'Happy Christmas' like 'How are you doing?' is a social pleasantry and generally not considered to be an invitation for an in depth debate about someone's religious convictions or the current circumstances of someone's life. Turning it into a debate in either circumstance is generally considered...
I don't consider myself to be a lost sheep and while I suspect some atheists would take offence at such a opinion I realise that it's well intentioned, if somewhat misguided.
I admit I do enjoy engaging in discussions which I know probably aren't going to go anywhere for some of the reasons to stated above, learning about other peoples point of view and having some sometimes intellectual or philosophical interaction with another human being which is generally lacking...
When two or more people are discussing an issue from fundamentally different starting points it's unlikely that the issue is going to be resolved. In it's simplest form when a person who accepts the existence of God and another person doesn't those issues which are dependent on belief or lack of...
I normally just reply in kind because it doesn't imply that I hold to their belief system, simply that I hope they enjoy their religious observances. It doesn't cost anything to be nice under such circumstances and there is little benefit in being confrontational about the issue.
What do you mean by a complete living system? Conversely what qualifies as a incomplete living system? To my knowledge there is no standard against which to compare an ecosystem to determine whether it is to be considered complete or not. My experience from studying ecology is that ecosystems at...
It's not unreasonable to expect someone to substantiate their position with proof/evidence either when it's simply a matter of curiosity or if more seriously the views of others have a direct impact on an individuals life or issues they have an interest in.
Granted there are some faith based...
Depends on who they are trying to preach too. If they are directing their efforts at scientists then they can be safetly ignored but once they start focusing on the public and politics then they need to be opposed because it's easy to get political and public support for stupid ideas through the...
It's possible to come to the right answer for the wrong reasons so yes I do think that morality can be achieved through lies. Actually when you think about it much of human morality is based on a lie because we like to think that we're better than we actually are and so the ideal moral human...
I think a fair few politicians are scumbags who put themselves ahead of all other considerations including the welfare of the country. This is somewhat innevitable because in order to rise that high you have to be willing to **** over anyone in your way and be a competent liar in order to...
Personally I don't understand why this ended up in court. It was a matter for the university to deal with and shouldn't have gone any further than whatever proportional action the university deemed appropriate. All that needed to be done was for the students to be escorted out of the venue and...
That billboard seems fine to me.
We shouldn't be ring-fencing religious mythology from reality just because some parents want to brainwash their children into believing that fiction is fact. What that women really meant was that it wasn't good for Christianity if children are encouraged to...
The term atheist only describes a persons position on the issue of God's existance and the form it takes i.e. theist, deist, pantheist and so on. The view of your teacher is a common error made by those conflate atheism with metaphysical naturalism (Or just naturalism). Granted there is likely a...
I'm pro choice in regards to abortion, at least when it's being done due to medical reasons or when the it's during the early stages of the pregnancy when it doens't really qualify as a sentient human being. I have qualms with late stage abortions at which point the baby is largely formed and...
I am all for people being able to be who they are without having to suffer discimination so please don't think that I believe that homosexuals should just keep quiet about ther sexuality. I only meant to point out that those who are open about thier sexuality will likely suffer discrimination...