I am an Atheist but I also acknowledge that just because one is an Atheist does not make them any more intelligent, logical or rational than religious people. Before we go any further, I'd just like to point out that Atheism is being defined here as one or all of the following:
- The psychological state of having no beliefs about something which also includes the lack of theistic beliefs
- A person that doesn't deny the existence of a creator but just doesn't possess the belief that there is one
- Someone that does deny the existence of a Creator
I am an Atheist in the sense that while I do not deny the existence of a Creator; I just do not possess the belief that there is one. I am, however, more open to the idea of Deism which is kind of like scientific divine that sets in motion everything. It could be possible that a Theos (A theistic God) is actually a Deistic God instead and that humans have just confused over the years, but I doubt that is the case. But I even more strongly doubt the existence of a God described in anthropomorphic terms; this is basically like an immortal human being but with superhuman powers (often how a Theistic God is described.
With all that being said, this is not a debate about language and if your intention is to have a debate about that instead then I suggest using this link to make another debate: https://www.debateisland.com/post/discussion. And nor is about me being an Atheist.
Now, if I started this debate by saying that I am a religious person ( I am not by the way) I am willing to bet that someone people that identify themselves as Atheists would have immediately gone on the defensive and start coming out with all kinds of contemptuous things. This contempt for all Theistic religions and beliefs is not only unreasonable but also seems to either be or bordering on Antitheism. Furthermore, just as there are religious fanatics that drive more and more people away from those religions there are those extreme Antitheists that drive more and more religious people to be ever more defensive; there is no equilibrium; both attitudes create a self-fulfill prophecy.
Moreover, intelligence is not defined or measured by one's faith or lack thereof. There are many religious people out there that are very intelligent, some even more so than those that identify themselves as Atheists. And just as there are religious people that have some beliefs not founded on reason there are Atheists that have some silly ideas about religious people not founded on reason such as "Oh, he cannot be that intelligent because he believes in God." Furthermore, it's important to note that we're not robots; we are merely human beings that are creatures more of emotion and other things than what we are of logic. All of us will do things oftentimes not rested on logic (more often than not) such as deciding what cake to eat, what T.V show to watch, what sport to play, who we fall in love with, who we marry, and much more. And just because we do things not rested on logic doesn't say squat about our intelligence. Likewise, while Theistic beliefs may also not be founded on reason they too don't say anything about Theists' intelligence.
Lastly, while there are some individuals who also identify themselves as religious that appear to be just plain dumb it would foolish for us to assume that has anything to do with their religion; it's more about their individuality. So, in summary, and as stated before a person's faith or lack thereof is not a definition or measurement of their intelligence.
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For that matter, we do not even know our own intelligence. So often we believe that we should be able to understand something, yet we cannot - and vice versa.
Judging one's intelligence based on whether they are an atheist or not? Futile. I have met a lot of atheists with whom I could not converse for more than a few seconds without wanting to scream, "Do you ever use your brain?!", and I have met a lot of atheists who made me feel like a mentally challenged individual in comparison - and I can say the same about religious people.
I do believe that, in general, religious people tend to be a bit weaker at critical thinking than non-religious people - but by the same token, non-religious people often overestimate how good they are at critical thinking, and their elitist attitude makes them blind to their own consistent logical errors.
I also want to pay special attention to "brainwashed" people, by which I mean people who have lived in a very oppressive (in one way or another) environment for a long time, and sheer quantity of specific type of information they have been exposed to has made them into unconscious believers into something. You see it often in people living in North Korea, or in Iran/Saudi Arabia.
I do not think such people possess inferior intelligence. Rather, certain parts of their brain have been corrupted by sheer amount of propaganda thrown at them. It does not make them less intelligent, but it does make them less critical of certain things, and it is something that is fairly hard to fix. Some North Korean refugees say that even after 20 years of living in South Korea, they still hear voices in their heads urging them to love the Great Leader and give their life up for North Korea. It is not an intelligence-related effect, but, rather, an instinct related one. In order to eliminate it, a lot of hard mental effort is required.
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Agreed, Propaganda acts like a Pavlov's bell on large groups of people... Living in manufactured echo chambers doesn't help either and it's a real problem...
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So children born with cancer fully deserve from your Christian perspective bet you would whistle a different tune if it was your kids?
I wonder being the good Christian you are do you not go down to cancer wards and tell parents their kids deserve it for their ancestors rebellion?
This is why I say religion is dangerous because lunatics like you actually are allowed to have children people like you should be forcibly sterilized
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Why you are quoting from a contradictory book of horse manure is beyond me ......By the way I see you still cannot defend biblical slavery why’s that?
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You’re full of and still cannot offer a defence as to why god and Jesus fully support slavery
Also you cannot offer a defence as to why your loving god enjoys watching kids die of cancer , you probably do a high five every time a child dies of cancer because your god has had his revenge for their ancestors “rebellion” ......you’re a sick f—‘k
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***God does not take pleasure in the death of His children but everyone of those children are secure in Him for Eternity.
Sure he does as he’s getting revenge for their ancestors rebellion so you said , so why do you worship a petty tyrant that has to get revenge on infants?
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Female Hebrew slavery was in one sense even more protective. The chief purpose contemplated for buying a female slave was so that she could become the wife of either the buyer or the buyer’s son (Exod. 21:8-9). As wife, she became the social equal of the slaveholder, and the purchase functioned much like the giving of a dowry. Indeed, she is even called a “wife” by the regulation (Exod. 21:10). Moreover, if the buyer failed to treat the female slave with all the rights due an ordinary wife, he was required to set her free. “She shall go out without debt, without payment of money” (Exod. 21:11). Yet in another sense, women had far less protection than men. Potentially, every unmarried woman faced the possibility of being sold into a marriage against her will. Although this made her a "wife" rather than a "slave," would forced marriage be any less objectionable than forced labor?
In addition, an obvious loophole is that a girl or woman could be bought as a wife for a male slave, rather than for the slave owner or a son, and this resulted in permanent enslavement to the owner (Exod. 21:4), even when the husband's term of enslavement ended. The woman became a permanent slave to an owner who did not become her husband and who owed her none of the protections due a wife.
The protection against permanent enslavement also did not apply to foreigners (Lev. 25:44-46). Men taken in war were considered plunder and became the perpetual property of their owners. Women and girls captured in war, who were apparently the vast majority of captives (Num. 31:9-11, 32-35; Deut 20:11-14), faced the same situation as female slaves of Hebrew origin (Deut. 21:10-14), including permanent enslavement. Slaves could also be purchased from surrounding nations (Eccl. 2:7), and nothing protected them against perpetual slavery. The other protections afforded Hebrew slaves did apply to foreigners, but this must have been small comfort to those who faced a lifetime of forced labor.
In contrast to slavery in the United States, which generally forbade marriage among slaves, the regulations in Exodus aim to preserve families intact. “If he comes in single, he shall go out single; if he comes in married, then his wife shall go out with him” (Exod. 21:3). Yet often, as we have seen, the actual result of the regulations was forced marriage.
Regardless of any protections afforded in the Law, slavery was by no means an agreeable way of life. Slaves were, for whatever duration of their enslavement, property. Whatever the regulations, in practice there was probably little protection against maltreatment, and abuses occurred. As in much of the Bible, God’s word in Exodus did not abolish the existing social and economic order, but instructed God’s people how to live with justice and compassion in their present circumstances. To our eyes, the results do--and should--appear very disquieting.
In any case, before we become too smug, we should take a look at the working conditions that prevail today among poor people in every corner of the world, including the developed nations. Ceaseless labor for those working two or three jobs to support families, abuse and arbitrary exercise of power by those in power, and misappropriation of the fruits of labor by illicit business operators, corrupt officials, and politically connected bosses. Millions work today without so much as the regulations provided by the Law of Moses. If it was God’s will to protect Israel from exploitation even in slavery, what does God expect followers of Christ to do for those who suffer the same oppression, and worse, today?
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So man made a choice that future generations of children should die of cancer because the Christian god wants his petty revenge , you’re mentally unstable
Here you go Moses on biblical slavery ....
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The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God. They are corrupt, they have done abominable works, there is none that doeth good.
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Did you just call the god a fool? Because, as far as I know, the god is an atheist, meaning it does not believe that it has been created by a higher power.
Tread carefully, my friend, lest you end up stuck in the afterlife with the raging Flying Saucepan Alligator!
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I TOLD YOU NOT TO GET YOUR EVIDENCE FROM The Bible FOR REASONS IN DEBATES SUCH AS GOD DOES NOT EXIST PROVE ME WRONG AND ATHEISM IS THE CORRECT WAY TO THINK ABOUT RELIGION.
YOU GOT YOUR EVIDENCE FROM: The bible
THIS DISSATISFIES WHAT I ASKED OF YOU IN PREVIOUS ARGUMENTS AND SHOWS YOU WERE IGNORING MY PREVIOUS ARGUMENTS.
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Even I can make up my own god and story and then write about it hoping the world would believe it. Use evidence from outside the bible or use evidence not from the bible to prove the bible and then I will trust and believe all your evidence from the bible afterwards.
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But being intelligent, logical and rational naturally leads to atheism so...
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This is like a guy from a primal tribe, seeing the shaman dancing and the rain starting afterwards, and proclaiming, "Is it not obvious that our shaman can control the weather?! You are all blind if you cannot see the obvious connection!"
Same here. "The evidence is undeniable. There is the Sun and the Moon! Only god could have created them!" Yes, sure... if you leave out a few trillions other possibilities, and if you throw scientific method out in the garbage can.
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