click here for link

1. Yeah, you CAN do terrible things in the name of either, but the fact is that one side has a far far far far far higher body count and tendency to do things that are terrible in the name of their beliefs, in part because of the nature of their beliefs.

2. Yep.

3. NJ town cuts police force and then tries to pray crime down. I kid you not... this went on. In some ways this one is true, yes... but not universally so, and the differences seem to come most often from religious prohibitions.

4.yes

5. And yet the atheist point of view is.. with few exceptions... that we should all have the right to our own beliefs and that no religion should be forced on anyone.. much less any lack thereof. The religious views of some are repugnant to me because they seek to do actual harm to others and to compel others to follow their religious laws.

6. yes

7. yes

8. The negative aspects of religion are what those who do not believe actually oppose.

9. Yes... but one side brings far more negative things to the table... and that same side is the one that seeks to use government to further its own agendas and force its beliefs on others through law.

10. True... but, then... religion has a far longer and bloody record of trying.

I say all this because quite simply I don't need or have to agree with the religious on anything outside of the idea that everyone is free to have their own beliefs and that others should not be forced by law to follow the religious or moral rules of anyone else.

sigh...

Well, you aren't likely to get too much agreement on wholesale tolerance and respect coming from those who don't believe as long as there are still the numerous voters, activists, and politicians in the mainstream trying to take away our rights because their god tells them to. Its a nice, rosy sentiment that the two groups are starting from basically equal footing as far as doing good and evil, but its simply not the case. Religion has oppressed people who disagreed with it for millenia and it still tries to do so today. If anything we are all just lucky not to live in an age or location where theocracies can torture and murder us for simply not believing in their particular god.

Great article

tom. your faith at times seems very superficial. 3 is not even close to being true and 9 is highly questionable. other than that, they're all very generic comparisons that could be applied to most polarized viewpoints.

Originally posted by: crunkmoose

Well, you aren't likely to get too much agreement on wholesale tolerance and respect coming from those who don't believe as long as there are still the numerous voters, activists, and politicians in the mainstream trying to take away our rights because their god tells them to. Its a nice, rosy sentiment that the two groups are starting from basically equal footing as far as doing good and evil, but its simply not the case. Religion has oppressed people who disagreed with it for millenia and it still tries to do so today. If anything we are all just lucky not to live in an age or location where theocracies can torture and murder us for simply not believing in their particular god.

Yeah, this side of the argument trumps the cracked article Pam from reception posts in a chain email.

superficial, eh...
right.

huh

8. Focusing on Negative Examples Makes You Stupid

Face palm at that logic when applied to anything ever. Anyway, when most people talk about bible thumpers and jesus freaks, they're (well, at least I know I am) talking about evangelical Christians, not the god damn Phelps. There's SO many Jesus Camp people in the US who think Harry Potter, gays, rock and roll and working women are the devil's work. Morons (I meant Mormons but that was a funny typo) are also thrown into that mix.

im still surprised from your last thread that Cracked still exists

and that its being used in reference to a "great article" lmao

EDIT - nevermind, not worth the trouble.

great thread

Originally posted by: xAJexDELAWAREx

EDIT - nevermind, not worth the trouble.

aj said he hates krishna....i seent it.