Faith

The Blaze Invites You to Ask Prominent Atheist Your Most Burning Questions

Millionaire Atheist Todd Stiefel Answers Your Questions About AtheismIf given the chance, what would you ask an atheist activist? Now, I’m not just talking about your average, run-of-the-mill apathetic non-believer. I’m talking about individuals bent on spreading their message of non-belief — so-called non-theistic revolutionaries. And one in particular: the man dubbed the “George Soros” of the atheist movement.

Todd Stiefel, a millionaire atheist who is devoting his efforts — and financial powers — to groups like the Freedom From Religion Foundation (FFRF), American Atheists and the Secular Coalition for America, to name a few, is working diligently to make non-believers a powerful and collective social and political force in the U.S.

Millionaire Atheist Todd Stiefel Answers Your Questions About Atheism

Todd Stiefel

You may recall a profile The Blaze ran back in April on Stiefel. Now, he is coming forward to answer some of your most burning questions about the atheist activist movement. In the next two weeks, he has agreed to publish responses to some of our readers’ questions.

So, what is it that you would like to better understand about Stiefel and his compatriots? Are you confused about why non-believing activists are bent on targeting nativity scenes? Do you wonder why atheists continue posting those seemingly never-ending anti-religion billboards?

We’ll be picking the best questions and presenting them to Stiefel for consideration. Then, we’ll be publishing his answers to you. To submit your questions, simply post them in the comments section at the end of the piece.

As we’ve reported, the activist segment of the secular movement is filled with people who sometimes insult and rail against religion through billboards and public proclamations, among other public showings. Many of them put their efforts towards lawsuits aimed at removing nativities, crosses and religious symbols from public property.

But tone matters and, depending on the atheist in question, methodologies and levels of inflammatory rhetoric differ. Regardless of how these advocates manage their tactics, in the end, one thing is for sure: American secularists are organizing, mobilizing and coming together like never before.

As we noted in our previous coverage, Stiefel takes a less-confrontational tone than some of his activist counterparts. While you may disagree with his beliefs (or, perhaps you agree and simply want more clarification), this “ask an atheist” opportunity allows you to get responses directly from one of the movement’s key players.

Editor’s Note: There was an overwhelming response to the open call for questions. The Blaze is working to bring you the first series of answers on Friday (May 25).

Comments (692)

1 2 3 ... 15
  • mycomet123
    Posted on May 10, 2012 at 4:02pm

    How can you prove that there is no God?

    Report Post »  
    • Sirfoldallot
      Posted on May 10, 2012 at 4:17pm

      Absolutly Nothing, not 1 question 4 these mighter than all greedy fools.

      Report Post » Sirfoldallot  
    • cessna152
      Posted on May 10, 2012 at 4:25pm

      Why don’t you question other religions? Why do you work so hard and spend so much time trying to convince others that something you believe does not exist? Kind of like me spending millions telling people to stop believing the Earth is flat. Why are you okay with thousands of man made laws that steal freedom but you oppose two laws of God that spread love and freedom. Last, why do you support atheism when it is responsible for over 250 Millions deaths in less than 100 years. Atheists like Stalin, Mao and Hither.

      Report Post » cessna152  
    • wvernon1981
      Posted on May 10, 2012 at 4:26pm

      Atheists do not need to prove there is not a god unless they positively assert that a god or gods do not exist. I am an atheist because I do not have a belief in a particular god or gods because I have not seen sufficient evidence that would convince me of their existence.

      Report Post »  
    • VanceUppercut
      Posted on May 10, 2012 at 4:32pm

      @mycomet123

      How can you prove that there is. And just saying “the bible says so” doesn’t count.

      Report Post »  
    • Baddoggy
      Posted on May 10, 2012 at 4:35pm

      Do you own a really good fire suit???

      Report Post » Baddoggy  
    • deathtoeli
      Posted on May 10, 2012 at 4:42pm

      The burden of proof is on the positive argument. You have to prove that there is a god, and i have found no such evidence of yet.

      Report Post »  
    • treedweller
      Posted on May 10, 2012 at 4:42pm

      “That which can be asserted without evidence, can be dismissed without evidence.”
      ― Christopher Hitchens

      Report Post »  
    • Go Glenn
      Posted on May 10, 2012 at 4:42pm

      How about a statement for the atheist instead of a question?

      I will listen to your nonsense after and only after you have stood up to the Islamic fundamentalists as strong as you stand against the peaceful Christians. Put that in your pipe and smoke it.

      Report Post »  
    • JRook
      Posted on May 10, 2012 at 4:47pm

      @cessna152 With all do respect there is a difference between an Atheist leader of a country that was a war and Atheism itself being responsible for the deaths. This is an age old and stupid argument. The only rational debate is in regards to the numbers of people killed in wars that were primarily fought for religious reasons. When you narrow the focus to the correct questions you will find that a number of religions, including Christianity were responsible for a horrifying number of deaths. For example, I wouldn’t claim that Christianity was responsible for the deaths of millions of American Indians, but I would claim that the deaths associated with the Crusades were. And of course there is no need to even begin to discuss the Inquisition is there.

      Report Post »  
    • Curious Visitor
      Posted on May 10, 2012 at 4:48pm

      @cessana

      If an atheist is trying to convince someone to abandon their religion they are doing it for the same reason religious folks try and win people to their side: because each group feels they know a way to live a true and fulfilling life. I never understand why believers are so taken aback by outspoken atheists when, for thousands of years, people of all religious stripes have been spending vast amounts of time, money and lives converting non-belivers and heathens.

      Report Post »  
    • Individualism
      Posted on May 10, 2012 at 4:58pm

      the question is how can you prove that there is and why should you worry about something with no absolute proof of existence?

      Report Post » Individualism  
    • Leopold
      Posted on May 10, 2012 at 5:03pm

      @Vance

      And just because you say “to say the Bible says so” doesn’t count, makes it so?

      Report Post »  
    • mycomet123
      Posted on May 10, 2012 at 5:03pm

      @WVERNON1981, Atheist don’t believe that there is any God, sounds like you are an agnostic–you don’t know if there is any God. @ Vanceuppert, I asked first, prove to me their is no God! @BADDDOGGY, What does a fire suit have to do with anything? If I die in a fire, Oh well, absent from the body present with the Lord.

      Report Post »  
    • cessna152
      Posted on May 10, 2012 at 5:10pm

      @Curious Visitor,

      Trying to chase people away from a religion that teaches to help, love and care for one another? Why? Should we have organized groups telling kids that morals, values and love are stupid and old fashion? Remove God, remove Love and what are you left with? Humanism/Atheism and I don’t care what Rook and others say, that leads to murders, hangings, loss of morals and values.

      Who stopped slavery? Christians! Who stopped Witch killings? Christians? Who spread freedom? Christians! And the crusades… self defense against Muslims that were slaughtering Christians! I could go on and on.

      BTW, do the person that said “Prove there is a God”. Do you believe Caesar and the Romans existed? How about Herodotus’ History? Plato? All these combined have a total of 21 Manuscripts yet you believe them without question. The New testament had over 25000 Manuscripts about Jesus’ deity yet you question it. Hmmm…21 manuscripts and you take it as God’s honest truth, 25,000 and you ask for more proof.

      Report Post » cessna152  
    • wvernon1981
      Posted on May 10, 2012 at 5:17pm

      If a theist is one who believes in God, then an atheist is one who does not believe in god. I do not believe in a god, therefore I am an atheist. I do not know if there is a god or not, therefore I am agnostic as well.

      Report Post »  
    • Shiroi Raion
      Posted on May 10, 2012 at 5:25pm

      I’m an atheist, but I’m not an activist. I find nothing offensive about any religious symbols. I find nothing offensive about Christmas trees and holidays. Why should I be offended? Why should I care? If you don’t believe in a higher being, why do you care whether someone else does or not?
      In fact, I’m the opposite of you, Steifel. I believe people should be free to believe and to express their beliefs. It goes hand-in-hand with freedom of speech.
      So, I guess my question is….

      Why do Liberals support so-called anti-religious “art” such as ants and elephant dung covering images of Jesus and Mary under “freedom of speech,” but pro-religious symbols and memorials are targeted by atheist activists?

      I’m actually offended by YOU! I’m an atheist and I find you secularists offensive because you give us a bad name. You make me sick with your constant hypocrisy.

      Report Post » Shiroi Raion  
    • Drives Like Jehu
      Posted on May 10, 2012 at 5:25pm

      The only question I can think of to ask an atheist that might be of any interest is “How are you going to react when you face the one true God at the Great White Throne Judgement? “. In other words, will you man up to your decision to reject God and take your judgement, or will you be like liberals and wither away while screaming and blaming everyone and everything but yourself???

      Report Post » Drives Like Jehu  
    • 1musashi1
      Posted on May 10, 2012 at 6:49pm

      First, you cannot prove a negative.

      Report Post » 1musashi1  
    • encinom
      Posted on May 10, 2012 at 6:50pm

      How can your prove there is? The bible is nothing more than a collection of myths from goat herders.

      Report Post »  
    • skeptic71
      Posted on May 10, 2012 at 7:14pm

      Atheists don’t claim to have proof that there is no god. They just claim that you have no proof that there IS one. You cannot disprove a negative. And the lack of proof points to the most rational conclusion. Have you ever seen anything supernatural? Can you prove it? There is no “proof” either way. But is it more rational to explain every day happenings on a supernatural being, or explain them by science? The ancient greeks explained thunder as Zeus throwing lightning bolts. Do you believe that is still the explaination behind thunder and lightning?

      Report Post »  
    • UTURNLAVERN
      Posted on May 10, 2012 at 8:33pm

      If you consider the odds of evolution by simply looking at a few variables such as having the proper planetary mass… the right star… not being near a black hole… and the list could go on and on… the odds of just happening are absolutely impossible… the fossil record does not support the theories of Darwin… but one of creation… the Cambrian Explosion is a scientific answer to when God said let there be life and there was… how can you look at the intricate design not just of humanity but of everything within creation and say there is no God… just saying… so to narrow it down here are my questions… First….do you know of the Cambrian Explosion? If so then do you still agree with the theories of Darwin? and finally again… how can you look at the design of creation and not see the Creator?

      Report Post » UTURNLAVERN  
    • IONNES
      Posted on May 10, 2012 at 8:45pm

      wvernon1981

      All due respect but you’re incorrect. An agnostic is one who decides there isn’t evidence so he (or she) won’t believe. An athiest is one who denies the existence of God (or gods).

      Report Post » IONNES  
    • IONNES
      Posted on May 10, 2012 at 8:59pm

      Personally I find it funny when people say they need proof to believe something (like God) when the idea that you must have proof to believe something is a belief they have that has no supporting evidence.

      Report Post » IONNES  
    • JGraham III
      Posted on May 10, 2012 at 9:18pm

      If in fact there is no God, then who did write the Book of Love?

      Report Post »  
    • ModerationIsBest
      Posted on May 10, 2012 at 9:45pm

      Stalin, Mao, Pol Pot, Hitler, the Kim’s of North Korea all view themselves as more than men.

      The State was the church.

      Hitler constantly talked about God in Mein Kampf. Nazi’s were to swear an oath that mentions God, and their loyalty to Hitler. Their belt buckles read “Gott Mitt Uns” or “God on our side.”

      When Kim Jong Il was born, the “legend” says the mountains cheered, the birds sang and that his first time playing golf he shot 11 holes in one.

      Do either of these guys sound like they DON’T believe in some kind of higher power?

      They also didn’t kill for their atheism. They didn’t kill because they thought their atheism told them to. They didn‘t think they’d get some reward after life for killing in the name of their atheism. They didn’t kill in defense of their atheism.

      They were psychopathic murders just as is every Christian, Muslim, Mormon, Jew or any other person who kills…..these groups just happen to kill because they think God told them to, or because they believed they would get a reward of because they felt their “faith” was under attack.

      Please see the difference. Both groups are psychopathic murders, they just differ in why they are psychopathic murderers.

      Report Post »  
    • CafeConservative
      Posted on May 10, 2012 at 10:59pm

      Many atheist activists condemn the simplicity of faith as it relies simply on faith and, according to atheists, no evidence.

      These atheists tout the superiority of science and the scientific method. They accept that science is flawed but argue that it’s self-correcting methodology is essentially its saving grace. These activists put their full support behind science.

      My question on those premises follows:Given that these activists essentially put their full trust in science and the scientific method, how are they not merely persons of faith themselves? These atheists have not personally observed the scientific evidence in support of scientific theories.

      They often counter that there is a peer review process where other scientists have looked at the experiments and validated the results. This, however, just means that their faith has transferred from the scientific process to the other scientists.

      Given that scientists are men prone to error, bias, and greed and it can take years and sometimes lifetimes to find errors in theories, atheists are ignoring a significant flaw in the scientific method.

      In short, if an atheist trusts in something like the theory(-ies) of evolution or the Big Bang but has not conducted the full research and experimentation to validate the theories, he is then relying on simple faith in science, the scientific method, and the accuracy and fidelity of scientists rather than objective proof for his beliefs.

      Report Post » CafeConservative  
    • stumpy68
      Posted on May 10, 2012 at 11:19pm

      Why does the idea of a god scare atheists so much?
      Just the mention of god sets most of them off you don’t spend that
      much time and effort trying to convince people your right unless you fear
      you might be wrong.

      Report Post » stumpy68  
    • TobeheardToo
      Posted on May 10, 2012 at 11:58pm

      If you believe in Newtonian physics and you can not create matter or energy from nothing. How do you explain the Big Bang without a supernatural event. I believe that was the result of God. I have not found a valid theory on any other explanation. Likewise I find it highly improbable for biogenesis t have happened without God. I pray that non believers will open up to the possibility that they may be wrong and study the Bible. You may find that the more you study and learn just how amazing God is. If this plea does not reach you then I offer one last logical arguement. If I am wrong in my belief, what do I lose. I believe in a God that loves me and sent Jesus so that I may be saved. I read the Bible , pray and share fellowship with people who help others and myself. I consider many of them family. If you are wrong what happens after you leave this Earth and have you missed out on a fellowship with people that are a blessing to know.

      Report Post »  
    • Inane
      Posted on May 11, 2012 at 3:42am

      @MYCOMET123 Your argument is flawed. No one can prove whether there is or is not a God. A lack of evidence to disprove something does not mean it exists. I cannot prove that unicorns do not exist, but that does not mean that they do exist. I cannot prove that aliens do not exist, but that does not mean that they do exist. I could go on and on about things that we cannot prove that do not exist. My point is that you should not be asking unfalsifiable questions.

      Report Post » Inane  
    • mauijonny
      Posted on May 11, 2012 at 4:14am

      SHIROI: Thank you! As a former athiest, I also found many of these [athiest] attitudes offensive.

      My own experience was that I didn’t know that the Jimmy Swaggarts of the world (or the Catholics who told me I could ‘buy’ my way into heaven, or the peeps who were pure creationists), were not telling me anything about God. It was all a HUGE turn-off. But, once I was given the gift of realizing that my relationship with God doesn’t really include any of this, and I’d been shown so much, I couldn’t, in all truth, deny any longer. If I had, I would have been lying to myself and to God. I think that’s why so many (not all) athiests are so angry – I know it’s part of the reason I was – it’s because you just keep fighting and fighting and forget about being humble and feeling blessed and honestly wondering why. I also think that many Christian leaders don’t talk enough, or well enough, about the first Real Love that was introduced to the world – the words of Jesus.

      That’s my humble opinion.

      Report Post » mauijonny  
    • Free2speakRN
      Posted on May 11, 2012 at 4:17am

      Shiroi Raion, Hi.

      I’m a devout Catholic, and I have a good handful of close friends that talk like you. They know I love them the same amount whether or not they believe in God. We have very deep talks about everything under the sun, including Christianity. And it is FUN. We meet and part embracing each other with peace, good will, and brotherhood. Like Gandhi, they are not existentially Christians, because they don’t accept Jesus as the Only Begotten Son of God. But, essestentially they live a Christian life. They choose to love instead of hate. They choose to help instead of hurt. You sound very much like them, my friend.

      Like I say to them, be open to at least the possibility. If you happen to know you are going through the process of death, the moment of truth, don’t be afraid to be sincere, and (put crassly), play the Jesus card. God doesn‘t pull a ’trap-door’, throwing you into hell. It’s Free Will. You sound more Christian than a lot of Christians. So, have a little faith, have a little hope, and don’t be surprised what happens. Peace, my friend. (And I mean that).

      Report Post »  
    • A Doctors Labor Is Not My Right
      Posted on May 11, 2012 at 6:06am

      Question for the Atheists.

      Since, in the Atheists’ worldview, all action can, and must be, accounted for by the law of cause and effect, doesn‘t the requirement to account for even the act of reasoning by that law make the Atheists’ worldview internally inconsistent?

      In other words, why should I accept the arguments made in favor of Atheism if, in the Atheists’ worldview, that which will be thought, said, or done in the future is already predetermined?

      Only an ability to be the first cause of one’s own thoughts and actions can make sense of our ability to reason. I will grant that many of our decisions are based on experiences which are forced upon us, but also make decisions based on those experiences, and it is at the decision making process where the concept of being the first cause of our reasoning and actions factors in.

      Report Post »  
    • mycomet123
      Posted on May 11, 2012 at 6:44am

      @INANE, My proof that God/Creator/Higher Power exist is the very fat that ANTHING exists. Existence cannot originate in nonexistence (i.e. something cannot originate from nothing). Nonexistence is the abscene of, for example darkness is the abscene of light. The very definition of God IS existence—I AM.

      Report Post »  
    • HappyStretchedThin
      Posted on May 11, 2012 at 7:52am

      @Doctor’s Labor
      Well put! The problem with determinism is that it claims total explanatory power over any effect science can discover cause for, but can only do so by evacuating meaning and purpose from everything. Love, to them comes down to firing neurons, and instinct. Is there such thing as an atheist poet?
      @ other atheists out there
      You guys talk so much about evidence, and understand the very concept so poorly. There is abundant evidence that God exists, you just choose ti ignore it all or claim that none of it counts.
      You also claim trust in the scientific method as the process for discovering truth. But you can’t admit that it is a completely faith-based process. You act as if something is true as a test to discover the truth of it by the results you obtain. You believe your test will either confirm or deny your hypothesis. Acting as if it’s true before you know if it is, believing a test can confirm a truth you don’t know yet–show me how that’s not acting on faith.

      Report Post » HappyStretchedThin  
    • Religious-Thinker
      Posted on May 11, 2012 at 9:07am

      I have 3 questions
      1) What is it about DNA molecules that makes them “want” to reproduce? From looking at it with chemistry and quantum mechanics there is no good reason for a DNA molecule to divide and reproduce itself and yet it seams to be compelled.
      2) Do cells have a conciseness? If yes, how is it expressed? If not, how does a collection of non-concise cells lead to “cogito ergo sum”?
      3) On a purely pragmatic note, if you believe that Humans have evolved and if you accept that the vast majority of Humans do believe in GOD then doesn’t it stand to reason that there is an evolutionary benefit to a belief in GOD?

      These questions in and of themselves do not prove that there is a GOD, but to me they do imply that there is a “spiritual” aspect of life especially in our ability to reason that can not be explained with physical science unless you are willing to accept the notion that intelligence is derived from the potion of an election in a certain orbital. So I suppose the bottom line is can you accept the spiritual without the existence of GOD? I can not.

      Report Post »  
    • weremoose
      Posted on May 11, 2012 at 9:18am

      @JROOK – I understand your confusion with the argument that “Atheism causes war just like Religion”. Unfortunately, the religious community is given more to fits of emotional response than logical reasoning, so we don’t always articulate our arguments effectively. What we’re trying to say here could be better expressed by saying, “Religion is no more responsible for war than is Atheism”. I know you’ll point to events like the Crusades or the Inquisition, but those were efforts to consolidate power for the ruling elite where Religion was simply a tool to achieve an end. Any ideology would do, as Humanity tends towards tribalism and xenophobia.

      For example, at its very core, Socialism is not a violent ideology, but people seeking power stir up the natural inclinations of the masses to hate those who are seen as different and channel those inclinations through the Socialist ideology to breed violence for an end. The corruption of Religion into violence is no different and not the fault of the belief structure unless the religion itself teaches violence. (Which most do not)

      Report Post » weremoose  
    • ModerationIsBest
      Posted on May 11, 2012 at 10:02am

      @FREE2SPEAKRN

      “Essentially they choose to live a Christian life?”

      Since when did Christianity get all the credit for loving over hating and helping over hurting?

      Those things existed long before Christianity.

      Also, whether or not they live a Christian life is irrelevant to your God if you believe in original sin, and that you have to believe that Jesus is the son of God, and that he died on the cross for all of mankind’s sin and that on the 3rd day he rose.

      They could live a “Christian” life from beginning to end, but if they don’t believe those things, they’re SOL according to your book. All their love, all their helping, all their courage…..WORTHLESS. Right?

      Report Post »  
    • SLOWBIDEN
      Posted on May 11, 2012 at 10:13am

      @ Lesbian packing hollow points
      First you say you believe in the big bang theory. Then you cite 10th dimensional string theory. Thats pretty funny considering the people that came up with tenth dimensional string theory don’t believe in the big bang theory. So maybe you need to sit down. But definetly shut the **** up

      Report Post »  
    • ModerationIsBest
      Posted on May 11, 2012 at 10:14am

      You are missing the point when you ask “why do you fight something you don’t think exists?”

      I am not fighting your God. I don‘t think your God exists therefore it’s impossible for me to fight your God.

      Imagine if I say I worship a being named George. I worship him, believe in him and think he’s the best thing since DVR allowing me to fast forward through horrible commercials. Am I harming anybody? No. I am perfectly deluded in my own little world.

      What if I then start seeing more and more people coming to worship George, is that a problem? No, we are all perfectly deluded. We may even do good deeds in the name of George. Good, we‘re helping people while we’re perfectly deluded.

      What if George’s book had some moral guidelines, that we thought we good and we lived our life by them, again no problem as long as we aren’t hurting anyone.

      What if I then thought, “Wow, everyone would be better off if we all lived according to George’s moral teachings. Let’s all vote and create laws based around those teachings.” PROBLEM! No one should be forced to live their life according to someone else’s Holy book. I don’t give a crap what your God says, and how you think he thinks I should live my life.

      That’s what atheists are fighting. Your ability to control their life by claiming you know how your God wants us to live our life.

      Report Post »  
    • mycomet123
      Posted on May 11, 2012 at 10:46am

      DEFINITIONS per Webster’s dictionary: EXIST–To have being. God–any of various BEINGS conceived of as supernatural or immortal/infinite. Stating that you believe in God is stating you believe in existence, wheter your God is a he, she, or it, like mother nature–is your choice. Atheism is stating that BEING originated in NOT BEING. Take for example when hydrogen & oxygen molecules come together & form water than they evaporate. Does that mean that the water that the water never existed. The molecules that made up the water still exist just in a different essence or form. It’s CAUSE & EFFECT. Atheism is believing that the effect originated without a cause.. Take the Big Bang Theory–the Big Bang had to be caused by something that already existed. The very fact that you ARE/EXIST means that you would have to have an origin. Existence has no origin it has always been! Back to square one EXIST–the act of being. God–any of various BEINGS conceived/thought of as supernatural or immortal or infinite! Existence is to be. Atheism is stating TO BE originated in NOT BEING or Life originated in No Life or Something was caused by Nothing!

      Report Post »  
    • Anonymouse.
      Posted on May 11, 2012 at 10:56am

      The burden of proof that god(s) do exist rests on people who claim the exist.

      Report Post » Anonymouse.  
    • westtitus
      Posted on May 11, 2012 at 11:56am

      They cannot so the are Agnostic….get an education you so call “Atheists”. Not such thing….unless you have proof?

      Report Post » westtitus  
    • Inane
      Posted on May 11, 2012 at 1:24pm

      @MYCOMET123 If something cannot come from nothing then how would you explain God coming into existence? By your logic it would make no sense to believe that God suddenly came into existence. Note about myself, I do not believe in the existence of God, but I do not believe in the Big Bang Theory either, so do not ask me to explain how to explain how a Big Bang like event could have created our existence from what was previously nothing.

      Report Post » Inane  
    • siliconvalleydon
      Posted on May 11, 2012 at 1:52pm

      Many Atheists do not say “there is not god” we simply say there is no evidence that there is on and there is not point to imagining there is one. There are much better explanations of how things work and got the way they are without coming up with imaginary beings. I can‘t ’prove’ there is no such thing as Santa Claus, but I am not going to hope that he will come to my house and give me presents as he never has for me or anyone. Likewise “god” has never done anything whatsoever that cannot be easily explained by perfectly natural means so what is the point?

      Report Post »  
    • layosh
      Posted on May 11, 2012 at 9:21pm

      You really started with the worst possible question. The most important reason of becoming an atheist is that none of the claims of the belivers is convincing enough to make one relayig on logic, reasoning and reading a bit of comparative religious history fall for the idea of god. Or as Kant said: one does not need that hypothesis… In addition, it is totally illogical (as in against the rules of formal logic) to ask someone to prove the existence of what is being claimed as nonexistent.
      To catch an atheist ask him about the limits of his knowledge. Science can deal with things that the scientific method. Anything beyond it is not accessible to science and therefore god can hide there. However nobody can make any rational claim or statement refering to those areas. So, a true scientific mind cannot be an atheist, only agnostic.

      Report Post »  
    • A Doctors Labor Is Not My Right
      Posted on May 12, 2012 at 12:18am

      @layosh,

      “To catch an atheist ask him about the limits of his knowledge. Science can deal with things that the scientific method. Anything beyond it is not accessible to science and therefore god can hide there. However nobody can make any rational claim or statement refering to those areas.”

      Atheists make rational claims and statements refering to areas which are not accessible to science all the time, but without knowing it.

      Reason, itself, is beyond the scope of the Scientific Method because it requires that the Scientist be able to deliberately assess various hypotheses, as opposed to being compelled by prior causes to reach a particular conclusion whether or not it’s correct.

      Either we are free to come to our own conclusions, which requires the ability to be a source of first causes; or our reasoning is merely the result of a chain of cause and effect, and we could not ever have held any other beliefs about anything.

      Once the Atheist grants the Theist the premise that we are a source of first causes, the existence of god(s) logically follows:

      1. First causes are not part of the closed causal system to which the Atheistic worldview must be confined.

      2. The Scientific law of cause and effect can’t account for first causes, so the source of them must be metaphysical.

      3. People come into being, so they can’t be the origin of their capacity for being a source of first causes.

      Report Post »  
    • mycomet123
      Posted on May 12, 2012 at 7:15am

      @INANE, God didn’t “come into existence” He has always existed. He is the SOURCE of existence itself from what everything else has originated from. God is Infinite. GOD IS EXISTENCE, HE HAS NO BEGINNING, HE HAS ALWAYS BEEN!

      Report Post »  
    • mycomet123
      Posted on May 12, 2012 at 7:37am

      @INANE, We live in a world where everthing has positive & negatives. It hard to grasp the concept of there not being opposites for example the opposites like love/hate, black/white, cold/hot,to be or not to be. Everything had to originate from one source or being. Atheism is actually stating that everything originated from a negative or nonexistence & that there is no eternal source or creator or origin & that doesn’t make any sense! God has always been. Everything started or originated from one being/souce & that one being or source has no beginning or ending. No one created the Creator, He is Existence or Being. Imagine you want to paint & you have a blank canvas before you–that blank canvas is Existence or Being, or what I call Him–GOD!

      Report Post »  
    • Free2speakRN
      Posted on May 12, 2012 at 5:38pm

      ModerationIsBest, Hi

      In a word, Wrong.

      The point is that we get to heaven, not ‘because’ of Jesus, but ‘through Him. A Big point. And it is of Free Will. Something we all will ‘decide’ upon. I am coming from the Catholic belief. As Catholics, we are dogmatically NOT ALLOWED to condemn anyone to hell, even the seemingly obvious. This ‘rule’ allows a freedom to love, indeed.

      This is different than the splintered 30,000 Sola Scriptura interpretations of the Bible, of the Christian Fundamentalists’ faiths. And on this page I am humbly not going to argue with my brother Christians about the Bible.

      Christ says to ‘Love your Enemies’. No other faith before goes so far. Of course people loved before the Christian faith. But they loved whoever they wanted to love. What’s so different about that? Jesus brought Love to the very ‘Cross’ for All. This is the Sacrificial Love we, as Christians are ‘suppose’ to aspire to.
      Let’s face it, a large part of love is ‘putting up with each other’.

      At the point of death, We will decide. We will need to ‘recognize’ Real Love. Any ‘unselfish’ sacrificial love on earth will help define it. At death’s moment, I’m saying don’t be afraid to call on the Name of Jesus. If in Him, you see Sacrificial Loving Truth, ‘choose Him‘. As we go to and through Him, we will gladly accept and understand His Teachings. So, be open, at least to an Unkowable God, and, what’s to lose?

      Report Post »  
    • Paladin
      Posted on May 13, 2012 at 6:30pm

      There is more proof that there is not a God. Can you prove there is a god? You are the one stating that there is a god so the burden of proof is on you.

      Report Post » Paladin  
    • Inane
      Posted on May 14, 2012 at 3:21am

      @MYCOMET123 If you explain God to have always existed, then could it not be argued that the universe could have also always existed? In my opinion, the ideas that the universe or God have always existed are both completely illogical ideas. Obviously there is no way for humans to wrap our heads around the very idea of how we came into existence. Therefore I do not care whether either idea is correct or not, I just try to live my life. Ultimately, I try to live a moral life. I do actually believe that following the ten commandments would be in the best interest of all people (I try to as a well), Christian or not. I just do not have the faith or belief in the existence of God. If it turns out that you are right about the existence of the Christian God, then that sucks for me. I’m sure we could agree on many things MYCOMET123, but faith is not one of them.

      Report Post » Inane  
    • I support God's Israel!
      Posted on May 14, 2012 at 8:36am

      Well, If the atheist is right and I am wrong (that there is no God), then I HAVE LOST NOTHING AND NEITHER WILL THE ATHEIST (eternity somewhere.)

      However, if you are wrong and I am right, THEN THE ATHEIST WILL HAVE LOST IT ALL.

      Seems fairly simple to me.

      Report Post » I support God's Israel!  
    • Inane
      Posted on May 14, 2012 at 1:06pm

      @I SUPPORT GOD’S ISRAEL I would agree with you 100%; you would not have lost anything if it turns out God is not out there and you gain everything for truly believing in him.The only thing that bothers me is that some people choose to “believe” in God or Christianity just to possibly save themselves from pain in the possibility of the afterlife. If God turns out to be real, those people would almost be looked upon the same way as an atheist. God would want those who truly believe in him, not someone that chooses to follow Christianity for selfish reasons. That is why at this point I would not ever see myself going back towards religion; I do not know if I could ever gain true faith. I still try to follow many of the tenets of Christianity because they serve as a good moral foundation that every person should possess;I just do not have the faith and belief.

      Report Post » Inane  
    • bekhiet
      Posted on May 14, 2012 at 3:57pm

      There is nothing that I need to ask of an atheist.

      Report Post »  
  • Wigan
    Posted on May 10, 2012 at 4:02pm

    Ask him “Why did God make you so skeptical?”

    Report Post »  
    • ShyLow
      Posted on May 10, 2012 at 7:49pm

      How do you know you are hungry? Do you really need a sense of smell? Is it absolutely necessary to have the sense of taste to enjoy your food?

      Report Post » ShyLow  
    • dealer@678
      Posted on May 10, 2012 at 8:01pm

      Why did Steve Jobs look over his childrens shoulders at the moment of death and say “Oh Wow Oh Wow Oh Wow”

      Report Post »  
    • Pillar of Fire
      Posted on May 11, 2012 at 9:07pm

      @Todd Stiefel: What do you do with your guilt?

      Report Post »  
  • Lesbian Packing Hollow Points
    Posted on May 10, 2012 at 4:00pm

    “As a devout Atheist myself, what can *I* do to help *YOU*?”

    Report Post » Lesbian Packing Hollow Points  
    • brother_ed
      Posted on May 10, 2012 at 4:13pm

      @LESBIAN PACKING HOLLOW POINTS

      That’s awesome!! You need to be on the panel, you’d have a blast!

      I vote we all ask Glenn to have LPHP & BRUCEP on, they are the only 2 atheist I have any respect for on here.

      Report Post » brother_ed  
    • Go Glenn
      Posted on May 10, 2012 at 4:21pm

      How can you be devoted to nothing? Devout my a$$.

      Report Post »  
    • Lesbian Packing Hollow Points
      Posted on May 10, 2012 at 4:27pm

      By not, as you say, believing in nothing, and instead, as I say, believing in something. Only a fool would claim that these two statements:

      “I do not believe in the existence of god.”

      “I believe in the non-existence of god.”

      to be symanticly synonymous.

      Report Post » Lesbian Packing Hollow Points  
    • Go Glenn
      Posted on May 10, 2012 at 4:37pm

      Ok, is it safe to assume ( I usually don’t assume) that you believe in the Big Bang Theory?

      If you do, then where did the huge mass of something come from and why did it go Bang?

      Report Post »  
    • Cavallo
      Posted on May 10, 2012 at 4:39pm

      Go Glenn, I think there is a difference between atheism and nihilism. However, quite a few atheists do not comport themselves in a belief that there simply is no God(s), but rather are rabid, insipid, bigoted anti Christians. They appear to enjoy causing discomfort to Christians, but rarely are they seen challenging the beliefs of Buddhists, Hindu’s, and especially and primarily, Muslims.

      Report Post » Cavallo  
    • JRook
      Posted on May 10, 2012 at 5:18pm

      @Go Glenn And you would have us believe that Genesis answers that questions. Please sit down.

      Report Post »  
    • Lesbian Packing Hollow Points
      Posted on May 10, 2012 at 5:29pm

      @ Go Glenn:
      Yes. I believe in the Big Bang. See below about asking that crap of a cosmologist, not an Atheist. I’d no more ask a person who is simply a devout Christian about microbiology just because he claims he knows that all life was spoken into existence than I would ask a random Atheist about 10th-dimensional multiverse string-theory. Gain some perspective, man.

      @ Cavallo:
      I don’t see a lot of Hindus and Muslims and Jews seeking to place or retain their own brands of religious iconography in the public square. I see Christians doing that. Just as much as I believe in profiling young and middle-aged Arab males who practice Islam for heightened security at airports, I want to see Christians wielding the power of the State held accountable for their actions.

      As much as I want to see invalid old people and babies left the Hell alone by the TSA until one of them actually is caught trying to smuggle a bomb on board, I want the Muslims, Jews, and Hindus left alone until such time as one of them tries to use the power of the government to erect a religious symbol on public land.

      Report Post » Lesbian Packing Hollow Points  
    • Cavallo
      Posted on May 10, 2012 at 5:37pm

      @LPHP, You should really pay attention to what is going on in MI, especially Dearborn.

      Report Post » Cavallo  
    • 4truth2all
      Posted on May 10, 2012 at 7:00pm

      Well I“m going with ”Baddoggy” and say that you can help him put on his fire suit … and bring the hotdogs!

      Report Post »  
    • endthemindlessspending
      Posted on May 11, 2012 at 7:39am

      LPHP,
      You haven’t seen Muslims pushing their faith on others? Maybe you should come out from under whatever rock you live under and read a news paper. The fact the muslim brotherhood is pushing sharia law throughout the middle east and Africa. You have to adopt that belief or be beaten maybe even executed. Also, since you are so sure that the Big Bang created everything, lets see your proof. It’s amazing to me that people jam ideas down people throat that are proven wrong over and over again.

      Report Post »  
    • HappyStretchedThin
      Posted on May 11, 2012 at 8:08am

      @Endthemindless…
      LPHP can’t see the Muslim push for public religiosity, and sometimes even violent proselytism for the same reason she can’t see the existence of God: She’s immune to evidence. She claims a higher rationality, but won’t play rationally.

      Report Post » HappyStretchedThin  
    • Lesbian Packing Hollow Points
      Posted on May 11, 2012 at 9:58am

      @ End the Mindless Spending:
      “You haven’t seen Muslims pushing their faith on others?”

      On other Muslims? Yeah. On court personnel in Gitmo, just to be PITAs? Yes. On the general public in America (modulo 9/11)? No. With the authority of government? No.

      “The fact the muslim brotherhood is pushing sharia law throughout the middle east and Africa.”

      Middle East and Africa… is that between Iowa and Nebraska? I’ll admit my geography skills get a little fuzzy regarding the central plains, so it‘s just possible I’ve been mistaken all this time and they’re not in fact part of the UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, nevermind that they‘re on OTHER FRIGGIN’ CONTINENTS!

      It’s Christians who are using the power of the AMERICAN GOVERNMENT to foist their religion on others, not Muslims or Jews or Hindus.

      @ Happy Stretched Thin:
      “LPHP [...] can’t see the existence of God: She’s immune to evidence.”

      Wait, wait, wait… are you actually TRYING to play straight man to the lesbian, because this is comedy gold you’ve written here.

      Proclaiming the existence of god… and then saying that *I*‘m the one who’s immune to evidence.

      Okay, schmott guy. Lay the evidence of god on me. Give me the reproducible, falsifiable, and human observable scientific evidence for the existence of god.

      We have all of that kind of evidence for the Big Bang. God? Not so much.

      Report Post » Lesbian Packing Hollow Points  
    • SLOWBIDEN
      Posted on May 11, 2012 at 10:17am

      @lesbian packing hollow points. First you say you beleive in the big bang theory then you cite tenth dimensional string theory. Thats pretty funny considering the people that came up with tenth diminsional string theory don’t believe in the big bang theory. So stop trying to use big words to impress people when you obviously don’t know what you are talking about.

      Report Post »  
    • SLOWBIDEN
      Posted on May 11, 2012 at 10:30am

      @ Lesbian packing hollow points
      your ignorance is showing. The koran states cleary that if you don’t share their faith than you should die. But they don’t push their faith on anyone?

      Report Post »  
    • HappyStretchedThin
      Posted on May 11, 2012 at 11:36am

      @ LPHP
      Love your attitude and schtick, so it pains me a little that I have to turn to serious argument here (not as witty as you, sorry).
      There are 3 problems with you asking for my evidence of the existence of God:
      1. You don’t really want to know, hence are immune to my evidence.
      2. Even as you ask for evidence, you limit what kind of evidence you’ll accept. Not everything that’s rationally true is reproducible, falsifiable, and “human observable”. I’m not going to submit to your rules for evidence, but rather it‘s those very rules I’m calling into question. Even what science now claims as truth was once not within those rules of evidence. I‘m claiming the existence of a thing we don’t have power to observe directly yet, but to say there are therefore no signs of its existence fails the same way an argument against the existence of gravity fails. Thus: immune to evidence.
      3. You don’t understand the process of evidentiary proof. The theory that my version of God exists predicts: 1.order in the universe, 2. the presence of life with a mapping of design to function, and 3. beings of intelligence with moral agency. You may have a competing theory that uses all the same things as evidence, but neither of our theories disproves the other. You just won’t let me claim those 3 things because you think they belong to your theory alone. Therefore, your own theory is an exclusionary belief system immune to evidence.

      Report Post » HappyStretchedThin  
    • ShyLow
      Posted on May 11, 2012 at 9:26pm

      How do creatures ( having no mirrors) know how to give themslves camoflage skin or fur? Would God know anything about fear? The kind that triggers the adrenaline glands.. Does God know the feeling that different music gives you?Does God listen to Walk from Pantera when he hits the Earth with a natural disaster?Does God know how our emotions are hard-wired to our body language?Would people still cry without a God?Why do we have tears hard-wired to our emotions? Would God ever give us reason to cry?

      Report Post » ShyLow  
  • RollTide14
    Posted on May 10, 2012 at 4:00pm

    Atheists always claim to be open minded or enlightened yet hundreds like you( even the worlds biggest Athiest at one time Antony Flew) have tried to disprove Christianity and yet the Word of God has stood the test of time, how do you explain that? Furthermore since you have not disproved the existence of God wouldn’t you say that it takes as much if not more “blind” faith to be an Athiest as it does to be a Christian?

    Report Post »  
    • DeavonReye
      Posted on May 10, 2012 at 4:52pm

      Absolutely not [on the "more faith" argument]. I have no idea if any deities exist. I really don’t care, to be honest. If they are, they remain hidden and are [therefore] of no value to me. I honestly do not care about what some other PERSON claims is “of god”. Humans are often wrong about many things. Add the extraordinary in, . . . . . they will be extraordinarily wrong.

      Report Post » DeavonReye  
  • staggerlee32
    Posted on May 10, 2012 at 3:59pm

    What if God is real? That means satan and hell are real too. Your willing to take the chance of gnashing teeth and burning for eternity in hell?

    Report Post » staggerlee32  
    • Lesbian Packing Hollow Points
      Posted on May 10, 2012 at 4:06pm

      Just because god is real does not automaticly imply the existence of Hell and Satan. There might be a god that exists in reality, but he’s nothing like your Biblical conception of him.

      Maybe the Hindus have it right.

      Report Post » Lesbian Packing Hollow Points  
    • brother_ed
      Posted on May 10, 2012 at 4:21pm

      @LESBIAN PACKING HOLLOW POINTS

      You’re having too much fun!

      People of faith need to realize that it is just that: “FAITH”

      It can’t be proven or disproven with rationality, else it wouldn’t be faith.

      Those who have faith should not be contentious towards those without faith and visa-versa.

      The only question I have would be: Why do those who don’t believe feel the need to belittle those who do believe? But the question could be reversed and we are nowhere.

      It’s best to learn and let learn.

      Report Post » brother_ed  
    • Lesbian Packing Hollow Points
      Posted on May 10, 2012 at 4:28pm

      (= I really am. =)

      Report Post » Lesbian Packing Hollow Points  
    • deathtoeli
      Posted on May 10, 2012 at 4:41pm

      AH yes Pascal’s wager. my favorite theist argument. two points on this.
      1) i argue if that is your logic on whether or not god is real that you also are skeptical. its basically saying “i better just cover my bases just in case there is a hell.”
      2) what about the opposite argument? is it worth risking wasting your life worshipping something that isnt there?

      Report Post »  
    • TonyRush
      Posted on May 10, 2012 at 4:58pm

      Staggerlee, the same question could be asked of you: why do you not lie awake at night worrying that the Islamic faith is the One True Religion and that you’re going to burn in hell forever for not worshipping Allah?

      In other words, the idea of “believing something to avoid hell” would require you to believe in thousands of different religions.

      Report Post »  
    • skeptic71
      Posted on May 10, 2012 at 7:25pm

      I am a moral, conservative, atheist. You would have me do right out of fear of a devil and eternal damnation. I do the right thing because it is the right thing to do. Which is better?

      Report Post »  
    • 4truth2all
      Posted on May 10, 2012 at 9:02pm

      Yo Skeptic71:

      That’s the problem …you‘re or mine or anyone’s goodness is not enough.
      If there is no heaven what differnce does it make what you do?
      What makes anything right or wrong, moral or immoral, good or bad, and who the heck are you to determine that?

      Report Post »  
    • 4truth2all
      Posted on May 10, 2012 at 9:11pm

      Yo Brother Ed

      “ learn and let learn”
      Does not God tell us to go into all the world and make (not force) disciples of the world? We are supposed to be the ones doing the learning!

      Report Post »  
    • brother_ed
      Posted on May 10, 2012 at 9:35pm

      @4TRUTH2ALL

      That’s what was meant.

      Report Post » brother_ed  
    • SoNick
      Posted on May 11, 2012 at 8:16am

      @4truth2all:
      “That’s the problem …you‘re or mine or anyone’s goodness is not enough.”

      What? Why? What is good or bad is not determined by one individual, supernatural or not. The common good means just that. What is good for the community is usually beneficial to the individuals in the community.

      “If there is no heaven what differnce does it make what you do?”

      It makes a whole lot of difference. Living your life knowing there is no “do-over” in the afterlife forces you to be good in this one.

      “What makes anything right or wrong, moral or immoral, good or bad, and who the heck are you to determine that?”

      The golden rule is not a religious concept because it’s in the Bible (”do unto others…”). It’s a question of survival for the human race and, again, it rests on the idea of the common good. I know how I feel if somebody steals from me. I feel I have no right to cause harm to others because I don’t want to be harmed the same way. I also know that living under constant fear of being killed, raped or robbed would be unbearable. Therefore I try to create an environment where these fears are kept in check. That’s why we have laws that apply to everyone, whether they are christian, muslim or atheist.

      hope that answers your questions

      Report Post »  
    • HappyStretchedThin
      Posted on May 11, 2012 at 8:23am

      @Skeptic71
      Come at us straight on. No twisting. I don’t go around claiming atheists only believe in material and secular powers so therefore they are obey laws only out of fear of prison.
      Christians do good things because they‘re inspired to do better than their natural inclinations by the prospect of a reward they know they’ll never get during this life. As selfish as you’re trying to make that sound, it translates into an objective self-sacrificing attitude animating all their behaviors during this life. How is that not doing things because it’s the right thing to do?
      @DeathtoEli
      Point 1: You‘re cherry picking one of 4 scenarios contained in Pascal’s wager. Covering all the bases is only an ATHEIST’S best motivation for choosing faith in God. Believers don’t need to take the wager, silly, they already believe for PURE reasons.
      Point 2: Show me how living a clean, honest, motivated, altruistic and philanthropic life–principled by principles whose natural consequences are deep and lasting happiness and moral satisfaction–is a waste of a life.

      Report Post » HappyStretchedThin  
    • 4truth2all
      Posted on May 11, 2012 at 8:47am

      Yo Sonick;

      The question was not directed at you … but it is an open forum.
      I need to run and only have time for this at the moment … who decides what is best for the community and how do they come to that conclusion? please don’t give me majority rules, because that is seldom the case and the question would still stand anyway.
      How do you know what is right in this life for the next one?

      Report Post »  
    • JBanon
      Posted on May 11, 2012 at 10:02am

      “Why should I be unselfish? -Because it is good for society. Why should I care what’s good for society? -Because one ought to be unselfish.” Without a God, where does morality come from.? Aren’t our good and bad actions nothing more than just a dance of atoms like every other event in the universe? Why should we care what happens to our society, if our planet can sustain life, or even what is “good” for us. for example?

      Report Post »  
    • Inane
      Posted on May 11, 2012 at 2:04pm

      @Staggerlee Anyone who would switch to Christianity just because they fear eternity in hell, would still face that hell. If God were to exist he would not want people that “believe” to save their own self, but those who truly believe in him. An atheist who switches to Christianity would only be saved from eternal damnation if they actually gained true faith in God, so it is not likely that an atheist would switch just to save themselves.

      Report Post » Inane  
  • CalMarine
    Posted on May 10, 2012 at 3:59pm

    Many stories I see about atheists it seems that they rebel against Christians just because they are Christians, nothing more, do you agree or disagree.

    Report Post »  
  • junior1971
    Posted on May 10, 2012 at 3:58pm

    Can you give me a million dollars?

    Report Post » junior1971  
  • EqualJustice
    Posted on May 10, 2012 at 3:58pm

    Please explain INFINITE SPACE to us, since you say there is a scientific answer for everything. How can the be no beginning and no end? I would call that HEAVEN.

    Report Post » EqualJustice  
    • lakecrazy
      Posted on May 10, 2012 at 4:54pm

      entropy and casuality= proof of God

      Report Post » lakecrazy  
    • skeptic71
      Posted on May 10, 2012 at 7:27pm

      where does god come from?

      Report Post »  
    • 4truth2all
      Posted on May 10, 2012 at 9:17pm

      No where …He always was … He has no beginning and no end … don’t worry, you’re little mind and mine can not wrap around that infinite idea and that fact makes Him God !

      Report Post »  
    • SoNick
      Posted on May 11, 2012 at 3:20pm

      @equal justice. I would suggest you rephrase your question, since no atheist has ever claimed that “science has an answer for everything”. What science does, however, is try to understand the world without resorting to supernatural explanations. Have you ever heard of the famous story of LaPlace? He was a brilliant french mathematician and cosmologist (aka The French Newton). One fine day, he came before Napoleon to explain his latest treatise. Napoleon asked him why God was never mentioned in his work, to which LaPlace bluntly replied: “Sir, I had no need of that hypothesis”. That’s science.

      Report Post »  
  • CalMarine
    Posted on May 10, 2012 at 3:57pm

    I am sure you know the ten commandments better then many Christians. Each of the commandments is a good thing, a good way to live, i.e thou shalt not kill, thou shale not commit adultry, etc. Why do these bother you so. In this day and age they should be plastered everywhere.

    Report Post »  
    • DeavonReye
      Posted on May 10, 2012 at 4:46pm

      Why isn’t “thou shalt not suffer a witch to live” next to them? Same Old Testament laws? How about stoning adulterers, or sons who become unruly?

      But to address the “10 commandments”, of what value is it to a society to “insist you worship this one tribal god of the jews?“ Of what value is it to society that they ”not make images of things, then worship them?“ How is society helped by ”not working on the Sabbath?” Some people need those employed at that time for survival [hospitals, police, firemen, etc.] None of these promotes the wellness of a society, just a religion. Religious people STILL do things that are against the OTHER “10 commandments” [murder, steal, adultry, dishonoring parents, coveting].

      Report Post » DeavonReye  
    • treedweller
      Posted on May 10, 2012 at 5:03pm

      I’m all for TSN Kill and TSN steal, but:
      starting with #1, “I am the lord thy god”. Our Constitution forbids establishment of a state religion, so this one is quite illegal.
      #2 “no gods before me”. I could not care less what gods others pray to. It is not relevant to society as a whole, hurts nobody.
      #3 “No graven images or likenesses”. again, could not care less. does not matter to society as a whole.
      #4 “Not take the LORD’s name in vain”. Another irrelevant edict from an egomaniac (or just a silly fiction).
      #5 “Remember the sabbath day”. What? why? which one? I might see some value in all of us remembering to take a rest now and then, but our society clearly does not adhere to this (seven-day-a-week businesses are commonplace) so why should we plaster it all over the public square?
      #6 “Honour thy father and thy mother”. Good advice, perhaps, but hardy a societal imperative. I give this one a pass, but don’t see the need.
      #7 again, no killing works for me.
      #8 same with stealing
      #9 “false witness.” sure, I like that one.
      #10 I do not care if someone covets my property (or wife) provided they refrain from taking it (see *8).

      so that’s why.

      a quicker way (and funnier) to convey this would have been to link to George Carlin’s take. I encourage all to look it up, though it will likely make some of the most devout among us pop a vein.

      Report Post »  
    • jblaze
      Posted on May 10, 2012 at 8:44pm

      treedweller
      You messed up the 10 Commandments
      1. I am the Lord your God, you shall have no other Gods before me. (is all one commandment)
      2. You shall not make any graven images and bow down to them.
      3. Do not take the Lord your God’s name in vain (as many here are doing)
      4. Remember the Sabbeth Day to keep it Holy. (the 7th day Sat. not the first day of the Sunday)
      5. Honor you FATHER and your MOTHER (not Ted and Ed and/or Sally and Susie)
      6. Do not murder (physically or spiritually)
      7. Do not commit adultery (the one you missed)
      8. Do not steal (that includes the 99% who want something for nothing)
      9. Do not lie.
      10. Do not covet. (like the 99%).

      Report Post » jblaze  
    • endthemindlessspending
      Posted on May 11, 2012 at 7:59am

      @TREEDWELLER

      You need to do some homework about the separation of church and state. Here is a little background for you.

      http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ACufmHNFE98

      Report Post »  
    • treedweller
      Posted on May 11, 2012 at 12:12pm

      @jblaze
      thanks for pointing out that mistake. I admit I am not well versed in the 10 commandments (but surely you know different churches have different specific lists). As I pointed out above, I feel no need to be. In my mind, I wondered about adultery but decided it was part of the coveting thing. For the record, my response would have been: it may not be nice to commit adultery, and it will likely have unpleasant ramifications for the parties involved, but it is not and should not be illegal.

      @ENDTHE

      thank you for that history lesson. I don’t know why you think I needed it, but no harm done. So, you have pointed out that, in addition to protecting society from the dangers of state-sponsored religion, separation also protects religions from being usurped by the state. Therefore, I can only assume you agree it should continue to be a guiding principle of our government, right?

      Report Post »  
  • Just in time
    Posted on May 10, 2012 at 3:55pm

    What can you point to as being better? Is there anything better than christianity, on moral and ethical behavior?

    Report Post »  
    • skeptic71
      Posted on May 10, 2012 at 7:28pm

      Moral and ethical behavior that isn’t born of fear of burning in a lake of fire and brimstone??

      Report Post »  
  • HappyImNotALiberal
    Posted on May 10, 2012 at 3:54pm

    As an agnostic, I would like to ask why do athiests feel the need to belittle the beliefs of others, mainly Christians? Why do the athiest groups never seem to have a problem with any other religion other then Christianity? If athiest feel it is ok to demean and belittle anyone that has a religious belief, is it ok for anyone to make fun of athiest for their belief?

    TEA

    Report Post » HappyImNotALiberal  
    • jaysun48
      Posted on May 10, 2012 at 4:22pm

      Excellence comment. Why isn’t he going to mosque and talking with them concerning their faith. That I would like to see.

      Report Post »  
    • treedweller
      Posted on May 10, 2012 at 4:47pm

      atheists in the USA tend to focus on christianity because that’s the only religion in this country that seems determined to insert itself into the lives of the society as a whole. I might focus more on, say, islam if I lived somewhere that islam was the dominant religion, but muslims have never tried to put up a star-and-crescent on the grounds of my local park or City Hall, and they never said any public prayers at my graduation ceremonies, and . . . well, you get the idea.

      Report Post »  
    • deathtoeli
      Posted on May 10, 2012 at 4:47pm

      Ill tell you why most of my time is spent debating christians. thats who surrounds me mostly. simple as that. if more moslems lived near thats who i would debate. but dont get mixed up atheism believes in NO gods at all. including religions other than chritianity.

      Report Post »  
    • BenInNY
      Posted on May 10, 2012 at 6:10pm

      I was going to ask the exact question Happy, and from the same agnostic perspective. I really just don’t understand why the mere existence of a cross on a hill can inspire so much anger. To people who don’t believe is it not just put there to honor a fallen troop, for instance? Or, even simpler, just two pieces of wood on a hill. You can find crosses covering entire cemeteries on–GASP–public land, is this not also an affront to such vehement atheists? What if a family member has to be buried in a nearby plot?
      I just find it much more offensive to be told what I shouldn‘t believe under penalty of ridicule and condescension as opposed to dealing with what used to be regular visits from Jehovah’s Witnesses, for example. At least in the latter cases the conversation always remained civil, whereas in the former I always felt like I was being “anti-preached” to both on religion and politics. Politics always seems to be the actual subject, anyway.

      Report Post » BenInNY  
  • lakecrazy
    Posted on May 10, 2012 at 3:53pm

    Please explain why entropy and casuality= proof of Gods existence isn’t valid.

    Report Post » lakecrazy  
    • Critical Thinker
      Posted on May 10, 2012 at 5:37pm

      The burden of proof is on you to explain how it is evidence given that you are the person making the claim.

      Report Post » Critical Thinker  
  • jasons
    Posted on May 10, 2012 at 3:52pm

    How does an atheist distinguish right from wrong, good from bad?

    Report Post »  
    • HappyImNotALiberal
      Posted on May 10, 2012 at 4:01pm

      I don’t believe you need to have religion in your life to know the differences in those.

      Report Post » HappyImNotALiberal  
    • Polwatcher
      Posted on May 10, 2012 at 4:25pm

      I’ve always wondered this myself. Over the short run, I can understand people living their lives with the same harmony in life as their parents irregardless of religiousity. However, over the long run, it could be much different. After many generations, the humanity message of parents could easily get lost and godless people could go astray i.e.Easter Island.

      Also over the long run, godless people would likely lose the battle of survival of the fittest to a more religious group due to their lack of motivation for survival.

      Report Post »  
    • Baddoggy
      Posted on May 10, 2012 at 4:37pm

      Gods laws are wriiten on mans heart. they know them instinctively…They can choose to ignore them too…

      Report Post » Baddoggy  
    • deathtoeli
      Posted on May 10, 2012 at 4:54pm

      i will argue using a book and a reward of heaven and punishment of hell as to what your morals are makes you LESS moral than an atheist. i dont kill people or rape women or steal from anyone. why you ask? because its the right thing to do. because im a human and i know what it is like to be treated unfairly. my using the argument that you are using you are saying that without reward you would go out killing people! ill use a point Penn Jillette used.(paraphrased) i have a son that wants to punch his sister. i say to him dont do that son ill give you ice cream if you dont, so he doesnt. in the second senerio my son says dad i really wanna punch my sister but im not going to by myself because i know that would be wrong. answer honestly now, which one is more moral?

      Report Post »  
    • Leopold
      Posted on May 10, 2012 at 4:59pm

      @happy

      Without God you would not even have heard of the ten commandments. And therefore be ignorant of those same laws.

      Report Post »  
    • Cavallo
      Posted on May 10, 2012 at 5:01pm

      My guess would be that they are merely guided by society and the threat of harm from others (IE the government with guns). As an extension of that concept, it is whatever consequences that effect them. So they have a personal morality based on their feelings and prediction on immediate and long term effects on their personal comfort. IE: Cheating on your wife is not wrong as long you can ensure no real consequences. Stealing is not wrong as long as you do not get caught. However, that also applies to believers (including the vast majority of the world’s religious selections) as well, except believers in a universal right and wrong believe their deeds are being accounted for even if they are not balanced within this earthly existence. Their personal comfort will be either rewarded or punished even after death.

      Report Post » Cavallo  
    • Critical Thinker
      Posted on May 10, 2012 at 5:35pm

      Quite successfully for the most part.

      Report Post » Critical Thinker  
    • MammalOne
      Posted on May 10, 2012 at 5:54pm

      easily.

      Report Post » MammalOne  
  • Heartlander
    Posted on May 10, 2012 at 3:51pm

    Is there anything in the quote below that you disagree with? (and if so, why?):

    “Morality, or more strictly our belief in morality, is merely an adaptation put in place to further our reproductive ends. Hence the basis of ethics does not lie in God’s will…. In an important sense, ethics as we understand it is an illusion fobbed off on us by our genes to get us to cooperate. It is without external grounding. Like Macbeth’s dagger, it serves a powerful purpose without existing in substance.

    Ethics is illusory inasmuch as it persuades us that it has an objective reference. This is the crux of the biological position. Once it is grasped, everything falls into place.”
    - Michael Ruse and E. O. Wilson, “The Evolution of Ethics,”

    Report Post » Heartlander  
  • CalMarine
    Posted on May 10, 2012 at 3:50pm

    I honestly do not care that you do not believe in Christ or the Bible, that is your choice. Why do you care what I believe?

    Report Post »  
    • deathtoeli
      Posted on May 10, 2012 at 5:04pm

      i believe atheists wouldnt care if it didnt infinge on our day to day life. and it does in big ways. ill give one example. religious and church organizations being tax free. can anyone truly explain why that is so? they create income for themselves. in addition to that donating to YOUR church is tax deductible. so millions go to churches that most of the population see no good from and on top of it the donor then pays less taxes that the general population would benift from. alot of our national debt would be less if not dissolved by simply taking away tax exempt status from church and religious organizations.

      Report Post »  
    • jedi.kep
      Posted on May 12, 2012 at 7:27am

      You have no argument there. You can give donations as well to whatever charity you choose and receive the same tax breaks as others. You can start your own non profit organization and do some good yourself, but instead, you have an envy problem. Get over it and do some good yourself.

      Report Post » jedi.kep  
  • jakartaman
    Posted on May 10, 2012 at 3:48pm

    Atheist pride themselves on being realists.
    Please tell me where/ how something was created from nothing?

    Report Post »  
    • Lesbian Packing Hollow Points
      Posted on May 10, 2012 at 4:02pm

      That’s not a question to ask of an Atheist. That’s a question to ask of a cosmologist.

      Report Post » Lesbian Packing Hollow Points  
    • Critical Thinker
      Posted on May 10, 2012 at 6:03pm

      Your question is actually a common misnomer as atheists do not claim that existence was created from nothing, they simply claim their disbelief in a God. What atheists actually believe is that before the big bang the universe was filled with matter, so to say “something from nothing” is a highly inaccurate assumption.

      Report Post » Critical Thinker  
    • skeptic71
      Posted on May 10, 2012 at 7:33pm

      Where, then, did god come from?

      Report Post »  
  • the_united_states_of_britain
    Posted on May 10, 2012 at 3:47pm

    how is believing there is no god any different to believing there is? both are based on zero evidence.

    atheism sucks, agnostics rule.

    Report Post » the_united_states_of_britain  
    • deathtoeli
      Posted on May 10, 2012 at 5:13pm

      u can be agnostic athiest. i think there is no god. but im always open to new evidence. if new evidence becomes available pointing to their being a god, i could change my mind. most athiests arnt gnostic atheists meaning they would say they know for a fact there is no God or gods. most theists however do identify as gnostic theists meaning if asked they would say they KNOW for a fact there is a God. please know that a person could also be a agnostic theist meaning they think there is a God but could be wrong and reserve the right to change their mind.

      Report Post »  
    • MammalOne
      Posted on May 10, 2012 at 5:56pm

      Technically, nobody knows for sure whether or not deities exist – that’s why religious people call their beliefs “faith”. In this light, everyone is technically an agnostic.

      Report Post » MammalOne  
  • Gonzo
    Posted on May 10, 2012 at 3:46pm

    I don‘t care that you don’t believe, why do you care so much that I do?

    Report Post » Gonzo  
  • cuinsong
    Posted on May 10, 2012 at 3:46pm

    Your big dilemma is whether or not god is listening and knowing who you really are?
    If no god does not exist then everything ends at your passing and you neither lose or win. But if god does exist then you just lose!
    So my question would be why not hedge your bets just to be safe?

    Report Post » cuinsong  
    • DeavonReye
      Posted on May 10, 2012 at 4:29pm

      Because Pascal’s Wager could suggest that you choosing the Judeo Christian god damns you to a torturous afterlife if Allah was the “true god”. There are bets everyday. . . . . and the only way I can live my life is one of sincere honesty. I can’t MAKE myself believe “just in case”.

      Report Post » DeavonReye  
    • treedweller
      Posted on May 10, 2012 at 4:41pm

      Do you really think god would be impressed by that? If so, he is an idiot and/or an *******; why do you care what he thinks? If you have faith, fine, but to pretend faith just in case you might end up in hell otherwise is craven and opportunistic.

      If god can’t be satisfied that I accept my doubts and nevertheless live my life in a moral way, then I’ll take hell, thanks. Can’t be any worse than spending eternity with christians.

      Report Post »  
    • cdowis
      Posted on May 11, 2012 at 12:24am

      Simply hedging your bet doesn’t do you any good. You have to devote your life to your religion.

      Report Post »  
    • SoNick
      Posted on May 11, 2012 at 4:21pm

      I would argue that “hedging your bets” is probably the lamest of all possible stances. I’m and atheist and I have more respect for true believers than for those who just hypocritically bet on red an black, just in case.

      Report Post »  
  • toomuchgovt
    Posted on May 10, 2012 at 3:46pm

    I would ask. Why do they only attack christianity?

    Report Post » toomuchgovt  
    • staggerlee32
      Posted on May 10, 2012 at 4:01pm

      Because they are scared of muslims.

      Report Post » staggerlee32  
    • Lesbian Packing Hollow Points
      Posted on May 10, 2012 at 4:35pm

      Because when you are trying to prove yourself (as a valid faith tradition) on the playground (in the public square), you don’t walk up to the clearly dorky loner kid (Islam) to beat him up. That wouldn’t proven anything to anybody. Instead, you go looking for the existing playground bully (Christianity) who’s been terrorizing everybody up till now and you clean HIS clock.

      Report Post » Lesbian Packing Hollow Points  
    • Cavallo
      Posted on May 10, 2012 at 5:13pm

      Christianity is the largest religion, if you consider all the denominations as one. One of the chief tenents of Christianity is peace and forgiveness. The kid that isn’t going to hit you back, save refuse to play with you, makes a tempting target. Rarely do Atheists attack Islamists or Hindus because non-violence is not a primary tenet to their belief structure. Technically in the Koran, Muslims should hate Atheists and pagans more than “the people of the book” Jews and Christians. Also, Christianity is prevalent in the one country that protects such attacks (speech) with the force of their primary founding law.

      Report Post » Cavallo  
    • SoNick
      Posted on May 11, 2012 at 4:33pm

      @TOOMUCHGVT
      Tired old attack. And completely unfounded. The famous atheists you probably have heard of (Dawkins, Dennett, Hitchens, Harris) are all British or American. The UK and USA are predominantly Christian. Therefore, when these atheists deplore the encroachment of religion on the public sphere, they mostly attack christians. As so many have said elsewhere on this page, you don’t see that many buddhists lobbying in DC to get some law they disagree with changed. Also, if you had read these authors (Hitchens in particular), you would know that he bashed muslims and jews a lot (he debated both during his God is not Great tour).

      Report Post »  
    • Upthegut
      Posted on May 13, 2012 at 9:36pm

      Because it is not an Atheist agenda to remove all evidence of Religion from schools and Government. It is a Socialist/Communist/Anarchist agenda.

      Report Post »  
  • baron94
    Posted on May 10, 2012 at 3:45pm

    Without faith there can be no hope. So if Atheists have no faith what is your reason for life?

    Report Post »  
    • DeavonReye
      Posted on May 10, 2012 at 4:27pm

      Who says that “faith” is required for hope? If you’re talking about an “afterlife”, no one can answer the question of “is there life after death”. Evidence has only shown that the answer is most likely “no”. But beyond that, . . . there is plenty to hope for, as a non-believer.

      Report Post » DeavonReye  
  • Heartlander
    Posted on May 10, 2012 at 3:41pm

    Do you believe human consciousness ultimately comes from mindlessness?

    Report Post » Heartlander  
  • Sue Dohnim
    Posted on May 10, 2012 at 3:35pm

    Is Atheism a faith?

    Aren’t all faiths a subjective moral construct based in individual experiences and would not atheism be a similar construct just in-formalized?

    Report Post » Sue Dohnim  
    • Sue Dohnim
      Posted on May 10, 2012 at 3:49pm

      as for Soros,

      Atheism is a faith, a replacement for a formalized structure where like an “open society” that morality can be subverted by those elites with influence and power. This is the end game, destroy organized faith and replace it with authoritarian control from the elites. Fabian Socialism..

      Islam is tolerated as it is top down authoritarian control…

      Now, you can be an atheist with morality, or a Christian without,, It is like THE FORCE, it can be used for good or evil…

      Report Post » Sue Dohnim  
    • Alwaysaskwhy
      Posted on May 10, 2012 at 4:40pm

      Atheism is not an organized faith, there is no set doctrine that atheists believe in. I am an atheist. I also have my own set of morals I live my life by. I am an atheist because I don’t believe in a god or follow any set religion. Not all atheists believe the exact same things as not all christians do. One does not need religion or faith to be moral. Religion is a tool that teaches people to be moral.

      Report Post »  
    • Sue Dohnim
      Posted on May 10, 2012 at 6:42pm

      @ALWAYSASKWHY

      Exactly,

      but one wonders where do morals really come from???

      And, how does a society protect them from subversion…

      Report Post » Sue Dohnim  
  • pwatkins
    Posted on May 10, 2012 at 3:35pm

    I have nothing to ask them, bc I feel God will show them all they need to know.

    Report Post »  
  • Pike
    Posted on May 10, 2012 at 3:34pm

    Sir, how can you look at the world, or even universe around you, and not see something greater than mere chance happenings that created everything around us?

    Report Post » Pike  
    • wvernon1981
      Posted on May 10, 2012 at 4:14pm

      I try not to let personal incredulity rule my understanding of the universe.

      Report Post »  
    • MammalOne
      Posted on May 10, 2012 at 5:56pm

      the fact that you believe the universe works by “chance” shows that you do not understand basic laws of physics.

      Report Post » MammalOne  
    • ShyLow
      Posted on May 10, 2012 at 7:54pm

      How did a violent explosion that came from nothing , become a system of planets that work in clock-like presiuion , not hitting each other for billions of years

      Report Post » ShyLow  
    • Inlightofthings
      Posted on May 10, 2012 at 7:56pm

      MAMMALONE:
      What % of the voting population knows who the VP was in 1990 let a alone a single law of physics? Always a double standard with you people…

      Report Post »  
    • petej0
      Posted on May 11, 2012 at 1:08pm

      @ShyLow,

      Not hitting anything for billions of years? Have you seen Shoemaker-Levy9? Ateroids collide with planets all the time.

      How can the universe exist from nothing? I answer with how can god exist from nothing?

      Report Post »  
1 2 3 ... 15

Sign In To Post Comments! Sign In

Sign Up For Our Newsletter!

Glenn Beck Radio

Listen to Glenn Beck 24/7 Listen Now
Restoring Love