Bolshevik

I'm sure the roles will be reversed within a few generations. Religion will become a minority. You used the term "bad behavior" and "good person". Did you read the article about the Japanese culture where suicide was considered a duty? http://www.arthwollipot.com/articles/scien...moralrelativism "Good" and "bad" are arbitrary. No, no god needed. "psychological problems" are an opinion. "natural instincts and feelings" -sounds genetic, so what's natural to you won't be the same for everyone.

waitress? . . . waitress? . . . Could you please send a slice of humble pie to that table over there? Yes. The table where Manny sits. . . .Oh, and could you please write with whipped cream over the top, "RUN!! RUN!!! RUN YOU SON OF . . . "

Why do you keep bringing God back up? Is your point that there is a common reference for all people (other than a god or religion)? Is your reference "do no harm", why did you choose it? Did it choose you?

yes humanity can learn from experiences and predict consequences. "good" and "bad" imply some reference point. If it is so easy to figure out "good" and "bad", then that implies there's a relatively easy know reference point. What would that be?

How would one define "constructive" behavior? How can one be misguided if there is no destination? Why would one pointless endeavor be worse than another? Atheists are so aggressive to show the downsides of religion, but what do they have to offer that's any better?

this may be relevant: http://www.arthwollipot.com/articles/scien...moralrelativism who is pushing their views on you? Jehovah's witnesses? twi? 95% of people I run into don't want to talk about religion or Jesus, and if they do, in a very superficial sense. to me atheism is this: you will cease to exist any minute, if you don't get caught before you die, you win. morals, love, and loyalty may be part of a social structure but they are to be played, not followed, to the best of your ability. I want to know why should I think otherwise?

Perhaps you could talk about atheism then? (and not just the downsides a shortcomings and whatnot of religion) How do you deal with knowing that at any second you will cease to exist, and some day forgetten forever? How do you view concepts of love, "good", and "evil"?

Dice-K cares. He stared off into space for an hour or more while reporters waited for a response. He was upset. I'll support him for that. He wants to change. I don't know that gagne gives a hoot.

perhaps you'll appreciate this guy. I'm sure we all experienced this in twi. http://www.arthwollipot.com/articles/scien...ion/gullibility

Yes, I don't think Dawkins speaks for all atheists, but he seems to want to. I'm sure there's a whole spectrum of atheistic views. and is determined largely by your genetics. It didn't always exist. And it won't always exist.and no, I don't consider atheists vulcans. but I see books like "Good without God", which I do plan to read. It sounds silly. It sounds like religion reincarnated under an atheistic label. "good" and "evil" are arbitrary. In some species, mothers eat their young as soon as they are born. It is considered good for the species, because the weak are culled out. what matters in evolution is that traits, genetic and non-genetic, are passed on. If a species can reproduce w/o the need for love, it could become a "diluted" trait. If it gives members a disadvantage in the future they could be eliminated. An Aldous Huxley kind of scenario. I think you could think up a loveless supernatural being. My question is about athesim, not theism. In considering atheism, all I see is atheists attacking theism. Is that all atheism is?

I believe it was announced that cops can pull people over for speeding on those roads.

did anyone else not buy his statement about not knowing that many atheist feel anger toward their parents/church/situation? He acted like he never thought of it. Maybe he hadn't. I dunno. Maybe I just see another forehead behind a podium. What about those verses he brought up? Like the one where the father killed and cooked his daughter? Is that what the bible really says? I know what twi taught, but do other churches teach differently?

I saw a video on the subject where Dawkins put some kind of helmet on to try and trigger a "religous experience". Maybe you've seen it, I forget what it was called. How do you view love and label something as good or evil or right or wrong? a religious person might see the universe as a result of love. The universe was made because God wanted someone to love. All things follow from that. an atheist, I would think in general, would see love as a product of evolution. The universe just simply came into being, and only recently, within the past 200 million years, love developed because it gave some species in the animal kingom, or just some vertabrates, a reproductive/survival advantage. Humans have just inherited this trait. I would also assume love would one day, possibly, become a vestigial trait. Much like our jerky response when sleep, which some believe is due to a survival response we've inherited. (our ancestors slept in trees, so those who didn't fall out had a better chance of reproducing, thus the sudden awakenings) yes?

Don't know what you mean. Dawkins connects religious folks' "experiences" with their genetic make-up. Some have it, some don't. Those who don't tend to be persecuted and even eliminated. Thus the majority of the human population is religious, (because of their biology). Concepts like love and loyalty can be connected to some evolutionary advantage for a species. They were advantageous for the human species for a time. That doesn't mean they always will be. If the supernatural is an illusion, why not our sense of free will, love, humanity etc. Why can't they be delusions too?

I didn't think an atheist don't or can't love. Wasn't the question. An atheist can hate too. What is it? Do we just think we have free will/ability to love? Motherhood love is just part of genetic "programming". Love of country could just be an emphasis to part of the group (like any herding or pack animal). Animals appear to love, and kill for fun. It's like defining good and evil. Love is just a word.

gagne stinks.

My professor told me 100 years ago it was harder to get into high school than it is to graduate high school today.

that's interesting Roy, how do atheists view love?

I pay my taxes b/c I fear the possibility of going to jail if I don't.

they should have said, "ignoring air-resistance and assuming constant acc., what is the velocity at t=9 sec" because time = 10 sec, one sig-fig. How do they know it took 10.0000000 seconds to drop? plus yes, you don't know exactly how far off g is from 9.81, so using one sig fig is the correct thing to do, therefore g must =10. It's not an oversimplification. it's sig figs. Although I think simplicity may have been the intent.

if it weren't an eighth grade test, I'd say they were trying to catch those over thinking the problem. i.e. How do we know if the object stopped when it hit the water or not? If it stopped the velocity is zero if the g=9.8, zero if g = 10, zero if g=156,748.

during training I was told not just to use my physical 5 senses, but my spiritual 5 senses on the job. I was told that these senses would strengthen as I used them. smell with your spirit see with your spirit taste with your spirit feel with your spirit hear with your spirit I wasn't hired to work, but to use the manifestations of the spirit. with these new powers I was able to fend off Vader, and destroy the Death Star. . .

I will be watching football and drinking beer. Then, I will be watching baseball and drinking beer. Then, I will be watching football and drinking beer.

the photos are from the spring blossom concert 2006. The theme was country, so the guys wore those things (whatever they are) the person who "designed" them was not around when vpw was.

I spoke with a Brewers fan today. He was talking to his colleague, a Cubs fan. To him he said, "Hey, your team is down 0-2, but don't worry, the Yankees lost."