During discussions with Christians in another forum, my tentative belief in the Big Bang theory (and my belief in evolution) was met with derogatory comments and cyber smirks. Some were polite, others were not so much. Some provided scientific comments and articles, and while the sites were questionable due to the fact that they Creationist and therefore considerably biased, those comments aren't the ones I'm talking about.
I'm talking about the ones that laughed at the very thought that we "came from monkeys" or "an explosion created us", obviously with no research. As angry as that makes me...
Is their reaction, at least in an Atheist view point, hypocritical? I mean, they believe that we were made from dirt and incest, that the world is 6000 years old, etc. Are they really in a position to laugh at scientific theories?
Is It Fair?
Moderator: Moderators
-
Goat
- Site Supporter
- Posts: 24999
- Joined: Fri Jul 21, 2006 6:09 pm
- Has thanked: 25 times
- Been thanked: 207 times
Re: Is It Fair?
Post #2No... it isn't fair.. but you can't make people learn that don't want to.Creeds wrote:During discussions with Christians in another forum, my tentative belief in the Big Bang theory (and my belief in evolution) was met with derogatory comments and cyber smirks. Some were polite, others were not so much. Some provided scientific comments and articles, and while the sites were questionable due to the fact that they Creationist and therefore considerably biased, those comments aren't the ones I'm talking about.
I'm talking about the ones that laughed at the very thought that we "came from monkeys" or "an explosion created us", obviously with no research. As angry as that makes me...
Is their reaction, at least in an Atheist view point, hypocritical? I mean, they believe that we were made from dirt and incest, that the world is 6000 years old, etc. Are they really in a position to laugh at scientific theories?
“What do you think science is? There is nothing magical about science. It is simply a systematic way for carefully and thoroughly observing nature and using consistent logic to evaluate results. So which part of that exactly do you disagree with? Do you disagree with being thorough? Using careful observation? Being systematic? Or using consistent logic?�
Steven Novella
Steven Novella
-
Cephus
- Prodigy
- Posts: 2991
- Joined: Tue Jun 07, 2005 7:33 pm
- Location: Redlands, CA
- Been thanked: 2 times
- Contact:
Post #3
The problem is, if you use exactly the same tactics on them, make fun of their religious beliefs, especially the ones that are utterly absurd, they scream about how horrible you are for ever disrespecting their faith. They want respect that goes only one way, they don't have to respect you, you have to respect them.
Personally, I give as good as I get and don't pay any attention to whines of "discrimination". The hypocrisy you get from most theists is absolutely ridiculous.
Personally, I give as good as I get and don't pay any attention to whines of "discrimination". The hypocrisy you get from most theists is absolutely ridiculous.
Want to hear more? Check out my blog!
Watch my YouTube channel!
There is nothing demonstrably true that religion can provide the world that cannot be achieved more rationally through entirely secular means.
Watch my YouTube channel!
There is nothing demonstrably true that religion can provide the world that cannot be achieved more rationally through entirely secular means.
-
TheOneAndOnly
- Apprentice
- Posts: 178
- Joined: Fri May 22, 2009 10:52 am
- Location: SE Minnesota
Post #4
What forum was this at?
Philosophy is questions that may never be answered. Religion is answers that may never be questioned.
-Anonomous
With or without religion, you would have good people doing good things and evil people doing evil things. But for good people to do evil things, that takes religion.
-Steven Weinberg
-Anonomous
With or without religion, you would have good people doing good things and evil people doing evil things. But for good people to do evil things, that takes religion.
-Steven Weinberg
-
OnceConvinced
- Savant
- Posts: 8969
- Joined: Tue Aug 07, 2007 10:22 pm
- Location: New Zealand
- Has thanked: 50 times
- Been thanked: 67 times
- Contact:
Post #5
What's more laughable? That the universe came into being via a gigantic explosion and that life evolved? Or that one day this supernatural being blinked into existance and used magic words to make the universe appear?
Society and its morals evolve and will continue to evolve. The bible however remains the same and just requires more and more apologetics and claims of "metaphors" and "symbolism" to justify it.
Prayer is like rubbing an old bottle and hoping that a genie will pop out and grant you three wishes.
There is much about this world that is mind boggling and impressive, but I see no need whatsoever to put it down to magical super powered beings.
Check out my website: Recker's World
Post #6
The forum is now gone, no one knows why.
I actually said that, OnceConvinced. One of the Christians said that evolution/the Big Bang was a "wild claim". I responded by saying that it's considerably less wild of a claim than "A mystical being blinked and poofed us all into existence."
I was immediately told that that was "unbelievably rude".
The thread nearly killed my faith in humanity. One of the Christians said that anything that disproves God or attempts to disprove God is planted there by Lucifer. And that carbon dating was a load of crap. That the Earth is 6000 years old "give or take a thousand years". And that evolution had nothing to support it.
I kept my cool through out the whole thing, until the guy said "Oh, and carbon dating? Accurate? No offense, but I laugh."
I told him off, saying that respect is a two way street and that copying and pasting things off of a Creationist website only insults my intelligence.
The guy who later called me "unbelievably rude" then tackled into the conversation, calling me "missy" and a hypocrite. Then copied and pasted an unbelievably long post about how the Big Bang Theory has been proved wrong many times, but scientists just don't want Christianity and Creationism to be proven right.
When I tried to tell him that the truth of evolution and the Big Bang theory really meant nothing to the religious debate, for even if the Big Bang was wrong, it didn't prove his "God Theory" was right, he just covered his ears and chanted Bible passages.
By this point, I wanted to curl up into a ball in the corner and mourn over the fate of humanity.
I actually said that, OnceConvinced. One of the Christians said that evolution/the Big Bang was a "wild claim". I responded by saying that it's considerably less wild of a claim than "A mystical being blinked and poofed us all into existence."
I was immediately told that that was "unbelievably rude".
The thread nearly killed my faith in humanity. One of the Christians said that anything that disproves God or attempts to disprove God is planted there by Lucifer. And that carbon dating was a load of crap. That the Earth is 6000 years old "give or take a thousand years". And that evolution had nothing to support it.
I kept my cool through out the whole thing, until the guy said "Oh, and carbon dating? Accurate? No offense, but I laugh."
I told him off, saying that respect is a two way street and that copying and pasting things off of a Creationist website only insults my intelligence.
The guy who later called me "unbelievably rude" then tackled into the conversation, calling me "missy" and a hypocrite. Then copied and pasted an unbelievably long post about how the Big Bang Theory has been proved wrong many times, but scientists just don't want Christianity and Creationism to be proven right.
When I tried to tell him that the truth of evolution and the Big Bang theory really meant nothing to the religious debate, for even if the Big Bang was wrong, it didn't prove his "God Theory" was right, he just covered his ears and chanted Bible passages.
By this point, I wanted to curl up into a ball in the corner and mourn over the fate of humanity.
-
ConfinedIX
- Student
- Posts: 54
- Joined: Sat Aug 29, 2009 6:54 am
- Location: Lawrenceville, Ga
Post #7
Unfortunately Creeds, humanity in general, is dimwitted. People cling to their beliefs no matter what and will challenge anything that is outside of their norm. Some people use logic and others use 2000 year old books. That goes for everyone. Black, White, Yellow, Red, Green; it does not matter. It is engineered into our DNA structure.
Life isn't fair. Diseases kill people, wars claim loved ones. My best friend is most likely going to die in a few years from a genetic abnormality that cause her bone density to decrease rapidly even with treatments to slow the process. Life isn't fair, but it is what you do with life that counts.
I think the best advice anyone here could give you would be to bite the bullet, fight back using logic and evidence and maybe at the end of the day you might convince someone otherwise.
(Anyhow have to be up in 6 hours for work. Need my sleep, so I'll cut it short here.)
Best regards,
Chris
Life isn't fair. Diseases kill people, wars claim loved ones. My best friend is most likely going to die in a few years from a genetic abnormality that cause her bone density to decrease rapidly even with treatments to slow the process. Life isn't fair, but it is what you do with life that counts.
I think the best advice anyone here could give you would be to bite the bullet, fight back using logic and evidence and maybe at the end of the day you might convince someone otherwise.
(Anyhow have to be up in 6 hours for work. Need my sleep, so I'll cut it short here.)
Best regards,
Chris
Religion can never reform mankind because religion is slavery. - Robert G. Ingersoll 1833-1899
