Religion

[Contractoid]

His show was effectively banned in the Republic of Ireland and he received death threats from the IRA in the 1970's.

Something that seems a world away from the present day Republic of Ireland.

Maybe Islam needs to move into the 21st century to?

The hatred exists because they secretly know that all the things said by Dawkins, Hitchens, Hicks, Stanhope and so on are true and they haven't got the balls to admit it, instead they kill people as a kind of "ner to you lot"

[d000hg]

The hatred exists because they secretly know that all the things said by Dawkins, Hitchens, Hicks, Stanhope and so on are true and they haven't got the balls to admit it, instead they kill people as a kind of "ner to you lot"

You really are a prize fool. Claiming their beliefs are deluded is one thing, claiming nobody really believes them brings a whole new level of closed-mindedness to religion

[NotAllThere]

The hatred exists because they secretly know that all the things said by Dawkins, Hitchens, Hicks, Stanhope and so on are true and they haven't got the balls to admit it, instead they kill people as a kind of "ner to you lot"

I don't hate Dawkins, Hitchens, Hicks nor Stanhope, and so presumably don't have to know that they're telling the truth.

[xoggoth]

claiming nobody really believes them brings a whole new level of closed-mindedness to religion

Indeed but seems a common idea trotted out recently. Saw some article in online paper that the Paris attackers "had no religion" Even dafter than "Islamic terrorism is nothing to do with Islam"

[EternalOptimist]

Indeed but seems a common idea trotted out recently. Saw some article in online paper that the Paris attackers "had no religion" Even dafter than "Islamic terrorism is nothing to do with Islam"

Take a fruit loop who believes in Islam and you have an Islamic fruit-loop. Take an atheist who is a fruit-loop and you have a non-believing fruit-loop.
Take a nice person who is a Christian and you get a nice Christian. and so on

some of the most 'orrible people I ever met were devout Christians, some of the nicest were. The belief changes nothing

[scooterscot]

Some of the nicest people I've met were also the most humble.

The species now boasts a knowledge that grows beyond anything even the most intelligent could have hoped for 50 years ago. Opening all sorts of possibilities to the imagination as our knowledge of the universe grows and grows, with this a fool could realise how unimportant we are in the scheme of things. In light of this religion comes under increasing pressure to enter the history books. It's the ultimate human narcissism that needs to be put to bed once and for all.

[NotAllThere]

Take a fruit loop who believes in Islam and you have an Islamic fruit-loop. Take an atheist who is a fruit-loop and you have a non-believing fruit-loop....

But, playing SpontaneousOrder's advocate for a moment, the instance of fruit-loopery might be higher among the religious than the non-religious, and so religion is a bad thing.

[SpontaneousOrder]

But, playing SpontaneousOrder's advocate for a moment, the instance of fruit-loopery might be higher among the religious than the non-religious, and so religion is a bad thing.

I'd say that religion is bad because it is the negation of the source of all potential good. Obviously there are lots of other ways (assuming one agrees with the first) that source is negated too - and obviously some negation doesn't mean no good at all.

[SpontaneousOrder]

The spagetti thing makes me smile, because it is an obviously pisspoor argument, and yet paraded with such glee down the pub by those who have just decided to be atheists, and clearly think they are onto real philosophical dynmite. FFS. Probably we all believe, or not, as a result of life experience, but it tickles our vanity to believe we can prove or disprove something which we clearly can't, especially if we can do it loudly and in front of others.

All people are doing by citing the spaghetti monster is trying to prompt you to explain why you believe in God without evidence, but not other things without evidence. And if you're of a specific religion, then why your religion and not another?

If you answer that you have experienced something that makes you believe in that God specifically, then that's a fine response (altho people will think you're imagining it).

The spaghetti monster isn't a silly argument - it's just the same old, and perfectly valid, reductio ad absurdum that we all use all of the time. They are trying to get you to understand that "why?" is a very important question, which typically has no answer.

[unixman]

Then there are the Catholics who believe that babies who die before being baptised will spend eternity in purgatory. Nice people.

I am not sure that was ever the official Catholic position. It certainly hasn't been for the last 50 years.