Why do Americans still dislike atheists?

Redoran wrote:

That's right, even the bacteria that live in our colons. Without those guys we would all be long dead. What say you, now?

Symbiosis
That does NOT mean that bacteria are smarter, or higher life forms

What's yer point?

cjrian wrote:

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Can your parrot or chinchilla solve a maze that a three year old human can?
Can they construct an 8088 compter?
Can they sow and grow grain? Or even store scavanged grain?
Pushing a ball, or fetching slippers is a learned trait, but not a sign of intelligence, much less superiority
Sorry, your pets lose

What about our necessary bacteria, that we all need, an without we would all be long dead. Isn't is funny to think that your god lives in our colons? LMFAO!!!!!!!!!!

Redoran wrote:

What about our necessary bacteria, that we all need, an without we would all be long dead. Isn't is funny to think that your god lives in our colons? LMFAO!!!!!!!!!!

If God lives everywhere, then that would include our colons, would it not?

What's the issue?
Or are you ready to go into the 6th grade?
Cackling over trivia

cjrian wrote:

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If God lives everywhere, then that would include our colons, would it not?
What's the issue?
Or are you ready to go into the 6th grade?
Cackling over trivia

OK - so what goes through our colons???? I will not say it.. I leave that to you........!!

cjrian wrote:

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Humans are the only animal on Earth to have a concept of time beyond the next 10 minutes, and we can plan for weeks, decades, centuries, into the future

Yes no animals can plan past the next 10 minutes. That's why squirrels starve every winter, whales can't find food or mates (at different poles of the earth)

People are "evangelical" about all kinds of non-religious things. Political candidates. Hobbies. Diets. Doesn't make those things "religions"

cjrian wrote:

When the issue is Belief, or lack of, Evangelical is the proper descriptor

Nope. Let's look at the defintions of "evangelical" found in Merriam-Webster's Dictionary, shall we?

1. "of, relating to, or being in agreement with the Christian gospel especially as it is presented in the four Gospels"

Does that pertain to atheism? No.

2. "protestant"

Does that pertain to atheism? No.

3. "emphasizing salvation by faith in the atoning death of Jesus Christ through personal conversion, the authority of Scripture, and the importance of preaching as contrasted with ritual"

Does that pertain to atheism? No.

4. "of or relating to the Evangelical Church in Germany" or "of, adhering to, or marked by fundamentalism : fundamentalist" or "low church"

Do those pertain to atheism? No.

Those are the only definitions of "evangelical" that pertain specifically to belief. Do they pertain to atheism? No.

***

cjrian wrote:

The other things cited may evoke avidness, or even rabidness, but not Evangelicism

Really? Let's look at the last definition of "evangelical", the one not specifically about belief: "marked by militant or crusading zeal".

And what is "zeal"? "eagerness and ardent interest in pursuit of something : fervor"

Can people have a militant or crusading eagerness and ardent interest in pursuit of the election of a political candidate? Certainly. A hobby? Certainly. A diet? Certainly. Is a "belief" required? No.

***

cjrian wrote:

Atheists place themselves as the moral arbiters...Considering humans are the highest life form on this plant

Who said that atheists consider themselves to be the "highest" life form on Earth? I'm an atheist, and I don't. I consider "highest" life form to be a meaningless concept.

cjrian wrote:

Atheism is the rejection of belief in the existence of a Deity (or dieties) Therefore, Atheists deem humans to be the Highest life form.

Your conclusion does not follow from your premise. Who says that there is a "highest life form"?

cjrian wrote:

No other animal on Earth comes even close to having the analytic skills that humans have
Making humans the highest life form on Earth

Who says that having "analytic skills" makes one "the highest"?

cjrian wrote:

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Humans are the only animal on Earth to have a concept of time beyond the next 10 minutes, and we can plan for weeks, decades, centuries, into the future
Humans are the only ones to think in the abstract
Humans are the only ones to develop complex math and science skills
Humans are the only ones to build complex machinery
Humans are the only ones to have created art
I could go on, but you get the idea
No other animal on Earth comes even close to having the analytic skills that humans have
Making humans the highest life form on Earth

What do you mean "highest life form"? What bearing does that have on anything? This is your own opinion. That is the only sense I can make of your comment.

Redoran wrote:

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What do you mean "highest life form"? What bearing does that have on anything? This is your own opinion. That is the only sense I can make of your comment.

I suspect he was speaking of bacteria that live in the upper atmosphere in clouds....

... you know... his cousins?

... <snerk>

CTEd wrote:

Yes no animals can plan past the next 10 minutes. That's why squirrels starve every winter, whales can't find food or mates (at different poles of the earth)

Instinctual behavior is NOT intelligence

Drew Smith wrote:

Your conclusion does not follow from your premise. Who says that there is a "highest life form"?

Has any higher life form ever been detected?

Redoran wrote:

What do you mean "highest life form"? What bearing does that have on anything? This is your own opinion. That is the only sense I can make of your comment.

Sorry, I can't help idjits

Drew Smith wrote:

People are "evangelical" about all kinds of non-religious things. Political candidates. Hobbies. Diets. Doesn't make those things "religions"
.
Nope. Let's look at the defintions of "evangelical" found in Merriam-Webster's Dictionary, shall we?
1. "of, relating to, or being in agreement with the Christian gospel especially as it is presented in the four Gospels"
Does that pertain to atheism? No.
2. "protestant"
Does that pertain to atheism? No.
3. "emphasizing salvation by faith in the atoning death of Jesus Christ through personal conversion, the authority of Scripture, and the importance of preaching as contrasted with ritual"
Does that pertain to atheism? No.
4. "of or relating to the Evangelical Church in Germany" or "of, adhering to, or marked by fundamentalism : fundamentalist" or "low church"
Do those pertain to atheism? No.
Those are the only definitions of "evangelical" that pertain specifically to belief. Do they pertain to atheism? No.
***
.
Really? Let's look at the last definition of "evangelical", the one not specifically about belief: "marked by militant or crusading zeal".
And what is "zeal"? "eagerness and ardent interest in pursuit of something : fervor"
Can people have a militant or crusading eagerness and ardent interest in pursuit of the election of a political candidate? Certainly. A hobby? Certainly. A diet? Certainly. Is a "belief" required? No.
***

Evangelical has become a more generic word, just as to Xerox something means to copy, but not necessarily use a machine made BY Xerox.

Hobbies, diets, and politicians come and go. Anyone who bases their life on them is detached from reality. But a Belief system is core. Without the hobbies, diets, and politicians, core beliefs remain. Even if one were deprived of food and water, core beliefs remain

The literal translation of evangelical is "bringing good news" and evangelize means to try to convert a way of belief. Evangelical atheists, some anyway, persistently try to "convert" others to their belief system.

Drew Smith wrote:

Who said that atheists consider themselves to be the "highest" life form on Earth? I'm an atheist, and I don't. I consider "highest" life form to be a meaningless concept.

Maybe that's because you aren't the highest life form?

cjrian wrote:

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Instinctual behavior is NOT intelligence

Neither is faith intelligent.

So?

cjrian wrote:

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Has any higher life form ever been detected?

Yes it has! High up in the atmosphere, scientists have detected bacteria of various species.

You cannot get any higher than a mile up or so.

cjrian wrote:

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Sorry, I can't help idjits

We know. You cannot help yourself.

We know, already.

cjrian wrote:

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Evangelical has become a more generic word, just as to Xerox something means to copy, but not necessarily use a machine made BY Xerox.
Hobbies, diets, and politicians come and go. Anyone who bases their life on them is detached from reality. But a Belief system is core. Without the hobbies, diets, and politicians, core beliefs remain. Even if one were deprived of food and water, core beliefs remain
The literal translation of evangelical is "bringing good news" and evangelize means to try to convert a way of belief. Evangelical atheists, some anyway, persistently try to "convert" others to their belief system.
<quoted text>
Maybe that's because you aren't the highest life form?

You have proof of your god?

No?

Atheism stands.

cjrian wrote:

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Instinctual behavior is NOT intelligence

but clearly they have a concept of things more than 10 minutes into the future.... that is a bogus claim. animals plan ahead all the time.

cjrian wrote:

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Has any higher life form ever been detected?

Most other life forms won't sh@t in their own nest. You got to give 'em that. Most other life forms do not kill for sport, excitement or to make a point. You got to give 'em that too. As far as nature is concerned the only conceivable "success rating system" for life forms would be species longevity. There are any number of life forms who have been around considerably longer than we have. Indeed, we are poised upon a precipice of sorts as we speak, our future is far from assured.

I'm somewhat brash in that I feel that our ability to think and contemplate our origins, places us "higher" on the "organized matter" scale. It's an entirely contrived scale created by members of the subject species, not sure that it means anything, you know ... in the big picture.