Bikky

You sure about that? Hating or blaming something that doesn't exist seems rather futile, doesn't it? You can't be an atheist if you hate god/gods - defies logic.

... and happy solstice (for our pagan members).

An atheist asking, "Why does god allow African babies to die of AIDS?", doesn't mean he believes in god. They are usually presenting evidence of his/her/its non-existence and it should be seen as such.

Omit the word "spelling". XXXX is just a mistake!

I prefer beer. XXX isn't so bad when it's not too explicit.

An expert taster spits - not swallows and avoids getting blind in the first place. Have to admit, after a rigorous "tasting session" I can't read the labels either!

[quote=If the Theory of Evolution had been proved would it not be called a Law rather than a Theory? Are you OK with the Theories of Relativity? or are they not really true and just theories? Hit the nail on the head Don! Seems to be an inconvenient truth or perhaps ignorance when some refuse to acknowledge that a theory is just that - a theory. The theory of evolution included. This particular theory will evolve, be adapted or be discarded one day as we discover more. You can't effectively believe in a theory. You can only accept it as being valid or not. Believe in universal laws. They're absolute, infinite and inarguable. They transcend anything someone can tell you. For me, religion and belief in a deity/deities are firmly in the realm of hypothesis - one step lower than a theory. When we hypothesize, we are imagining a situation.

I saw a bottle of Jacob's Creek in the fine wines section of a high class supermarket here in Belo Horizonte. I thought it was a little out of place. It's drinkable but a fine wine ...? Thought about buying it for old time's sake. I miss Australian wine. One look at the price had me laughing! R$55.00! It stayed on the shelf and I opted for a Chilean red which happened to be half the price and better!

你们 是 本 但 但是 我 非 唐 同名. 我们 所 外国 花 很 多, 老 半 便 不 高 新! Are you this, but the same name, but I am not Don. We spend a lot of foreign countries, it is not the old semi-tech! WTF?!

Kijk uit! Ik kan ook Nederlands spreken. Eu posso falar português também. Now your it!

Do you mind? I've just had breakfast!

Your quiet good at grammer I see.

Mum and Dad were trying to console Susie whose dog, Skipper, had just died. "You know," Mum said, "it's not so bad. Skipper's probably up in Heaven right now, having a great time with God." Susie stopped crying and asked, "What would God want with a dead dog?"

http://public.wsu.edu/~broosien/VirusEvolution.html http://viralzone.expasy.org/all_by_species/4136.html http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3094976/

A sinner died and found himself in heaven. He said to Peter, "I don't understand! I've done so many things wrong in my life. You name it. Adultery, theft, blasphemy, murder ... and here I am in heaven. Why?" Peter replied, "Look, down on Earth, people are fond of rules. Here, there are no rules. Remember? God made everyone equal and he doesn't discriminate. Man invented sin." The sinner was amazed and relieved. Something strange caught his eye and he asked, "Peter, why are those women beating themselves with sticks?!" Peter replied, "Oh, ignore them. They're virgins!" ...and which god would that be?

We obviously can't fathom how incredibly complex the universe is, but do we need to ascribe the "design" to a higher being than ourselves? I couldn't design it, therefore, it must have been someone better than me ... god exists! Does an incredible design need a designer? It does if you're human because that's how we think. Many of us have a tendency for anthropomorphism, so we call the designer god (whichever flavour you like). Doesn't really help us understand what's going on but makes some of us feel better about things we don't understand. I wonder if dolphins believe in a giant dolphin god in the sky. But of course, they don't think do they? Nor do they have souls. I read it in a book somewhere so it must be true.

"Thank god! That was close ...", annoys the bejesus out of me. What's worse is when people see someone less fortunate than themselves and have the nerve to say, "There, but for the grace of god, go I." What are they really saying here? How are they more deserving of his/her grace than another? "Must be god's will.", is another ripper. Without doubt, the winner has to be ... "God works in mysterious ways." Another way of saying, "F%*ked if I know, but I'm going to sound mystical and intelligent here".

Just like when the extremely unlikely happens. Ever thrown something in the general direction of a rubbish bin and then watched in amazement as it hit the target? I doubt it was god in his free time having a bit of fun. More likely coincidence at work.

I see where you're coming from although I think it goes a bit further than that. There's a difference between accepting and believing. As an example, gravity exists whether we believe it or not. It's a fundamental law of nature that we must accept. Mortality is another thing that nature demonstrates clearly for us on a daily basis. If we want more than nature/life offers, then we can fervently believe in something someone told us in the hope that this might be true and that we are above nature. The chosen ones, so to speak. We humans at the top of the pyramid as opposed to we humans being a part of it all. I wonder if the dinosaurs had gods. You're speaking for who here TP? I don't hate anyone's belief. I might find it silly, amusing or unfounded, but hate is a strong word. Rejection is not hate. What I do feel disdain for, are the things that people do in the name of their chosen god.

On their way to get married, a young Catholic couple is involved in a fatal car accident. The couple found themselves sitting outside the Pearly Gates waiting for St. Peter to process them into Heaven. While waiting, they began to wonder: Could they possibly get married in Heaven? When St. Peter showed up, they asked him. St. Peter said, "I don't know. This is the first time anyone has asked. Let me go find out,'" and he left. The couple sat and waited, and waited. Two months passed and the couple were still waiting. While waiting, they began to wonder what would happen if it didn't work out; could you get a divorce in heaven? After yet another month, St. Peter finally returned, looking somewhat bedraggled. "Yes," he informed the couple, "You can get married in Heaven." "Great!" said the couple, "But we were just wondering, what if things don't work out? Could we also get a divorce in Heaven?" St. Peter, red-faced with anger, slammed his clipboard onto the ground. "What's wrong?" asked the frightened couple. "OH, COME ON!," St. Peter shouted, "It took me three months to find a priest up here! Do you have any idea how long it'll take me to find a lawyer?"

This is so true. If you can't believe in something, you can't. It's simple really. It's not a sin or a crime. It's just being true to yourself. Sure, I could turn around and say that I believe in something I don't, but that would be a lie. If I am prepared to lie to myself, where will it end?

The day a reference becomes evidence, I will believe!

I appreciate your efforts at research TP and I value your balanced comments. However, I think you might agree that there is no easier way to aggravate a believer than tell them you are atheist. In my experience, atheists spend a great deal of time defending their right to disbelieve. This has led many of us to actively rebel against belief/religion and become rather cynical. We ask for evidence and get everything but.

It's always much easier to be part of the flock. Independent thought is not encouraged by believers if it goes against whichever sacred life manual they subscribe to. I'm not going to take spiritual guidance from a book written by bronze age goat-herders that informs me that I will go to their hell if I don't repent and tell their invisible sky friend how good he is. I actually find the whole subject rather humorous! Just try to do the right thing, be good to each other and what will be, will be.

The three wise men arrived at the stable shortly after the birth. They were greeted by Joseph and Mary and were invited inside to see the baby. the first two entered with no problems, but the third, being exceptionally tall, hit his head on the door frame hard enough to bring tears to the eyes. "Jesus Christ!", he exclaimed. Joseph turned to Mary and said, "Quick write that one down. It's much better than Clive!"