The Lonely Athiest, seeking support and companionship

The Scum Sucking Vermin delegation is offended at being compared to humans and their different belief systems.

Well, gee... If they wanted respect from the rest of us, mebbe they shouldn't hold to a belief system that is inherently disrespectful to the beliefs of others.

That being the case, don't you ever see the humor in the fact you are decrying other people for not considering wide enough possibilities when you yourself happened to end up in a religion that is among the largest and most mainstream?

Shared information could be anything. Maybe how to deal with disapointed family, problems that have been faced? Even discussing how to find meaning in life when that which you derived it from previously is no longer there?

How on Earth is being atheist inherantly disrepectful to the beliefs of others?

I do, but I think it's based on false preconceptions, namely that I haven't explored my own faith (I have) or the supposed uniformity of Catholicism.

If people can so easily have that false preconception about you, then is it not quite possible that your ideas of how much "most people" have thought about their own beliefs could also be mistaken?

The same way any other absolutist belief system is inherently disrespectful to the beliefs of others.

Nothing disrespectful about it.

If I had a Muslim or Jewish friend coming over for dinner and served up pork knowing they could not eat it, that would be disrespectful.

Simply holding different beliefs however is not at all disrespectful by any sane usage of the word.

If we did accept your definition though then you would be guilty of as much disrespect as any of those people you condemn.

What do you mean by "absolutist" in this context, and how is athiesm any more absolutist than any other belief?

I'm not atheist, I was just siding with the rats who's names were being dragged through the mud and couldn't defend themselves.

no one got the joke. oh so serious about their respect.

It's inherently disrespectful. Atheism, being absolutist, makes the statement that what nonatheists believe can't be true, so atheists are essentially making the sweeping generalization that the beliefs of non-atheists are bullshit.

Absolute rubbish, of course. Strong athiesm makes this statement. Weak athiesm does not.
And in any event, it's no different to the statement made by anyone holding religious views with "absolute" faith, which I suspect is much more common.

The idea is that a believer believes in God because of faith. He has no proof, no scientific evidence, nothing. Just faith.

Atheists have what? Faith? That would just make them another religion. Proof? I doubt that....you can't 'prove' anything about the spiritual world.

I see the point Henry is trying to make reading 'strong' and 'weak' atheism, but wouldn't 'weak' atheism make you more an agnostic than an atheist?

I think that's the problem. "Agnostic" is the more common label for what they're referring to, at least in the US.

I go to the extreme when I'm trolling/aggravated with idjits.

Agnosticism is distinct from athiesm and asserts that questions about the existence of God are unanswerable. The label is often used incorrectly.

None of which excuses Bear's attacks against athiests of any sort. Strong athiesm is a very attractive position IMO.

Agnosticism is the only 'non-God' belief that I actually think has a point.

How do you justify being a strong atheist? Its like someone being a fundamental believer. I think they're annoying both ways, considering that both of them probably have a hard time questioning their belief. Since that is all atheism 'can' be....a belief. Just like any other religious belief.

So tell us about your experiences walking around under the sign of the pentacle.

I dated a wiccan in the 80's in Salt Lake City. She grew up mormon. Her mom was stripper. She worked in a plastic surgeon's office as the receptionist. He kept offering her freebees but she didn't need any. sigh... those were the days.

No, the majority of atheists are in fact scum sucking vermin. Take yourself, Dan, and the Flashlight as prime examples.

Judging from the answers they give: no.

Strong athiesm is justified on the grounds that the very concept of a God is logically incoherent. I would say that I'm a strong athiest with respect to the Christian God and many of his religious competitiors, and merely a weak athiest toward the more general suggestion of a "creator", such skepticism being the default position toward any speculative notion that lacks strong evidence.

She joined the air force wanting to get involved with their esp program. They locked her up and she had to have her congressmen intervene to get her a section 8. This was before we dated.

My personal example? None. But I do know people who've had their business trashed over the issue, and I know a number of formerly open Pagans who were terminated from employment because they were out with it.

How does one be "out with it"? Besides this would violate their civil rights; a lawyer would take their case pro bono I'd think.

Explain your reasoning.

Ah, okay.....makes more sense.

I was thinking you were a strong atheist towards any concept of a creator/God/etc.

The Mormons locked her up?

Was she part of the fundamental LDS church?

If you don't have faith that there is no God, what DO you have?

And your comparison between Santa Claus/tooth fairy....and God is laughable at best.