So much for the whole Christian persecution theory..

[zzontar]

Well why don't you explain what you don't hate about Christianity then?

[Farmmaa]

Well why don't you explain what you don't hate about Christianity then?

I don't particularly like anything about any organized religion - I don't discriminate any over others.
I don't believe in the basic fundamentals of any religious organization.
I don't believe in anyone's version of god/gods.

I don't hate any religious group...I simply have no use for them in my life.

Hate is a word that is used here only by the religious posters...I've yet to see an atheist say that they hate anyone or any group.

[Glacier]

There's probably a good reason for that. Atheists have a lot more contempt for religious people than the other way around. Not a single poster on Castanet has ever stated that Christians are the only target of persecution (though they are the target of 80% of religious persecution in the world), and yet an atheist creates a strawman anyway. Instead of pointing out directly the persecution of atheists, Christianity has to be thrown under the bus. It's like Gad Saad's 6 degrees of Noam Chomsky thinking where any event in the world can always be linked back to the US military industrial complex in 6 or fewer steps, only it's 6 degrees of atheist thinking, where the goal is to slag Christianity in 6 or fewer steps.

[pepsilover]

I don't particularly like anything about any organized religion - I don't discriminate any over others.
I don't believe in the basic fundamentals of any religious organization.
I don't believe in anyone's version of god/gods.

I don't hate any religious group...I simply have no use for them in my life.

Hate is a word that is used here only by the religious posters...I've yet to see an atheist say that they hate anyone or any group.

If you didn't care, you would be 'indifferent'. You are hardly that.

[pepsilover]

Wow.
You are truly unbelievable.

You really don't listen to a thing people say do you ?
I'm not sure how many times the atheists and non-believers here have stated very clearly that none of us hate Christians...but you just keep going on and on and on about it in almost every post.

BTW - I was not asking glacier to answer...I asked you, because you are the one who is continually making these accusations.
Where is your proof that the atheists here are anti Christians and defend all other religions ?

I also did not change the subject.
Saying that yes, i'm sure some Christians have been injured and killed in ISIS attacks most certainly is NOT the same AS your claims that this is a genocide against Christians. It is not.
Try really hard to drop the whole everyone is mean to us Christians game and really look at the situation.
It is ( in their minds ) ISIS against the rest of the world.
They don't discriminate....they don't care if you are a Christian, an Atheist, a Jew , a Muslim, a Scientologist or a Pastafarian - if you do not agree with their radical Islamic law - you will be targeted.
They do not care about anyone's faith or lack thereof....if you don't agree with them, if you won't join their fight, or if you try to stop them....you will be their next target.

It really, really is not difficult to understand.

Try actually INFORMING YOURSELF! Two-thirds of Syrian Christians have been targeted and wiped out by ISIS. Go do your homework. In the meantime, read THIS, as an example of HOW they are doing it:

http://www.breitbart.com/national-secur ... beheading/

<snip>


“It is like going back 1,000 years seeing the barbarity that Christians are having to live under. I think we are dealing with a group which makes Nazism pale in comparison and I think they have lost all respect for human life,” explained Patrick Sookhdeo, founder of Barnabas Fund. “Crucifying these people is sending a message and they are using forms of killing which they believe have been sanctioned by Sharia law. For them what they are doing is perfectly normal and they don’t see a problem with it. It is that religious justification which is so appalling.”

In July 2014, Andrew White, the vicar of the only Anglican church in Iraq, told BBC Radio 4 that Christianity is coming to an end in the Middle Eastern country.

“Things are so desperate, our people are disappearing,” he said. “We have had people massacred, their heads chopped off. The Christians are in grave danger. There are literally Christians living in the desert and on the street. They have nowhere to go.”

“Are we seeing the end of Christianity?” he continued. “We are committed come what may, we will keep going to the end, but it looks as though the end could be very near.”

<snip>

MUCH more at link, including how ISIS tortured and killed a 12 year old boy who was the son of a man who planted nine Christian churches.

Quit making this about 'me' Farmmaa, you are coming off as somebody who doesn't give a damn about victims just BECAUSE they are Christian. Wow, who does THAT sound like huh?

[Farmmaa]

There's probably a good reason for that. Atheists have a lot more contempt for religious people than the other way around. Not a single poster on Castanet has ever stated that Christians are the only target of persecution (though they are the target of 80% of religious persecution in the world), and yet an atheist creates a strawman anyway. Instead of pointing out directly the persecution of atheists, Christianity has to be thrown under the bus. It's like Gad Saad's 6 degrees of Noam Chomsky thinking where any event in the world can always be linked back to the US military industrial complex in 6 or fewer steps, only it's 6 degrees of atheist thinking, where the goal is to slag Christianity in 6 or fewer steps.

You sure wouldn't know it by reading the forums lately.

I don't recall ever claiming that atheists were being persecuted ? I also have not thrown Christianity under any bus for crying out loud.

I stated very simply that ISIS is targeting EVERYONE who disagrees with them....NOT mainly Christians, but everyone.

[cliffy1]

You sure wouldn't know it by reading the forums lately.

I don't recall ever claiming that atheists were being persecuted ? I also have not thrown Christianity under any bus for crying out loud.

I stated very simply that ISIS is targeting EVERYONE who disagrees with them....NOT mainly Christians, but everyone.

It does seem like the Christians on here are rather insecure in their faith. They seem to take exception to anybody expressing a different view and see such views as a personal attack. I really don't think they want to communicate except on their terms. I've given up. Maybe we should just leave them to talk to themselves. It would be less traumatic for them.
Of course there is the possibility that they will take your silence as indifference and think it is OK to badger government into passing laws that enforce their moral convictions and force everybody else to live by them. Of course they don't see it as an infringement on your rights but you opposing their attempts to impose their beliefs on you would be viewed as an infringement on their rights. It is kind of like the sound of one hand clapping, but, heaven forbid, you would want to stop them from manifest destiny (doing god's plan).

[zzontar]

^^ Cliffy, I noticed you failed to respond to my question on another atheist thread about how atheists can explain how believing in ghosts is accepted. If you don't want us to talk to ourselves perhaps responding to posts is a good first step.

[whatwhat]

^^ Cliffy, I noticed you failed to respond to my question on another atheist thread about how atheists can explain how believing in ghosts is accepted. If you don't want us to talk to ourselves perhaps responding to posts is a good first step.

The thing I think people are having a hard time remembering is what an atheist is...

a·the·ism
/ˈāTHēˌizəm/
noun
noun: atheism
disbelief or lack of belief in the existence of God or gods.

In reality, that is the only thing atheists have in common. Some might have more in common then others, but all it is is the lack of belief of a God. Some people believe in absolutely nothing, others still have faith but just don't believe in a God.

As an atheist, I do not believe in a God but I do believe in ghosts. But how can that be?? To my knowledge ghosts aren't God. So I can believe in ghosts and still be an atheist.

[Glacier]

You sure wouldn't know it by reading the forums lately.

I don't recall ever claiming that atheists were being persecuted ? I also have not thrown Christianity under any bus for crying out loud.

I stated very simply that ISIS is targeting EVERYONE who disagrees with them....NOT mainly Christians, but everyone.

You are pulling a Cenk Uygur by setting up a false premise. No one is stating that they are targeting mainly Christians. No one. Everyone agrees with you that ISIS is targeting EVERYONE that disagrees with them. Everyone. Everyone agrees with you that the Jewish population, the Christian population, the Yazidi population, etc. have crashed in the Middle East because they are ALL being targeted. I would go as far as to assert that pretty much everyone, whether Christian, Jew, or atheist, agrees that Jews are bigger targets than Christians by ISIS, Boko Haram, etc., but Christians are obviously big targets as well.

[zzontar]

As an atheist, I do not believe in a God but I do believe in ghosts. But how can that be?? To my knowledge ghosts aren't God. So I can believe in ghosts and still be an atheist.

What proof do you have that ghosts exist?

[whatwhat]

What proof do you have that ghosts exist?

Well I personally have experiences with what I could only explain as ghosts. And it also falls in line with what I believe life is, and what happens after death.

I realize you are trying to play the whole "what proof do you have that God exists" card, and I don't really see why. I understand you probably get that question a lot, but it is not a question I ask people who believe in God. I feel everyone has a right to their own beliefs.

The fact is, you asked a question about how atheist's could believe in ghosts and I answered. Just because one does not believe in a God, doesn't mean they are forever void of believing in anything.

[zzontar]

Well I personally have experiences with what I could only explain as ghosts. And it also falls in line with what I believe life is, and what happens after death.

I realize you are trying to play the whole "what proof do you have that God exists" card, and I don't really see why. I understand you probably get that question a lot, but it is not a question I ask people who believe in God. I feel everyone has a right to their own beliefs.

The fact is, you asked a question about how atheist's could believe in ghosts and I answered. Just because one does not believe in a God, doesn't mean they are forever void of believing in anything.

I figure if atheists can have experiences with ghosts even though there is no proof they exist nor even a theory of how they came to be, it would seem childless to find fault in someone who has experiences with "God."

[whatwhat]

I figure if atheists can have experiences with ghosts even though there is no proof they exist nor even a theory of how they came to be, it would seem childless to find fault in someone who has experiences with "God."

You seem to be forgetting that everyone is different and holds different beliefs. I find no fault in your belief with God, but for some reason you think I do just because I am an atheist.

Why do you feel the need to generalize all atheists under the same umbrella?

EDIT TO ADD: Yes, some atheists believe in ghosts, and I am sure a long list of other things. Because the only thing atheists have in common is they don't believe in a God. Doesn't mean they can not believe in other things. I am sure some atheists will find faults in my belief of ghosts, and that is fine. But thinking all atheists find faults in every belief (including in God) is extremely ignorant.

[OREZ]

Well I personally have experiences with what I could only explain as ghosts. And it also falls in line with what I believe life is, and what happens after death.

I realize you are trying to play the whole "what proof do you have that God exists" card, and I don't really see why. I understand you probably get that question a lot, but it is not a question I ask people who believe in God. I feel everyone has a right to their own beliefs.

The fact is, you asked a question about how atheist's could believe in ghosts and I answered. Just because one does not believe in a God, doesn't mean they are forever void of believing in anything.

I agree with you to some degree but you must realize that you are in the minority among atheists therefore asking how you could believe in "ghosts" without any proof and yet completely reject the idea of God is a reasonable question in my opinion.

It begs the question, do you in fact completely reject the possibility of the existence of God? And if so, why? I know you stated earlier that atheism is nothing more than a lack of belief in God but to be honest, to a lot of people it often seems to be more of an assertion that God doesn't exist. In other words, a belief that God does not exist.

(Forgive me if you're already answered this question, I haven't read the entire thread)