The Faith of Atheism

[ro901]

Nope

Haha, is it because you know your "evidence" is weak?

Let me put on my Christian hat here for a sec to see why you could possibly think this home video has ANYTHING to do with a god.  You're obviously using it as some kind of weird analogy; the angry, pessimistic grandpa is the "militant atheist" and the belief in Santa is like the belief in god.  Uh, sorry, just because you can "read into things" in a fantastical way doesn't mean that is actually what's going on here.

The only other thing I - as a Christian - could delude myself into thinking is an example of "god" is when the kid's dad turned to him and stroked him on the cheek to reassure him that there IS a Santa, I mistake this act as being Jesus or "the HAND of god" like you said.  Later in the video you see the dad reach out and reassure his son again, this time with a tattoo of a snake visible on his forearm.  The first time we see the dad reassure the kid there is no tattoo visible...OMG, it's god!

In reality, folks, you are missing the part of the story as to WHY the tattoo wasn't visible...it's because you only saw 2 inches of his forearm in the camera (him being the one recording and having to hold the camera with his other hand and all).  Guess what, if you pause later in the video it is easy to compare how there is a few inches of difference from where the dad's hand is and the tattoo starts, completely confirming that it was the dad who reached out and stroked his son's cheek (not to mention he had the same voice when he spoke to his son as always!).

Perhaps I am just bonkers with my guessing where the god was in all of this, but I really can't see what else you could have meant.  The fact that you won't even share your discovery is rather odd.

My answer was given to you in my OP.

[ro901]

Nope

Haha, is it because you know your "evidence" is weak?

Let me put on my Christian hat here for a sec to see why you could possibly think this home video has ANYTHING to do with a god.  You're obviously using it as some kind of weird analogy; the angry, pessimistic grandpa is the "militant atheist" and the belief in Santa is like the belief in god.  Uh, sorry, just because you can "read into things" in a fantastical way doesn't mean that is actually what's going on here.

The only other thing I - as a Christian - could delude myself into thinking is an example of "god" is when the kid's dad turned to him and stroked him on the cheek to reassure him that there IS a Santa, I mistake this act as being Jesus or "the HAND of god" like you said.  Later in the video you see the dad reach out and reassure his son again, this time with a tattoo of a snake visible on his forearm.  The first time we see the dad reassure the kid there is no tattoo visible...OMG, it's god!

In reality, folks, you are missing the part of the story as to WHY the tattoo wasn't visible...it's because you only saw 2 inches of his forearm in the camera (him being the one recording and having to hold the camera with his other hand and all).  Guess what, if you pause later in the video it is easy to compare how there is a few inches of difference from where the dad's hand is and the tattoo starts, completely confirming that it was the dad who reached out and stroked his son's cheek (not to mention he had the same voice when he spoke to his son as always!).

Perhaps I am just bonkers with my guessing where the god was in all of this, but I really can't see what else you could have meant.  The fact that you won't even share your discovery is rather odd.

My answer was given to you in my OP.

And beyond that, I will not go into explaining as you very obviously have a whole lot more time on your hands than I do.

[queenofnines]

And beyond that, I will not go into explaining as you very obviously have a whole lot more time on your hands than I do.

Because "God is Love" and love exists, therefore god exists?  Hehe.  Do you not think atheist/secular parents can love their kids?  P.S. The dad said "f*ck" a few times in this video, not exactly your perfect example of god right there.

And why the judgment call?  If a person gives a helpful, real explanation to your B.S. that means they don't have a life?  Grow up.

[jordandog]

Why is RW contradicting and playing the blind card left and right? You'd think a guy who read the bible many times would know not to fall into contradi--oh....wait...I just answered my own question.

I am fairly sure you have come to the same conclusion a couple of us have. I think most of his 'stories' are pure unadulterated   beginning with the drugs and Coast Guard. He wants to come across as the learned academic, preaching down to we lowlifes from his Ivory Tower - "I was using the usus generalis principle of hermeneutics" - please. That is really comical considering how many words he has used out of context and/or seemingly made up.  The average age at death for homosexuals is 39 - NOT. I won't bother going back through his posts to find all the other examples of double-speak or incorrect information because it's not worth the time. He may impress some, but I am after all uneducated, ignorant, and only use a very tiny part of my brain. I was good enough though to fake my way into multiple working degrees in medicine (as opposed to esoteric ones) and even talked them into giving me my Masters Degree....oh well, one of these days I might just buckle down and learn something.

Edited to remove MY mistake in this post.

[ro901]

And beyond that, I will not go into explaining as you very obviously have a whole lot more time on your hands than I do.

Because "God is Love" and love exists, therefore god exists?  Hehe.  Do you not think atheist/secular parents can love their kids?  P.S. The dad said "f*ck" a few times in this video, not exactly your perfect example of god right there.

And why the judgment call?  If a person gives a helpful, real explanation to your B.S. that means they don't have a life?  Grow up.

You really are amazing, queenie! I have never seen anyone as intent as you ...what exactly is it that you want? Are you the actual antichrist? Maybe that is what you wish to be. If so, then congratulations! You're IT!

[ro901]

God is Love. Here's a little video some of you might enjoy. Watch closely. You might see the hand of God at work. Have a lovely day.
http://sadsickworld.com/?p=561&cpage=1#comment-315

   ok, I saw the video....I thought I was watching closely but I missed seeing the hand of God at work (I'm being serious), I really do not want to re-watch it, and all that yelling really upset my cat who came to me for comfort.  Please, can you explain what I missed? 

Of course, the obvious is an old angry man who is sick of buying Santa probably for as long as the little boys have been alive. Beyond that are parents who are trying to give their children a happy childhood (oh Queenie will jump on this for sure)_ yEs...we all know the truth about Santa....but there is nothing wrong with the childhood joy of Santa...let's just put that aside before Queen opens another big can of worms here.....
Look....do you not see forgiveness? Do you not see the love of God reaching out to the young child while at the same time not attacking his own father who is hurting his children? Do you not see love beyond all the misery and hurt here? This is a real family..it is not a made up story and it is one that is played out in many homes all the time. Faith is something that we all need in our lives every waking moment. It takes faith to step out of bed each day, to go out the door and into traffic, to work, to live. Yes, Faith, in something you cannot prove to exist. Some people I guess can live without faith. Therefore, they do not need God.

[Falconer02]

It takes faith to step out of bed each day, to go out the door and into traffic, to work, to live. Yes, Faith, in something you cannot prove to exist. Some people I guess can live without faith. Therefore, they do not need God.

It's called guts. *bleep*. Bravery. It's called exploring. Not knowing what's out there. These traits tantalize us to do these things. Faith seems just for the superstitious mindsets that believe an entity is watching over them to help them not be scared and get through these things. A crutch.

[jordandog]

SherylsShado,
I stand corrected on the word, it must have been another one because you showed me that.

[queenofnines]

but there is nothing wrong with the childhood joy of Santa...let's just put that aside before Queen opens another big can of worms here.....

Wow, that's a fast assumption if I ever saw one.  Did you not read the key phrase "ruining the kids' fun" that I stated in my original response?  I don't currently have kids nor do I celebrate Christmas, but if I did have kids, I wouldn't be so completely heartless as to not allow them to partake in forms of holiday joy.  While I probably wouldn't lie to them about Santa, I don't look down on parents who do because it is actually a good way to develop their critical thinking skills...an exercise that might actually work against religious parents later in life when it comes to Jesus.  

Look....do you not see forgiveness? Do you not see the love of God reaching out to the young child while at the same time not attacking his own father who is hurting his children? Do you not see love beyond all the misery and hurt here?

I think the father reacted appropriately given the very clear fact that if HE had become just as angry as his dad, it would have frightened the small children who look up to their dad with trust.  ANYONE who actually cares for their children would have acted in a similar way.  Not all families are straight from the set of Jerry Springer!  

In any event, the dad was not a complete saint, though; at the very end he joked about getting his dad a gun for Christmas...not exactly something one should be joking about considering his own father's attitude.

[jordandog]

ro901,
Sorry, but I am not seeing what you are either. It makes no difference at all as to whether or not I believe in God, the video was loud and 'trashy'. Someone mentioned Jerry Springer and I can definitely see this being acted out on there. I don't know how to take this that you said:

"This is a real family..it is not a made up story"

Are you saying this was NOT done with rehearsing it? If you are, that is crazy because it is so amateur and if it IS unrehearsed, it borders on out and out abusive if you ask me. I don't disagree that their are things like this that happen everyday, but if this is reinforcement for why we should believe in God, it's missed the mark - completely.  Just my opinion.

[liljp617]

haha are people still seriously giving the time of day to a guy who states there's nothing morally wrong with owning human beings?

forgive my "blasphemy," but jesus christ, please stop trolling

[rwdeese]

RW: Atheism is a feel good religion too.

You just can't get past this can you lol?  Again, what you're saying is NOT collecting stamps is a hobby and baldness is a hairstyle.

You are correct. I cannot get over the strong faith of atheists.

[rwdeese]

2. Atheism is a feel good religion too.

You just can't get past this can you lol?  Again, what you're saying is NOT collecting stamps is a hobby and baldness is a hairstyle.

Define religion please.

Here's a relatively decent definition, feel free to elaborate on it if you have a more complete definition:

Religion (from Latin religio, "reverence for the gods", "piety", possibly related to religare, "to bind"[1]) is the belief in and worship of a god or gods, or more in general a set of beliefs explaining the existence of and giving meaning to the universe, usually involving devotional and ritual observances, and often containing a moral code governing the conduct of human affairs.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Religion

So let's go down the list shall we...

Atheism:

Reverence for god(s) -- Nope, obvious

Belief in and worship of a god(s) -- Nope, precisely the lack there of

Explains the existence of and gives meaning to the universe -- Nope, atheism makes no claims on such subjects, because atheism entails and requires no beliefs; it requires nothing more than the lack of belief in deities.

Devotional and ritual observances -- Nope, I'm unaware of any such observances that are done "in the name of atheism" or "for atheism;" I certainly don't take part in anything "in the name of atheism" and I've been around my fair share of atheists who I don't recall participating either

Moral code -- Nope, atheism is not a moral code.  You'll find many atheists claim themselves to be secular humanists...that's a moral code.  Atheism?  Not at all, it was never meant to be.

We could continue with some other generic aspects...

Dogma -- Nope, the only requirement to be an atheist is that you lack belief in deities.  If the lack of belief in something is dogma, we have some issues to deal with.

Faith -- Nope, faith is only required when an individual makes a positive claim about some entity or occurrence without evidence to back the claim; atheism makes no positive claims about any entity or occurrence, an atheist claims he/she lacks belief in deities; the belief is non-present

Often includes some sacred narrative, be it written or oral -- Obvious nope, there is no book of atheism; no, The God Delusion is not a "book of atheism"

Focuses on an "ultimate truth" -- Nope, you cannot begin to generalize what all atheists believe on the ultimate truth of the universe, because atheism entails no beliefs

This is boring now.  There's really no point in discussing anything with you until you can grasp the ridiculously easy point that atheism is purely the absence of religious belief in regards to deities.  The absence of belief cannot be belief.  The absence of belief requires no faith, it is not a belief.

If you study the term religion, it has a great variety of definitions. Even the Supreme Court has concluded that atheism is a religion. Sorry about your bad luck!

[rwdeese]

Good video with pretty pictures about FAITH, since the word has been abused so much in this thread: http://www.youtube.com/user/FFreeThinker#p/u/175/VWGbmNzb7fE

Please define the true definition of faith. This, I must see. Anyone can take pot shots!

[rwdeese]

RW,
In your listing of risky homosexual activities I find #6 to be interesting:

6. It is a strange coincidence that how so many medical problems are caused by violating simple Bible passages, don't you think?

Why do I say this? You seem to be addressing only homosexual practices here as far as the bible. For centuries, long before advanced medical sciences existed as we have today, people living then knew the basics of illness. Not eating flesh of cloven hooved animals - they knew then of the existence and correlation between pork and tapeworms, yes? Not eating the flesh of any animal found dead or torn by birds/beasts - the decaying process provides a host of parasites, yes? Not eating unclean fowl ie carrion birds, but those which eat berries are clean - carrion consume dead flesh/parasites, yes? Not eating animals that "scurry along the ground" ie order rodentia - they also eat any decaying/decayed matter, yes?

There are many other instances warning of forbidden things and I have obviously NOT cited exact passages, but surely you can see this was based upon the observation of a correlation between these things and disease, epidemics, and death.

I didn't bring up homosexuality. I am merely responding to the troll indtroduction of the subject. Atheists like to bring up the controversial topics in order to convince others that what the Bible says mujst be wrong.