'Mommy, why are atheists dim-witted?'

Jerusalem Post ^ | 12-18-06 | JONATHAN ROSENBLUM

[HuntsvilleTxVeteran]

Son, don't be an atheist!
They get no holidays.

BENNY HILL

[TaraP]

I am amazed how much atheism is growing around the world..
Many say they are fed up with organized religion, but denying GOD out of exsistence is pure travesty for the human race...

[muawiyah]

Dawkins is funny.

Southpark definitely nailed him to the wall in "Cartman In The 23rd Century".

[Varda]

"Imagine someone holding forth on biology whose only knowledge of the subject is the British Book of Birds, and you have a rough idea of what it feels like to read Richard Dawkins on theology."

LOL!

[absolootezer0]

Son, don't be an atheist! They get no holidays.

Yes they do, April 1st.
Psalm 14:1 Only fools say in their hearts,“There is no God.”

[Alouette]

"It's not enough to not believe in G-D. You also have to be a d**k to everyone who doesn't think like you.

FRmail me to be added or removed from this Judaic/pro-Israel/Russian Jewry ping list.

Warning! This is a high-volume ping list.

[ShadowAce]

I am amazed how much atheism is growing around the world..

Why? The Bible tells us that it would be this way.

[TaraP]

That's true...Things are definetly coming to a head...

[westmichman]

Apparently, God also created atheists, agnostics, and idiots.

[Junior]

Many say they are fed up with organized religion, but denying GOD out of exsistence is pure travesty for the human race...

Maybe they've seen the vociferously religious at work and it turned them off...

[LiteKeeper]

read later

[<1/1,000,000th%]

Atheism is an organized religion.

[bray]

Fundamentalist Atheists are perhaps the most obnoxious yet defensive group on the planet.

Pray for W and Our Troops

[TaraP]

Organized how?

I was on a yahoo religion web-site and someone asked this question.
Do you believe in GOD and where are you from?

50 people identified themselves from the UK and only 3 said they believe in GOD.

[Jack Black]

Atheism is an organized religion.

No, it's not. It's a philosophical position, like pre-tribulation rapture, or belief in reincarnation. It may be that there is some subset of atheists who are organized into an association, but they are a small minority. There is nothing comparible to the Catholic Chruch or the the Mormon Church that has millions (hundreds of millions) of dues paying members. Atheists do not get together with other atheists to celebrate atheism every Sunday.

[-YYZ-]

"It's not enough to not believe in G-D. You also have to be a d**k to everyone who doesn't think like you."

Unfortunately, the if you remove the word "not" from this sentence, it describes a lot of religious people.

I don't pretend to understand the nature of life, the universe, and everything. I don't find conventional religions convincing, so I don't follow any of them, but I also don't look down on those who do have faith. I'd like to think I'd get the same level of respect from them.

[wideawake]

Atheists do not get together with other atheists to celebrate atheism every Sunday.

Indeed. They wait until May Day.

[RussP]

Like many evolutionists, Dawkins can twist any behavior or phenomenon to conform with Darwinian evolution.

You might be interested in a review I wrote of Dawkins' book The Blind Watchmaker at http://RussP.us/Dawkins.htm

[Rembrandt_fan]

According to the article, evolutionary theory "...flounders on widespread altruistic impulses that have always characterized humans in all places and times. Nor can it explain why some men act as heroes even though by doing so they risk their own lives and therefore their capacity to reproduce, or why societies should idealize altruism and heroism...The traditional Darwinian answer is that altruism is but an illusion, or a veneer of civilization imposed upon our real natures."

While no longer a devout atheist, I do subscribe to evolutionary theory and don't think, based on Darwin's own foreword to the first edition of 'Origin of Species', that his theory was ever meant as a counterargument to the existence of God. That cranks like Dawkins do so neither supports nor detracts from the validity of Darwin's ideas.

And about the 'altruism' argument; that is, that altruism and selfless sacrifice argue against evolution. That particular argument against Darwinian theory is a feeble weapon with which do discredit it, the intellectual equivalent of a rubber knife or a toy gun. While no one can (currently) determine with absolute certainty the evolutionary benefits of altruistic behavior or selfless sacrifice, it is also true--particularly among herd and pack mammals--that young males protect members of the herd, particularly females and the young, from predators regardless if those young males have sired any of the young. The evolutionary rationale driving such behavior is evident, at least to me. Community--the pack, the herd, the tribe--is genetically advantageous.

It might turn out Darwin was wrong, but if so, let his ideas be disproven based on traditional means of empirical reasoning and observation, not emotive, either/or appeals to one's religious sensibilities.