How about if we think of the creationist (Christian) view vs. evolutionist (Atheist) view this way?
If Christians are wrong then meh, they die and nothing happens like the rest of us.

Or they're right and we're all kicking ourselves and end up in hell.

So basically no one has the last laugh or the Christians (or other religion) have the last laugh.

So it should be said that Atheism is a religion in the sense that we're believing that there is no God. We have no proof to say there isn't, same that they have no real proof to say there is.
(wehttamman via B3ta for microwave, Tue 6 Apr 2010, 12:16, 5 replies)

ATHEISM IS A RELIGION IN THE SAME WAY THAT MY HOBBY IS NOT COLLECTING STAMPS
Also: extraordinary claims require extraordinary proof
( emvee cruor deo cruoris, Tue 6 Apr 2010, 12:21, closed)

can I join your religion?
I don't collect stamps either.
( Bartleby A dead man on vacation, Tue 6 Apr 2010, 12:21, closed)

That sounds great
We can not meet every Sunday
( emvee cruor deo cruoris, Tue 6 Apr 2010, 12:22, closed)

Who can we hate?
every religion seems to hate somebody.

Can we hate coin collectors?
( Bartleby A dead man on vacation, Tue 6 Apr 2010, 12:28, closed)

Train spotters.
(says the bird spotter / Roman reenactor...)
( Colonel Boris "...a desperate Buzzfeed imitation...", Tue 6 Apr 2010, 12:31, closed)

fuck extraordinary.
claims require proof. Make a hypothesis. produce evidence to back that up and you have a theory. this is how it works.

This is also why claiming either ID or creationism as a theory can just be laughed at, because if you don't even understand what the word means, then you're going to struggle generally.
( the mighty badger Aphrodite, on a bar stool, by your side, Tue 6 Apr 2010, 12:25, closed)

^ this.
Fucking fundies.

Try this if you feel like laughing at a few.
www.fstdt.com/QuoteArchives.aspx?Archive=1
( Colonel Boris "...a desperate Buzzfeed imitation...", Tue 6 Apr 2010, 12:29, closed)

Oh I love the Obama with the glowing eyes picture...

(theremin put the lotion in the basket on, Tue 6 Apr 2010, 14:32, closed)

I don't think its very Christian to have the last laugh.
They should turn the other cheek and let the atheists kick them up the bum.

Christ told them so.
( Bartleby A dead man on vacation, Tue 6 Apr 2010, 12:21, closed)

that's not how it works.
a belief system requires that there be no proof. You can't believe in something you know exists. I don't believe in the absence of something as an atheist. Rather, I see no need to believe in the presence of something. It's a massive and I'm afraid rather simple distinction. See: Pastafarianism, which is a pisstake but happens to rather cover this. Or Russell's Teapot, if you want a more general explanation.

I can't even begin to start with how wrong you are about tolerating Creationism because we tolerate religion. Educating children rubbish rather than the closest we have to the truth right now would be a good start, though.
( the mighty badger Aphrodite, on a bar stool, by your side, Tue 6 Apr 2010, 12:22, closed)

You've basically stated 'Pascal's Wager' there.
The consequences of believing and being wrong are minimal.
The consequences of not believing and being wrong could be eternal and possibly quite unpleasant.

Therefore, the rational thing to do is to believe in god.

But there's all sorts of problems with this argument, the major one being that it privileges the christian god over others, and there's no more evidence to suggest that 'god' (as in Jehovah or whatever) exists than there is to say that Quetzalcoatl (the feathered serpent god of the Mayans) exists. Maybe Quetzalcoatl doesn't care if we believe or not, and it's ok to be an atheist...
(theremin put the lotion in the basket on, Tue 6 Apr 2010, 14:27, closed)

Not all Christians are creationist.
In fact, it's something of a minority view, and far more modern than you'd think.
( Moon Girl Technologies horrendous beanbag, Tue 6 Apr 2010, 18:59, closed)