Do Atheists truly desire a completly Godless society?

[Sensitive Blake Griffin]

Your trolling is getting old

 

[Dusty Bake Activate]

HIphoplives4eva has a split personality. On the one hand, he is a mild mannered reasonable podcast host and on the other hand, he is an irrational trolling b*stard.

Yeah, that shyt is weird. He's like two entirely different people on the podcast and when he posts. On the podcast he is relaxed, reasonable, polite, articulate and open to other viewpoints. On the board, he's this perpetually angry, irrational, bull-headed, homophobic liberal-hating trolling douchebag.

Dude is getting shytted on in this thread. All I need is one link to annihilate his premise. Creighton University (a Catholic school) did an over a decade-long study of industrialized states and societies both intranationally and internationally and concluded that the religious ones have higher rates of demonic activity: crime, violence, STDs, abortion, suicide, and teen pregnancy.

(DV) Salisbury: Religion May Be Dangerous to Our Health

The Roman Catholic Jesuit Creighton University, Omaha, Nebraska, in its Journal of Religion and Society recently published a report by social scientist Gregory Paul. The report is entitled �Cross-National Correlations of Quantifiable Societal Health with Popular Religiosity and Secularism in the Prosperous Democracies.�

The study contradicts a commonly held belief that religion is necessary to provide the moral and ethical foundations of a healthy society. Belief in and worship of God are not only unnecessary for a healthy society, but may actually contribute to social problems.

Mr. Paul�s report is based on a decade long, cross-national collaboration on social science surveys of 38 nations and 23,000 interviews. The study assessed such issues as societal health and dysfunction, measuring rates of homicide, youth suicide, sexually transmitted disease, teen pregnancy, and abortion data. This data was analyzed relative to the nations that had the highest rates of absolute belief in God as creator, attendance at religious services, frequency of prayer, and Biblical literalism.

The report concludes, �The populations of secular democracies are clearly able to govern themselves and maintain societal cohesion. Indeed, the data demonstrates that only the more secular, pro-evolution democracies have, for the first time in history, come closest to achieving practical �cultures of life� that feature low rates of lethal crime, juvenile-adult mortality, sex related dysfunction, and even abortion. The least theistic secular developing democracies such as Japan, France, and Scandinavia have been most successful in these regards.�

In general, higher rates of belief in and worship of a creator correlate with higher rates of homicide, juvenile and early adult mortality, STD infection rates, teen pregnancy and abortion in the prosperous democracies. Rates of gonorrhea in adolescents in the US were up to 300 times higher than in less theistic pro-evolution secular democracies. The US also suffered from �uniquely high� adolescent and adult syphilis infection rates, and adolescent abortion rates.

The report is confirmed by US experience. Those states with the highest degree of religiosity (red states) have markedly worse rates of societal dysfunction as measured by rates of homicide, STD, youth pregnancy, divorce and spousal abuse. Those states with the lowest levels of religiosity (blue states) have the lowest measures of societal dysfunction. Northeastern states in the US duplicate the European results in both lower religiosity and lower societal dysfunction.

The report states, �The non-religious, pro-evolution democracies contradict the dictum that a society cannot enjoy good conditions unless most citizens ardently believe in a moral creator�. The widely held fear that a Godless citizenry must experience societal disaster is therefore refuted.� In contrast, �The United States is almost always the most dysfunctional of the developing democracies, sometimes spectacularly so.�

Though Mr. Paul does not state the reasons for the disparity, a strong possibility is that secular education teaches problem solving with an emphasis on credible evidence, rational thought, and continual re-evaluation. Whereas, religious faith-based problem solving is inherently non-rational, utilizing fabricated evidence as a basis for absolute, irrefutable once-and-for-all conclusions, which often leads to irrational destructive actions.

It must be remembered that correlation is not causation. It could be that high levels of social dysfunction fuel religiosity rather the other way around. Regardless of what motivates religiosity, we must face the fact that religion, especially fundamentalism (whether Muslim or Christian) can be very dangerous to society. In spite of the overwhelming evidence, America�s highly vocal religion lobby will propagandize with blood and tears for its premier myth of religion�s societal benefits.

Lee Salisbury is a former evangelical preacher, founder of the Critical Thinking Club of Minnesota, and writes for AxisofLogic - Activism News and Comments and www.dissendentvoice.org.

 

[Gallo]

As an atheist, I love religion and religious people. The cultures, the myths, the allegory, the architecture, the music, the fashion, the philosophy, the rituals etc.

I do have a problem with religions or aspects of religions that can become an impediment to liberal civil society. Extremist Islam being the main culprit. In due to time imo, Islam will become completely house broken. It took Christianity a long time, now their adherents are merely an occasional nuisance. No more "witch burnings" and inquisitions, now we just have proselytizing crazy Christians on the street corner or idiot anti-evolutionists. I don't mind that as long as they keep giving us the Whitney Houstons, Sistine Chapels and Habitats for Humanities/Save The Children's. We can get Islam to that point where their radical individuals are merely a nuisance as well. But it will take some time.

 

[DANKTHRONE]

I like it was Socrates over 2000 years ago that gives us the Euthyphro problem (which destroys the idea the morality comes from God) but **** like "morality cannot exist without a God" is still trotted out.

 

[Sensitive Blake Griffin]

As an atheist, I love religion and religious people. The cultures, the allegory, the fashion, the philosophy, the rituals etc.

Religion to me nowadays is a completely foreign thing, something I look upon as a very strange thing. Especially when you come across an evangelical, its just like its equally as crazy to me if someone said that they practiced magic or something.

 

[BlackDiBiase]

I didnt read the threads premises, fact remains that Atheist seem to just love to tell everybody why denouncing God to live the exact same life as religious or non-religious people makes them a supreme being (which is funny)

It is your culture that shapes you. If you're raised in a religious environment or not its about the culture/ways of the society. Atheist should have learned whats respectful to say, and regardless your little 2 cents opinions are not going to change shyt. Claiming 'I am an Atheist' like its a religion or a term to be proud of.

+ using war, ira bombings, etc and islamic countries as a reason to disrespect millions of people is foolish, most Islamic lands you cant even talk to a mans wife, like i stated its about the culture of the society.

you nikkas aint smart, you just talk with way too much anger.

 

[Sensitive Blake Griffin]

I didnt read the threads premises, fact remains that Atheist seem to just love to tell everybody why denouncing God to live the exact same life as religious or non-religious makes them a supreme being (which is funny)

It is your culture that shapes you. If you're are raised in a religious environment and not its about the culture/ways of the society. Atheist should have learned whats respectful to say, and regardless your little 2 cents opinions are going to change shyt.

Thats the thing... religious folks and atheists/agnostics literally live in two different realities. Our perception of life and the thoughts we have as we venture through the world are completely different.

 

[Dusty Bake Activate]

I didnt read the threads premises, fact remains that Atheist seem to just love to tell everybody why denouncing God to live the exact same life as religious or non-religious makes them a supreme being (which is funny)

It is your culture that shapes you. If you're are raised in a religious environment and not its about the culture/ways of the society. Atheist should have learned whats respectful to say, and regardless your little 2 cents opinions are going to change shyt.

This is such whiny bullshyt whenever religious folks say stuff like this. The overwhelming majority of society is religious and we're bombarded with religious messages everyday. You can't even turn on ESPN First Take without hearing and proselytizing about God.

But whenever a nonreligious person shares their views, it's they're being disrespectful and need to shut up. Atheists have as much of a right to share their views as anyone else. The problem is a most religious folks are offended by the very existence of their views, and there's nothing they can say to express themselves without religious folks telling them they're being offensive.

 

[the cac mamba]

You deserve to give these people respect for them being good men not their faith, but you cant disrespect them because they have faith in whatever religion.

So when an atheist goes blabbing his mouth about his views no one asked for just no you are disrespecting people present and past, so leave that shyt alone ... you dont care for God/Gods cool but know you cant go around shytting on people because they happen to carry their lives with faith.

why not? they go around shytting on me because 'i will burn in hell since i dont accept their god as my savior". that is the rationale with which they live their lives, and thats how they look at me. so i ask you again, why do their faiths deserve my respect

 

[the cac mamba]

I didnt read the threads premises, fact remains that Atheist seem to just love to tell everybody why denouncing God to live the exact same life as religious or non-religious people makes them a supreme being (which is funny)

It is your culture that shapes you. If you're raised in a religious environment or not its about the culture/ways of the society. Atheist should have learned whats respectful to say, and regardless your little 2 cents opinions are not going to change shyt. Claiming 'I am an Atheist' like its a religion or a term to be proud of.

+ using war, ira bombings, etc and islamic countries as a reason to disrespect millions of people is foolish, most Islamic lands you cant even talk to a mans wife, like i stated its about the culture of the society.

you nikkas aint smart, you just talk with way too much anger.

it is religious people who have made atheism into something like a religion. any atheist would tell u that there is a huge difference between actively believing in something, and rejecting a belief

 

[Gallo]

Religion to me nowadays is a completely foreign thing, something I look upon as a very strange thing. Especially when you come across an evangelical, its just like its equally as crazy to me if someone said that they practiced magic or something.

Their adherents are a different story. I agree they can be nuisance and weird - I said as much. But I love religion the way I might love Norse mythology or Marvel comics. That's why as atheists, you and I are in prime position to truly enjoy religion. They have to believe what they read, we don't. So we can appreciate it for what it is, good literary fiction. The Genesis, Moses and rapture stories isn't good fiction to you? Those stories are the height of Roman and pre-Roman literary imagination and creativity. If you don't appreciate religion, you don't appreciate human imagination and creativity. Again, their followers are a different story.

 

[Sensitive Blake Griffin]

Their adherents are a different story, I agree they can be nuisance and weird - I said as much. But I love religion the way I love Norse mythology or Marvel comics. That's why as an atheist, you and I are in prime position to truly enjoy religion. They have to believe what they read, we don't. So we can appreciate it for what it is, good literary fiction. The Genesis and rapture stories isn't good fiction to you? Those stories are the height of Roman and pre-Roman human literary imagination and creativity. If you don't appreciate religion, you don't appreciate human imagination and creativity. Again, their followers are a different story.

Meh, I really never found the bible or its ridiculous stories interesting. I guess I could see how you could but I'd rather read some genius shyt like the Watchmen or Game of Thrones if I'm looking for great fiction. I do find the old Roman/greek mythologies interesting though.

 

[zerozero]

Meh, I really never found the bible or its ridiculous stories interesting. I guess I could see how you could but I'd rather read some genius shyt like the Watchmen or Game of Thrones if I'm looking for great fiction. I do find the old Roman/greek mythologies interesting though.

Game of Thrones?? you wouldn't be writing the way you're writing right now if it weren't for the KJV

 

[Sensitive Blake Griffin]

Game of Thrones?? you wouldn't be writing the way you're writing right now if it weren't for the KJV

What are you talking about? What the fukk does the bible have to do with game of thrones. Game of thrones is a fukking classic you st0rmfr0nt fakkit

 

[zerozero]

What are you talking about? What the fukk does the bible have to do with game of thrones. Game of thrones is a fukking classic you st0rmfr0nt fakkit

sometimes I just have to marvel at the jaw-dropping stupidity I encounter in here. YOU made a post comparing the Bible to these lightweight fantasy novels. Goddamn! You can't be talking in english and be dismissing the bible's relevance to your cultural mooring, like you can't be talking in english and dismissing shakespeare or milton. That's just absolute basics.