Nicole

All the major media outlets in the United States are controlled by 6 major corporations, owned by 15 billionaires.  Do you think the media is divisive, always seeking to cause division and fights among various groups? Black/white, citizens/illegal aliens, Republican/Democrat, conservative/liberal; the list goes on and on.  Why do the mega wealthy want us to be constantly fighting amongst ourselves?  Could it be that if we ever wake up and see where are true problems lie, we might be a threat to the people who are causing all of the true problems in our society? Wake up, and stop being manipulated into hating the people who should be your allies, because believe me we all have a common enemy and it isn't one another.

Hello Christians, I'm an atheist. Not an angry, attacking, superior and condescending kind that you may associate with all atheists. I don't believe in God, but I don't deny the possibility, even though it seems unlikely to me.  Sometimes I really do wish that I could make myself believe because life would be easier that way, but it is impossible. If you don't understand that, try to make yourself believe that mermaids exist. I'm not meaning to be condescending, just wanted to pick something that I was sure you didn't believe in. I am deeply jealous of Christians, and I'm not afraid to admit it. Through your church, you have a sense of community and belonging that I've never had. You have people (real life people) who agree with you and understand your perspectives.  In real life, I only know 2 atheists (my town is very religious). Atheism can be a lonely existence, and it's hard to make connections and find friends. Even other atheists don't often share my principles or beliefs. Those of you who have developed a dislike towards atheists for their behavior, get to know

 us as individuals. I probably have more in common with the more progressive Christians than I do with many of my fellow atheists but these labels always seem to put up barriers that can be difficult to overcome. The kind of atheists that you most frequently find on the internet are a very vocal minority, and judging us all on that basis would be like judging all Christians by the behavior of Westboro Baptists.

We discovered a brand new planet and you are put in charge of designing the economic and social structure.

Would it be capitalist, communist, or something we've never seen?

Would the government be a democracy or some other system?

How would it be better or prevent some of the problems that this world faces?

PS- Using the question to attack current people or groups of people is just intellectually lazy, try to be as imaginative and thoughtful as possible.

I think the people who got us into this mess should have the responsibility of fixing it. The people who caused the economic crisis have bounced back with the use of tax payers dollars, while the people who had nothing to do with it are paying the price. Bernie Sanders said the following, what are your thoughts?

“This country does in fact have a serious deficit problem. But the reality is that the deficit was caused by two wars — unpaid for. It was caused by huge tax breaks for the wealthiest people in this country. It was caused by a recession as result of the greed, recklessness and illegal behavior on Wall Street. And if those are the causes of the deficit, I will be damned if we’re going to balance the budget on backs of the elderly, the sick, the children, and the poor. That’s wrong.”

How can the two party system ever change if we maintain the belief that third party candidates are a wasted vote? In this modern computer age, we are not as reliant on the mainstream media, and third parties have a better chance than ever to get their message out to the public. I think that everyone should vote for the candidate that fits their own ideals best, and quit worrying that the greater of evils will win as a result. The lesser of two evils is still evil. By the way, the Green Party is the only one that does not accept corporate donations.

1)Thou shalt not rape 2)Thou shalt not keep slaves 3)Thou shalt not have sex with children 4)Thou shalt not kill anyone for their religious beliefs. 5)Thou shalt not profit from the beliefs of others.

-Alan Harvey

I would also add this one, what other ones would you add? (Just a hypothetical, no belief in God necessary)

6) Thou shalt not treat women as inferior

What do you think about states discriminating against atheists? How is this in any way acceptable, and why hasn't this been overturned?

These six states in America constitutionally ban atheists from holding public office:

Arkansas:

"No person who denies the being of a God shall hold any office in the civil departments of this State, nor be competent to testify as a witness in any Court."

Maryland:

"That no religious test ought ever to be required as a qualification for any office of profit or trust in this State, other than a declaration of belief in the existence of God; nor shall the Legislature prescribe any other oath of office than the oath prescribed by this Constitution.”

Mississippi:

"No person who denies the existence of a Supreme Being shall hold any office in this state."

South Carolina:

"No person who denies the existence of a Supreme Being shall hold any office under this Constitution."

Tennessee:

"No person who denies the being of God, or a future state of rewards and punishments, shall hold any office in the civil department of this state."

Texas:

"No religious test shall ever be required as a qualification to any office, or public trust, in this State; nor shall any one be excluded from holding office on account of his religious sentiments, provided he acknowledge the existence of a Supreme Being."

A. It is an illogical belief

B. The superior attitude of religious followers

C. Violence committed in the name of religion

D. Trying to teach religion in schools

E. Trying to make religious belief into law

F. Interference in scientific progress

G. Attempting to convert people

H. Brainwashing of children

I. The harm it causes to an individual believer (I.e, worrying about going to hell, thinking natural feelings are sinful).

J. The churches stance on homosexuality

K. Discouraging birth control

L. Other

M. All of the above

If you have more than one that applies, feel free to list them all.

Many people believe that things have been added and removed from the bible over time. If you lived in ancient times and had the opportunity to add and remove something from the bible, what would it be and why? If you are Christian you can choose something that would make the bible fit more with your concept of God, or something that you think would improve the world. If you are not Christian, you can still choose something that you think would make the world a better place.

I will choose the best answer based on the person who actually answers the question fully and thoughtfully.

"Arguing with Christians is like playing Chess with a pigeon; no matter how good I am at chess, the pigeon is just going to knock over the pieces, crap on the board, and strut around like it’s victorious".

This one is a pretty apt description of how I feel

One of the ten commandments is "Thou shalt not kill". When God asked Abraham to kill his own son, wasn't he asking him to break his own commandment? Does God want you to commit immoral acts because an authority figure told you to? Blind obedience to authority has been the primary cause of some of the worst atrocities known to man, including the Holocaust. Can you explain how the story of Abraham makes sense, and would you sacrifice your child if God told you to do it?

If you look at the 6 stages of morality, morality centered upon religious belief tends to fall within the pre-conventional stage of morality (which is common in children). As an atheist, do you feel as if you have developed a higher level of morality?

Level 1 (Pre-Conventional)

1. Obedience and punishment orientation

(How can I avoid punishment?)

2. Self-interest orientation

(What's in it for me?)

(Paying for a benefit)

Level 2 (Conventional)

3. Interpersonal accord and conformity

(Social norms)

(The good boy/good girl attitude)

4. Authority and social-order maintaining orientation

(Law and order morality)

Level 3 (Post-Conventional)

5. Social contract orientation

6. Universal ethical principles

(Principled conscience)

I hear people equating evolution to talking monkeys, and see questions about "If evolution exists, why are there still monkeys?"

At some point in our history, some apes decided to come down from the trees and live on land, while others continued to live in the tress. The land dwellers evolved differently, because there were different traits that were necessary for survival. The apes that remained in the trees evolved as well, they are not the same as the apes that existed thousands of years ago. However, they evolved to fit their own environment, just like we did.

What is so hard to understand that many people remain so ignorant about the basic concepts of evolution?

Does anyone else get tired of the constant bickering on R&S? Very rarely do I see any intelligent questions that have any depth, just lame pokes at one side by the other. Then it's a race to see who can put in the first superficial response, and if you're question is longer than a single sentence most people won't even take the time to read it before responding. Just because we disagree, does that mean that we can't have intelligent debate or deeper philosophical discussions?

I'm guilty of all of this too, and I know it. I just think we are all capable of better.

Is there anything that could ever disprove the existence of God (in your eyes)? If you stopped believing, how would you live your life differently? Would your actions and your thoughts change about anything?

By the way, I actually am curious to know this stuff, and I want people to feel comfortable giving honest answers. I'm an atheist, but I'm going to ask atheists not to respond (though I certainly can't stop you). I'm looking for non-defensive, well-thought out responses and I promise not to attack any post.

I am an atheist, but I don't believe in raising a child into any religious belief (or non-belief). I wanted my daughter to learn about religion when she was old enough to think with a critical mind and make a decision for herself. However, I underestimated the power that society itself has on influencing the mind of a child. By refusing to teach her my point of view until she was ready, I left her wide open to the societal point of view and she has decided that she is a christian (at 10 years old) and any attempt to try to get her to explore all beliefs is met with resistance. It isn't even that I want her to be an atheist, but I do want her to explore everything (atheism, buddhism, hinduism, wicca, etc). I don't think any decisions should be made without gathering information, and I do not want to raise my children to be close-minded. How do you think I should handle this?