# 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:** 23
**Author:** ![Meatros](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b4bc9f/32.png) [@Meatros](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Meatros)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2012, 12:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-atheists-think-and-why-in-re-geepers/620150/441 "2012-05-10T12:13:19Z")
> [@GEEPERS](#): > > If atheists weren’t angry at God, they would not be so fevert in their campaigns to attack and destroy Christianity even going as far as to create an atheist Bible mocking scripture vs by verse. Seriously, wouldn’t your time be better spent doing something else to benefit humanity? > > Disgusting to say the least. If all atheists are Bible mockers and out to destroy Christianity, then can we say that all Christians are hate mongers who picket funerals a la Fred Phelps? ---
**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 10, 2012, 12:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-atheists-think-and-why-in-re-geepers/620150/442 "2012-05-10T12:41:21Z")
> [@GEEPERS](#): > > You can’t even admit that Jesus teachings are good and pure. I’m sure if you cited something specific, there might be scope for atheists to agree on a lot of teachings and principles, but once again, you seem to be wanting some sort of carte blanche agreement. Why would anyone offer that sort of open-ended agreement about _anything_? It’s like issuing a blank check. ---
**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 10, 2012, 12:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-atheists-think-and-why-in-re-geepers/620150/443 "2012-05-10T12:52:11Z")
> [@Mangetout](#): > > I’m sure if you cited something specific, there might be scope for atheists to agree on a lot of teachings and principles, but once again, you seem to be wanting some sort of carte blanche agreement. > > Why would anyone offer that sort of open-ended agreement about _anything_? It’s like issuing a blank check. This is also the first time that I recall his mentioning the goodness and purity of the teachings of Jesus. He had previously been too busy distracting us with Old Testament stories and the healing power of prayer, neither of which have much to do with “Love thy Neighbour” or “Blessed are the Peacemakers.” ---
**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 10, 2012, 12:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-atheists-think-and-why-in-re-geepers/620150/444 "2012-05-10T12:54:31Z")
> [@Der\_Trihs](#): > > They aren’t. They are the (secondhand at best) “teachings” of someone who was either an ignorant, superstitious man, a lunatic, semi-mythical\*, or a fraud. They are neither good nor accurate nor practical. And what would his teachings being “pure” even _mean?_ > > - There was probably a real person that the Jesus myth was based on; but how much of what he really did and said resembles what his followers attributed to him is an open question. I think you’re walking into a trap. All **GEEPERS** needs to do now is cherry pick one example of a teaching that nobody would disagree with (on the grounds that it’s obvious, or trivial - suppose Jesus is quoted as describing the sky as blue somewhere), then he can declare “See? Atheists won’t even believe the sky is blue if Jesus said it!” ---
**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 10, 2012, 12:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-atheists-think-and-why-in-re-geepers/620150/445 "2012-05-10T12:56:55Z")
> [@DrFidelius](#): > > This is also the first time that I recall his mentioning the goodness and purity of the teachings of Jesus. Agreed, although I think it might fall under the general category of ‘agreeing the Christians are right about anything’ - a previous complaint for some kind of pre-emptive blind agreement. ---
**Author:** ![FinnAgain](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/finnagain/32/12500_2.png) [@FinnAgain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FinnAgain)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2012, 2:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-atheists-think-and-why-in-re-geepers/620150/446 "2012-05-10T14:14:08Z")
Jesus was a nice Jewish boy and had some good ideas. I think most of us, with the exception of Fundamentalist anti-theists like Der, would agree to that much. It’s certain members of Jesus’ fan club that most of us would take exception with. ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2012, 2:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-atheists-think-and-why-in-re-geepers/620150/447 "2012-05-10T14:17:28Z")
> [@Mangetout](#): > > I think you’re walking into a trap. All **GEEPERS** needs to do now is cherry pick one example of a teaching that nobody would disagree with (on the grounds that it’s obvious, or trivial - suppose Jesus is quoted as describing the sky as blue somewhere), then he can declare “See? Atheists won’t even believe the sky is blue if Jesus said it!” A trap on par with [parent to child]“I’ve got your nose!”[/parent to child] ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2012, 2:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-atheists-think-and-why-in-re-geepers/620150/448 "2012-05-10T14:24:08Z")
> [@Mangetout](#): > > I think you’re walking into a trap. All **GEEPERS** needs to do now is cherry pick one example of a teaching that nobody would disagree with (on the grounds that it’s obvious, or trivial - suppose Jesus is quoted as describing the sky as blue somewhere), then he can declare “See? Atheists won’t even believe the sky is blue if Jesus said it!” > [@Czarcasm](#): > > A trap on par with [parent to child]“I’ve got your nose!”[/parent to child] It’ll be a non-issue if **GEEPERS** wants to discuss those teachings and peoples’ opinions in any kind of depth. Failure to endorse every single one of Jesus’ teachings doesn’t indicate hatred of Christianity. ---
**Author:** ![CurtC](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ce73a5/32.png) [@CurtC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CurtC)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2012, 2:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-atheists-think-and-why-in-re-geepers/620150/449 "2012-05-10T14:41:59Z")
> [@GEEPERS](#): > > If atheists weren’t angry at God, they would not be so fevert in their campaigns to attack and destroy Christianity even going as far as to create an atheist Bible mocking scripture vs by verse. Here we learn that _all_ atheists are angry at this God, as evidenced by the fact that _all_ atheists have written books mocking the Bible. GEEPERS, do you even think at all before you post? It would seem that after waiting a week, you’d have something to say that wasn’t so stupid. Cause what you’ve said here is really bottom-of-the-barrel stupid. ---
**Author:** ![IntelliQ](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/e99b99/32.png) [@IntelliQ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/IntelliQ)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2012, 2:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-atheists-think-and-why-in-re-geepers/620150/450 "2012-05-10T14:42:28Z")
Raised Baptist, then Lutheran. Turned agnostic at 17ish. I’ll weigh in just because Im thrown into the atheist camp by most believers. 1 - I dont feel God. I tried and tried and wrenched myself apart, cried and begged, but alas no God entered my heart despite my best attempts to suck up, kiss ass, and beg on my knees to feel Him. I didnt even ask for favors or a kiddie magic trick. 2 - Old Testament vs New Testament - should I even go here? It’s not even the same reigning personality unless God is bipoloar, tripolar, maybe even penta-polar? (depending on how many versions of Him you moosh together) 3 - Nothing about God is believable because there is no shred of evidence it’s true any more than Greek mythology is true. 4 - Religions are in contradiction to God’s absoluteness (depending on which version of the testaments you favor). His word shouldnt be changed to reflect current modern attitudes, Catholics Im looking at you mostly. What He said IS or it ISNT. Never ending re-interpretations made to gel with societal whims should be a ticket to hell imo. But that’s not to say I’d stubbornly reject Him if He showed up at the table tonight. Then I’d believe without further argument. ---
**Author:** ![Latro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/a87d85/32.png) [@Latro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Latro)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2012, 2:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-atheists-think-and-why-in-re-geepers/620150/451 "2012-05-10T14:43:02Z")
No, the trap you have all fallen for is a bait and switch. The absurd claim of hatred for God has been switched for hatred of christianity (and the pureness of Jesus’s teachings). ---
**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 10, 2012, 2:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-atheists-think-and-why-in-re-geepers/620150/452 "2012-05-10T14:49:52Z")
> [@Latro](#): > > (and the pureness of Jesus’s teachings) Whatever _that_ means. ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2012, 2:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-atheists-think-and-why-in-re-geepers/620150/453 "2012-05-10T14:52:56Z")
> [@CurtC](#): > > GEEPERS, do you even think at all before you post? It would seem that after waiting a week, you’d have something to say that wasn’t so stupid. Cause what you’ve said here is really bottom-of-the-barrel stupid. This is over the line. Personal insults aren’t allowed in this forum. ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2012, 2:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-atheists-think-and-why-in-re-geepers/620150/454 "2012-05-10T14:55:29Z")
> [@Latro](#): > > The absurd claim of hatred for God has been switched for hatred of christianity (and the pureness of Jesus’s teachings). That’s been going on all thread, and in past threads. I even addressed it in the OP because **GEEPERS** insists on putting Christianity at the forefront of the list of religions atheists don’t believe in. ---
**Author:** ![Razncain](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/9d8465/32.png) [@Razncain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Razncain)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2012, 3:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-atheists-think-and-why-in-re-geepers/620150/455 "2012-05-10T15:10:14Z")
> [@DrFidelius](#): > > For truth. However, I find it hard to believe I have missed an “atheist Bible mocking scripture vs by verse,” even taking in to account my unfamiliarity with a great amount of atheist literature and commentary. I am pretty sure I would have heard of it, as I do enjoy mocking both ignorance and clumsy arguments on both sides. It’s possible he’s talking about the [Queen Jane’s Version Bible.](http://www.amazon.com/Queen-Janes-Version-BibleAdults/dp/0966520866) I have two copies of this 5 lb tome. Read Amazon’s description of it. It has a little bit of everything in it, and if my memory serves me correctly, he went through every single verse. I didn’t find it as funny as others, but it definitely has shock value, especially if someone picks it up that is a believer that isn’t on to it at first. I’ve had mine in boxes for ten years. If someone is interested in one of these, PM me. ---
**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 10, 2012, 4:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-atheists-think-and-why-in-re-geepers/620150/456 "2012-05-10T16:05:39Z")
> [@Marley23](#): > > It’ll be a non-issue if **GEEPERS** wants to discuss those teachings and peoples’ opinions in any kind of depth. Failure to endorse every single one of Jesus’ teachings doesn’t indicate hatred of Christianity. Quite. It seems like GEEPERS wants atheists to make the following choice: a) agree in advance that X% of his position is correct, then be told what you just agreed with Or b) refuse this absurd deal and be mis-described as "never agreeing with anything " ---
**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 10, 2012, 5:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-atheists-think-and-why-in-re-geepers/620150/457 "2012-05-10T17:22:23Z")
> [@razncain](#): > > It’s possible he’s talking about the [Queen Jane’s Version Bible.](http://www.amazon.com/Queen-Janes-Version-BibleAdults/dp/0966520866) I have two copies of this 5 lb tome. Read Amazon’s description of it. It has a little bit of everything in it, and if my memory serves me correctly, he went through every single verse. I didn’t find it as funny as others, but it definitely has shock value, especially if someone picks it up that is a believer that isn’t on to it at first. I’ve had mine in boxes for ten years. If someone is interested in one of these, PM me. Oh dear me. That sounds like an amazing waste of time and effort. Who did they think their target audience would be? My initial impression is of a ten-year-old who just discovered you can sing rude lyrics to popular songs. ---
**Author:** ![Razncain](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/9d8465/32.png) [@Razncain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Razncain)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2012, 7:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-atheists-think-and-why-in-re-geepers/620150/458 "2012-05-10T19:32:09Z")
> [@DrFidelius](#): > > Oh dear me. That sounds like an amazing waste of time and effort. Who did they think their target audience would be? > My initial impression is of a ten-year-old who just discovered you can sing rude lyrics to popular songs. No argument from me. I personally didn’t get it, but I would say it’s far easier to understand than the King James Version, and lets the reader understand much more quickly what exactly is going on in many of these stories, without mincing words, and using an archaic language. For me, anyway, the humor failed miserably, and it wasn’t because I was offended. I’d say it has educational worth though, and would be a fast way for a believer to really understand what is in the bible, but I have a hard time thinking any would dare pick up this book, except to burn it. ---
**Author:** ![IntelliQ](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/e99b99/32.png) [@IntelliQ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/IntelliQ)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2012, 7:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-atheists-think-and-why-in-re-geepers/620150/459 "2012-05-10T19:49:24Z")
> [@shy\_guy](#): > > Even if we accept that the whole deal with a miracle is that it’s a singular, extraordinary event\*, and not something to which scientific rigors are applicable, we can still look for things in instances of claimed miracles that might differentiate them from the kind of healing we see all the time. > > So, for instance, it would be significantly easier to accept a claimed miracle _as_ a miracle if, say, we had video of an angel descending from heaven and shooting beams of light at a Korean lady’s head. Or, less dramatically, if the Korean lady in question had developed superhuman hearing overnight. Or if an amputee suddenly regrew a limb. Or if the woman who lost her face and hands in a chimpanzee attack regenerated her eyeballs. > > In other words, even accepting GEEPERS’ definition of a miracle as something that we can’t repeat and monitor, it would be trivial for an omnipotent being to create these miracles in such a manner that made them look like something more than typical biological phenomena. Indeed, the very being that GEEPERS thinks exists purportedly used to create miracles of this sort on a fairly regular basis thousands of years ago. > > \*And I don’t think that’s what the _real_ claim is. Proponents of the healing power of prayer, for instance, are absolutely making the claim that the benefits of their practice are repeatable, otherwise there would be no point in doing it. I like that assessment and thought about that many times (who hasnt?). Why always is it some low level miracle? Where are the regrown limbs? I would think, and Im NOT intending to insult Christianity, but I would think God would have put Daniel Pearl’s head back on and smote the animals who killed him. Or pick any of thousands of pure evil acts against innocent victims. The selective low level miracles don’t convince me of anything except random odds are at play. I would be more willing to explore the idea of an imperfect God, or a even a bumbling deity than the one presented in scriptures. ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2012, 7:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-atheists-think-and-why-in-re-geepers/620150/460 "2012-05-10T19:52:46Z")
It’s like having the powers of The Human Torch, but restricting yourself to lighting birthday cake candles when no one is watching. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-atheists-think-and-why-in-re-geepers/620150.md?page=22) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-atheists-think-and-why-in-re-geepers/620150.md?page=24)