The difficulty of talking to Atheist

[Deidre32]

Widest variety of positions? Atheists just live their lives. Most are not as vocal as Richard Dawkins. Some of us just wish to live productive, good lives ...no positions...no agendas.

 

[Deidre32]

It can be an asset to not require so much in order to move ahead. Being low maintenance has its advantages.

Do you think atheists are high maintenance? Hmmmm? Lol

 

[Chany]

Widest variety of positions? Atheists just live their lives. Most are not as vocal as Richard Dawkins. Some of us just wish to live productive, good lives ...no positions...no agendas.

Everyone has a philosophy or a position on things, even if the answer is, "I don't know". I'm not saying that atheists all act on their ideas, but to say that they don't have the ideas at all is absurd.

For example: what is a good, productive life? How you answer this is a position you hold.

 

[Aldebaran]

Do you think atheists are high maintenance? Hmmmm? Lol

Well......in a way.

Some of the arguments I hear about needing "objective evidence" and quite a bit of philosophical blah blah that some people seem to demand before they'll even consider a position seem to wreak of either desperate denial, or whatever they might want to call it. At the same time, they'll make decisions about important things throughout their lives based on nothing more than emotions or other impulses not governed by much thought. I've been trying to point this out lately, but my argument gets brushed aside and the topic gets derailed. Oh well, at least I tried.

 

[Ana the Ist]

Well......in a way.

Some of the arguments I hear about needing "objective evidence" and quite a bit of philosophical blah blah that some people seem to demand before they'll even consider a position seem to wreak of either desperate denial, or whatever they might want to call it. At the same time, they'll make decisions about important things throughout their lives based on nothing more than emotions or other impulses not governed by much thought. I've been trying to point this out lately, but my argument gets brushed aside and the topic gets derailed. Oh well, at least I tried.

Well I think you have to consider why that argument gets brushed aside...

There's a huge difference between a question like, "Is there an all powerful being that wants me to live a certain way and will punish or reward me eternally?"

And a question like, "I wonder if i should have fries with my shake?"

It's rather stupid to answer the first question based on "emotions" or "impulses". However, if you use those to answer the second question...it's not necessarily that dumb at all. Do you really need someone to explain why?

 

[Eudaimonist]

Atheists just live their lives. [...] Some of us just wish to live productive, good lives ...no positions...no agendas.

Living a productive, good life is my position and my agenda.


eudaimonia,

Mark

 

[TheStraightener]

The writers of the bible are the ones you have an issue with if you don't agree with what they wrote.

There we go again. Making statements and then when your called out on it you shift the blame.

 

[Colter]

-_- there is no atheist agenda, I don't understand why people think there is one.

When I use the term "Atheist agenda" I have in mind Atheist who promote Atheism, anti religion. Like an Atheist who would join a Christian forum and engage in impugning religion. The truest kind of Atheist is simply indifferent to religion, they aren't here.

 

[Eight Foot Manchild]

You have to admit that you pretty much invite some comment on your screen name when you call yourself a manchild.

You're not merely commenting. You're trying to imply something about my mental faculties, because you have no other recourse at this point.

So you come here to judge.

If all I did was come here to 'judge', I'd only be lurking. I wouldn't have even created an account.

You seem to have forgotten already, so here, again, are my reasons for being here,

-Public scrutiny of irrational beliefs
-Staying informed on theistic beliefs
-It's interesting

It's nice to see an unbeliever finally admit that what happens as a result other peoples' beliefs and actions can affect them. Up to this point, I've only heard that the atheistic views expressed by some here are nothing I should be concerned about because it doesn't affect me or how I live. Looks like you and I are of the same mind.

I find it very hard to believe you've never once heard an unbeliever tell you that, for example, they don't appreciate American Christians attempting to legislate 'Biblical morality', but I suppose it's possibly you just haven't been paying attention.

 

[Eight Foot Manchild]

Some of the arguments I hear about needing "objective evidence" and quite a bit of philosophical blah blah that some people seem to demand before they'll even consider a position seem to wreak of either desperate denial, or whatever they might want to call it. At the same time, they'll make decisions about important things throughout their lives based on nothing more than emotions or other impulses not governed by much thought. I've been trying to point this out lately, but my argument gets brushed aside and the topic gets derailed. Oh well, at least I tried.

All claims are not equal.

If you tell me you flew to Chicago yesterday, I will happily believe you on your say so alone.

If you tell me you flew to Chicago yesterday by flapping your arms up and down, I will require much more than just your say so.

That's not being 'high maintenance'. That's proportioning belief to the evidence given. I don't accept 'emotions or other impulses' as an acceptable standard for extraordinary claims.

Neither do you. You don't believe Muhammad had visions of Jehenna. You don't believe Joseph Smith was visited by the angel Moroni. You don't believe mystics in the slums of Calcutta can cure disease through 'chakra alignment'. Only when it comes to your particular set of religious beliefs does your standard of evidence for extraordinary claims take a precipitous drop.

 

[Eight Foot Manchild]

There we go again. Making statements and then when your called out on it you shift the blame.

If you advocate a position, it is your responsibility to defend it.

If you tell me 'I think the sky is purple because the President said so', you don't get to shirk off this responsibility by pointing out that hey, the President said it first.

But even that cartoonish analogy is being too kind, because at least the President is a living, public figure. He could, in theory, be reached and asked to defend the assertion, whereas the Biblical authors are all anonymous and/or dead.

 

[bhsmte]

Do you think atheists are high maintenance? Hmmmm? Lol

To me, the biggest issue thinking atheists create for some believers is; cognitive dissonance. And, cognitive dissonance is not pleasant to the one experiencing it.

 

[Colter]

"Truth cannot be defined with words, only by living. Truth is always more than knowledge. Knowledge pertains to things observed, but truth transcends such purely material levels in that it consorts with wisdom and embraces such imponderables as human experience, even spiritual and living realities. Knowledge originates in science; wisdom, in true philosophy; truth, in the religious experience of spiritual living. Knowledge deals with facts; wisdom, with relationships; truth, with reality values." UB 1955
​

 

[Deidre32]

Living a productive, good life is my position and my agenda.


eudaimonia,

Mark

That's signature worthy.
Very nice. I'll agree with that.

 

[Deidre32]

Everyone has a philosophy or a position on things, even if the answer is, "I don't know". I'm not saying that atheists all act on their ideas, but to say that they don't have the ideas at all is absurd.

For example: what is a good, productive life? How you answer this is a position you hold.

How one lives his/her life, is probably the best ''testimony'' as to what he/she believes. Religious or atheists, if they don't walk the talk, what good is the talk?

Well......in a way.

Some of the arguments I hear about needing "objective evidence" and quite a bit of philosophical blah blah that some people seem to demand before they'll even consider a position seem to wreak of either desperate denial, or whatever they might want to call it. At the same time, they'll make decisions about important things throughout their lives based on nothing more than emotions or other impulses not governed by much thought. I've been trying to point this out lately, but my argument gets brushed aside and the topic gets derailed. Oh well, at least I tried.

You are patient, and have tact, for the most part. We are all human at the end of the day. lol It doesn't go unnoticed. I see your efforts, fwiw.

 

[Aldebaran]

There we go again. Making statements and then when your called out on it you shift the blame.

Shift the blame? Is that what it's called now? Someone claims something that is based on the bible, so then the atheist inevitably demands, "Give us your source!", and then when the Christian directs them to what the bible says as the source, it's called "shifting the blame".

The atheist tactic of staying on the offensive, brushing aside all claims, and even making accusations against a person's motives for answering the atheist's questions. Doesn't make for much of a discussion. More like an interrogation.

 

[Aldebaran]

You're not merely commenting. You're trying to imply something about my mental faculties, because you have no other recourse at this point.

Your own words tell me more about your mental faculties. Remember that.

If all I did was come here to 'judge', I'd only be lurking. I wouldn't have even created an account.

If you did that, you'd only be forming an opinion. Creating an account and then displaying an attitude as you are shows that you're judgemental of my answers. You can't handle that, so you can't just "let it go, let it GO!"

You seem to have forgotten already, so here, again, are my reasons for being here,

-Public scrutiny of irrational beliefs
-Staying informed on theistic beliefs
-It's interesting

Haven't forgotten. Just never believed it. Still don't.

I find it very hard to believe you've never once heard an unbeliever tell you that, for example, they don't appreciate American Christians attempting to legislate 'Biblical morality', but I suppose it's possibly you just haven't been paying attention.

I'm not legislating anything. If you don't like people who do legislate things you don't like, even in violation of law, you might want to call your president.

 

[TheStraightener]

Shift the blame? Is that what it's called now? Someone claims something that is based on the bible, so then the atheist inevitably demands, "Give us your source!", and then when the Christian directs them to what the bible says as the source, it's called "shifting the blame".

The atheist tactic of staying on the offensive, brushing aside all claims, and even making accusations against a person's motives for answering the atheist's questions. Doesn't make for much of a discussion. More like an interrogation.

But you said yourself on another topic that you pretty much don't have any independant thought on the things you parrot. So we are never having a discussion with you and your personal feelings.

 

[Aldebaran]

But you said yourself on another topic that you pretty much don't have any independant thought on the things you parrot. So we are never having a discussion with you and your personal feelings.

Is that what I said? I'd sure love to see the quote of that one!

If you want to have a discussion about my personal feelings, then ask about how I feel about something. If you want my convictions and my source of them (which always seems to be the topic around here) then I'll direct you to the source, which is what you refer to as "parroting".

 

[Colter]

God is good.