There's probably no God. Now stop worrying and enjoy your life

A national advertising campaign has been launched around England, Scotland and Wales to encourage people to 'come out' as atheists.

I wasn't aware that many of us were 'in'. I just take it as read that people are atheists and make no secret of my surprise when people turn out not to be, which is rare.

Bet you thought I'd forgotten the Guardian link then, didn't you!

Do I win £40?

Typical of the Grauniad to report this months after the original campaign started.

Since it started they've raised loads £140,000 and taken the campaign, which started in that London, national.

Any chance we can get you to come out as an atheist, Ally?

Actually, anyone who agrees with this statement isnt an aethiest. They're agnostic

I'd have said they were a scientific atheist, as opposed to a religious atheist. If god turned out to be real, the former would accept the evidence, the latter would act just like a Christian, denying everything regardless of evidence.

Anyway, the "probably" was hotly debated, and I think it should be in there, after all you cannot prove a negative.

I have no doubt that as it gathers momentum, the godscum will get nastier and nastier (in between raping kids for jesus naturally).

The Teacher wrote: Actually, anyone who agrees with this statement isnt an aethiest. They're agnostic

Thanks for that Liam, old chum. Can you please now wait until you actually have a teaching position before you start pompously patronizing people to within inches of their lives?

At least you'll be getting paid for it then, eh??!

:p

It's true that I have revealed myself to be an atheist on my Facebook page, but I don't really have to wear it on my face every moment of my life---that is, I don't mention it unless I'm asked or in a situation like this. And nobody cares over here whether you believe in the existence of a deity or not or whether you are religious or not---unless you're one of those crazy fundamentalists or unless you try to convert other people or shove it down people's throats. And I like it that way.

Many Japanese people are basically inactive Buddhists---but they tend to live nonreligious lives. Many could also be considered nonreligious---even non-Christians celebrate Christmas (in a secular commercialised way), but we still say Happy Christmas or Merry Christmas, and we don't make a fuss about it.

I have nothing against spirituality or religion in itself, although I dislike religious fundamentalism (religious extremism) and I tend to be a bit cynical about organised religion. I don't understand the notion of living your life with an ancient book as a guidebook or a textbook to life in this modern day and age.

I also don't believe religion should tell its followers what to wear, what not to wear, what to eat, what not to eat, what to do in life, how or when to worship, what kinds of sex should you have or should you not have...etc. I hope you get my point. (In other words, I also wonder why organised religions want to control such things amongst their followers.) Religion should only be a matter between an individual and their spirituality or maybe their deity. Nothing more.

I wish the world would accept that fairy-tales about God should be treated as such. There's nothing after us. We came from nothing and will turn into nothingness.

A "faith" is an unconscious pyschological consolation for the weak who want to believe there is someone to look after them. Really it is, it helps, people pray, PAY, but in reality it's nothing more than self-deception and autosuggestion.

Pahhh.........

Very few people act completely without faith. There is no such thing as absolute rational thought.

arse crisps.

The only way i would believe in god is when isee that five naked pornstars arses are turned towards my head on a three seater couch

male arses?

if they can squeeze on

Fair play to you!

PETER COATES'S BELATED REDEMPTION wrote:

The Teacher wrote: Actually, anyone who agrees with this statement isnt an aethiest. They're agnostic

Thanks for that Liam, old chum. Can you please now wait until you actually have a teaching position before you start pompously patronizing people to within inches of their lives?

At least you'll be getting paid for it then, eh??!

:p

I'm getting paid a lot for doing it now actually

"Science without religion is lame, religion without science is blind."

Albert Eistein

EdelBrock wrote: "Science without religion is lame, religion without science is blind."

Albert Eistein

Not the only time Professor Einstein fucked up though.

"I do not believe there is enough fissile material on the planet to create a viable bomb" [1]

Ask the crispy Japanese people what they think of that (both bombs dropped in the name of God too, by the way, prayers offered for bomber crews etc etc).

[1] probably fucked the quote up a bit, it's from memory.

I spent Xmas in Hamburg, huge, multinational city. In a very center of the town I saw several letters on the wall saying No Nations - No Cry. Is this Lennon's way of thinking (see Imagine)? Yes it is. Moreover it agures well for the future - people get smarter, they know nationality or religion, especially religion can be the reason to hurt. I agree There's probably no God, but everyone should come to this conclusion alone, without any campaign for or against something I think. Or should not....

more Chianti?............

Doctor? wrote: (both bombs dropped in the name of God too, by the way, prayers offered for bomber crews etc etc).

ummmm... no, it was to end the war, which had nothing to do with religon.

EdelBrock wrote:

Doctor? wrote: (both bombs dropped in the name of God too, by the way, prayers offered for bomber crews etc etc).

ummmm... no, it was to end the war, which had nothing to do with religon.

But "in god we trust". So everything the USA does is in the name of little baby jesus.

And the "ending a war" thing is not quite as clear cut as that anyway, as well you know.

Doctor? wrote:

EdelBrock wrote:

Doctor? wrote: (both bombs dropped in the name of God too, by the way, prayers offered for bomber crews etc etc).

ummmm... no, it was to end the war, which had nothing to do with religon.

But "in god we trust". So everything the USA does is in the name of little baby jesus.

And the "ending a war" thing is not quite as clear cut as that anyway, as well you know.

I'll just stay away from this.....

I got kicked out of a bookshop once for moving all the Bibles to the fiction section.

Just all become Hindu's and make yourself inseperable from God therefore you become God.

Andy Harris wrote: I got kicked out of a bookshop once for moving all the Bibles to the fiction section.

LOL

leather_girl wrote: Many Japanese people are basically inactive Buddhists

Wrong. In Japan they have a different religion when you go into a temple and there are 4 or 6 deities one can pray to.

I don't understand the notion of living your life with an ancient book as a guidebook or a textbook to life in this modern day and age.

Lovely said! My exact sentiment. It's a beatiful piece of ancient writing but hardly a manual for a better life.

I also don't believe religion should tell its followers what to wear, what not to wear, what to eat, what not to eat, what to do in life, how or when to worship, what kinds of sex should you have or should you not have... etc.

Ironically, most of these "rules" and "rituals" are made up by common priests, swindlers of all sorts, and in all cases have nothing to do with the Holy Writing. There's never a better proof how faux a religion is.

Soooo... when there's no god and satan and stuff, how do you explain THIS

(Dunnndunnndunnnnnnnn!)

I can offer no explanation for what you have just posted.

Diamond 383 wrote: I can offer no explanation for what you have just posted.

It's with the 666 views, and that's kind of funny showing up at at post about there being no god and I thought... I meant... I'll shut up now. *coughs*

• Kruge

Ahh gotcha

KB Info wrote:

Diamond 383 wrote: I can offer no explanation for what you have just posted.

It's with the 666 views, and that's kind of funny showing up at at post about there being no god and I thought... I meant... I'll shut up now. *coughs*

• Kruge

'Twould be intersting indeed, were it not for the fact that "666" is yet another mistranslation in the damn bible. The actual number of the beast is 616, which fairly badly cunts up a load of stupid twaddle spoken about 666.

As for the original topic, A Jesustard bus driver refused to drive a bus with this add on the side. Surely he should be dismissed.....if he refused to drive a bus with Muslim or Jewish or Hindi or Seikh messages on it, he'd be out on his hole, but apparently rational people do not get the same status as nut-job fairy worshippers.

Dawkins is still too scared to put them on NI busses though.

KB Info wrote: Soooo... when there's no god and satan and stuff, how do you explain THIS

(Dunnndunnndunnnnnnnn!)

That's so tongue-in-cheeky

BTW, as John the Revelator says, calculate the number of the beast. 666. I checked with my Bible.

And not surprisingly, you got the wrong answer. Besides, the beast was the roman emperor/empire, the "mark" was his head on the coin (no one shall be able to buy or sell etc etc). The "world" was the shores of the med and bits of modern Iraq/Jordan.

Oh and 616 is a sort of Jewish "number pun" for "Nero" or some other bigwig Roman.

Doctor? wrote: [ A Jesustard bus driver refused to drive a bus with this add on the side. Surely he should be dismissed.....if he refused to drive a bus with Muslim or Jewish or Hindi or Seikh messages on it, he'd be out on his hole, but apparently rational people do not get the same status as nut-job fairy worshippers.

So as a busdriver, would you drive the bus with the add "Cruise's interpretation of WOTW bested Orson's!"?

note - you are right, it was a code for Nero

Doctor? wrote: And not surprisingly, you got the wrong answer. Besides, the beast was the roman emperor/empire, the "mark" was his head on the coin (no one shall be able to buy or sell etc etc). The "world" was the shores of the med and bits of modern Iraq/Jordan.

Oh and 616 is a sort of Jewish "number pun" for "Nero" or some other bigwig Roman.

Do you still get the adverts for the Alpha Course, or whatever it's called, on the back of busses? Some right-minded driver should refuse to drive one of those. Would be interesting to see how he gets on.

I bet the organisers of the campaign are jumping up and down at this development for it surely validates the whole exercise. Nobody is attacking someone's right to believe, it's the suppression of the rights of the non-believer that is being questioned (and hardly attacked).

Diamond 383 wrote:

Doctor? wrote: And not surprisingly, you got the wrong answer. Besides, the beast was the roman emperor/empire, the "mark" was his head on the coin (no one shall be able to buy or sell etc etc). The "world" was the shores of the med and bits of modern Iraq/Jordan.

Oh and 616 is a sort of Jewish "number pun" for "Nero" or some other bigwig Roman.

Do you still get the adverts for the Alpha Course, or whatever it's called, on the back of busses? Some right-minded driver should refuse to drive one of those. Would be interesting to see how he gets on.

I bet the organisers of the campaign are jumping up and down at this development for it surely validates the whole exercise. Nobody is attacking someone's right to believe, it's the suppression of the rights of the non-believer that is being questioned (and hardly attacked).

My favourite bit is that various halfwits are trying to get the advertising standards authority to pull the campaign because it makes an unprovable claim.

LOL WHAT?

So saying "probably no god" is unprovable.....but "bow before the sky fairy or burn for eternity" IS? These people really ought not to be allowed to mix with decent, educated human beings.

Besides, Carlsberg.

As for Alpha....it's REALLY terrifying (not space 1999) It comes accross as......"rational human being? figured out that god's a crock of shite? Well our new Alpha brainwashing course will cure that a treat and turn you into a pigshit thick, judgemental, vicious, hate driven cunt (ie jesustard) in 12 weeks". Can you imagine if other cults did this?

You do have a good point Cambo, but to retort, at least in California there seems to be alot of aethists that gun to take down as much Christian stuff as they can. A perfect example is the cross atop of Mount Soledad in San Diego.

Other religons at least keep to themselves and have no real problem with symbols of other religons in thier community, but for some reason aethists have a complete desire to go out of thier way to disrupt / destroy as much as they can.

If people don't believe in God, fine I have no issue with it, as it is a personal decision, but the ad on the bus isn't to rally like minded people to a specific good cause, its only made to anger Christians. Its intent is to disrupt and anger people. We should try to get along with each other, and the ad does not promote that.

By the way, why is it aethists onlu go after Christianity? If they are against the thought of God, why are there never any attacks upon buddists , Jews or Muslims regarding thier religon?

I always found that most aethists don't truely 'believe' in no God, rather they are like toddlers throwing a tantrum claiming they don't believe simply because thier upset things aren't going thier way.

I have only met a couple true aethists, and they really have no issues with other religons and don't rant on and on about thier 'anger' with religons.

Well if you live in a country that's fucked by christians it'll be christians you dislike the most. I dare say atheists in muslim countries have the most against Islam.

Anyway, I hate scientologists the most, which is odd because their basic con is not that different from the other religions.

Its a logical assumption, but from what I've come across, atheists in countries that are predominently a religon other than Christianity, do not have the brutal lashing-out that atheists in Christian nations do.

In Japan, there a good deal many that are atheists, but they don't complain or make a mockery of Buddist temples. In the ME, they don't complain about mosques (but then again they would probably be hung for doing so).

It seems to be Western idealogy to destroy any tradition or belief system. Somehow we think we are smarter than our ancestors and respect only the future, while we spit upon the past.

I'd also add that most anti-christians were raised as christians......raised on all the love and tolerance of the little baby jesus. Then they see it's actually the most hatefilled intolerant pile of unpleasant shite ever considered.

Ally, BTW, just remember christians were only allowed to accept that the sun was not the centre of the universe in the 1990's. Prior to that it was still an eternally roastable offence

if you think Britons are good at throwing toys out of prams, check this out. now THAT is what's desperately wrong with the U.S. One can't even use the word "choice" anymore without a swarm of idiots descending.

His Holiness, The Pope wrote: if you think Britons are good at throwing toys out of prams, check this out. now THAT is what's desperately wrong with the U.S. One can't even use the word "choice" anymore without a swarm of idiots descending.

Better only have one type of donut in the shop then, or one might have to choose a flavor.

Ally wrote: Only in America

And probably the more fanatically religious areas of the mideast.

EdelBrock wrote: By the way, why is it aethists onlu go after Christianity? If they are against the thought of God, why are there never any attacks upon buddists...

Buddhism isn't a God-centered religion.

On the other hand, they should forget about the monotheistic religions entirely and really go after the Hindus....

Doctor? wrote: Ally, BTW, just remember christians were only allowed to accept that the sun was not the centre of the universe in the 1990's. Prior to that it was still an eternally roastable offence

Not quite.

Jeffari-al-Texani wrote:

Doctor? wrote: Ally, BTW, just remember christians were only allowed to accept that the sun was not the centre of the universe in the 1990's. Prior to that it was still an eternally roastable offence

I thought that was just the Cafflicks?!?!?!?!

Prods have NEVER recinded the BBQ sentence. But there's more cafflicks, so I was giving all jesustards the benefit of their doubt.

Ally wrote:

EdelBrock wrote: It seems to be Western idealogy to destroy any tradition or belief system. Somehow we think we are smarter than our ancestors and respect only the future, while we spit upon the past.

Somehow?

Our ancestors used to think the world was flat, used to chuck women in rivers attached to weights to see if they would float to the top as witches and probably used to howl at the moon whilst rubbing themselves in their own faeces.... wait up, this stuff is the pinnacle of human potential, who phased it out? Oh.

Your entire input to this thread is horribly biased because you are (most likely) a Christian who doesn't like da nasty widdle atheist disrupting your beliefs with perfectly reasonable questions. Fair enough, you're entitled to that opinion but trying to paint people who don't believe out as nasty, predatory and victimising poor Christianity is a bit much.

You are speaking from a country that has been ruled by a far right Christian presidential administration for eight years. Why shouldn't those sections of the populace who have a different or no belief system question Christian ideals which have partly been responsible for embroiling them in two hopeless wars whilst lumbering the country with a huge budgetary deficit? We all know Dubya loves a good chat with Gawd from time to time.

The recent ads on British buses are far from inflammatory and not offensive. The wording of the message itself is very easy going and ends on a positive note encouraging people to be happy... er, what's wrong with that exactly? Anyone religious who views them that way should practise what they preach... it's free speech. I've seen plenty of "Jesus is fucking brilliant and the only way forward so give in to him" bus banners - albeit not with that precise wording - in my time in London; why shouldn't we see an alternative viewpoint?

Also in contrast to your experience I have found Christians to be the ones who throw their toys out of the pram at being challenged with a different point of view. They either get nasty or smug... "I've got my pal God, what have you got?" type of thing so I guess it's all relative.

You took my point incorrectly. My intentions were that Eastern cultures (China, Japan, etc) view ancestors with a great deal of respect. They view thier older generation with a great deal of respect. That doesn't mean they haven't improved, especially when we are talking about countries like Japan. Tradition means alot by these cultures and does keep them with a great amount of solidarity. Westerners on the other hand try to tear down any bit of tradition we can and replace it with "new and improved!", then complain that we aren't nations of solidarity.

Honestly, we aren't much smarter or better than our ancestors. Granted we may do some things better in one way, but we can really fuck up things on alot larger scale than our ancestors could.

People a relatively stupid, but think they are smart. This was true for the generations before us, the generations alive today, and the generations to come in the future.

'Twould be intersting indeed, were it not for the fact that "666" is yet another mistranslation in the damn bible. The actual number of the beast is 616, which fairly badly cunts up a load of stupid twaddle spoken about 666. (...)

Yes, of course, but since most people *believe* it's 666 it's usually funnier to make jokes using the wrong number. :)

Like:

"668: The neighbour of the Beast" :D

To quote Simon "Shaun of the Dead" Pegg as Scotty from the new Star Trek Trailer:

"I like this place, it's exitin'!"

:D

Shame i didnt get in on this thread earlier.

Can someone give me a quick summary?

I love slagging off religion.

Ally wrote: Most of your reply was made up of your own so-called experiences of atheists; which is a bit rich considering organised religion is responsible for most of the upset in the world these days.

Isn't that the case, more or less, throughout history?

Ally wrote: Indeed Burt, slightly depressing as it stands.

Especially, considering religion is such an out-moded concept. Then again, it wins votes, and some places just love being in the fourteenth century, when turnips were cool.

Ally wrote: [

You've also replaced your attack on atheism with "westerners" and "well the human race is dumb anyway". Your original posts were quite clearly intent on attacking people who may happen to disagree Christianity as an entity. I thought Americans were big on freedom? (Allegedly)

I already stated I have no issue with atheism (check a few posts back). What I don't care for are the unnessicary attacks on religon. Its all hypocrytical to state that all the problems are because of religious sects not getting along, but then jump on an atheist* bandwagon that does the exact same thing.

Point is, be Christian, be Buddist, be Islamic, be atheist I don't f'ing care, but keep it to yerself cause its a personal desicion. If someone asks your opinion on the matter, then speak...

Religons aren't what is causing the discourse in the world, its all the stupid people claiming only thier way is right and that everyone MUST change to thier way of thinking. Are there lots of religious people acting this way? HELL YES, but there are alot of non-religious people acting the same way. Simply because people act like they are above the fray doesn't mean they are.

(and by the way, I didn't change my line of thought, maybe I wasn't as clear as I should have been, but considering I talked about Japan and Buddism, I assumed it would be understood that when I talked about Westerners that it would go without saying that I would be comparing it to Easterners)

*again, I don't believe most people that claim to be atheists to be true atheists, rather people throwing tantrums like toddlers simply because life hasn't gone thier way...

its all the stupid people claiming only thier way is right and that everyone MUST change to thier way of thinking.??????????????????????????????????????????????????????????

That's the fucking DEFINITION of religion. Belief is one thing, spirituality is another, but religion MEANS "do it our way or fuck off and die, this is the exact way it is, no ifs, no ands, no buts, no questions or it's the ducking stool for you"

And before you make silly statements like "religion is not the cause of trouble". Conduct an experiment, walk down the Shankhill road in Belfast on a friday night wearing rosary beads (take a friend with a camera).

Doctor? wrote: its all the stupid people claiming only thier way is right and that everyone MUST change to thier way of thinking.??????????????????????????????????????????????????????????

That's the fucking DEFINITION of religion. Belief is one thing, spirituality is another, but religion MEANS "do it our way or fuck off and die, this is the exact way it is, no ifs, no ands, no buts, no questions or it's the ducking stool for you"

And before you make silly statements like "religion is not the cause of trouble". Conduct an experiment, walk down the Shankhill road in Belfast on a friday night wearing rosary beads (take a friend with a camera).

Doctor? wrote: its all the stupid people claiming only thier way is right and that everyone MUST change to thier way of thinking.??????????????????????????????????????????????????????????

That's the fucking DEFINITION of religion. Belief is one thing, spirituality is another, but religion MEANS "do it our way or fuck off and die, this is the exact way it is, no ifs, no ands, no buts, no questions or it's the ducking stool for you"

And before you make silly statements like "religion is not the cause of trouble". Conduct an experiment, walk down the Shankhill road in Belfast on a friday night wearing rosary beads (take a friend with a camera).

Agreed but that's a fucked up country you live in if you can't wear a rosary down the street.