en-us https://www.intensedebate.com/users/682596 Comments by Jynx http://www.atheistrev.com/2011/05/as-atheist-what-do-i-want.html#IDComment157274979 I could not have said it better myself, vjack! Much like the fight for gay rights, atheists have had to fight for every step toward acceptance in society. Due to the snail's pace of these changes, I try to focus on the process, while occasionally reminding myself of what a world could be like with a greater explicit emphasis on the use of reason and logic. I don't combat religion per se...I promote reason. That necessarily means that religious belief finds its way into the line of fire. Keep up the good work, vjack :) Sun, 29 May 2011 13:37:29 +0000 http://www.atheistrev.com/2011/05/as-atheist-what-do-i-want.html#IDComment157274979 http://www.atheistrev.com/2011/05/rapture-holds-important-lesson-for.html#IDComment154637252 By placing the "Rapture" at some indeterminate point in the future, the liberal Christian is provided some cognitive distance from dealing with the absurdity of their beliefs. Those that believe the "Rapture" will occur today or tomorrow act EXACTLY the way those liberal, "sane" Christians would act if they were simply convinced to alter their timeline. Great point, vjack! Sat, 21 May 2011 13:09:51 +0000 http://www.atheistrev.com/2011/05/rapture-holds-important-lesson-for.html#IDComment154637252 http://www.atheistrev.com/2011/05/damon-fowler-is-atheist-hero.html#IDComment154636652 Congradulations, Damon! I sincerely hope you continue to be an activist force as you become an adult; we could use all the help we can get! Sat, 21 May 2011 13:05:45 +0000 http://www.atheistrev.com/2011/05/damon-fowler-is-atheist-hero.html#IDComment154636652 http://www.atheistrev.com/2011/05/most-christians-are-skeptical-about.html#IDComment154635894 Excellent post! I find it absurd in the extreme to hear Christians criticise Camping's followers as "nuts" when they agree with every point he makes....save the date on which the events will occur. I shall spend my weekend reminding the Christians I meet that their world is just as loopy as Camping's...the only difference being it hasn't hit its expiration date yet. Sat, 21 May 2011 13:00:50 +0000 http://www.atheistrev.com/2011/05/most-christians-are-skeptical-about.html#IDComment154635894 http://www.atheistrev.com/2011/04/wrestling-with-free-speech.html#IDComment145260784 I agree that it is a crazy way of looking at the world...I just don't think every Christian is necessarily crazy him/herself. This is a subtle but important distinction. The real problem with the bridge you have built between embracing a crazy belief and being crazy oneself is that it doesn't allow for honest mistakes. I have met (and continue to meet) theists who have built somewhat sophisticated metaphysical notions. Some of these ideas appear clearly mistaken to someone well-versed in informal logic and/or modern science but are often accepted as plausible by individuals who, simply put...don't know any better. My point is merely that we should be careful about characterizing a person with a mistaken belief or conclusion as simply "insane". I have been wrong on a number of occasions concerning factual matters. When such mistakes are pointed out to me and I investigate further and then acknowledge my mistaken belief I don't consider myself some sort of recovering crazy person...I just made a mistake. Sat, 23 Apr 2011 01:14:04 +0000 http://www.atheistrev.com/2011/04/wrestling-with-free-speech.html#IDComment145260784 http://www.atheistrev.com/2011/04/wrestling-with-free-speech.html#IDComment145114756 I would not choose to characterize Christians as "stupid" or "crazy" because these are clearly not applicable to all or even most Christians. I would choose to describe certain Christian BELIEFS as "crazy", "vapid" etc but I always make a clear distinction between a person's statements and their character. (ie, "I find statement X disturbing because...." rather than "You are a disturbed person" or "You are disturbing to me.") Fri, 22 Apr 2011 13:58:35 +0000 http://www.atheistrev.com/2011/04/wrestling-with-free-speech.html#IDComment145114756 http://www.atheistrev.com/2011/04/wrestling-with-free-speech.html#IDComment145114709 I certainly agree that atheists should be careful not to exhibit hypocrisy when leveling criticism at religious beliefs and institutions. I have always been careful not to mischaracterize whole groups of people as "stupid" or "crazy", etc...... ......with that said, some characterizations are appropriate. If someone said: "I think that everyone who seriously believes they have an invisible dung beetle hovering above their head is delusional." you would not argue. You would, I suspect, heartily agree that such people were expressing a delusional belief. So, too do I feel quite comfortable characterizing Christian beliefs as delusional. This is not a bigoted viewpoint because the group known as "Christians" are defined by a set of beliefs which are almost completely demonstrably false; yet they continue to cling to such beliefs....the very definition of "delusional". Fri, 22 Apr 2011 13:58:21 +0000 http://www.atheistrev.com/2011/04/wrestling-with-free-speech.html#IDComment145114709 http://www.atheistrev.com/2010/04/rational-christianity.html#IDComment68428666 Kant's (and some others') distinction between "Epistemic rationality" and "practical rationality" is not shared by everyone. While clarifying differences between various examples of Normative reasons can prove fruitful to some extent, I am unconvinced of the need for a seperation of terms. In any case, my view is that if an individual adopts a given belief while lacking compelling Normative justification for it, they have made an error in reasoning and are responsible for that error. I do not agree that such an individual is "immoral" because I am a moral non-cognitivist. I do, however, recognize the rather serious ethical implications for those unwilling to question their own conclusions. Fri, 16 Apr 2010 21:16:17 +0000 http://www.atheistrev.com/2010/04/rational-christianity.html#IDComment68428666 http://www.atheistrev.com/2010/04/rational-christianity.html#IDComment68063217 Simply because someone proceeds logically from a given premise doesn't mean they have made a logical argument. If their premis(es) are incorrect, their chain of reasoning was poisoned from the outset. If the only thing it took to be considered "rational" was for an argument to proceed logically from any given "assumption", almost any belief could be deemed "rational". Assuming what you are attempting (or need to) prove is the very definition of "circular reasoning" also known as the fallacy, "begging the question". Wed, 14 Apr 2010 19:38:25 +0000 http://www.atheistrev.com/2010/04/rational-christianity.html#IDComment68063217 http://www.atheistrev.com/2009/10/understanding-satanism.html#IDComment41035519 Although never a Christian, I also read and studied various forms of Satanism for a short time. I actually still have my copy of the Satanic Bible as well as various other books written by LaVey. just_scott : LaVeyan Satanism does not (as vjack already established) believe in "Satan" as an actual anthropomorphic entity : "All religions of a spiritual nature are inventions of man. He has created an entire system of gods with nothing more than his carnal brain." - The Satanic Bible (pg. 44) "No creed must be accepted upon authority of a "divine" nature. Religions must be put to the question." - The Satanic Bible (pg. 31) Of course there are numerous other philosophical traditions also known as "Satanism". France has a rich history of writers and authors who have produced work along such lines. (see various works by Jules Michelet) Thu, 29 Oct 2009 02:42:26 +0000 http://www.atheistrev.com/2009/10/understanding-satanism.html#IDComment41035519 http://www.atheistrev.com/2009/10/now-this-is-deterrent-to-proselytizing.html#IDComment38740925 I have taken to inviting proselytizers in as well. Although I live in Texas and am surrounded by Baptists, I have not yet recieved one of them. So far, one group of Jehovah's Witness' and one group of Mormons. I warn them before they come in that I am an atheist in order to avoid them feeling "lured" into my home (the Mormon's response to this was to "hear" their cell phone go off and excuse themselves). The Jehovah's Witness' were polite and came inside but it did not take them long to bolt. I remember it well: They tried to convince me that the bible was all true because it references locations/groups which actually existed. "Egypt is real and it is in the bible, that means that the bible is trustworthy about everything." I'm not kidding. I responded by asking them if they believed in Hitler's ideas. They said "no" and then I said, "But Mein Kampf talks about Nazis and Germany. Nazis and Germany are both real therefore Mein Kampf can be trusted in all things." They both turned ash white. Wed, 14 Oct 2009 20:33:01 +0000 http://www.atheistrev.com/2009/10/now-this-is-deterrent-to-proselytizing.html#IDComment38740925 http://www.atheistrev.com/2009/10/atheist-identity.html#IDComment38278814 The most convincing reason I have for wearing atheist related clothing, pins, etc. is because a small group of my friends and I have started an organization and website for other freethinkers in our community (the Texas Panhandle). The whole purpose of the site and the group is to let others like us know "even here in the bible-belt, you are not alone". I want every atheist/agnostic, etc. within a 200 mile radius to know that there are others like them out here...sometimes closer than you think. Sun, 11 Oct 2009 17:22:19 +0000 http://www.atheistrev.com/2009/10/atheist-identity.html#IDComment38278814 http://www.atheistrev.com/2009/10/idiot-of-week-state-of-oklahoma.html#IDComment38204125 No joke :( I've seen this happen with abortion doctors who are attacked. In some areas of this country, the court of public opinion hangs the victim when the perpetrator is a religious person. Sat, 10 Oct 2009 17:34:11 +0000 http://www.atheistrev.com/2009/10/idiot-of-week-state-of-oklahoma.html#IDComment38204125 http://www.atheistrev.com/2009/10/idiot-of-week-state-of-oklahoma.html#IDComment38188109 I can't imagine this law will continue to stand. What happens when some overzealous neighbor throws a brick through a young woman's window or she is attacked for "murdering babies"? Couldn't the state of Oklahoma be held criminally responsible for contributing to said incidents, considering any reasonable person could anticipate such consequences? Sat, 10 Oct 2009 16:05:44 +0000 http://www.atheistrev.com/2009/10/idiot-of-week-state-of-oklahoma.html#IDComment38188109