Some are Trekkers and/or other Sci-fi fans. Not all are atheists either. I’m a nerd, who happens to be a humanist.
Somehow CFI opened up a time portal to thatoneguy’s room in his college frat in 1984. Or maybe he exists on VHS tapes from then, and somehow we can communicate with him, from the movie "Revenge of the Nerds? He doesn’t seem to know that the “nerds” are now billionaires. They made all the things we use now, the things that created a new economy in the 90’s. The stuff they invented are now used by the military and terrorists to disrupt entire countries and cause global unrest.
The generation that grew up, starting with kindergarten where they used the Apple IIe, they are just assembly line workers now, fixing the things that they didn’t invent, just maintain. The old assembly workers have been replaced by robots.
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In its simplest form, religion is one’s philosophy for living one’s life. One’s philosophy on or about a subject or activity is the approach one takes to, or dealing with, that subject or activity. Everyone has one, even if it is only that he/she will not develop a philosophy, which is a philosophy I think the exception to that definition is one who is not capable of making decisions or acting proactively.
Individuals and groups often add extrapolated baggage and ritual to a religion which may appear to others as unnecessary and which may seem to overwhelm the underlying philosophy. Conditions almost anywhere one finds one’s bliss may obscure reality, may be addicitive and may be dangerous. I think it best to examine one’s own baggage and ritual and realize that is it difficult to judge conditions from a distance.
Are you talking about the “cancell culture”?
Thus we have had wars.
I went to a talk, I’ll see if I can find the guy later, he was defending freedom of religious practice from a very conservative perspective. The interesting part was his historical perspective that the modern version of freedom of religion is to isolate the practices, so you’re free, but just do them in private. This changed, according to him, sometime when Britain was taking over India. Before then, religion was integrated with everything, how you did the dishes was part of your practice, there was no division between religion and daily life and politics, it was all “culture”.
So when you say “groups add baggage”, I think that is a modern perspective, looking back and only seeing the parts of religion that you consider good. The baggage, as you call it, was never separated, it all developed together over thousands of years. I agree with your bottom line, that in this modern world, we are now free to choose whatever good we find in a religion, a philosophy, or wherever and develop our own worldview. Traditionally, tribal cultures or major religions have not encouraged that.
You do make a lot of assumptions about atheists. I’ll assume you are not an atheist, because you obviously don’t know anything about human beings in general. You’re not even a psychologist, so what gives you the right to judge people? Being an Xian? Being religious? You do a very good job of acting like it, if you’re not either.
They’re only billionaires because our society rewards consumerism. Many were simply lucky. But even today, Lebron James and Taylor Swift are still more inspiring than Mark Zuckerberg.
I’ve been interacting with atheists for more than a decade. Most are unlikable losers.
[quote=“thatoneguy, post:29, topic:8409”]
I’ve been interacting with atheists for more than a decade. Most are unlikable losers.
Ok, try to pass yourself off as an atheist in a religious crowd and see who are the unlikable losers.
I tried to join a religious forum once but was refused access when I declared being atheist. One has to declare as theist to even gain posting privileges on that site.
Talking about hypocrisy, you had no trouble joining up on this forum, did you?
CFI even has a separate sub-forum for posting religious content. A feature many theists blatantly ignore and just assume the privilege of posting anywhere on this forum which is against the stated rules, as their first act of privilege.
You may want to clean your own backyard before you complain about someone else’s backyard and offer a class ad hominem against atheists.
[quote=“thatoneguy, post:28, topic:8409”]
They’re only billionaires because our society rewards consumerism
And theists are opposed to that are they?
Yes, Amish Mennonites are opposed to modern inventions, such as computers, and TVs, and buttons and zippers, and music, like Taylor Swift.
They also deliberately avoid modern technologies like cars, electricity and tractors.
Amish orders | Ohio's Amish Country
Are you Amish, Mennonite? If not you have no standing in making generalized statements about modern technology being somehow
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What makes you think they are all losers? Likability is in the eye of the beholder, so there’s no question to ask there. If you believe all atheists are losers, why are you still here, interacting with atheists? Maybe it’s time to look in the mirror is you truly believe all atheists are “unlikable losers”, because if all atheists are as you say, maybe it’s actually you who is the “unlikable loser”.
I will no talk about all atheists, but only about the ones i know:
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i have been admitted in the ENA, one of the most prestigious French post graduate school and i had a very satisfying career, ending almost at the top of my profession.
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My wife, a lawyer had a very satisfying career, except about earning much money, but she invested herself in the defense of minorities, abused children, trade unionists and so
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our daughter has been admitted in one of the top French business school ….
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my brother, a scientist and searcher, has worded in USA, and presently in Canada. He has earned big money and, most important, he is one of the best in his demesne. He lives an happy life with his wife and three grown up children.
I could go on, but i don’t know any atheist who is a loser because he is one …
Good point. I hate being in the position of defending the Western economic system, and saying someone is a billionaire is not necessarily a complement. Within this discussion, I’m only pointing out that so-called nerds are the ones who increased productivity many fold. They made educational games, all sorts of improvements to health care, not to mention figuring out the actual origin of the universe, as opposed to a myth.
I started a thread in a big Christianity forum asking how to go about discussing the acceptance of gays in a church. I was blasted with people who said you can’t do that since it’s a sin. I later found a different section where the topic was openly discussed. Inconsistent moderation, just like in the real world of churches.
slight correct to make sure there’s no misunderstanding as to whom I’m addressing.
It’s amazingly ironic to hear a trumpian loving white supremacist leaning person pointing at other’s inability to interact with others.
Stupid is as stupid does. OR is that, hateful is, as hateful does?
There are all sorts of what I called baggage from shaved heads to meditating in prescribed positions to avoiding modern technology to snake handling to not wearing shorts in church and on and on. And of course I can’t leave out thousands of religious rules from the canonized to an individual’s misguided extrapolation.
I don’t recognize that as my bottom line. I accept that there are a few places where people are truly free to choose a religion, but several billion don’t have the freedom to admit a choice publicly. I meant that people everewhere will consciously or unconsciously develop a philosophy for living and that is their true religion. It’s what we do.
Not liking someone is different from being unable to interact with them.
I am an atheist, I just no longer like atheists.
[quote=“thatoneguy, post:38, topic:8409”]
I am an atheist, I just no longer like atheists.
Do you even know the definition of atheist? Whay does that even have to do with likability.
Explain why you “just no longer like atheists”.
I would surely like to see your justification for such a bizarre interpretation of non-belief in an undefinable supernatural agency. You are an atheist, but don’t like atheists for being atheist?
You must not like yourself very much then … 
What on earth are you talking about?
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So the majority are nerds and some may have a form of autism (a small number do, not all), but I don’t see how that makes atheists unlikable. I like nerds. Nerds are cool and awesome. In fact, my older son is my “Wesley Crusher” and I’m glad I have a gifted son. He doesn’t believe either and yes, he’s the one who calls himself “agender”. I’m very proud of him, even if I don’t agree with everything he says or does or believes and yes, atheists do have beliefs, just not religious ones.