Given the quick evolution of technology, why would you dismiss the possibility that there is a mixture of intelligent creation and random development in the universe. Life on this planet may merely be a by-product of some advanced experiment by more evolved cultures. The possibilities are only limited by your imagination and the fact that you seem to be emotionally tied to a certain religion of creation.
Atheists only demand evidence and since the scientific method is a tested means to discern the truth of the universe its generally the means to show such evidence. So show me there is the supernatural in some area with a working theory from legitimate scientists it will open the door to a divine force. If it cannot be demonstrated and is beyond our reason to study using the scientific method then I would say its de facto non-existent and therefore not relevant to any discussion since then it must be considered as the same as any other fiction such as the tooth fairy or puff the magic dragon. Is that so hard to understand?
No sir, they made a ruling. Dicta (opinion) is what you're thinking about. A holding is a bit more specific; however, rulings are more than mere opinions. If atheists were not the equivalent of a religion, then society would be powerless to pass laws that apply equally to them, so what the court held as part of the ruling is the law.
If juries were held to the same standard, if one could not provide an actual body, many murderers would go free. I'm not going to question your standard. What I'm telling you that if others look at the evidence and they are satisfied, then they should be able to pursue their lives without meeting YOUR standard of evidence. If this boiled down to a mere popularity contest / mob rule (aka democratic vote) and you lost, you'd still whine, moan, groan and complain. NOBODY is asking you to believe. Listen to what one of our forefathers stated: "But it does me no injury for my neighbor to say there are twenty gods or no God. It neither picks my pocket nor breaks my leg." Thomas Jefferson BTW, atheists love that quote until you point out that Jefferson was defending the Christian as well as the nonbeliever. We come on this board and if believers have a thread with a presupposition you object to, you make life a living hell for the believer. Because "YOU" aren't convinced, we cannot believe anything, witness among ourselves, discuss issues, or have ANY space. Pardon the crap out of me, but who died and made the atheists God? You preach this game that you don't want to be dictated to and then try to tell me if we don't meet your standards of evidence, we don't have equal rights? If you demand evidence and it's provided, then you have two choices: A) Accept it or B) Reject it. But what you don't have, my friend, is the right to pitch a fit and derail any conversation that offends you. It won't break your leg nor pick your pocket if Christians start out with the presupposition that God exists. Look at this rationally. I've tried to talk about God given Rights ever since coming on this board. Without fail, every thread has been derailed because atheists demand that I prove such and such. Now, when they start babbling on about points covered in atheist agendas, you will never see me telling them they have to prove squat (i.e. the theory of evolution) in order to have their conversation. William Penn once observed: "Men must be governed by God, or they will be ruled by tyrants." When atheists come along and tell me what I have to prove in order to believe, it puts sheds a lot of light on Penn's memorable words.
Everybody is an atheist. If you don't believe in Zeus, you're an atheist. Same with Yahweh and Jesus and Allah. Atheism is the default position to take regarding religion. Everybody is an atheist towards the gods they don't believe in, and I just choose not to believe in any of them.
They said nothing about atheists. Atheism is not a religion or equivalent to a religion. Neither is secular humanism.
That is your opinion. The ruling of the court was unequivocally clear AND the Freedom From Religion Foundation, a self proclaimed atheist group, has introduced that ruling as proof in their favor in court proceedings. Bear in mind, soupnazi, how I addressed this earlier. I said SOME groups and you have your opinion regarding atheism and other self proclaimed atheists have THEIR opinion. Either way, you're still stuck with the same problem. You have nothing to cite that says Christians have to bow down to your demands in order to discuss their views amongst themselves.
No one placed demands on Christians. The fact remains very simple and is not an opinion which is that philosophy and religion are two different things and atheism is not a religion.
Then they are not Christians and therefore not "Protestants". There are Protestants who probably believe there are aliens in Area 51 too, but the mainstream Protestant denominations do not teach that, nor do they teach that the Pope is the anti-Christ. The Church is not responsible for every nutjob in the world. Atheists are responsible for some of them.
You're beginning to sound like a freaking child. Your opinion does not constitute fact. There are people, ON YOUR SIDE of the discussion, that disagree with you. Now, that's a fact. Live with it. You don't speak for all atheists, but even here, you think the only opinion that either or us are entitled to is yours. Again, I'm not putting words into the mouths of other atheists. They disagree with what you're saying so you don't speak for all of them. Got anything else?
Big difference between Zeus and God. The latter is a god, not God. - - - Updated - - - Life an experiment by aliens? Anything to make you not believe in God, I guess. - - - Updated - - - That's because most of history was made up of religious people.
I fail to see why your Yahweh is any more believable than Zeus. - - - Updated - - - A good number of Evangelicals believe that the pope is the Antichrist. The Lutherans believe this (or they used to).
Martin Luther didn't think much of Jews, either, and having been a Lutheran at one time myself I never met another one who thought the Pope was the anti-Christ. The only "evangelicals" who think the Pope is the anti-Christ are the ones who pass out Jack Chick tracts.
Yahweh and his wife Asherah demanded infant sacrifice until about the 7th century BC. Zeus seems like a nicer fellow.
I dunno...both Zeus and the christian god got women pregnant without their legal consent. They'd both be in prison by American law.
There are no attributes of God/ Allah/Jahweh or any other god except in the mind of men. And as no-one has seen any god at any time, except in the mind, the thread seems pointless. Judaism, Christianity, Islam all believe that people like Abraham lived. Why? Because someone tells them. The Jewish scribes of the 7th century BCE write stories and use more ancient myths to give Jews a history. Abrahamic religions are built on myths and stories. If you are prepared to study there is no evidence for Abraham, Moses, the Exodus. In fact the Bible story bears no relation to known history. No I don't expect History to record the details of a wandering nomad, but it can reveal the impossibility of the stories as recorded in the Bible. And the Qu'ran uses all these people as if they actually existed. Why did Jesus use these characters? Because he had been taught they existed. They did not have the knowledge and history we have today, thanks to archaeology and science. Why does Islam use them? Because they have been taught the same. No attributes are available for the god of any religion. Supposed attributes are based on the writings of men who, frankly, have no idea of what a god. Compare the supposed attributes of all the gods in history, all genuinely believed by their adherents. Ranging from a vengeful god through to a loving god. Now whose god is right? Oh, of course, everybody's.
