# What atheists think, and why (in re: GEEPERS) **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [April 27, 2012, 4:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-atheists-think-and-why-in-re-geepers/620150 "2012-04-27T16:57:44Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 13
**Author:** ![gamerunknown](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/6bbea6/32.png) [@gamerunknown](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gamerunknown)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2012, 9:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-atheists-think-and-why-in-re-geepers/620150/241 "2012-04-30T21:53:06Z")
> [@DrFidelius](#): > > I find that Christianity is the most valid religion for me because I was raised in a Christian home, and therefore I am most comfortable with the ceremonies, rituals and rites of a Christian church. While I do sometimes wonder at whether people question the fortuity of being born into the correct religion while everyone else on the planet will burn for eternity, I consider some cultural hangups of my own to be absolute. For instance, if I were born to an authoritarian family in the USSR, I’d probably support capital punishment and think I did so for fairly objective reasons. ---
**Author:** ![GEEPERS](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/c89c15/32.png) [@GEEPERS](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GEEPERS)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2012, 10:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-atheists-think-and-why-in-re-geepers/620150/242 "2012-04-30T22:50:44Z")
> [@Marley23](#): > > _What evidence?_ You won’t post any. Well, other than radios turning and off. You have insulted me and my friends by suggesting our supernatural experiences are merely lies. Furthermore, I go to the effort of posting a specific example of divine healing where a man was raised from the dead with detailed and documented support. It is rejected immediately without any investigation on the atheist’s part. That’s intellectual dishonesty. Refusal to accept evidence \<\> no evidence. Likewise, you have failed miserably to demonstrate one single point where I’m wrong. ---
**Author:** ![gamerunknown](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/6bbea6/32.png) [@gamerunknown](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gamerunknown)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2012, 10:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-atheists-think-and-why-in-re-geepers/620150/243 "2012-04-30T22:56:55Z")
> [@GEEPERS](#): > > You have insulted me and my friends by suggesting our supernatural experiences are merely lies. Do you think Muhammad flew to heaven on a winged horse while alive? ---
**Author:** ![Der\_Trihs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/der_trihs/32/233_2.png) [@Der\_Trihs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Der_Trihs)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2012, 11:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-atheists-think-and-why-in-re-geepers/620150/244 "2012-04-30T23:00:21Z")
> [@GEEPERS](#): > > You have insulted me and my friends by suggesting our supernatural experiences are merely lies. They could be delusions instead. And if you find reality insulting, too bad. ---
**Author:** ![Voyager](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voyager/32/133_2.png) [@Voyager](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Voyager)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2012, 11:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-atheists-think-and-why-in-re-geepers/620150/245 "2012-04-30T23:13:17Z")
> [@Der\_Trihs](#): > > They could be delusions instead. And if you find reality insulting, too bad. I’m betting the friends are laughing their asses off at what this guy will believe. ---
**Author:** ![iiandyiiii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/iiandyiiii/32/7924_2.png) [@iiandyiiii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iiandyiiii)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2012, 11:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-atheists-think-and-why-in-re-geepers/620150/246 "2012-04-30T23:35:43Z")
> [@GEEPERS](#): > > You have insulted me and my friends by suggesting our supernatural experiences are merely lies. This is false. It was suggested that it could have been lies, or human error, or a hoax perpetrated by a third party, or some weird yet natural occurrence. However, you have insulted atheists by claiming that we are all liars and that we all hate Christianity and God. You don’t think it’s possible that a _single_ atheist actually, genuinely believes what he/she says he/she believes? ---
**Author:** ![Euphonious\_Polemic](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/euphonious_polemic/32/3002_2.png) [@Euphonious\_Polemic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Euphonious_Polemic)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2012, 11:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-atheists-think-and-why-in-re-geepers/620150/247 "2012-04-30T23:43:08Z")
The hatred is very strong with this one. You hate atheists, don’t you **GEEPERS**? Or is hate too weak a word for your feelings? ---
**Author:** ![sisu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/df705f/32.png) [@sisu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sisu)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2012, 11:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-atheists-think-and-why-in-re-geepers/620150/248 "2012-04-30T23:49:45Z")
> [@GEEPERS](#): > > I’m not even going there. It was a mistake to allow myself to be boxed in a corner where I’m having to criticize other religions. Funny though, where are all the so called Christians in this thread? We’re here! Like I said earlier Geepers you [and people like you] do more to turn people atheist than anything. Reminder to me this is not the Pit… ---
**Author:** ![DrFidelius](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/drfidelius/32/3447_2.png) [@DrFidelius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrFidelius)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2012, 12:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-atheists-think-and-why-in-re-geepers/620150/249 "2012-05-01T00:33:19Z")
> [@sisu](#): > > We’re here! > > Like I said earlier Geepers you [and people like you] do more to turn people atheist than anything. > > Reminder to me this is not the Pit… Doesn’t count, **sisu**. A self-described “Christian” who does not follow the law as interpreted by GEEPERS is worse than an atheist. An apostate or heretic is a greater sinner than an infidel. Keep \*that \*in mind as you are burning in the Lake of Fire, Mr. Smarty-Pants. ---
**Author:** ![sisu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/df705f/32.png) [@sisu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sisu)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2012, 12:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-atheists-think-and-why-in-re-geepers/620150/250 "2012-05-01T00:44:03Z")
> [@DrFidelius](#): > > Doesn’t count, **sisu**. A self-described “Christian” who does not follow the law as interpreted by GEEPERS is worse than an atheist. An apostate or heretic is a greater sinner than an infidel. Keep \*that \*in mind as you are burning in the Lake of Fire, Mr. Smarty-Pants. Ah yes the moment ANY man or woman says they have all the answers is the moment you know they are lying [or deluded]. ---
**Author:** ![Der\_Trihs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/der_trihs/32/233_2.png) [@Der\_Trihs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Der_Trihs)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2012, 12:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-atheists-think-and-why-in-re-geepers/620150/251 "2012-05-01T00:47:25Z")
> [@Voyager](#): > > I’m betting the friends are laughing their asses off at what this guy will believe. Someone who will believe anything they are told is irresistible bait to the sense of humor of some people. ---
**Author:** ![cosmosdan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a6a055/32.png) [@cosmosdan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cosmosdan)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2012, 12:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-atheists-think-and-why-in-re-geepers/620150/252 "2012-05-01T00:52:17Z")
> [@GEEPERS](#): > > I believe in a God who respects man’s free will to do whatever the heckfire he wants, and will not force himself upon man. You want to find God, you gotta seek him with an open heart and mind. Going to church would be a start. So, this God would allow the people who chose which of the many writings available would become the Bible, make mistakes and choose an uninspired book? Then the evidence that says the writings of the Bible were changed in translation and copying repeatedly and there are many variations, is correct, because God because God would allow those changes to be made? ---
**Author:** ![cosmosdan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a6a055/32.png) [@cosmosdan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cosmosdan)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2012, 1:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-atheists-think-and-why-in-re-geepers/620150/253 "2012-05-01T01:05:31Z")
> [@Euphonious\_Polemic](#): > > Can you prove conclusively that Adam was NOT 90 feet tall? I mean, there is a book that millions of people believe in that says he was. Where in the bible does it give Adam’s exact height? Go look, I’ll wait… > > So I guess Adam was 90 feet tall. Because a book and a lot of devout people say so. And you can’t prove that Adam was less than 90 feet tall. I’m pretty sure feet and inches weren’t the same back them so 90 early creation feet is really only 5 foot four in modern measurements. ---
**Author:** ![cosmosdan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a6a055/32.png) [@cosmosdan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cosmosdan)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2012, 1:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-atheists-think-and-why-in-re-geepers/620150/254 "2012-05-01T01:24:09Z")
> [@GEEPERS](#): > > But thank you for proving the Bible - Matthew 10:22 It is hard to overcome that “Yay me, I’m a martyr” mindset. ---
**Author:** ![sisu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/df705f/32.png) [@sisu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sisu)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2012, 1:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-atheists-think-and-why-in-re-geepers/620150/255 "2012-05-01T01:37:54Z")
> [@cosmosdan](#): > > So, this God would allow the people who chose which of the many writings available would become the Bible, make mistakes and choose an uninspired book? Then the evidence that says the writings of the Bible were changed in translation and copying repeatedly and there are many variations, is correct, because God because God would allow those changes to be made? yep you are correct, sorry it does not fit the view of Geepers but well… ---
**Author:** ![shy\_guy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a6a055/32.png) [@shy\_guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/shy_guy)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2012, 2:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-atheists-think-and-why-in-re-geepers/620150/256 "2012-05-01T02:45:18Z")
> [@GEEPERS](#): > > You have insulted me and my friends by suggesting our supernatural experiences are merely lies. Firstly, saying that you and your friends are _mistaken_ about the nature of your experiences is not saying that you are lying. To the extent that you think certain experiences of yours are the result of magic, I think you are dead wrong about that, but I don’t doubt that _you_ believe that. I will again note, however, the double standard; you have accused atheists of being liars about pretty much everything on multiple occasions in this thread alone, so you aren’t setting the standard of good faith discussion very high. Secondly, if you refused to take anybody seriously unless he accepts that you’re _right_ about the nature of your experiences, then there isn’t any point in the discussion in the first place. ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2012, 7:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-atheists-think-and-why-in-re-geepers/620150/257 "2012-05-01T07:02:22Z")
> [@GEEPERS](#): > > Wow, so scientists can make mistakes, Science could quite reasonably be described as _the process of deliberately making mistakes, then learning from them_. The scientific method develops a notion of '_what we think something is_ by systematically eliminating _what we can prove that thing is not_. Finding out you’ve been wrong, in science, is more interesting (and therefore quite actively pursued) than _thinking you’re right_. > [@](#): > > and therefore, atheists who practically worship the scientists as gods can actually be wrong? Nobody really does that. ---
**Author:** ![TonySinclair](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/49beb7/32.png) [@TonySinclair](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TonySinclair)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2012, 9:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-atheists-think-and-why-in-re-geepers/620150/258 "2012-05-01T09:22:00Z")
> [@GEEPERS](#): > > Jesus raised people from the dead in his day. That didn’t convince the skeptics back then. Well, yeah, what about that? How come his disciples allegedly saw him raise the dead, walk on water, feed the 5000, and on and on, and still didn’t believe he had risen, without seeing him for themselves? In fact, the other day you told me that the reason you couldn’t cast a mountain into the sea was because Jesus was only talking about his disciples when he said believers would be able to do anything they wanted. So not only did they see him do all these miracles, but they were given the power to do them themselves, and they STILL didn’t believe he had risen. Since Jesus’s disciples were hand-picked to start his church, they must be worthy of emulation. They didn’t believe eyewitnesses who were well known to them about Jesus rising, so why should anyone believe stories from anonymous authors who are just repeating what they heard – that is, if they didn’t make it up? ---
**Author:** ![cosmosdan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a6a055/32.png) [@cosmosdan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cosmosdan)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2012, 10:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-atheists-think-and-why-in-re-geepers/620150/259 "2012-05-01T10:44:01Z")
> [@sisu](#): > > yep you are correct, sorry it does not fit the view of Geepers but well… I know. I was pointing out the apparant conflict. ---
**Author:** ![DrFidelius](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/drfidelius/32/3447_2.png) [@DrFidelius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrFidelius)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2012, 11:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-atheists-think-and-why-in-re-geepers/620150/260 "2012-05-01T11:20:49Z")
> [@sisu](#): > > yep you are correct, sorry it does not fit the view of Geepers but well… Well, what’s the point of worshipping a merciful and all-loving God if He lets just anyone into Paradise? I mean, being one of the Elect has to be worth something, otherwise you won’t get to laugh at all those smart alecks who should be burning in Hell for daring to have a different relationship with the Allmighty… [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-atheists-think-and-why-in-re-geepers/620150.md?page=12) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-atheists-think-and-why-in-re-geepers/620150.md?page=14)