talkmagic.co.uk

...I just don't agree with you"

How difficult is that to say? Really?!

Yesterday I had to sit there while a religious colleague whittered on about how he disgreeed with my "i don't have a belief system" attitude. I don't have a dig at him for having a differing opinion! God!

Just because you believe someone to be wrong doesn't mean you have to tell them this! CERTAINLY if it's not actually going to change anything!

Why can't we just accept people for who they are and get on with it?
Can't we all just get along?

Who needs a hug? Come on... GROUP HUG!

[/vent]

I think I'd have said "I really don't care what you believe, so I'll take it as a great kindness if you'd just shut up."

I call it "Neuter Moron Disease" - the overwhelming desire to "correct" someone or argue a viewpoint. It happens too frequently on forums, when what people should to is simply ignore time wasting or deliberately provocative morons out to get a reaction.

Professor Richard Dawkins made some great points about the power of peoples belief structures; and how mythological or supernatural beliefs twist our minds, and ultimatley dominate our lives to the point of hysteria and global chaos.

I can highly recommend his book "The God Delusion" - it's a fascinating read with such an educated and credible arguement for the point of Atheism. Also, If you ever get chance, you've gotta watch his documentries called "The Genius of Charles Darwin" and "The Root of All Evil" (I think they're both out on DVD now too). Some of the religious people he interviews are either so blinded by their faith....or simply just crazy fanatics, hell-bent on the genocide of all non-belivers.

It's both intreguing, and scary stuff. Not to be missed. (They should show programmes like that in schools - and add his books to their libraries). It may help offer some independant academic evidence to try and prevent religious indoctrination for kids at an early age (when they usually are too young to make an informed decision about something as important as faith, or a belief structure to live your life according to)

Argh! He said the RD name! Run away!

Whether you have a profound faith or none at all isn't really the issue, just don't shove your point of view down other people's throats as though there are no other possibilities. If someone wants to discuss their faith or atheism, then fine, we're all human and we all have our own points of view, and if you hold an opposing view to that, no worries!

As for a group hug, I would but the weather's too hot and sticky for all that gratuitous physical contact....

Mandrake wrote:Whether you have a profound faith or none at all isn't really the issue, just don't shove your point of view down other people's throats as though there are no other possibilities.

Indeed. I was friends with a very good friend of mine for nearly a decade before I discovered that he quietly goes to church each Sunday and is an ardent believer.

TylerMason wrote:Some of the religious people he interviews are either so blinded by their faith....or simply just crazy fanatics, hell-bent on the genocide of all non-belivers.

Therefore, all people who believe in God are crazy fanatics hell bent on genocide, QED.

It's true Richard Dawkins does not believe in God; it's also true that he doesn't believe in personal responsibility, accountability or free will.

"Don't blame me, guv'nor, it's me memes wot did it."

I wish I hadn't used religion as an example now!

As I saw it, the message behind Root of All Evil was "look at this religious nutter. What a nutter!". Put any kind of extremist into that context and you can demonise the world.

I love Dawkins' books. I just don't take them as gospel.

His arguments are first-rate. But I find there's a big difference between 'absence of proof' and 'proof of absence'.

And, for the sake of context, I choose to label myself Proudly Agnostic.

Me? I'm Gnostic. That's how old school I am.

It also means I am the keeper of such secrets of where the holy grail is, who Jesus married, who his sister was, and where Mary Magdalene vanished to.

It doesn't matter what some one believes, we all have our own ideas on the world and other things. We just all have to learn to respect what other people believe, if we did that instead of preaching our view points then the world would be a much better place. That goes for believers and non-believers alike.

Sense about 20 I've been bemoaning that lack of consideration is going to be the downfall of the human race.

People just don't take the time to consider another persons, perspective, rights, desires, or even social acceptability.

All it takes to stop trying to prove a point is to realize no one is asking you to.

I love RD's arguments but I am still in limbo over faith = destruction of all human kind.

Thing is, if you're a happy clappy Christian, you're kind of duty bound to "correct" people who don't believe in what you believe in. Otherwise they're going to hell, right?

I had Christians at the door once telling me the earth was 5,000 years old or some such nonsense, and I actually went and got a science book - of course, that was propaganda and a test of their faith. I asked them why they'd persisted with me for ten minutes and they said "we're only trying to help you". Misguided they may be, but ultimately they are trying to do right by other people.

Farlsborough wrote:

TylerMason wrote:Some of the religious people he interviews are either so blinded by their faith....or simply just crazy fanatics, hell-bent on the genocide of all non-belivers.

Therefore, all people who believe in God are crazy fanatics hell bent on genocide, QED. "

Not at all - just the ones I assume he carefully, and deliberatley chose to ensure the point of his show had more of an impact. Especially the poor old yanks he likes to poke fun at (the faith healer guys) but I must admit, I only laughed at that part because I saw that Steve Martin film years ago. Mind you he doesn't seem to be as funny as he used to be these days. Shame.

....anyway, it's been a while since i've seen quod erat demonstrandum used. Fair play to you. I think sometimes Dawkins uses the old reductio ad absurdum thing to belittle the religious participants of his documentry, a triffle unfair really.....but I guess everyone tries to use tactics like that in order to be taken more seriously than whoever it is they're arguing with......not that anyone one THIS forum would do such a thing

themagicwand wrote:and where Mary Magdalene vanished to.

Last I heard, she was on the Witness Protection Programme, somewhere not a million miles away from Milton Keynes.....