Outing a Christer

Kierkegaard is the correct spelling, and yes, reading him will tip anyone over the edge, of something.

Thank you Mr. Wilkins, and yes, if Chris of Mixing Memory is now a Christian, then I DO think he is now an idiot...about religion. To reiterate my thoughts on idiot vs. non-idiot: Anyone believing in ghosts, demons, gods or God, is, ipso facto, an idiot. Someone professing a belief in the supernatural, is believing in something that can not be seen, or proven to exist. It is a position that can be backed up only with belief in the supernatural.

IMO, this cycle of belief, and feedback loop is encouraged by others also believing in the same subset of beliefs (Moslem, Christian, etc). A person with a belief in religion, can be an otherwise normal contributing member of society, but in the religious arena can hold totally irrational beliefs, and act on them as if they are rational, leading to all sorts of irrational behavior, such as going door-to-door wearing white shirts and black ties, stoning adulterers, and donating money to a very wealthy high-profile preacher.

Idiots, yes. Please keep in mind however, is that there are actually some Christers I do get along with, despite their religious idiocy... like my wife and kids!

HTH, and thanks for the shout-out!

but in the religious arena can hold totally irrational beliefs, and act on them as if they are rational, leading to all sorts of irrational behavior, such as going door-to-door wearing white shirts and black ties,

have you seen the John Safran vs. the Mormons video yet?

J-Dog, an irrational belief is a belief held in the fact of contrary evidence. But there is a lot of evidence, both anectdotal and scientific, for the survival of consciousness after death. I cover some of it on my blog, as well as much additional research bearing on the question of the nature of consciousness. The problem is that many materialists are not willing to question their own assumptions about reality, but very quick to point the finger at others as being "idiots".

For them, materialism is a religion and a belief system, not so very different from dogmatic Christianity. There are even aggressive evangelists for the cause like Richard Dawkins and Sam Harris, whose zealousness and proselytizing behavior is remarkably similar to what we see from people like Billy Graham and Jerry Falwell.

I like Rupert Sheldrake's formulation of the proper attitude needed to foster discovery and discover the facts:

"I am skeptical of people who believe they know what is possible and what is not. This belief leads to dogmatism, and to the dismissal of ideas and evidence that do not fit in. Genuine skepticism involves an attitude of open-minded enquiry into what we do not understand, and this is the approach I try to follow."

Until that attitude is seen as relevant and inculcated within one's own mind, staggeringly large lacunae in one's world-view will lie unnoticed, concealing the actual nature of reality within.

Mustafa - No, I have not seen the video, but I will view your link- thanks - but I put the "white shirt and black tie" comment in because of all the post about it recently. It seemed fitting somehow. Or, maybe I was inspired to do it by The Big Juju In The Sky?

Happy Thanksgiving to all. From a Type 2 Atheist, and darned proud of it.

Type 2?

Type 2 = "thinks religious people are idiots, thinks that supporting good science education requires the eradication of religion from human society."

In contrast to Type 1 = "sees no need to invoke God for any personal reason, sees no evidence for God, and as such does not believe that there is a god or gods; but doesn't have a problem with those who believe in God as long as they aren't fighting good science with things like creationism"

-Rob

Idiots, yes. Please keep in mind however, is that there are actually some Christers I do get along with, despite their religious idiocy... like my wife and kids!

Dawkins thinks that teaching your kids religion is child abuse....

What do people think about a parent who goes around saying in public that his kids are idiots? Any opinions out there?

-Rob

What do people think about a parent who goes around saying in public that his kids are idiots? Any opinions out there?

i know parents whose children are of a different political party than they, and the parents believe the children are 'idiots,' or vice versa. they still love each other, but they simply can't comprehend the other. i think one can be harshly critical and still get along. it is a matter of degree, extent and context.

I have to say that believing someone is an idiot because he or she is a theist is, well, idiotic. First of all, "evidence" doesn't exist in a vacuum. It's open to interpretation, and the interpretation you arrive at is largely dependent on your starting premises. You might be surprised to learn that a lot of theists believe that there is a great deal of empirical evidence for the existence of God. Furthermore, there are a lot of really strong theological arguments for the existence of God (and for adopting the premises that lead to interpretations of the evidence that favor the existence of God).

Speaking of abuse, is someone going to take a strap to Matthew?

i just page down :) did he say something abusive???

Only in the sense that it makes me want to abuse him. :D

If your consciousness survives after you die, doesn't that imply that your brain doesn't do anything?