quote:

Originally posted by El K Dee truth is based on fact

Truth isn't based on anything: truth is how things are.

quote:

Originally posted by El K Dee what is fact? fact is something based on statements that a few people collectively decided was the way it is..

Relativism is rooted in subjectivity, a quality that is antithetical to truth (if we accept that truth is singular).

quote:

Originally posted by Nick Cenik Truth isn't based on anything: truth is how things are. Relativism is rooted in subjectivity, a quality that is antithetical to truth (if we accept that truth is singular).

lol


http://www.google.ca/search?q=define%3A+truth&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8&aq=t&rls=org.mozilla:en-USfficial&client=firefox-a

___________________
www.elkdee.com
Soundcloud sampler: www.soundcloud.com/elkdee

Let's be clear, I'm an agnostic/atheist myself (depends on the day), but the double standard at work here really is rather sickening.

I honestly can't decide whether I'm more annoyed by the jesus freaks or the anti-religion fanatics in this thread.

___________________
My party schedule:
2009-02-21 - DJ Attention @ I'm So Popular
2009-06-18 - DJ Annoying @ People Need To Know Where I'll Be
2012-11-32 - DJ Insufferable ɸ Or At Least the Stalkers I Complain About
2048-06-66 - Spastic & Whocares ¶ Although I'm Actually Flattered
9999-45-81 - Tweaker Gimp ☼ I Probably Won't Even Go To This But I Have To Make Sure I Fill Up All The Available Space Here

I am VERY happy about this ad campaign, although I wish it were not necessary in the first place.

Warning: I offend theists. Read at your own risk.

I am, admittedly, a pretty arrogant militant atheist asshole, meaning that I would desire a world where religion was eradicated and everyone formed their beliefs based on logic and reason rather than faith in the supernatural.

I understand why people have religious beliefs... the stories and fables and imagery of religion can be very powerful and difficult to shake when so many people agree with you and would condemn you for questioning your faith (which is, by the very definition of the word FAITH, something that you cannot prove true.)

To those who believe that the earth was created and ruled by supernatural beings living atop mount olympus, with a great king Zeus who would throw lightning bolts to the ground when he was pissed off... well, I think you're crazy. To those thousands of people who believed this millions of years ago... well, they couldn't possibly have known better. They had no theory of electromagnetism to explain the true nature of lightning.

To those who truly believe that the earth was created by a magical sky wizard who sent his zombie son to the planet earth to die on a giant plus sign to save earth's human inhabitants from their sins. Well, I think the same of you. Your beliefs are absurd, but it's not your fault you were corrupted by such powerful imagery and societal pressures.

I see no difference between a person who believes in supernatural powers and a person who believes that Friday the thirteenth brings bad luck. These are simply absurd and archaic notions, which are as obviously false to me as they may be obviously true to you.

Unfortunately, as history has proven, strong religious beliefs can be extremely damaging to a society. When our leaders (like the 1/3 of the US congress that believes that the earth is 6000 years old and that humans and dinosaurs coexisted) make DECISIONS based upon their "faith", disaster results. It's like playing blackjack based on your "gut instincts" instead of on sound mathematics. Worse, religion can cause people to act completely irrationally, damaging society in countless ways. How many more lives could we have saved if the US gov't hadn't instituted its ban on growing human zygotes for stem cell research? How many teenage girls' assholes could have been prevented from being torn open because they didn't want to have vaginal sex because they wanted to "save themselves for marriage"? How much other cultural retardedness, ignorance, and hatred could we eradicate if people didn't make decisions based on their beliefs in the supernatural?

n.b., I don't actually care what your beliefs are; as long as you don't make any decisions based on faith, you're A-OK in my books, although wearing a cross if you're an atheist is a bit dangerous I must say; generally I would take that as a big warning sign and I'd probably never approach you in public, for example. You're basically stamping yourself with something that symbolizes belief in holy zombie back-from-the-dead jesus and his magical sin-curing heaven-unlocking powers. Prepare to be treated as such.

*prepares for the barrage of straw man arguments that people will contest him with*.

___________________
I am nobody. Nobody is perfect. Therefore I am perfect.

quote:

Originally posted by DJ_Elyot I see no difference between a person who believes in supernatural powers and a person who believes that Friday the thirteenth brings bad luck.

I agree. So have you seen ad campaigns insisting to the world that Friday the 13th is A-OK and that the Easter Bunny doesn't really exist? Do we need those? Does anyone care? Why not just leave well enough alone? There are far more dangerous forms of ignorance out there.

___________________
My party schedule:
2009-02-21 - DJ Attention @ I'm So Popular
2009-06-18 - DJ Annoying @ People Need To Know Where I'll Be
2012-11-32 - DJ Insufferable ɸ Or At Least the Stalkers I Complain About
2048-06-66 - Spastic & Whocares ¶ Although I'm Actually Flattered
9999-45-81 - Tweaker Gimp ☼ I Probably Won't Even Go To This But I Have To Make Sure I Fill Up All The Available Space Here

quote:

Originally posted by DigiNut There are far more dangerous forms of ignorance out there.

Many, many people would disagree. Including two of my favorite thinkers: Christopher Hitchens and the great philosopher Daniel Dennett. Both of whom make a very hard to argue against case. Well, it's actually not that hard to make really--so you can't make a statement against an argument like this, when there is overwhelming evidence to show just that.

quote:

Originally posted by DJ_Elyot

Well that was pretty uninspired. Don't do much thinking for yourself, do you?

quote:

Originally posted by jennypie Well that was pretty uninspired. Don't do much thinking for yourself, do you?

I do, but TA is not the place for such posts. I don't want to start blabbering on about philosophical implications of kolmogorov complexity and the recursion theorem.

___________________
I am nobody. Nobody is perfect. Therefore I am perfect.

quote:

Originally posted by DigiNut I agree. So have you seen ad campaigns insisting to the world that Friday the 13th is A-OK and that the Easter Bunny doesn't really exist? Do we need those? Does anyone care? Why not just leave well enough alone? There are far more dangerous forms of ignorance out there.

I bet your opinion would change if, say, fear of Friday the 13th caused the economy to lose billions of dollars of productivity each year because billions of people were afraid to leave their homes. I believe that religion is even more damaging than this.

___________________
I am nobody. Nobody is perfect. Therefore I am perfect.

quote:

Originally posted by DJ_Elyot I do, but TA is not the place for such posts. I don't want to start blabbering on about philosophical implications of kolmogorov complexity and the recursion theorem.

Why not? Don't you want to be taken seriously?

I mean...if you're going to call yourself arrogant, at least justify it by not sounding like a complete moron.

quote:

Originally posted by El K Dee so what if they're stat holidays...why take the day off if you are so against the reason behind the holiday? demand to work instead.. PS. in regards to religious holidays...i absolutely hate it when people say "heppy good friday"

Christmas has absolutely nothing to do with religion for me. Nor does it for many other people. It's just a time of year that everyone has off so people can be together. Also, my birthday is on Christmas so I'm celebrating that, not the birth of a fictional character. (and a fictional birthday - Jesus' birthday isn't even December 25. LOL)

I also love it when religious people talk about ignorance. Talk about pot meet kettle. LOL religious people believe in everything from talking snakes, 900 year old men, a place to burn forever when you die, your own planet when you die and virgin births.. but AN AD ON A SUBWAY CAR? OH MY IS THAT OFFENSIVE OR WHAT?