z")
[QUOTE=magellan01] Referring to a man that lived, … [/QUOTE] Cite. Being upset because someone didn’t capitalize the name of an imaginary figure from the past is, frankly, absurd. Next you’ll be flipping out because I’ve spelled it ‘frodo’, ‘toothfairy’, ‘magical pink unicorn’, etc. Geez, Get a life. ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2008, 3:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/on-the-sdmb-why-do-atheists-and-theists-have-to-be-such-utter-dicks-to-each-other/456207/643 "2008-07-18T03:59:46Z")
[QUOTE=Uzi] Cite. Being upset because someone didn’t capitalize the name of an imaginary figure from the past is, frankly, absurd. Next you’ll be flipping out because I’ve spelled it ‘frodo’, ‘toothfairy’, ‘magical pink unicorn’, etc. Geez, Get a life. [/QUOTE] Oh dear. Jesus is more or less universally [acknowledged as a historical figure](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Historicity_of_Jesus), you know. ---
**Author:** ![Uzi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/91b2a8/32.png) [@Uzi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Uzi)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2008, 4:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/on-the-sdmb-why-do-atheists-and-theists-have-to-be-such-utter-dicks-to-each-other/456207/644 "2008-07-18T04:24:28Z")
[QUOTE=Really Not All That Bright] Oh dear. Jesus is more or less universally [acknowledged as a historical figure](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Historicity_of_Jesus), you know. [/QUOTE] Oh dear. Did you actually read your cite? It is hardly proof that such a person existed. It is more in the realm of a grandfather telling his children fables that eventually they told as truth to their children until someone finally came along and said to himself, "Hey, I can make money on this!. ---
**Author:** ![magellan01](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@magellan01](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/magellan01)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2008, 4:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/on-the-sdmb-why-do-atheists-and-theists-have-to-be-such-utter-dicks-to-each-other/456207/645 "2008-07-18T04:49:38Z")
[QUOTE=andros] . Based upon the assholery directly above, one thing is abundantly clear: **magellan** is doing his side no favors. Dude. As a religious humanist ordinarily quite sympathetic to the churchgoing, I just gotta beg you to please, please, please, shut the fuck up. Please. . [/QUOTE] I would have considered granting your wish if it weren’t for such offensive language. ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2008, 4:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/on-the-sdmb-why-do-atheists-and-theists-have-to-be-such-utter-dicks-to-each-other/456207/646 "2008-07-18T04:52:32Z")
[QUOTE=magellan01] I would have considered granting your wish if it weren’t for such offensive language. [/QUOTE] Yeah, dude. Every time you say please, a kitten gets eaten. ---
**Author:** ![Malacandra](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Malacandra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Malacandra)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2008, 6:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/on-the-sdmb-why-do-atheists-and-theists-have-to-be-such-utter-dicks-to-each-other/456207/647 "2008-07-18T06:57:30Z")
[QUOTE=Kalhoun] Everytime you mention my motivation (which I stated was to “annoy”) you change it. I’m pissing people off, I’m insulting…now I’m christian-baiting? Heh-heh…soooo touchy. [/quote] No, I believe I’ve mentioned “annoy” plenty of times too. And no, I’m not touchy about it; it’s on a par with a four-year-old yelling “Smelly pants! Smelly pants!” and screeching with laughter at his own wit. Kinda hard to be touchy about that. I see you managed to get hung up on the phrase “Jew-baiting” and ignore the rest of the question, though. Perhaps I should rephrase it: Do you have any evidence that **magellan01** does any of this purposely to annoy Jews, Hindus or Moslems? Does he, perhaps, do no worse than the common run of his society, with no ill intent - as opposed to going out of his way to be extra-rude just so, if called on it, he can claim they’re making a fuss about nothing? > [@Kalhoun](#): > > You’re still overreacting. When the believers wear it on their sleeves, I don’t hear you asking them to pipe down or telling them that you’re well aware of their feelings toward religion. Why the double standard? Because I chose to use lower case letters? THAT’S the big deal breaker? Give me a break. Not because of that, but because you explicitly state that you do it to be annoying. You don’t succeed to any great extent with me, but it’s the attempt that makes it jerkish - and you have plenty of opportunity to _say_ what your opinions are. It’s true that I often toss a quick :rolleyes: in the direction of the all-too-frequent “christianz r teh retardz lol!” threads we get around here, but then, to be even-handed, I suppose I’d have to wait for some “ahtiests r all helbound lol!” threads to take issue with, and I don’t seem to see any. If you ever see me giving an atheist a hard time merely because of his atheism, do let me know. > [@Kalhoun](#): > > Oh please. You’re equating a word that is often associated with physical and emotional abuse against real people in the real world against lower case “j” and “c”? :rolleyes: Oh please. I’m making an analogy, and what I’m contrasting is “People really object to this? I thought it was harmless. I’d better knock it off, though” with “People really object to this? Score! Let’s do it some more, then!”. :rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![Malacandra](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Malacandra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Malacandra)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2008, 7:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/on-the-sdmb-why-do-atheists-and-theists-have-to-be-such-utter-dicks-to-each-other/456207/648 "2008-07-18T07:02:33Z")
[QUOTE=magellan01] Translation: I thought what I said before was a real zinger, but I guess it fell flat. Hey, I know! I’ll try it again using more words. Yeah, that’ll do the trick!!! And this leaves aside the little fact that I’ve chosen to sit at a table and break bread in order to forge a bond and then intentionally… —You know, I’ll leave you to figure out the rest. :rolleyes: [/QUOTE] Dude, all that cunt-yelling is confusing you about who is arguing with whom. I was urging **Kalhoun** to consider you innocent of eating beef and pork with malice aforethought. The barbecue anecdote was contrasting my take on observing people’s taboos with **Kalhoun** ’s, and had nothing to do with you. Now may I suggest that you try giving the c-word a bit of a rest? I think you’ve made that point. ---
**Author:** ![BellRungBookShut-CandleSnuffed](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/bcef8e/32.png) [@BellRungBookShut-CandleSnuffed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BellRungBookShut-CandleSnuffed)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2008, 7:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/on-the-sdmb-why-do-atheists-and-theists-have-to-be-such-utter-dicks-to-each-other/456207/649 "2008-07-18T07:43:28Z")
[QUOTE=Voyager] And, because I can’t resist. \ Mmm, cunt. \ [/QUOTE] I must have missed that episode… ---
**Author:** ![magellan01](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@magellan01](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/magellan01)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2008, 8:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/on-the-sdmb-why-do-atheists-and-theists-have-to-be-such-utter-dicks-to-each-other/456207/650 "2008-07-18T08:26:16Z")
[QUOTE=Malacandra] Now may I suggest that you try giving the c-word a bit of a rest? I think you’ve made that point. [/QUOTE] Yes, you’re right. Sage counsel. Preceded by an excellent post. Even if it is, as I fear, for naught. I hereby suspend my Protest. ---
**Author:** ![Lord\_Ashtar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ea924/32.png) [@Lord\_Ashtar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lord_Ashtar)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2008, 12:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/on-the-sdmb-why-do-atheists-and-theists-have-to-be-such-utter-dicks-to-each-other/456207/651 "2008-07-18T12:19:23Z")
[QUOTE=Uzi] Oh dear. Did you actually read your cite? It is hardly proof that such a person existed. It is more in the realm of a grandfather telling his children fables that eventually they told as truth to their children until someone finally came along and said to himself, "Hey, I can make money on this!. [/QUOTE] Let’s try [this one](http://www.straightdope.com/classics/a2_275.html) then. ---
**Author:** ![Uzi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/91b2a8/32.png) [@Uzi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Uzi)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2008, 1:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/on-the-sdmb-why-do-atheists-and-theists-have-to-be-such-utter-dicks-to-each-other/456207/652 "2008-07-18T13:33:14Z")
[QUOTE=Lord Ashtar] Let’s try [this one](http://www.straightdope.com/classics/a2_275.html) then. [/QUOTE] I guess all the people who knew the guy (GOD, btw) while he was alive were so STUNNED after he died that they didn’t think of writing anything down for 40 years. Did I mention he was GOD and no one thought of writing down what the fuck he said for 40 fucking years?! 40 YEARS! What was the average lifespan back then? Who the heck was left alive after 40 years who actually knew him and could verify what he did and said? Maybe L.Ron Hubbard went back in time, made up the whole story, and 40 years later people accepted it as fact? When did L. Ron invent Scientology? 1953? 55 years ago? The Scientologists claim millions of members in that time frame. And this when we know that the whole damn thing was made up by a hack science fiction writer! How about Mormonism? Another recent made up religion if there ever was one. Millions of members. All this in an age where people should know better. What hope did a bunch of camel jockeys and goat ropers have 2000 years ago to separate what was fact from fiction? Some confidence man comes to town and pulls a few rabbits from a hat and coins from people’s ears and he’s the latest thing. Must have made a great impression, though, as no one bothered to document the fact at the time. HE WAS SUPPOSEDLY **GOD**! You would think he’d have said to one of his apostles, "Hey, are you writing this down? I’m only saying it once, ya know!’ \ ---
**Author:** ![Don\_t\_Call\_Me\_Shirley](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/f4b2a3/32.png) [@Don\_t\_Call\_Me\_Shirley](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Don_t_Call_Me_Shirley)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2008, 1:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/on-the-sdmb-why-do-atheists-and-theists-have-to-be-such-utter-dicks-to-each-other/456207/653 "2008-07-18T13:46:21Z")
> [@Uzi](#): > > I guess all the people who knew the guy (GOD, btw) while he was alive were so STUNNED after he died that they didn’t think of writing anything down for 40 years. Did I mention he was GOD and no one thought of writing down what the fuck he said for 40 fucking years?! 40 YEARS! What was the average lifespan back then? Who the heck was left alive after 40 years who actually knew him and could verify what he did and said? Not to mention the fact that, when somebody finally did write it down, the people in the best position to judge the gospels’ accuracy took one look and said “Meh.” Christianity went nowhere in Palestine, which is supposedly where Jesus was walking around doing all these miracles and drawing huge crowds. But when someone wrote the “definitive version” of his life down, they almost all rejected it. IMO, people who were actually living in the place where Jesus lived at the time when Jesus lived are much more qualified to judge the gospels than I am, and they almost universally rejected them. So why should I think I know better than they? ---
**Author:** ![Lord\_Ashtar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ea924/32.png) [@Lord\_Ashtar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lord_Ashtar)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2008, 1:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/on-the-sdmb-why-do-atheists-and-theists-have-to-be-such-utter-dicks-to-each-other/456207/654 "2008-07-18T13:49:16Z")
[QUOTE=Uzi] I guess all the people who knew the guy (GOD, btw) while he was alive were so STUNNED after he died that they didn’t think of writing anything down for 40 years. Did I mention he was GOD and no one thought of writing down what the fuck he said for 40 fucking years?! 40 YEARS! What was the average lifespan back then? Who the heck was left alive after 40 years who actually knew him and could verify what he did and said? [/QUOTE] The article had nothing to say about the accuracy of what was in the gospels, only that there was a historical person named Jesus who lived around the beginning of the common era and was crucified under Pontius Pilate. But nice try moving the goal posts there. ---
**Author:** ![Malacandra](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Malacandra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Malacandra)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2008, 1:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/on-the-sdmb-why-do-atheists-and-theists-have-to-be-such-utter-dicks-to-each-other/456207/655 "2008-07-18T13:55:21Z")
Average lifespan didn’t affect the fact that there were a lot of 60, 70, 80-year-olds around back then - only that a lot of early deaths pulled the average down. Of course, any halfway competent scientific rationalist knows this without being told. ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2008, 1:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/on-the-sdmb-why-do-atheists-and-theists-have-to-be-such-utter-dicks-to-each-other/456207/656 "2008-07-18T13:59:22Z")
[QUOTE=Uzi] I guess all the people who knew the guy (GOD, btw) while he was alive were so STUNNED after he died that they didn’t think of writing anything down for 40 years. Did I mention he was GOD and no one thought of writing down what the fuck he said for 40 fucking years?! 40 YEARS! What was the average lifespan back then? Who the heck was left alive after 40 years who actually knew him and could verify what he did and said? [/QUOTE] At the time, he wouldn’t have been “God” to most people - he was at best a crazy person and at worst a heretic. Is it really so hard for you to believe that there was probably some nutso dude named Yeshua who lived in Nazareth for awhile and claimed to be the son of god? Do you think David Koresh is a fictional character too? ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2008, 2:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/on-the-sdmb-why-do-atheists-and-theists-have-to-be-such-utter-dicks-to-each-other/456207/657 "2008-07-18T14:00:26Z")
[QUOTE=Lord Ashtar] The article had nothing to say about the accuracy of what was in the gospels, only that there was a historical person named Jesus who lived around the beginning of the common era and was crucified under Pontius Pilate. But nice try moving the goal posts there. [/QUOTE] I somehow fail to see the significance of this. I’m a casual atheist and I never bothered to doubt that Yeshua bar-Yusuf existed. His life has simply been the subject of dramatic embellishment. ---
**Author:** ![Lord\_Ashtar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ea924/32.png) [@Lord\_Ashtar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lord_Ashtar)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2008, 2:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/on-the-sdmb-why-do-atheists-and-theists-have-to-be-such-utter-dicks-to-each-other/456207/658 "2008-07-18T14:03:18Z")
[QUOTE=Bryan Ekers] I somehow fail to see the significance of this. I’m a casual atheist and I never bothered to doubt that Yeshua bar-Yusuf existed. His life has simply been the subject of dramatic embellishment. [/QUOTE] Take it up with **Uzi**. ---
**Author:** ![Uzi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/91b2a8/32.png) [@Uzi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Uzi)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2008, 2:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/on-the-sdmb-why-do-atheists-and-theists-have-to-be-such-utter-dicks-to-each-other/456207/659 "2008-07-18T14:04:46Z")
[QUOTE=Lord Ashtar] The article had nothing to say about the accuracy of what was in the gospels, only that there was a historical person named Jesus who lived around the beginning of the common era and was crucified under Pontius Pilate. But nice try moving the goal posts there. [/QUOTE] Yeah, so some people who listened to others saying that there was a person named “Jesus” sometime in the past are your authorities, right? Okay, fine. If that is good enough for you, so be it. And who knows there probably was a confidence man around at that time with that name. But it is just as likely that there wasn’t, too. [QUOTE=Malacandra] Average lifespan didn’t affect the fact that there were a lot of 60, 70, 80-year-olds around back then - only that a lot of early deaths pulled the average down. Of course, any halfway competent scientific rationalist knows this without being told. [/QUOTE] [Lifespan](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Life_expectancy) Given good nutrition and luck a person back then would live as long as any other person today. Do you think the people the mythological Jesus preached to were these types, or more likely, the poor and downtrodden? He wasn’t too keen on the rich and wealthy, iirc (those most likely to have good nutrition, btw). ---
**Author:** ![Uzi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/91b2a8/32.png) [@Uzi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Uzi)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2008, 2:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/on-the-sdmb-why-do-atheists-and-theists-have-to-be-such-utter-dicks-to-each-other/456207/660 "2008-07-18T14:11:17Z")
[QUOTE=Really Not All That Bright] At the time, he wouldn’t have been “God” to most people - he was at best a crazy person and at worst a heretic. [/QUOTE] So, his followers were sitting around the campfire 30-40 years later, reminiscing about the good times when they were kids back in the commune, when one of them slaps his head and says, “Hey, you know that long haired dude? What was his name again? Yeah, Jesus. Yeah, I think he was god, man!”. “Hey, Dude! Don’t be a hog, pass it over here” Is that what you figure? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/on-the-sdmb-why-do-atheists-and-theists-have-to-be-such-utter-dicks-to-each-other/456207.md?page=32) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/on-the-sdmb-why-do-atheists-and-theists-have-to-be-such-utter-dicks-to-each-other/456207.md?page=34)