Skepticat (UKB Operative)

I find Saul to be a very curious figure. He seems to be a rather hot-and-cold sort of guy. One day he loves David and the next day he wants to kill him. He sometimes gets down and only beautiful music gives him any relief. Sometimes he believes crazy things and, thus, consults the Witch of Endor to conjure up a spirit.

From a modern perspective, do you think King Saul had a mental problem like bipolar disorder or depression? What could have been the natural causes of his behavior?

Why do some theists spend so much time in R/S asking atheists why we are here? We've answered this question many times and our answers are readily available by search. Also, I'm willing to wager that you spend a lot of time on subjects you care about other than religion. Why does it seem odd to you that we might care too? Your thoughts please.

Things like smoking, doing dangerous drugs, drinking excessively....these are methods of slow suicide. We know they will kill us and yet, many of us do them anyway.

That said, do these actions have the same moral or religious consequences as straightforward suicide? What's your take?

Now that vandals have struck my property again, I believe I need to say imprecatory prayers for their destruction. However, I don't know the right words to use. What kind of imprecatory prayers would Ceiling Cat honor? I really want to make these guys sorry.

Do you ever feel like you can't confide in your theist friends or family about your problems? Do you think that they will immediately pounce on your lack of god-belief instead of offering any helpful advice? If so, how do you deal with this isolation when you really need to talk to someone?

Since you broke with the Catholic Church, why do you pretty much accept the scriptures they canonized as being the correct ones? Is it possible that some of the ones they rejected or destroyed could have value? Are you comfortable using scriptures that were voted upon by Catholics?

Thank you for your sincere answers.

In my experience, we who have secular values have a great deal in common with the more liberal religions (pagans, liberal Christians, Buddhists, etc.). If we share so many of the same values, why aren't we working together to achieve these social goals? Couldn't we be a very powerful positive force if we reached across theistic lines and worked together?

People are often asking us to "respect the beliefs" of other people. Is this a reasonable request? Should other people respect your beliefs?

Subject: Don't quote scripture

Message: You don't believe in. and obviously don't understand. And who said you were a enemy. I don't see you as a enemy. I see you as a sarcastic piece of work that I really want nothing to do with. They didn't have atheist back in Christ time, so you can remove the little scriptures from your mouth.

Can we respect anyone who talks like this or take their beliefs seriously? Do you think Jesus would recognize this person as one of his own?

P.S. - a big THANK YOU to all believers who do not act this way. This is not directed toward you at all.

Since I gave my life to Ceiling Cat last week, I've suffered a number of hardships. I had problems at work and at school, my car got keyed, my gas got cut off and one of my family members is sick. Some days I don't feel like I can take any more!

Is this how Ceiling Cat tests his faithful? What tips can you give me to get me through these tough times?

I have converted to the worship of Ceiling Cat and now my kitteh-mobile has been keyed (srsly). Is this the work of Basement Cat or is it just the worldly persecution that Happy Cat promised we would suffer? How can I deal with this act of vandalism on a spiritual level?

I have converted to the worship of Ceiling Cat and I had to inform a member of the consequences of lying according to what is written in our holy book. I told the member he would go "to the basement."

My answer was reported and deleted. Did they discriminate against me because I represent a minority faith? I see Christians quote scripture and tell people they will go to hell. I see all kinds of people ask silly questions. Why then did the Underfoot Kitty Brigade get smacked down? Was it the work of an evil goggie? What do you think?

My good friend often says that she would do bad things if she weren't a Christian. Do you think this is a good, effective witness or does it show a weakness in her character? If she ever loses her faith, should I be afraid of her?

In my case, I often give my family and friends Christian-oriented gifts because they are all Christian. As an atheist, however, I often feel uncomfortable doing this because I feel that I might be encouraging them to persist in their beliefs. Generally, I feel that a gift should be chosen with the receiver in mind but is this an exception?

If it's difficult for you to empathize, imagine if you had a loved one who is a Scientologist. Would you give them Scientology-oriented gifts? Even if you really hate everything Scientology stands for and think it's dangerous?

I have a couple of questions for the deists and pantheists among us. I'd like to gain some insight on your beliefs.

1) Deists - what is the nature of your god, why did s/he leave us and what is s/he doing now?

2) Pantheists - do you actually worship the universe or is it more of an "awesome respect" thing? How do your beliefs differ from atheism or paganism (nature worship)?

Just trying to clear up my own misconceptions here. Thank you for thoughtful replies.

Do you ever get a church song from the old days stuck in your head? Which one and how does it make you feel?

Sometimes I enjoy remembering old church songs but right now I've got a rapture song stuck in my head and it's irritating the fire out of me.

The first Christians were Jews who had been "divinely selected" by God for salvation. Why then do we still have Jews?

How can Adam & Eve be morally responsible for disobeying God by eating off this tree? After all, their eyes were not opened to the concepts of good and evil UNTIL they ate of it.

It seems to me that they were ignorant of the concept and, therefore, cannot be held morally liable.

Your thoughts?

For example, did you actively choose to believe in God or was your belief the natural result of some experience/evidence/etc? If atheist, make this negative.

...do you behave as though god exists or not? If so, which god?

This is a snark-free question. I am genuinely interested in knowing how your uncertainty affects your behavior (if at all).