Post your tough questions for an Atheist/Agnostic.

That is only a theory. and your quantum foam are still tiny particles of mass that could not spontaneously generate from nothing.

Facts are much better, like 1 +1 = 2. Because there is no way to reproduce this even in the empty space our solar system as it travels through the Universe influenced by many other factors.

It is almost as silly as those who believe a complex basic cell (with DNA, mitochondria, cell walls, etc.) just came together eventually from simple compounds mixing in the atmosphere.

 

Morality and Ethical actions are an individual belief and subject to variation. For myself however the guidelines are simple.

Cause no harm to others.

 

Well said, thank you.

 

If atheists don't want to come to the big party in the sky, they don't have to..
Jesus said- "The kingdom of heaven is like a king who prepared a wedding banquet for his son...he told his servants- go out and invite to the banquet anyone you find" (Matt 22:2)
Jesus said at the last supper- "I tell you, I will not drink wine from now on until that day when I drink it anew with you in my Father's kingdom." (Matt 26:29)

PS- Atheist Christopher Hitchens when asked by readers of The Independent (London) what he considered to be the "axis of evil", Hitchens replied "Christianity, Judaism, Islam.."
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christopher_Hitchens

But try as I might, I can't understand which bit of this he thinks is "evil"?-
"Love one another, feed the hungry, house the homeless, clothe the destitute, tend the sick, visit the prisoners, look after the poor"- Jesus of Nazareth (Mark 12:30, John 13:34, Matt 25:37-40)

 

I prefer to say it as...

Cause minimal harm to others.

 

And you are telling me this because...?

Indeed, yet a moot point as I do not agree with all his views. IMO he was too aggressive in his opposition to religion which just furthered the angry atheist stereotype. I prefer Bill Nye's debates with theists as he is much more respectful in his opposition. There are also sects of Christianity that I have a profound respect for such as The Salvation Army and their tireless effort to help the downtrodden.

If all Christians practiced the loving and kind parts of the Bible then us non religious would have no cause to take issue with the rampant hypocrisy inherent within organized religion.

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What is the accepted minimum of harm allowed from your perspective?

 

1- As this is the 'Ask an atheist/agnostic a tough question' thread I just wondered why you don't want to come to that big party in the sky?
2- Not only the Salvation Army do good stuff, plenty of ordinary Christians do it too!
3- Sure, there are phoney so-called "christians" around but don't worry, they can't get under the radar-
Jesus said- "Not all who call me "Lord,Lord" will enter the kingdom of heaven. Then I'll tell them plainly, I never knew you, get away from me" (Matt 7:21-23)
What a pity if you've let the bad apples put you off Jesus..

 

Interesting question!

I would say that it is situational and that it is going to be at least partly subjective.

 

Because I have seen no evidence that would lead me to believe that it exists.

I agree.

Yet anecdotally they are a large minority if not the majority from my perspective. I see no difference between atheists and theists in a moral sense as there are good and bad in both groups.

In the end what put me off Jesus are the fantastical claims that cannot be verified to my satisfaction.

 

I would tend to agree. To me, the boundary that separates action from immoral action is harm. Without a harm being committed I find it hard if not impossible to attach a negative moral judgment against harmless action. This is one reason why I reject religion as it tends to judge harmless action as immoral. There are exceptions to the rule such as surgery when one needs to be caused pain and suffering in order to save a life or increase quality of life.

 

Technically Jesus was an alien with awesome powers who came to clue us in about things-
"I am not of this world ....though you do not believe me, believe the miracles.....i'll tell you things hidden since the creation of the world" (John 8:23,John 10:38,Matt 13:35)
so wouldn't it be a bit unscientific and illogical of us not to listen to an alien visitor?
Hey Spock will you listen to him?

"Affirmative, I'm all ears"..

 

As I said, we don't know what the properties of "Nothing" are. On the size scale did you know that a speck of dust is halfway between the size of an atom and the size of the Earth? There's countless reductions in size of elemental particles between a hydrogen atom and quantum foam, which still might not constitute the real "Nothing". What we do know as a basic fact is that everything happens once balls of celestial hydrogen form and go nuclear. That is irrefutable.

 

The evidence that I have seen supports the Bible being written by fallible humans, not an alien God.

 

According to the Babylonian Talmud Tractate Shabbath Folio 116a the New Testament books were written by fallible humans (Christians) and should be destroyed. It seems to be OK with the Old Testament.
http://www.halakhah.com/shabbath/shabbath_116.html

"The scholars asked: The blank spaces of a Scroll of the Law, may we rescue them from fire or not? — Come and hear: If a Scroll of the Law is decayed, if eighty-five letters can be gathered therein, such as the section 'and it came to pass when the ark set forward,' we must save it; if not, we may not save it. But why so? conclude [that it may be saved] on account of its blank space?9 That which is decayed is different.10 Come and hear: If a Scroll of the Law is effaced, if eighty-five letters can be gathered therein, such as the section, 'and it came to pass when the ark set forward,' we must save it; if not, we may not save it. But why so: conclude [that we must save it] on account of its blank space?11 — As for the place of the writing, I have no doubt, for when it was sanctified it was on account of the writing, [and] when its writing goes its sanctity goes (too]. My problem is only in respect of [the blank spaces] above and below, between the sections, between the columns, [and] at the beginning and the end of the Scroll. Yet conclude [that it must be saved] on that account?12 — It may mean [there] that one had cut off [the blank spaces] and thrown them away.
Come and hear: The blank spaces above and below, between the sections, between the columns, at the beginning and at the end of the Scroll, defile one's hands.13 — It may be that [when they are] together with the Scroll of the Law they are different.14 Come and hear: The blank spaces15 and the Books of the Minim16 may not be saved from a fire, but they must be burnt in their place, they and the Divine Names occurring in them. Now surely it means the blank portions of a Scroll of the Law? No: the blank spaces in the Books of Minim. Seeing that we may not save the Books of Minim themselves, need their blank spaces be stated? — This is its meaning: And the Books of Minim are like blank spaces.

It was stated in the text: The blank spaces and the Books of the Minim, we may not save them from a fire. R. Jose said: On weekdays one must cut out the Divine Names which they contain, hide them,17 and burn the rest. R. Tarfon said: May I bury my son if I would not burn them together with their Divine Names if they came to my hand. For even if one pursued me18 to slay me, or a snake pursued me to bite me, I would enter a heathen Temple [for refuge], but not the houses of these [people], for the latter know (of God] yet deny [Him], whereas the former are ignorant and deny [Him], and of them the Writ saith, and behind the doors and the posts hast thou set up thy memorial.19 "

NOTE: The numbers refer to the following footnotes:


9. And since we do not reason thus, it follows that the margin may not be saved.
10. For the parchment of the margins too is perished. The question is where the parchment is quite sound, but the writing is effaced.
11. Which is now the entire Scroll.
12. Even if the place of the writing is no longer sacred, if the margins must be saved, the entire Scroll must be saved ipso facto.
13. Cf. supra 14a. This proves that they have the same sacred character as the rest of the Scroll.
14. The writing there being sound.
15. Jast. s.v. [H] translates, the gospels, though observing that here it is understood as blanks. V. Herford, R.T., 'Christianity in the Talmud', p. 155 n.
16. Sectarians. The term denotes various kinds of Jewish sectarians, such as the Sadducces, Samaritans, Judeo-Christians, etc., according to the date of the passage in which the term is used. The reference here is probably to the last-named. V. J.E., art. Min; Bacher in REJ. XXXVIII, 38. Rashi translates: Hebrew Bibles written by men in the service of idolatry.
17. v. p. 429, n. 5.
18. Lit., 'him' — he meant himself but used the third person owing to a reluctance to speak even hypothetically of evil befalling himself.
19. Isa. LVII, 8; they know of the true God, but have rejected Him, thrusting Him out of sight, as it were.

Of course it's safe to say that not one word of it was written by any deity of any kind. According to the biblical fairy tale God created everything in 6 plus days. So why did it take him 40 days and 40 nights to write words on two stone tablets that Moses broke in a snit? Remember, it took God a total of 80 days and 80 nights to write two sets of portable stone tablets that Moses could lug around. God must have gotten an union job after he made the Universe.

 

Jesus's 37 miracles blew their socks off, they couldn't doubt the evidence of their own eyes..
If we regard the Bible as a fascinating chronicle of human encounters with offworld beings spanning thousands of years it deserves a place on the bookshelf of every open-minded truthseeker-
"The truth is not for all men, but only for those who seek it" (Ayn Rand 1905-82)
Jesus said:- "Everyone on the side of truth listens to me” (John 18:37)
"..no lie comes from the truth" (Bible:1 John 2:21)

We don't know where Jesus came from-
Jesus said- "I know where I came from and where I am going, but you have no idea where I come from or where I am going....you are of this world, I am not of this world.." (John 8:14/ 8:23/10:38/Matt 13:35)
And there are a lot of alien civilisations out there so take your pick-

 

Firstly it will be full of people I wouldn't want to party with.
Secondly I wont be invited apparently.
Finally....there wont be a party in the first place.

 

Not all christians are dickheads, the difference is that I know it and you don't, and you've let the bad ones control you into disliking Jesus! If they're getting a party invite, I swear to God I don't want to go..
"Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves." (Matt 7:15-20)
"For such men are false apostles, deceitful workmen, masquerading as apostles of Christ" (2 Cor 11:13/14)
"False prophets will bring damnable heresies and false teachers" (2 Peter 2:1)

None of us has to go to church or be baptised or any of that razzmatazz if we don't want to; Jesus wants MATES, nothing more..
"You're my friends if you follow me. I don't call you servants, but I call you friends"- (John 15:15)


So if you're his chum you'll get an invite..
Question for you and all atheists/agnostics/nonchristians- Do you like Jesus?
If not, what exactly is it about him that you don't like?

 

Actually I have friends and family who are Christian and do not consider them to be "dickheads", I do not dislike Jesus but simply do not accept he was the son of a God entity and most who do tend to be unpleasant people because of my lack of belief. Thus do I dismiss them from true friendship and try to avoid them when possible.

 

Jesus said he was the Son of God but you say he wasn't, so who shall we believe, you or him? Hmm that's a toughie..
As for avoiding unpleasant people, good for you, I do it all the time and literally cross the street to avoid them, including some so-called "christians" who I want to steer clear of!
Cue backup quotes-
"He who walks with the wise grows wise, but a companion of fools suffers harm" (Provs 13:20)
"Bad company corrupts good character" (1 Cor 15:33)
"If you hang around with losers, you become a loser"- Donald Trump

In fairness to the losers, they dislike me as much as I dislike them, for example a "Reverend Eric Potts" once said to me on a debating board- "You disgust me".
But it turned out he wasn't a real clergyman at all, just a jumped-up 'Assistant Methodist Minister', my guess is that he's the caretaker of their local meeting hall and they bestowed that lofty title on him to keep him sweet so he'll carry on slopping out their latrines..

 

Thing is....I simply do not care.

 

Wise? Is it wise to accept the words of someone who may not have existed, and if he did, what we are told he claimed about himself without any evidence. Written by people who, in the main, we don't know?
Bad company depends on your poinnt of view.
Donald Trump is a loser. He may have become President elect of the US by his rhetoric, but his history in business is one of a loser. How he fooled so many people is beyond my understanding? His businesses are up to their neck in debts. Still his fiscal policies will help them.

.

Even Jesus washed his disciples feet. What makes you more important than an 'Assistant Methodist Minister'?

 

But mate, where's your scientific curiosity?
For example his 37 miracles came in all sorts of shapes and sizes and it's fascinating to analyse them individually; it's as if he was a 'Master of the Art of Dream Manipulation', bending this dream we call "reality" to perform what looked like miracles to people.
Furthermore he said we could do it too if we had the knack, it's a "superscience" that we don't yet understand ..
Cue Start Trek TOS episode "Where No Man has Gone Before" as crewman Mitchell gets enormous powers-

[video=youtube;2xeEDtF0bbE]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2xeEDtF0bbE[/video]

 

[video=youtube;EzVxsYzXI_Y]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EzVxsYzXI_Y[/video]

My scientific inquiry has taken place for decades and led me to the place I am. The miracles you keep spouting are either explained away or proven fabrications.

 

1- Billionnaire Brit businessman Lord Alan Sugar once said "Only about 60 per cent of my business ventures succeed, but that's good enough!", so no doubt Don agrees and he still has enough pennies left to buy toys like these, huh, some "loser"..-


2- Whose side are you on mate, mine or the Assistant Methodist Minister who said I disgust him?
Er...are you a Methodist by any chance?..

 

Prove it..
Can David Blaine can bring dead bodies to life?
PS- I'm a scientist myself, in the 1960's I got College of Preceptors exam passes in General Science and Advanced Science and went on to work in labs, so naturally the "superscience" demonstrated by Jesus intrigues me, and literally thousands of people saw him strutting his stuff, or were they all lying or hallucinating or what?..