laetusatheos

I am not religious anymore but was personally raised in a belief system that allowed religion and evolution to coexist.

Why do some religious people think that evolution is an atheistic concept when it clearly is not. Anyone who understands what the theory of evolution pertains to also understands that it has absolutely nothing to do with the origins of the universe.

So, I'm curious. What is the big deal so many religious people seem to have with evolution. Do you not know what it really is or do you actually have some valid spiritual reasons for thinking accepting evolution is bad?

I'm an atheist and am personally comfortable with my lack of belief. However, I do know that many theists (for some reason) do not particularly care for atheists.

If you found out a co-worker was an atheist, what would you say/do? Would it affect your working relationship?

Btw, I'm not talking about someone who is constantly complaing about religous people...I'm talking about an atheist who you would assume was religious until you somehow found out they are an atheist.

I would like to be more open about my personal views (but don't want to be an atheist preacher either...preaching is against my views) but also don't want to potentially damage my career.

Would you feel more comfortable if the co-worker said they were a free-thinker rather than atheist (even thoguht they often are meant to mean the same thing)?

Thanks to everyone who gives a thoughtful answer.

Have you read all of the Bible, Torah, Koran or other holy text? If so, which one or ones and what is your current wordlview? Be honest, your deity probably doesn't like liars.

The tile floors in the place I am renting has been painted by a previous renter (red) then the owner covered the ugly red cover with tan that matches the walls (better, yet still ugly). I have been given permission to remove the paint and/or repaint it. The floor's paint is, of course, scratched badly from moving.

Can I just sand it with a rough sand paper (maybe that would give it a distressed look and I could call it done after applying a sealer? Scratching the tile slightly isn't a concern) or do I need chemicals. If I need chemicals, what is best for indoor use around pets (ie low fumes) and how hard will the chemical removal approach be?

Thanks

One of the things I don't understand about Buddhism is how there can be no belief in a soul yet still be a belief in reincarnation. Can anyone explain how this works? Unfortunately my research into Buddhism has not gone deep enough for me to answer this question for myself. Links to further information on this would be appreciated and thanks for your answers in advance.

My pet rat is hairless, so I would think if he has mites they would be really easy to see. His claws are really sharp, so I think he's just nicking the skin when he tries to clean himself. I've also haven't noticed him obsessively scratching. One scratchy area is next to his neck and looks like it is bothering him a little. The rest are just surface scratches. I already gave him a bath, not really sure why it just seemed like a good idea. I also haven't altered his bedding material. I'm going to put some neosporin on the scratches to help them heal.

Anyway, I can't get the little rat to calm down long enough to trim in claws. I was needing to trim them anyway because scratches (from dogs, cats, rats whatever they may be) give me a small allergic reaction around the scratch. When I try to hold his little paw still he just squirms around and I'm afraid I'll cut him.

Also, he likes to stand on my shoulders and lick me...why?

I just got a hairless baby rat under a month ago. He will sometimes run around his cage like an idiot but doesn't really seem to do rat stuff...like chewing on things or exploring. All I have in the cage right now is a plastic cup that he likes to lay in (a lot, he's pretty much in the cup anytime I look in the cage day or night), a little wooden block, and a mouse tunnel (which he is about to outgrow anyway), then of coarse things he needs to survive.

When I get him out of his cage he just sits on my shoulder and doesn't try to look around (from what I have read rats should want to explore). So, is there something wrong with him or is this just something young rats do?

Is it possible for this seeminly innocent, yet strange, belief system to cause harm to it's members? This is not a question meant to be intolerant of another religion, they can, of course, believe whatever they want. So, basically the question is, should we care that people are falling victim to those who run the church or just let them be since it claims to be a religion and people should know what they were getting into anyway?

----------

Just some background info for anyone who isn't familiar with the church and its shadier details:

Even if you are familiar with Scientology, you may want to watch this video (some autopsy photos but does warn you first):

http://theunfunnytruth.ytmnd.com/

Just for extra info, here's an Penthouse interview (no nudity just a cover shot of the magazine) with L. Ron Jr:

http://www.lermanet.com/scientologynews/penthouse-...

Also http://www.xenu.net/

I'm trying to make an faq list for my website which covers common misconceptions about atheists so that the members don't have to answer the same questions repeatedly. I've found links online that have helped (It's hard for me to think of the misconceptions myself since they seem rather odd to me) but would like to make sure most of them are covered.

I guess I should have a way to pick best answer...so um, most off the wall myth about atheists (that you've actually heard a theist say) gets the best answer.

I would like some suggestions for healthy low fat or low carb tasty vegetarian recipes which aren't centered around using a lot of cheese. I don't really care for onions and my bf hates them...so ones without onions or where they can be easily not used would be best.

If anyone knows of a good cookbook or website that has pictures..that would be appreciated too. Thanks.

If you met a really nice person then found out later s/he was an atheist would your opinion of that person change? If so, how and why?

There seems to be a general misunderstanding of what the theory of evolution means in relation to the possibility of a creator. If you think evolution conflicts with the idea of god, please explain and remember that there is a difference between evolution and abiogenisis (life forming from non-living matter).

I am familar with BMI however, the electronic scale I purchased gives readings based on body fat percentage. It says that I'm around 35% and that it falls into te upper end of the optimal range (by looking at the bars). However, the scale didn't come with a chart. I'd like to know what kind of body fat percentage goal I should be aiming for; I'm 5'6 female 24 years old.

why or why not? How often do you contemplate death? Do you believe in an afterlife? If you don't mind, could you please state your age, country, and belief system?

This may be a really stupid question, but I didn't find the answer when browsing similar questions. It says that it is possible to vote for a best answer, but all I see on pages is the option to rate the best answer. If this a bug in the yahoo answers system or am I just looking in the wrong part of the page?