Monotheism is a fairly recent idea. Most cosmologies have differed from monotheism. I am aligned with most cultures that have never existed in not believing in the abrahamic god of the torah/old testament/koran. The "you can't prove" a negative stuff is purest sophistry to me. Tend not to identify as an atheist for optics and am prefer to refer to myself, and am probably better identified as, a lapsed catholic
― Temporary Erogenous Zone (jim in vancouver), Sunday, 2 August 2020 00:12 (three years ago) link
Ever not never doh
There are no leprechauns, there I said it.
― Sonny Shamrock (Tom D.), Sunday, 2 August 2020 00:13 (three years ago) link
Oh and the other glaring error
― Temporary Erogenous Zone (jim in vancouver), Sunday, 2 August 2020 00:13 (three years ago) link
if there's a god, i doubt he has a coherent dogma other than "I built a play area for you, try not to make a mess, be back in a billion years"
― XVI Pedicabo eam (Neanderthal), Sunday, 2 August 2020 00:23 (three years ago) link
Christianity is so weird
― all cats are beautiful (silby), Sunday, 2 August 2020 00:33 (three years ago) link
the idea of defining yourself by what you think the truth value of a proposition is seems absurd to me, that's not how religion came about and this sort of narrow existential literalist form of religion has grown in opposition to (v broadly) modern scientific scepticism, so "atheism makes a truth claim that is as as epistemologically suspect as the truth claims of theism" seems to have it backwards to me. don cupitt's focus on looking at god and religion primarily in linguistic rather than realist terms seems a lot more credible to me than all this "what exactly don't you believe in" nonsense, which also has all the problems with the implicit ideas that beliefs are definite things that ppl can have and not be mistaken about etc.
― rumpy riser (ogmor), Sunday, 2 August 2020 00:40 (three years ago) link
Still an atheist but the bigger problem is not religion but faith and belief more fundamentally. People prefer a convenient, manipulative fraudulent or batshit crazy fiction to that which can be empirical demonstrated or is supported by overwhelming evidence, especially if that which is supported by evidence is personally inconvenient. It’s a matter of some despair how easily people are manipulated by or selfishly buy into whatever quackery that is in vogue, where the it is climate science denial, anti-vax, religion etc. etc. if I proselytise it’s against the first two rather than religion but i see it all part of the same poisonous human weakness.
― American Fear of Scampos (Ed), Sunday, 2 August 2020 00:59 (three years ago) link
I do think on the whole religion hurts society so it should be pushed back against, rather than just ignored as best we can. It affects so many things negatively. Something like attitudes towards criminals which at first glance may seem to have nothing to do with religion. Yet believing in good vs evil tends to make people believe that societal forces aren't the root cause of crime; Satan is. So instead of a humanistic rehabilitation focused criminal justice system we get a wrathful punitive one. If I had a magic wand I'd make everyone be incapable of religious thoughts and beliefs. But yeah the attempts to push back against it are almost exclusively carried out by assholes.
― A True White Kid that can Jump (Granny Dainger), Sunday, 2 August 2020 01:27 (three years ago) link
Y’all have still only heard of one religion
― all cats are beautiful (silby), Sunday, 2 August 2020 01:29 (three years ago) link
Well that's pretty condescending. Of course I've heard of many. Some I find to be less harmful than others. But my culture is dominated by Christianity so fucking duh I'd focus on that.
― A True White Kid that can Jump (Granny Dainger), Sunday, 2 August 2020 01:55 (three years ago) link
Then say “Christianity” instead of “religion”
― all cats are beautiful (silby), Sunday, 2 August 2020 01:59 (three years ago) link
Yet believing in good vs evil tends to make people believe that societal forces aren't the root cause of crime; Satan is.
This is not a feature of “religion”
― all cats are beautiful (silby), Sunday, 2 August 2020 02:00 (three years ago) link
To me there isn’t much use clarifying that there might be a god for the same reason I don’t have to clarify that existence might be a simulation. Sure either thing might be the case but no compelling evidence encourages me to make that distinction as a disclaimer even if I choose to strongly assert “there is no god”.
― Evan, Sunday, 2 August 2020 02:00 (three years ago) link
I am happy to stand down on any semantic quarrel with atheists, or those who deny the existence of leprechauns. We cool, rock on with your bad selves.
But I remain at fierce odds with agnostics who think an Abrahamic god (beard, clouds, etc.) is more plausible than, say, Kali or Dionysus or Huitzilopotchli.
― pizzagnostic (Ye Mad Puffin), Sunday, 2 August 2020 02:02 (three years ago) link
It's a feature of the religions practiced by more than half of humanity. I didn't just mean Christianity. And it's just one example of a religious trait I find problematic.
― A True White Kid that can Jump (Granny Dainger), Sunday, 2 August 2020 02:03 (three years ago) link
Abrahamic god (beard, clouds, etc.)
Only one Abrahamic religion I’m familiar with commonly portrays God as a bearded cloud guy
― all cats are beautiful (silby), Sunday, 2 August 2020 02:03 (three years ago) link
But I don’t really know anything about Baha’i.
― all cats are beautiful (silby), Sunday, 2 August 2020 02:04 (three years ago) link
Whatever, silby. Delete the beard and clouds if you like - it's still no more (or less!) plausible than Neptune or Ra or Hephaestus.
― pizzagnostic (Ye Mad Puffin), Sunday, 2 August 2020 02:09 (three years ago) link
Thank you for whatevering away a critical distinction between Christianity and two of the other famous Abrahamic religions, that’s very sensitive
― all cats are beautiful (silby), Sunday, 2 August 2020 02:11 (three years ago) link
Say Christianity when you mean Christianity, that’s all I am asking for
If the correction you're making doesn't affect the thrust of the point that was being made, you're just being a nitpicky dick
― A True White Kid that can Jump (Granny Dainger), Sunday, 2 August 2020 02:11 (three years ago) link
Hmmm no I don’t see it that way
― all cats are beautiful (silby), Sunday, 2 August 2020 02:12 (three years ago) link
It kind of weakens the argument when the points y’all are trying to make about “religion” are in fact just about Christianity, the only religion you know anything interesting about.
― all cats are beautiful (silby), Sunday, 2 August 2020 02:13 (three years ago) link
silby, are you suggesting that Yahweh and Allah are somehow on better ontological footing because... (checks notes) they aren't depicted as being bearded? Please help me understand exactly where you're going with this line of inquiry.
― pizzagnostic (Ye Mad Puffin), Sunday, 2 August 2020 02:17 (three years ago) link
Of course not
― all cats are beautiful (silby), Sunday, 2 August 2020 02:18 (three years ago) link
idgi, the big 3 monotheistic religions all have the same god and p much share a “bearded guy” conception, don’t they?
― singular wolf erotica producer (Hadrian VIII), Sunday, 2 August 2020 02:18 (three years ago) link
I’m just asking you not to attribute to (more than) two vastly different Abrahamic religions things that apply mostly or solely to (some variations of) Christianity
― all cats are beautiful (silby), Sunday, 2 August 2020 02:19 (three years ago) link
― singular wolf erotica producer (Hadrian VIII), Saturday, August 1, 2020 7:18 PM (one minute ago)
No
― all cats are beautiful (silby), Sunday, 2 August 2020 02:20 (three years ago) link
Okay silby, your correction is duly noted and will be entered into the record. These major faith traditions have different iconography. The point is conceded.
They're all still equally speculative, though. Therefore equally ungrounded. They may differ in how fun they are, how entertaining they are to believe in, and how silly they seem when viewed from the outside. But still: all equally speculative. Perhaps we can agree on that much?
― pizzagnostic (Ye Mad Puffin), Sunday, 2 August 2020 02:26 (three years ago) link
AFAIK hinduism explains evil/bad things happening via karma. I also find this problematic. The only religious explanation I would be OK with is "god is an evil irrational sadist". If you can find a religion that is practiced by a population larger than that of Amarillo TX, then I'll withdraw my careless smearing of all religions.
― A True White Kid that can Jump (Granny Dainger), Sunday, 2 August 2020 02:29 (three years ago) link
"the only religion you know anything interesting about."
Ah more condescension. Really feeling a need to feel superior to others today huh. My feelings are, just as I stated initially, applicable to all belief systems based on supernatural creator(s).
― A True White Kid that can Jump (Granny Dainger), Sunday, 2 August 2020 02:32 (three years ago) link
God tripped balls
― XVI Pedicabo eam (Neanderthal), Sunday, 2 August 2020 02:34 (three years ago) link
I mean I guess? I’m not really here to engage the question of which gods are and aren’t plausible, because I don’t think it’s interesting
― all cats are beautiful (silby), Sunday, 2 August 2020 02:35 (three years ago) link
they cannot stand this mourningof my lifeshow mehow the godsare and aren't plausible
(riff)
― XVI Pedicabo eam (Neanderthal), Sunday, 2 August 2020 02:37 (three years ago) link
idgi, the big 3 monotheistic religions all have the same god and p much share a “bearded guy” conception, don’t they?― singular wolf erotica producer (Hadrian VIII), Saturday, August 1, 2020 7:18 PM (one minute ago)No
― singular wolf erotica producer (Hadrian VIII), Sunday, 2 August 2020 03:55 (three years ago) link
Uhhh in two of them it’s prohibited to draw a picture of a human man with a beard and say it’s god, is my first point
― all cats are beautiful (silby), Sunday, 2 August 2020 03:56 (three years ago) link
Odin has a beard too motherfuckers
― sound of scampo talk to me (El Tomboto), Sunday, 2 August 2020 03:59 (three years ago) link
“Punishing father” doesn’t really resemble the conception of God that I or other actual extant Jews of my acquaintance would be likely to describe.
― all cats are beautiful (silby), Sunday, 2 August 2020 04:01 (three years ago) link
https://img.etsystatic.com/il/a170ff/1041158026/il_fullxfull.1041158026_rcn6.jpg
― sound of scampo talk to me (El Tomboto), Sunday, 2 August 2020 04:03 (three years ago) link
While God gets the masculine gender in Biblical Hebrew and in one stray part of the liturgy I can think of gets called “our parent” (lit. father) “God the Father” is not really a thing I’m familiar with having any significance in Judaism.
― all cats are beautiful (silby), Sunday, 2 August 2020 04:06 (three years ago) link
I’m afraid I don’t know remotely as much about Islam I would like but the prohibition on iconography is even stronger there than it is in Judaism, I’m willing to bet there are nearly zero depictions of god as a “bearded guy” in Islamic art
― all cats are beautiful (silby), Sunday, 2 August 2020 04:10 (three years ago) link
“How do the theologies of three different religions with pointedly divergent histories differ” is kind of a large question imo, I wish I could tell you more but maybe you could read this book, seems good http://stephenprothero.com/books/god-is-not-one/
― all cats are beautiful (silby), Sunday, 2 August 2020 04:14 (three years ago) link
You’re really good at drunk posting for a person who doesn’t drink
― sound of scampo talk to me (El Tomboto), Sunday, 2 August 2020 04:15 (three years ago) link
Lay the fuck off
Me??
― all cats are beautiful (silby), Sunday, 2 August 2020 04:19 (three years ago) link
yes. go to bed
― sound of scampo talk to me (El Tomboto), Sunday, 2 August 2020 04:20 (three years ago) link
Tom I live on the west coast, I dunno why I seem drunk to you this is the most levelheadedly I’ve been posting all day
― all cats are beautiful (silby), Sunday, 2 August 2020 04:20 (three years ago) link
I’m trying to answer questions in “”””””””good faith””””””””” for once so I don’t know what your malfunction is
― all cats are beautiful (silby), Sunday, 2 August 2020 04:21 (three years ago) link
I am giving you advice. you have nearly 40 fps. you are generally disliked. consider your approach.
― sound of scampo talk to me (El Tomboto), Sunday, 2 August 2020 04:24 (three years ago) link