tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26421185.comments2023-08-02T04:22:45.444-04:00Secular PlanetSecular Planethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14220454771007665488noreply@blogger.comBlogger319125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26421185.post-41015569753643527982022-01-12T13:40:33.894-05:002022-01-12T13:40:33.894-05:00This Article points out a Historical Fact about ho...This Article points out a Historical Fact about how it was the godless French Revolutionaries who Abolished Slavery in 1791, and not The Church. This is also not True. But here is The Quote.<br /><br />"Loconte says that it was Christians, not atheists, who led the effort against the slave trade. Perhaps he forgets that slavery was abolished in France in 1791, not by the church, but by the atheistic founders of the revolution."<br /><br />For One Thing, The Catholic Church did not make the Laws in France, so saying The Church did not Outlaw Slavery is rather Disingenuous. Of course one could say The Christian King an Christian Government didn't, but that is not the same as The Church. Even then its a Lie, as The Trinitarians, or Order Of The Most Holy Trinity, did advocate for Abolition of all Slavery, in addition to Ransoming Christian Slaves, and in 1315 King Louis X Outlawed Slavery in France. In fact, The King decreed any Slav who sat foot on French Soil was Freed.<br /><br />So its not Really true that The French Revolution abolished Slavery in France. More like the Slave race to The Colonies who had Different laws about Slavery. Even then, the Earliest cries to do so came from Christians, and The Society Of The Friends of Blacks.<br /><br />Further, The French Revolutionaries were not strictly Atheists. Some were, most were Deists Though.<br /><br /><br /><br />SKWillshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14092981017055278365noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26421185.post-45632574321324940932022-01-12T13:22:13.812-05:002022-01-12T13:22:13.812-05:00William Lloyd Garrison was Vocal in His Christian ...William Lloyd Garrison was Vocal in His Christian Beliefs, and was also Vocal in His Connection between those beliefs and Abolition. You can easily Look Him up. <br /><br />Emmerson was also not Really an Atheist. He denied Jesus was God but never denied that God Existed.<br /><br />Calling Emmerson and Garrison Atheists is simply Dishonest.<br /><br />As for Ingersol, he became a Vocal Opponent of Slavery after The Civil War ended.<br /><br />John Stewart Mill was also not a Leading Abolitionist in Britain. he was also an Agnostic, not an Atheist.<br /><br />Bentham never actually referred to Himself an Atheist. He is simply called an Atheist after His Death based on what We Think He must have believed.<br /><br />He was also not an influential figure in Abolition. He was mainly famous as an Economist in his Lifetime, and only After his Death were his Works on Civil Liberty made Influential.<br /><br />I also don;t Think lumping :Deists: with :Atjeiusts: is Honest considering that not all Deists were Thomas paine Style Anti-Christian Deists. There is also an issue with if the people ere Deists.<br /><br />Benjamin Franklin had been a eist, but he had abandoned Deism by His Kid to Late 3o;s.<br /><br />George Washington was Notoriously close about His beliefs, an One man saying he was a Deists, even if He was the Rector of the Parish Washington attended with His Family, is not enough to Prove that he was, especially since His Family disagreed with The Rector. Jefferson was not a Deist. I use to think he was but, then i seriously Read His Letters to Adams. God is Active in the World according to Jefferson.<br /><br />The Article trues too hard to Lionise Atheism as a driving force behind Abolition.<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />SKWillshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14092981017055278365noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26421185.post-28215037156829058442017-04-30T10:44:03.306-04:002017-04-30T10:44:03.306-04:00Joe Loconte, and not for the first time, commits t...Joe Loconte, and not for the first time, commits the fallacy of assuming that because Christians do something righteous, the deed itself must be inherently Christian. There are plenty of nonreligious people who perform the same types of good works that Christians do. I am not "hostile" to Christianity -- far from it. But I resent Loconte's highly disingenuous attempt to rewrite history, replete with a telltale selective use of facts.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26421185.post-52301843815577515022012-06-08T01:13:02.146-04:002012-06-08T01:13:02.146-04:00Please allow a Christian to comment, and please ta...Please allow a Christian to comment, and please take my words seriously here: The Bible says so many times that leading up to and during the End Times the Church will be a shadow of itself. It will make all Christians look horrible. I spend 6 hours plus a week on religious research, and I can tell you something:<br />- I do not go to church, it disgusts me.<br />- I do not give allegiance to the Church's mindset, it is corrupt and unscriptural to the letter.<br />- I vote for Libertarian candidates that would benefit the whole of the country, not just my Church.<br />- The last two are up the personal speculation, but I do not wander this Earth threatening people with Hell. Most Christians don't. It's a very extreme, and mind you, very cruel attitude to have towards non-Christians. These people are not centered. They are arrogant. They act as if non-Christians are unsavable. It is a horrible attitude.<br /><br />While I'm at it, let me say that I cannot STAND WBC. Cannot tolerate them. At all.<br /><br />Towards the End Times, most "Christians" will not make it past the gates, because they have chosen to worship a form of "Christianity" developed by Man, not by God and his Book.<br /><br />thank you,<br /><br />DevlinAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26421185.post-1397324148009640912012-06-08T01:12:50.583-04:002012-06-08T01:12:50.583-04:00Please allow a Christian to comment, and please ta...Please allow a Christian to comment, and please take my words seriously here: The Bible says so many times that leading up to and during the End Times the Church will be a shadow of itself. It will make all Christians look horrible. I spend 6 hours plus a week on religious research, and I can tell you something:<br />- I do not go to church, it disgusts me.<br />- I do not give allegiance to the Church's mindset, it is corrupt and unscriptural to the letter.<br />- I vote for Libertarian candidates that would benefit the whole of the country, not just my Church.<br />- The last two are up the personal speculation, but I do not wander this Earth threatening people with Hell. Most Christians don't. It's a very extreme, and mind you, very cruel attitude to have towards non-Christians. These people are not centered. They are arrogant. They act as if non-Christians are unsavable. It is a horrible attitude.<br /><br />While I'm at it, let me say that I cannot STAND WBC. Cannot tolerate them. At all.<br /><br />Towards the End Times, most "Christians" will not make it past the gates, because they have chosen to worship a form of "Christianity" developed by Man, not by God and his Book.<br /><br />thank you,<br /><br />DevlinSoarenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11982664180426344842noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26421185.post-69730150473062257522012-05-18T14:57:52.366-04:002012-05-18T14:57:52.366-04:00I started going to Mass because it is so beautiful...I started going to Mass because it is so beautiful, but when I began reading the cathechism, and it didn't touch my heart.<br /><br />Your arguments are the most intelligent I have ever read, but I would have almost rather have believed in Martin W's, but for some reason they didn't make sense to me. People tell me to cherry pick, but I never learned how.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26421185.post-56368462070576752952012-04-22T20:40:13.457-04:002012-04-22T20:40:13.457-04:00I don't believe the film portrays any sort of ...I don't believe the film portrays any sort of anti-atheistic message, in my opinion. True there are characters that mention God and the priest in the cell next to Dantes certainly is overtly religious, but Dantes' struggle to believe in a God that would allow something like this to happen to him is not meant to be taken as a Christian who becomes a revenge obsessed atheist and then repents in the end. I think it is more likely that Dantes never truly left his faith and simply turned away from it for a period, or that he simply chose only to believe in a God when it suited him. His lack of faith throughout most of the film plays a minor role in the plot and does not seem to be stereotyping atheists at all. There are many bad characters in films and the majority do not confess any beliefs in a deity. This does not make them "evil atheists"Chrisnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26421185.post-81946812389464518402012-02-27T22:57:44.136-05:002012-02-27T22:57:44.136-05:00I find myself mixed between sharp fear, the feelin...I find myself mixed between sharp fear, the feeling of being helpless and frustration.<br /><br />The fear is just as you described, i'm dreading the fact that i will just cease to exist. It's just cold and sharp fear, i get it at least twice a day or more.<br /><br />This is followed by a feeling of being so helpless to struggle against my own fate.<br />I have a hard time accepting the feeling that this was always meant to be, since the young me always believed in something more than non-existence.<br />My brain tells me that i'm destined to go into a dark void and never think or know a singel thing again, but my heart is screaming that there should have been a way to stay in existence.<br />The clashing result between my heart and brain makes me feel so helpless to help myself avoid non-existence.<br /><br />I sometimes also feel frustrated to have been born into existence in the first place, with no way to stay. I'm frustrated with the universe for doing this.<br /><br />My final conclusion in all this...<br />Universe, i give u my middle finger for doing this to me.<br />But while i'm here, i plan on having the most fun i can, all while shaking in fear of when it all ends.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26421185.post-69846104307201216012012-02-22T17:15:10.003-05:002012-02-22T17:15:10.003-05:00My current problem is not about no God but how do ...My current problem is not about no God but how do I conduct my (non-existent) conscious life aware that free will is impossible. I feel how a formere believer must.feasoghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05947102154711968921noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26421185.post-9049191349623922482012-02-12T21:22:52.662-05:002012-02-12T21:22:52.662-05:00There's GOD.There's GOD.s0l0m0nnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26421185.post-29607921135357021702012-01-02T16:21:42.447-05:002012-01-02T16:21:42.447-05:00There is nothing at all delusional to say that I a...There is nothing at all delusional to say that I am happy here and now, or that the people in my life are important to me. That my life is astoundingly small and brief doesn't mean that it's without value. Of course my life don't mean anything to the universe, but it means literally everything to me.<br /><br />It's you, not I, who are stuck in a theistic framework, thinking the non-permanence of life entails that it's meaningless and not worth living.<br /><br />Tell me one thing in my post that isn't true or I will assume your claim that I'm deluded is completely baseless.Secular Planethttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14220454771007665488noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26421185.post-85936436851440525032012-01-02T13:41:42.296-05:002012-01-02T13:41:42.296-05:00Perfect summary:
http://www.smbc-comics.com/index...Perfect summary:<br /><br />http://www.smbc-comics.com/index.php?db=comics&id=2223#comicAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26421185.post-91734899575974875672012-01-02T13:39:33.809-05:002012-01-02T13:39:33.809-05:00Of course I do? In fact, 'concept' describ...Of course I do? In fact, 'concept' describes it perfectly. It's intangible and ephemeral. I would bet any sum that your definition of 'meaning' falls squarely under a) It's an integral piece of the delusional framework you have built for yourself.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26421185.post-90754844480366939042012-01-02T13:16:56.151-05:002012-01-02T13:16:56.151-05:00Anon: Life is without meaning…
To say such a thin...<i>Anon: Life is without meaning…</i><br /><br />To say such a thing indicates that you don't even understand the concept of meaning in the first place.Secular Planethttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14220454771007665488noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26421185.post-74870785243706325912012-01-02T13:00:13.043-05:002012-01-02T13:00:13.043-05:00Life is without meaning, and I am sick of atheist ...Life is without meaning, and I am sick of atheist apologists trying to square the theists' circle. No, you don't find 'other meaning' by replacing 'God's plan' with 'your plan'. You use that bit of casuistry to delude yourself into carrying on with your head high. Life consists of two choices, and you'll notice your faith is immaterial. You either a)delude and distract yourself b)check yourself out c)struggle to choose between a and b (but this is a derivative of a)<br />That's it. Period. Now get to it.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26421185.post-76046634276634381532011-12-22T13:39:13.065-05:002011-12-22T13:39:13.065-05:00GSM: There is no larger purpose…
I never said any...GSM: <i>There is no larger purpose…</i><br /><br />I never said anything about a "larger" purpose. To say that life is not meaningful—referring to the title of your reply—is to think and speak like a theist. You're limiting yourself to a single notion of meaning, and a really terrible one at at that.Secular Planethttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14220454771007665488noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26421185.post-53423373769287710922011-12-22T13:15:46.060-05:002011-12-22T13:15:46.060-05:00No, it's not.
There is no larger purpose tha...No, it's not. <br /><br />There is no larger purpose that the evil that befalls you, me, or us serves. <br /><br />Or the good, for that matter.<br /><br />It was not meant to be. <br /><br />There is nothing higher that our lives are about, whether we think so or not.<br /><br />As folks nowadays say so tautologically, "It is what it is," and that's all that it is.<br /><br />And as for Laurance whose "here and now existence is glorious enough," we and he can hope his luck holds for a while.<br /><br />It won't forever.<br /><br />At best, there is the shipwreck of old age to look forward to.<br /><br />Or, for those who prefer it, a quiet death before things get really bad, with or without dignity.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26421185.post-43164266320765060412011-12-15T16:24:50.448-05:002011-12-15T16:24:50.448-05:00reaPlease reread this article of yours again. A l...reaPlease reread this article of yours again. A lot of your retaliatory comments on the letters are actually rather blatantly incorrect and stupidly ignorant of the points made in what you're criticizing. Why did you pen this? Is this a form of self-assurance for your elected religious beliefs? Is this how you've chosen to spend your life, hating and criticizing the proponents of what is your past? Is there anything wrong with coexisting peacefully with those who now believe differently from you? You are not going to change anyone's mind by writing such a piece; you have actually rendered my own beliefs on the subject even stronger. Now. Should I thank you for that?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26421185.post-60326028721664282322011-12-12T12:51:05.712-05:002011-12-12T12:51:05.712-05:00When I was young - late teens, twenties, I bought ...When I was young - late teens, twenties, I bought the myth that life has Meaning and Purpose, and that our quest is to discover the Meaning and Purpose of Life.<br /><br />But I was seriously depressed. Everything was postponed for me. I went to kindergarten in order to get ready for grade school, to grade school in order to be ready for high school. High school was preparation for college, and college was preparation for adult life, and adult life was once again for some purpose in the future. Everything was somewhere else, sometime else. I had no life HERE and NOW. I felt badly alienated and dislocated.<br /><br />By the time I was in my thirties I'd figured out that when something means something else, that something else is somewhere else. If there's a purpose, it's off in the future, it's not now.<br /><br />I never believed in god to begin with, or thought that this illusory meaning and purpose had anything to do with a deity. I'm glad for that. For me it was a matter of thinking it through and seeing that there was no reason to believe in any sort of meaning or purpose.<br /><br />Far from being impoverished, I find my life extraordinarily rich. Without any meaning somewhere else or any purpose in some distant future, I have this amazing Here and Now.<br /><br />Lately I've been realizing how vanishingly improbable it is that I happen to be alive at all, and conscious. But I am, and I feel such awe and respect for that fact. As Mr. Natural said, long ago, "Don't mean sheeit...", and for me this meaningless, purposeless world is far lovelier than anything created by any god.<br /><br />There's a video that brings tears to my eyes. It's appeared on several sites, and it warms my heart.<br /><br />http://io9.com/5867092/david-attenboroughs-rendition-of-its-a-wonderful-world-is-a-decidedly-excellent-way-to-start-your-week<br /><br />If this link doesn't work, google David Attenboro It's a Wonderful World for this youtube vid.<br /><br />Don't need no meaning. Don't need no purpose. Here and now exisitance is glorious enough.Laurancenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26421185.post-33625960857654082642011-12-09T15:04:14.810-05:002011-12-09T15:04:14.810-05:00Diana,
I don't know if Jay Mooney's spec...Diana, <br /><br />I don't know if Jay Mooney's specific claim about Garrison is correct or not (I thought he was Unitarian, which doesn't say much). But surely you realize a single quote doesn't define the beliefs of an individual through their lifetime?<br /><br />Nor does claiming to be a "as a lover of Jesus Christ" in the context of the quote you gave, necessarily make one a Christian (ignoring the whole sub-text of who is and isn't a true Christian). Muslims will often claim to love Jesus Christ also and even atheists have said that they like the ideals of the Jesus story. (IMHO, anyone saying this hasn't read the Bible very carefully :).<br /><br />If you quote me from my earlier years I would seem a zealot for Christ, and I was. My position changed as I learned more about the world and my view changed. Now I not only believe it's hogwash, I find little evidence to support a belief that Jesus existed even as a mere person as described in the Bible (some events ascribed to Jesus seem to describe the actions of other real people, such as Judas of Galilee).<br /><br />I really dislike these arguments about the religiosity of someone who did X because they are ultimately irrelevant. Christians do good things, Atheists do good things, Muslims do good things... even VERY BAD PEOPLE do good things. Hitler did some wonderful things for Germany, Hamas does wonderful things for many Palestinians, Saddam Hussein did some wonderful things in Iraq.<br /><br />And people who should be good, likewise do some pretty horrible things.<br /><br />This is different from saying that some people are ignored in history due to their religion (or lack thereof), that most certainly happens - on all sides.<br /><br />The question is for me in this case is, what does the Holy text of the religion itself actually say and the Bible is clearly in support of Slavery. So any person, Christian or otherwise, went against the Bible when they supported its abolition. Good for them - but IMHO, bad for Christianity.<br /><br />The failure of Jesus to say something akin to "WHAT IN GOD'S NAME ARE YOU IDIOTS DOING KEEPING SLAVES" destroys any authenticity of the Bible for me. I will not, cannot support a religion that couldn't even make this simple observation: treating other humans as property is WRONG.<br /><br />I'll let others argue about the specifics, I really don't care -- but I did want to point out a possible flaw in your historical approach to the question as being far too narrow to actually address the question.<br /><br />But I do thank you for raising the possible issue. We must strive to be accurate in our claims; especially when they are inconvenient to our argument.Dark Starhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04356850749159919331noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26421185.post-45230575336342760742011-12-09T10:28:25.821-05:002011-12-09T10:28:25.821-05:00William Lloyd Garrison, an atheist?
Seriously. ....William Lloyd Garrison, an atheist? <br /><br />Seriously. . .<br /><br />Perhaps he was anti-clerical and despised hypocrital religious leaders, but he loved Jesus.<br /><br />He said he wasn't a follower of any man--not Luther, not Calvin, nor "His Holiness the Pope." But as a "lover of his fellow-man, I ought not to shun; as a lover of Jesus Christ, and of his equalizing, republican and benevolent precepts, I rejoice to perform." Louis Ruchames, The Abolitionists: A Collection of Their Writings (New York: G.P. Putnam and Sons, 1963), 188.Diana Lesperancehttp://ladilesper.wordpress.com/noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26421185.post-65262340096780379802011-12-02T01:10:49.786-05:002011-12-02T01:10:49.786-05:00Top post
And what Shannon said in 2nd last paragr...Top post<br /><br />And what Shannon said in 2nd last paragraph.DaveMcRaehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00236295657025758519noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26421185.post-36639342822068082652011-12-01T08:00:42.334-05:002011-12-01T08:00:42.334-05:00Anon: "…I'm causing her pain…"
What...Anon: "…I'm causing her pain…"<br /><br />Whatever you do, don't ever, ever blame yourself for your sister's sadness! Her mistaken belief in the evil doctrine of hell is what's causing her pain. You should feel absolutely no guilt whatsoever for disbelieving!Secular Planethttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14220454771007665488noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26421185.post-23578116773294066472011-12-01T01:47:13.983-05:002011-12-01T01:47:13.983-05:00If anyone has any comments on how to deal with fam...If anyone has any comments on how to deal with family that truly believes you are going to hell, I'd love to hear it. I know my sister loves me very much and she's been very understanding when I told her that I'm an atheist. But a few days ago when we were having a discussion about it, she couldn't help herself and started crying because she's so scared that I'll go to hell. I got so sad when she started crying, because I'm causing her pain and I seem to not be able to help it! Advice anyone?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26421185.post-89015995628341777402011-11-16T12:24:33.975-05:002011-11-16T12:24:33.975-05:00Hey, I'm only 5 years late on commenting.
I w...Hey, I'm only 5 years late on commenting.<br /><br />I would like to point out that Christians were not the FIRST to oppose slavery either, not by a long shot. As best I can tell that credit goes to some of the Zoroastrian Persian's, LONG before Christianity.<br /><br />So clearly we should all convert to Zoroastrianism immediately as this proves it's the one, true religion, Right?<br /><br />I also highly recommending about Ernestine Louise Rose, atheist feminist, and abolitionist. She was absolutely brilliant. As was Elizabeth Cady Stanton.<br /><br />And if you don't recognize these two KEY persons you might wonder why not after you read more about them. I would assert that religious bigotry has excluded them from exposure other activists enjoyed.<br /><br />Religion poisons everything, indeed. Especially history.Dark Starhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04356850749159919331noreply@blogger.com