Opposing superstition

[Maryjane]

Do I appreciate what others have done for me..... I do. Do I pay it forward....mmmm water bill, taxes, and well the other one doesn't apply to me, I say I do.

I suppose for some, ignorance is bliss?

So, in your opinion, paying taxes for services others provide for you (highways, fire fighters, EMT's, police, schools, animal control, etc...) as well as paying for items you consume is paying it forward? Please tell me you at least understand to tip the waitstaff?

Does the words "community service" mean anything to you? What do you do to make the world a better place?

[mbc85]

"I suppose for some, ignorance is bliss?"

It depends what side your in, from my point of view, you are being ignorant.

Putting examples of past "battles", like the revolution for clean drinking water (which btw, I don't have, I still have to buy clean water from the store) and the freedom of speach, which was fought too many decades ago and it's not that free, I almost got arrested for getting into it with words, with an old lady. Seems kinda "dumb".

(Your post kinda reminds me of the minorities and living in the past, wanting to payback the whites. It's the same with you, but you want others to payback in a different way for the battles that were fought before us, and most likely not for us. Then again you are a minority [not you, literally])

"So, in your opinion, paying taxes for services others provide for you (highways, fire fighters, EMT's, police, schools, animal control, etc...) as well as paying for items you consume is paying it forward? Please tell me you at least understand to tip the waitstaff?"

How do you pay it forward? I am interested to see what difference there is between yours and mine.


"Does the words "community service" mean anything to you?"


I have done community service. I have helped out people before, I have gone on plate sales after a tornado devastated one side of the town, which I didn't live in. I have donated my time to stand outside and collect money for a church that needed repairs, and I don't go to church as you already know. I have helped remove debris from the floods that ravaged another part of town. I have helped paint the public library.

So yes I have done community service, your point?


"What do you do to make the world a better place?"

That depends on what you mean by "world". If you mean the whole world, then I do nothing. If it's the world that I am in, my town, then I do what is required when it's required. Nothing more, nothing less.

What do you do?

[Apeman81]

A persuasive and charismatic charlatan realizes they can get rich by getting the gullible to believe their conveniently unprovable premise that misfortune and eternal punishment will be visited on anyone who doesn’t join their cult and surrender their money, possessions and their good sense to the leader.

Why does the last name “Gore” come to mind?

[yukonmuffin]

Why does the last name “Gore” come to mind?

lol it totally does. so does Scientology and the Mormons. Al and his hippies are starting to fall into that category.

[RickSp]

Why does the last name “Gore” come to mind?

Beck seems a far better example.

[Apeman81]

Beck seems a far better example.

I can see how you could assert that, but come now. A "better" example?

Gore has amassed more than 100 million in personal wealth, testified before congress to affect legislation in the billions, and lectures to the world for action requiring trillions.

Compared to Gore, Beck is a piker

[RickSp]

I can see how you could assert that, but come now. A "better" example?

Gore has amassed more than 100 million in personal wealth, testified before congress to affect legislation in the billions, and lectures to the world for action requiring trillions.

Compared to Gore, Beck is a piker

Al Gore was born rich and still is. I neither blame nor admire him for that happenstance. He made a lot of money off a popular movie. I am not surprised by the fact that he made money, or that that the movie was popular. I am occasionally amused by how the climate deniers get their panties all in a bunch over it. That is always fun to watch.

Gore is also a highly successful entrepreneur who was an early player in several leading edge companies including Google. He is exactly the sort of free market success story that the conservatives claim to admire, but often end up hating.

Beck on the other hand is merely the worst form of irresponsible charlatan. He is liar and a fraud on his good days. And his personal net worth will probably exceed Gore's before too long. Beck's various shows, books and speaking engagements have been earning him around $20 million a year of late.

[Apeman81]

Gore is also a highly successful entrepreneur who was an early player in several leading edge companies including Google. He is exactly the sort of free market success story that the conservatives claim to admire, but often end up hating.

Who hates him for his wealth? He's an obvious graduate of the PT Barnum school of wealth accrual.

If he can get people to give him money to “pay for” their “carbon footprint”, good for him. There’s one born every minute.

[RickSp]

Who hates him for his wealth? He's an obvious graduate of the PT Barnum school of wealth accrual.

You prove my point. Gore is exactly the sort of entrepreneur that conservatives claim to admire but rarely do.

If he can get people to give him money to “pay for” their “carbon footprint”, good for him. There’s one born every minute.

As I said before this sort of idiocy gets funny after a while.

Gore is earning his money from the cable network he founded and his investment firm where he has a billion or so under management.

[ensayne]

Many atheists consider supernatural and superstitious beliefs to be fairly benign; believe what you will as long as it doesn’t interfere with another person’s privilege to believe what they wish. Yet this degree of tolerance allows the more harmful consequences of supernatural and superstitious belief to be practiced without criticism. Tolerance of the differences between individuals is commendable; tolerance of belief systems that are used to subjugate, enslave and kill those who don’t share those beliefs is not commendable at all. By not opposing fantastic thinking, especially when it is used as an excuse to cause harm to our fellow humans, we atheists become complicit in that harm. We need to champion realistic and clear thinking and not shy away from criticizing belief systems that cause wars and death to innocent humans.

Here is a prime example of how superstitious thinking can cause real harm to the innocent.


Child Sacrifices on the Rise in Uganda as Witch Doctors Expand Their Practices | Newstime Africa

We can see a pattern here that is common to many religions. A persuasive and charismatic charlatan realizes they can get rich by getting the gullible to believe their conveniently unprovable premise that misfortune and eternal punishment will be visited on anyone who doesn’t join their cult and surrender their money, possessions and their good sense to the leader. It’s nothing more than a scam, sadly protected from criticism and exposure by claiming to be a religion. Even the most progressive societies are reluctant to challenge any belief system that hides behind the label of “religious belief”.

If you are a passive atheist who doesn’t think it’s worthwhile to openly criticize supernatural and superstitious thinking, I would ask that you consider the possibility that your reticence is what allows witch doctors to sacrifice children to ward off evil spirits free of condemnation. By thinking that it’s their right to believe in witchcraft if they want, the tolerant fail to protest the effect of their superstitious thinking on innocent children.

Are you a consequentialist? To say that by not acting I am responsible for others is to put great demands on the moral agent. Their right to believe in witchcraft is entirely different from their right to act out their beliefs, even if their beliefs are violated by constraining their ability to act. Now a death of an innocent being is evil regardless of how it has been brought about, especially if they have not surrendered their right to life. If you agree with this, regardless of religious circumstances, it doesn't matter what has incited such a killing, but only that the killing has happened. It is not the religious system that matters, so much as the adherent to place the religious system as methodology for respecting fellow man. If a respect for fellow man is held higher than the religious doctrine, then it is no matter.

[mbc85]

"To say that by not acting I am responsible for others is to put great demands on the moral agent."

Thank you. That's what got I thought the first time I read the OP.

[Zeebadee]

Many atheists consider supernatural .....

You, and others of your ilk, continue to claim that creationism requires supernatural means. Yet you never show any evidence that such is required. To do so would be to claim that you are aware of ALL natural means, which I don't believe you can demonstrate.

Exactly what supernatural power would be necessary for a creator to exist?