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Quotes from Famous Freethinkers
- Thread starter Thumper
- Start date
"Let's suppose we're feeling generous and decide to immediately grant the entire teleological argument without contention. Now what? How do we follow up with it? What predictive power does it offer? What experimental measurements can we perform to test it? What decisions can I now make in the real world with real, empirical consequences that will manifest under the expectation of a divine, cosmic designer? These are the ultimate arbiters of truth when making synthetic propositions, and not the ability to formulate cute, rhetorical deductions.
"The claim that something like God "exists" is literally a claim that somewhere, somehow, I can interact with it on a physical level and generate a predictable sensory experience. It's an assertion that if I poke a stick in the right corner, then something is going to poke back. So let's suppose we're feeling generous and decide to grant the entire Christian religion without contention. Then what? What changes? What experiments can we perform to test it? What demonstrative power does this God offer? What decisions can I now make in the real world with real consequences that will manifest through the idea that a powerful disembodied agent exists somewhere? Contrary to the wishful thinking of Christians, these are the final arbiters of "truth" when making descriptive claims about reality, and not how well you can formulate cute little arguments." - anon
"The claim that something like God "exists" is literally a claim that somewhere, somehow, I can interact with it on a physical level and generate a predictable sensory experience. It's an assertion that if I poke a stick in the right corner, then something is going to poke back. So let's suppose we're feeling generous and decide to grant the entire Christian religion without contention. Then what? What changes? What experiments can we perform to test it? What demonstrative power does this God offer? What decisions can I now make in the real world with real consequences that will manifest through the idea that a powerful disembodied agent exists somewhere? Contrary to the wishful thinking of Christians, these are the final arbiters of "truth" when making descriptive claims about reality, and not how well you can formulate cute little arguments." - anon
"The idea that there are no atheists in foxholes underscores the idea that theistic belief is born of fear. It suggests that a rational man who, in a state of calm and over many years has concluded that there is probably no god, can be made to reverse himself when terrified and desperate. That's hardly an endorsement of a god belief." - anon
"More conversions occur on skid row and death row than restaurant row." - anon
"More conversions occur on skid row and death row than restaurant row." - anon
"How is it that hardly any major religion has looked at science and concluded, "This is better than we thought! The Universe is much bigger than our prophets said, grander, more subtle, more elegant?" Instead they say, "No, no, no! My god is a little god, and I want him to stay that way." A religion, old or new, that stressed the magnificence of the Universe as revealed by modern science might be able to draw forth reserves of reverence and awe hardly tapped by the conventional faiths." - Carl Sagan
"Almost any sect, cult, or religion will legislate its creed into law if it acquires the political power to do so." - Robert A. Heinlein
"Imagine the people who … are not ashamed to ignore, totally, all the patient findings of thinking minds through all the centuries since the Bible was written. And it is these ignorant people, the most uneducated, the most unimaginative, the most unthinking among us, who would make themselves the guides and leaders of us all; who would force their feeble and childish beliefs on us; who would invade our schools and libraries and homes. I personally resent it bitterly." - Isaac Asimov
"Imagine the people who … are not ashamed to ignore, totally, all the patient findings of thinking minds through all the centuries since the Bible was written. And it is these ignorant people, the most uneducated, the most unimaginative, the most unthinking among us, who would make themselves the guides and leaders of us all; who would force their feeble and childish beliefs on us; who would invade our schools and libraries and homes. I personally resent it bitterly." - Isaac Asimov
"The church doesn't like for people to grow up, because you can't control grown-ups. That's why we talk about being born again. When you're 'born again' you're still a child. People don't need to be born again, they need to grow up." - Bishop John Shelby Spong
"Religion is always in the control business and that's something people don't really understand. It's in the guilt-producing, control business.... and so they create this fiery place which has quite literally scared the hell out of a lot of people throughout christian history. And it's part of a control tactic" - Bishop John Shelby Spong
"When I grew up in the South, I was taught that segregation was the will of God, and the Bible was quoted to prove it. I was taught that women were by nature in inferior to men, and the Bible was quoted to prove it. I was taught that it was okay to hate other religions, and especially the Jews, and the Bible was quoted to prove it." - Bishop John Shelby Spong
"Christianity is, I believe, about expanded life, heightened consciousness and achieving a new humanity. It is not about closed minds, supernatural interventions, a fallen creation, guilt, original sin or divine rescue." - Bishop John Shelby Spong
"Christianity is not about the divine becoming human so much as it is about the human becoming divine. That is a paradigm shift of the first order." - Bishop John Shelby Spong
"Religion is always in the control business and that's something people don't really understand. It's in the guilt-producing, control business.... and so they create this fiery place which has quite literally scared the hell out of a lot of people throughout christian history. And it's part of a control tactic" - Bishop John Shelby Spong
"When I grew up in the South, I was taught that segregation was the will of God, and the Bible was quoted to prove it. I was taught that women were by nature in inferior to men, and the Bible was quoted to prove it. I was taught that it was okay to hate other religions, and especially the Jews, and the Bible was quoted to prove it." - Bishop John Shelby Spong
"Christianity is, I believe, about expanded life, heightened consciousness and achieving a new humanity. It is not about closed minds, supernatural interventions, a fallen creation, guilt, original sin or divine rescue." - Bishop John Shelby Spong
"Christianity is not about the divine becoming human so much as it is about the human becoming divine. That is a paradigm shift of the first order." - Bishop John Shelby Spong
Ecclesiastes 1:18 - "For in much wisdom is much vexation and he who increases knowledge increases sorrow.
"Empty your minds of secular knowledge." - John Chrysostom, Holy Hierarch of Constantinople (347-407)
"Since God has spoken to us it is no longer necessary for us to think." - St Augustine
"Reason is the greatest enemy that faith has; it never comes to the aid of spiritual things, but-more frequently than not-struggles against the divine Word, treating with contempt all that emanates from God." - Martin Luther
"So far as I can remember, there is not one word in the Gospels in praise of intelligence." - Bertrand Russell
“People say there are no atheists in foxholes. A lot of people think this is a good argument against atheism. Personally, I think it's a much better argument against foxholes.”
― Kurt Vonnegut
― Kurt Vonnegut
"There is no just rationale; no righteous reason; no moral value to creating creatures with free will, only to demand they not use it, and to dangle the fruits of knowledge and provide a hunger for it, only to squash those desires and punish those that seek it." - anon
Richard Bamford describing his god:
Do you know his name? Sure you do. He talks to you every day. You could not live a normal life without him. You believe in him, whether you like it or not. Unless you abandon him completely, you cannot deny he exists.
My god is a more personal god than yours can ever be, for if you have enough sense to understand these words, my god lives within you. He lives within us all, to some degree. A heartbreaking few cannot understand him, but this is not their fault. The real tragedy is the multitudes who ignore much of his counsel, particularly when he questions your god too deeply.
My god has been around longer than your god. He was here before the many other gods that preceded your god. Though you will likely scoff at the notion, my god was the father of your god, as he was to all gods. But that was long ago when he was young and not yet sure of himself. Though many of your god's followers try to hold him down, my god grows stronger and more independent each day.
When your god expelled us from paradise for eating an apple, my god taught us to grow our own fruit.
When your god forbade knowledge, demanding we live in ignorance, my god created books.
When your god smote cities like a tantrum-prone child, my god helped to rebuild them.
When your god insisted the world was flat, my god showed his followers it was round, to their peril at the hands of your god's followers.
While your god watched in silence as children sickened and died, my god created medicines to make them well.
When your god winked and nodded at slavery, my god argued passionately against it.
While your god represses half the human race, my god considers woman to be the equal of man.
When your god only helps those who help themselves, my god rolls up his sleeves and actually does help until your god decides to join in, and then steals all the credit.
When your god inspired great buildings and great art, my god made them possible.
While your god says we are all born sinners, tainted before we even draw breath, my god says we are all born innocent; a clean slate with limitless potential.
While your god offers dubious allusions of an afterlife, my god provides for us here in this life.
While your god makes amazing promises, but offers not a shred of proof, my god performs amazing deeds, and the proof is there to be seen by all.
While your god demands blind faith and obsequious obedience, my god encourages questions, even about himself.
When your god says "Thou shalt not," my god says "You can do anything."
My god is reason. He does more in a day than your god will ever do.
Do you know his name? Sure you do. He talks to you every day. You could not live a normal life without him. You believe in him, whether you like it or not. Unless you abandon him completely, you cannot deny he exists.
My god is a more personal god than yours can ever be, for if you have enough sense to understand these words, my god lives within you. He lives within us all, to some degree. A heartbreaking few cannot understand him, but this is not their fault. The real tragedy is the multitudes who ignore much of his counsel, particularly when he questions your god too deeply.
My god has been around longer than your god. He was here before the many other gods that preceded your god. Though you will likely scoff at the notion, my god was the father of your god, as he was to all gods. But that was long ago when he was young and not yet sure of himself. Though many of your god's followers try to hold him down, my god grows stronger and more independent each day.
When your god expelled us from paradise for eating an apple, my god taught us to grow our own fruit.
When your god forbade knowledge, demanding we live in ignorance, my god created books.
When your god smote cities like a tantrum-prone child, my god helped to rebuild them.
When your god insisted the world was flat, my god showed his followers it was round, to their peril at the hands of your god's followers.
While your god watched in silence as children sickened and died, my god created medicines to make them well.
When your god winked and nodded at slavery, my god argued passionately against it.
While your god represses half the human race, my god considers woman to be the equal of man.
When your god only helps those who help themselves, my god rolls up his sleeves and actually does help until your god decides to join in, and then steals all the credit.
When your god inspired great buildings and great art, my god made them possible.
While your god says we are all born sinners, tainted before we even draw breath, my god says we are all born innocent; a clean slate with limitless potential.
While your god offers dubious allusions of an afterlife, my god provides for us here in this life.
While your god makes amazing promises, but offers not a shred of proof, my god performs amazing deeds, and the proof is there to be seen by all.
While your god demands blind faith and obsequious obedience, my god encourages questions, even about himself.
When your god says "Thou shalt not," my god says "You can do anything."
My god is reason. He does more in a day than your god will ever do.
Thumper
Thank the gods I'm an atheist
You've got to be taught
To hate and fear,
You've got to be taught
From year to year,
It's got to be drummed
In your dear little ear
You've got to be carefully taught.
You've got to be taught to be afraid
Of people whose eyes are oddly made,
And people whose skin is a diff'rent shade,
You've got to be carefully taught.
You've got to be taught before it's too late,
Before you are six or seven or eight,
To hate all the people your relatives hate,
You've got to be carefully taught!
(Lyrics for "Carefully Taught" from the musical "South Pacific")
To hate and fear,
You've got to be taught
From year to year,
It's got to be drummed
In your dear little ear
You've got to be carefully taught.
You've got to be taught to be afraid
Of people whose eyes are oddly made,
And people whose skin is a diff'rent shade,
You've got to be carefully taught.
You've got to be taught before it's too late,
Before you are six or seven or eight,
To hate all the people your relatives hate,
You've got to be carefully taught!
(Lyrics for "Carefully Taught" from the musical "South Pacific")
Thumper
Thank the gods I'm an atheist
Reason, decency, tolerance, empathy and hope are human traits that we should aspire to, not because we seek reward of eternal life or because we fear the punishment of a supernatural being, but because they define our humanity.
~ Jim Al-Khalili, British theoretical physicist & President of the British Humanist Association
~ Jim Al-Khalili, British theoretical physicist & President of the British Humanist Association
Thumper
Thank the gods I'm an atheist
Our species needs, and deserves, a citizenry with minds wide awake and a basic understanding of how the world works.~ Carl Sagan
Science is a way of thinking much more than it is a body of knowledge.~ Carl Sagan
We have also arranged things so that almost no one understands science and technology. This is a prescription for disaster. We might get away with it for a while, but sooner or later this combustible mixture of ignorance and power is going to blow up in our faces.~ Carl Sagan
I can find in my undergraduate classes, bright students who do not know that the stars rise and set at night, or even that the Sun is a star.~ Carl Sagan
If we long to believe that the stars rise and set for us, that we are the reason there is a Universe, does science do us a disservice in deflating our conceits?~ Carl Sagan
The universe seems neither benign nor hostile, merely indifferent.~ Carl Sagan
It is far better to grasp the universe as it really is than to persist in delusion, however satisfying and reassuring.~ Carl Sagan
Extinction is the rule. Survival is the exception.~ Carl Sagan
Science is a way of thinking much more than it is a body of knowledge.~ Carl Sagan
We have also arranged things so that almost no one understands science and technology. This is a prescription for disaster. We might get away with it for a while, but sooner or later this combustible mixture of ignorance and power is going to blow up in our faces.~ Carl Sagan
I can find in my undergraduate classes, bright students who do not know that the stars rise and set at night, or even that the Sun is a star.~ Carl Sagan
If we long to believe that the stars rise and set for us, that we are the reason there is a Universe, does science do us a disservice in deflating our conceits?~ Carl Sagan
The universe seems neither benign nor hostile, merely indifferent.~ Carl Sagan
It is far better to grasp the universe as it really is than to persist in delusion, however satisfying and reassuring.~ Carl Sagan
Extinction is the rule. Survival is the exception.~ Carl Sagan
Thumper
Thank the gods I'm an atheist
"We [scientists] don't reject the supernatural merely because we have an overweening philosophical commitment to materialism; we reject it because entertaining the supernatural has never helped us understand the natural world. Alchemy, faith healing, astrology, creationism - none of these perspectives has advanced our understanding of nature by one iota." - Jerry Coyne