Responses to Commonly-Heard Comments
Responses
Atheism is just another religion.
That literally makes no sense. Please explain what you mean by that.
a-, an-. is a Greek prefix that means “absence of, without, lack of, or not”
as in “amnesia, agnostic, amorphous, amoral, anesthetic or atheist = not a theist
Sure, like bald is a hair color . . . and not collecting stamps and not golfing are hobbies.
Hitler was an atheist.
Really? Why did the Catholic church recognize his birthday during part of his rampage?
Isn't it strange that he proclaimed himself a "Christian" and “fighter for his Lord and Savior” ?
Wonder why the Nazi uniforms he designed had a cross on them?
Wonder why the words: "Gott mit uns" (God with us) appear on the Nazi belt buckles?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adolf_Hitler's_religious_views
Stalin was an atheist.
He was also a megalomaniac totalitarian tyrant reminiscent of the main character of the bible.
Maybe he learned that as student in seminary
Atheists have no reason to live . . . or are all Communists. . . or are all Devil worshippers
We are all born atheists, even you.
Surely, you don't think babies have no reason to live?
Surely you don’t think babies are innately Communists or devil worshippers?
We are all born atheists, even you.
We have to be taught one of the 3000+ religions.
We are all born atheists, even you.
We have to be taught to worship, pray to, kill for, and die for any of the 10,000 plus gods and goddesses
people have believed in
You believe in one god and reject the other 9,999+. I just go one more.
No, Free-thinkers (whether they call themselves atheists, agnostics or humanists) just don't accept myths
and fables.
No, Free-thinkers (whether they call themselves atheists, agnostics or humanists) just don't accept
questionable ideas without a preponderance of evidence.
No, Free-thinkers (whether they call themselves atheists, agnostics or humanists) just don't accept any of
the 10,000+ gods that people have worshipped over recorded history. Likely you reject 9,999 of those
gods. We just go one more.
You mean like the Baptist Minister who wrote the Pledge of Allegiance who was a socialist.
Our country was founded by Christians.
Where is your evidence for that statement? I can produce a godless Constitution, Article 11 from the Treaty
of Tripoli, and statements from several Founding Fathers that show they were not Christians. Don’t believe
what other people tell you. Look it up for yourself because here you have been wildly misinformed,
especially if your major source is David Barton.
Sure, a Christian populace rallied by non-believers and deists like Thomas Paine, Thomas Jefferson,
James Madison, and John Adams
I see no evidence of that in the writings of Thomas Jefferson, John Adams, James Madison, or Thomas
Paine.
"The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God." (Psalm 14:1)
Yes, that's from the Old Testament. . . the same book that states that the earth is flat and the sun
revolves around the earth (Psalms 104:5 and Ecclesiastes 1:5),
Yes, that's from the Old Testament. . . the same book that states that human slavery is acceptable
(Leviticus 25:44-46 ) and that forbids wearing linen and wool together. (Leviticus 19:19)
You pretend to eat your imaginary friend and then you call me a fool?
NO…I have not said there is no god. You have put those words in my mouth for some reason. It is you
that have told me there is one…. So it’s up to you to prove it.
The lord is mentioned in the Constitution:
The words “God," "Creator," or "Jesus” never appear in the Constitution.
The word “Lord” does appear – once. And but ONLY in the signatory section for the date: "Seventeenth
Day of September in the Year of our Lord one thousand seven hundred and Eighty seven.” The use of the
word is not a religious reference but a common way of expressing the date, in both religious and secular
contexts of the time. However, the original Constitution does specifically bar any religious test to hold any
federal office in the United States
And the time is now 8:32 PM . . . What does PM stand for?
'Why does that matter?'
My point exactly. . . it's irrelevant.
It means “post meridian,” which is Latin for “after noon” and originally related to Roman Catholic prayers.
But neither you nor I are saying anything ‘religious’ when we add AM or PM to a time. It’s just a common
way of expressing the time, originating from a religious source we no longer use. Every Thursday you
honor the god Thor. Every Friday is Frige’s day or Freya’s day (Thor’s wife Freya or Norse goddess Frige)
Then there’s Roman god Saturn’s Day and then Sunday, the day to honor the Sun god (Ra,Solis) and
After that comes Moonday Next comes Tyr’s Day (Norse god, Tyr) . . . and my favorite, aka Hump day or
Wodin’s Day (Odin’s Day.) The use of all of these is exactly like the use of the word “lord” in the
Constitution.
How can you be moral without god?
Goodness is intrinsically rewarding; there is no reason to outsource morality
Living a moral life boils down to just three things: Be kind, be honest, and be responsible.
Those are all the rules we need.
Being moral and good just comes naturally to me.
I don't need the promise of a future reward or the threat of punishment to treat others fairly.
I'll bet YOU don't either.
I’m sure you’ve read some of the research about animal altruism. Surely you’re not suggesting that
dolphins helping unrelated mammals who are injured to survive, or dogs who adopt orphaned cats and
squirrels, or meerkats who stand guard while others eat – that they behave that way because of their
religion? None of these "moral" acts require a belief in a supernatural force. Morality has evolutionary
advantages.
When did you become a Christian? (If it was not from childhood . . .
How many banks did you rob then? How many people did you kill? Of course, those are absurd
questions. You weren’t immoral before you became a Christian. You knew right from wrong.
You can't be good without god.
That's not what the research shows.
Pyysiainen, Hauser, et al. The origins of religion Q1 : Evolved adaptation or by-product?
Trends in Cognitive Sciences, February 8, 2010
You know, the US prison population is overwhelmingly religious. Some estimates put the number of
believers in jails and prisons at well over 90%. Surely, if religion equated with morality, prisons
would be a wonderful place to work and live.
Being good isn't dependent on any particular supernatural deity or any ancient book of taboos (Koran,
Talmud, Bible, Bhagavad Gita, or the I Ching.)
Being good requires just three behaviors: Be kind, be honest, and be responsible.
Those are all the rules we need.
Do you call biting a young boy’s penis foreskin off or doing vaginal damage to a young girl to satisfy
your god “being good”? Your god inspires some of the worst behavior I can imagine.
According to Pew Research, in Washington State, only 48% assert that "religion is important in their
lives," and only 33% report that they attend religious services. That leaves a WHOLE lot of people --
-- your neighbors, your co-workers, and, yes, even some of your friends or family members who are,
indeed, "good without God."
Why are you people here?
Not to convert or proselytize anyone, that's for sure. We’re not selling anything.
Just to let other Free-thinkers know there are several local organizations in the area that share their views.
For some of the same reasons everyone else has a booth here, to let Spokanites/Idahoans know we exist,
although we're not selling any products. We’re just providing information to like-minded people.
We advocate for separation of church and state in the public venue and the right to worship as the
individual chooses, or not, as a private and personal right.
Well, I'm a Christian.
Has it ever occurred to you that you might be wrong?
(No!)
My point exactly.
If there is nothing -- no data, no fact, no event -- that could ever make you change your mind, then you
know your beliefs are dogmatic, not based on logic or reason.
Well, I'm a believer.
Has it ever occurred to you that you might be wrong?
(No!)
My point exactly.
Free-thinkers, like scientists, seek out what is true using reason, and are therefore open to changing
their positions in the face of verifiable evidence.
What would make ME believe in a god/deity? (http://www.ebonmusings.org/atheism/theistguide.html)
- Verified, specific prophecies that couldn’t have been contrived.
- Accurate scientific knowledge in holy books that wasn’t available at the time.
- Miraculous occurrences, confirmed and replicable, brought about only through prayer. (Regrowing a severed limb?)
- Any direct manifestation of the divine. (Show up or shut up!)
- A genuinely flawless and consistent, inerrant holy book.
- A religion whose followers have never committed or taken part in atrocities and who had a consistent record of winning
all its holy wars and jihads.
Well, I’m a Christian and Jesus is my best friend.
Well, good for you….but keep asking questions.
And I’m sure you’re a good person. Me, too!
I know of Christians, Jews, Buddhists, Hindus, Muslims and atheists who are good people - and some
who are not. Free-thinkers are no different than any other humans. . . we're just skeptical of unproven
beliefs and demand evidence.
Aren't we lucky to live in a country where both of us can co-exist and freely express our beliefs.
Yes, and we non-believers work alongside believers just like you whenever it benefits the common good.
You have, of course, every right to hold your beliefs. However, I see no evidence that any of the 3000+
religions are verifiably valid, or any of the 10,000+ gods people have worshipped, prayed to, killed for,
or died for actually exist. Extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence.
What the hell is a Free-thinker?
A person committed to applying reason (not superstition or tradition) when forming opinions. We don’t
accept myths or fables as facts. We look for science-based evidence to separate fact from fiction.
A person who uses empirical evidence and reason to establish what they think is true in their life.
They disregard all superstition as faith-based nonsense with no basis in reality
One who rejects authority and dogma, especially in religious thinking, in favor of rational inquiry.
One who thinks for himself or herself independent of authority or accepted view
Free-thinkers prefer evidence, reason, and solid support over supernatural beliefs of any culture.
The words 'separation of church and state' do not appear in the Constitution:
Then I take it you have read the Constitution. It also has NO mention of any god. Our country is meant to
be run by a religiously neutral government for the protection of all groups, because neutrality is the only
way to protect all sects, and all people, whether religious or non-believers.
Neither does the phrase “right to a fair trial” . . .but I’m sure your support that.
Obviously our legal system should adopt Sharia law because of this omission. (Smile)
The Supreme Court declared the U.S. a Christian nation:
No SCOTUS decision has ever stated such a thing.
Actually, only Justice Brewer expressed this in a personal opinion representing only himself, not in any
official Supreme Court pronouncement with legally binding standing. And this is the same justice who a few
years later not only upheld a New Orleans law legalizing prostitution, but wrote the unanimous opinion.
(Rob Boston posits this in Why the Religious Right is Wrong 2nd edition pg 253. I couldn't find the New Orleans case for citation.)
The 1st Amendment was meant only to prohibit the establishment of a national church:
The term “establish” means “cause to be accepted.” It means our government cannot cause to be accepted
any form of religion or irreligion. Neutrality has been the law established by two centuries of court decisions
supporting the separation of church and state.
Early drafts to this effect were rejected as too weak.
I don't believe you! (to any fact/declarative statement made by us.)
Good! You shouldn't believe me. You shouldn't believe anyone. You should research it for yourself.
Good! Cognite Tute! (Think for yourself!)
Start with a good general source like Wikipedia and then go deeper.