If Romney gets in which country will America start a war with next?

[RGA]

Sir T has nailed it, RGA. You simply aren't going to dissuade people from religious believe by logical argument -- he's also correct that it's pointless to explain Biblical faith to non-believers like you and me: we're past that.

I had a religious upbringing; but I call doubts from the early age when my mother, (a religious person all her life), admitted the Santa Claus didn't actually continued to insist that God does.

I read The God Delusion only about 3-4 years ago, but all of Dawkins' arguments had occurred to me decades earlier, (though Dawkins is more articulate than I could be). He was preaching to the converted, (to use a religious analogy )

BTW, I agree with Dawkins on the agnostic vs. atheist distinction. This is like ...



I'm tending to call myself a "non-believer" these days since it easier than getting into arguments about whether Atheism is, itself, a faith.

Look up "Russell's Cosmic Teapot" ... Let me Google that for you.

I believe people who can reason and think logically and put their faith to the fire can in fact be dissuaded - otherwise I would not bother posting. I've met several Catholic/Christians over the years who changed views in their 30s and 40s which is quite a long held belief system. It's easy to drop Santa when your 7. It's much harder to drop the Big Santa when you're 40.

Further a great many people go from fanatical belief to the millions and millions who call themselves Christian but are kind of "Liberal Christian" who still vote for Obama. If you're willing to vote for a party that is for stem cell research, women's body is her choice, and has generally adopted the 21st century mentality and science then you're already what I would call a "soft Christian." Sure you believe in God and Jesus and the fairy tale but in the "be kind to your fellow man" and "making society better makes your life better (oh no borderline socialism) too. In other words even though I don't believe in the book these are the people who interpreted the message properly. The other "Greed is Good" Gordon Gecko cruelty bits seem to be the current (not the past) Republican platform. Pretty Sure if Jesus was around he would not deny you medical and then take your house as payment for saving your life. Pretty sure Jesus would ask the town to pitch in a certain percent of their yearly wage to help save people. Jesus would not be a complete money grubbing prick. Apparently Republican voters view Jesus as someone who, if around today, would be a CEO of an HMO heavy on the denial of claims and strong arming tactics to force people into bankruptcy the second they can't pay. The Republican platform and world view is that the most important thing in life is the accumulation of wealth and power. Greed is good and rich people are better than poor people. I must have missed where Jesus was all about collecting stuff over making the world a better place for as many as you can. I may disagree with Religious Christian Democrats about God but at least they get the MAIN gist of the message of the New Testament right. If Homosexuality is a sin to them they know it's God's place to judge not theirs to go bash their heads in with bats.


I'm not a huge fan of Atheist as a term either because like most terms religious people screw it up - like "Theory." Atheist does not mean a person is "sure" that "God does not exist." Even Dawkins has a scale (i believe 1-7) on one end "sure that God exists" and the other end "Sure there is no human written sky God" as 7 - he places himself as a 6.9.

But that's the same for the Spaghetti Monster and teapot. Sure there could be a spaghetti monster in the sky - I can't prove there isn't and no one here can - and I can't disprove unicorns, ghosts, fairies, vampires, or Xenu and neither can Christians or Muslims etc.

Prove that there is no Xenu and never was. Oh you can't DISPROVE that he existed so that means he's there. Yet a Christian will not believe in Xenu for the same reasons I don't believe in Xenu or Unicorns or Fairies. But when it comes to their faith I'm supposed to make an exception. Seriously? It's painful reasoning.