June 20, 201412 yr Author Exactly the type of answer I expected which is why I posed the question. I read your previous posts and I tried to word my response in the most respectful way possible. I avoided using the words "myth" and superstition" out of respect to what you had written. You must realize that it is not easy for an atheist/agnostic to respond in a manner that a believer in the divine or supernatural will not find offensive. I stand by my statement, however.
June 21, 201412 yr But the bottom line from the general tone of your posts is that you DON'T respect the people that hold beliefs. I've read several of your posts as well. In the response where you tried to be respectful you used words like irrational and illogical, not hardly the nicest, most respectful terms. Simply by pointing out that you chose not to use words like myth and superstition you did in fact use those words to illustrate what you think of people who believe. It's like you can't just agree to disagree you have to be condescending towards the beliefs of people of faith. I have a lot of respect for those who couragouesly go where most fear to tread and openly stand up for their agnostic or NON-belief. What I do believe is that in one more generation , non-believers will outnumber believers in this country. These are also your words. Here's the big difference I see between believers and non-believers and you and I are examples of both sides of the spectrum. I can respect your beliefs (or lack thereof). I don't see myself as any more intelligent or enlightened then you because I believe and you don't. Your posts however show that you don't respect anyone who believes, you think you are more intelligent then they are and that your non-belief should be worn as a badge of honor. I'll stand by my previous post as well. I haven't met or interacted with many people who are openly atheist but those that I have met and interacted with come off as smug and arrogant. I can respect the non-belief, I can't respect the attitude. And back to the original point of this thread that, rather then their atheism, is the reason I BELIEVE you will see very few openly atheist elected officials anytime in the near future.
June 21, 201412 yr Author I believe in everyone's right to believe in whatever supernatural elements they want to believe in. It's not my cup of tea, as I choose the natural over the supernatural, scientific evidence over faith, Big Bang over the Garden of Eden, natural selection over Adam's rib. That works for me. If something else works for another, that's okay too.
June 21, 201412 yr SF, do you think that there is extraterrestrial life somewhere in the Comos or at least a good chance?
June 21, 201412 yr I believe in everyone's right to believe in whatever supernatural elements they want to believe in. It's not my cup of tea, as I choose the natural over the supernatural, scientific evidence over faith, Big Bang over the Garden of Eden, natural selection over Adam's rib. That works for me. If something else works for another, that's okay too. And yet you can't reply with a simple live and let live, you have to continue to sow the seeds of condescension.
June 23, 201412 yr Author SF, do you think that there is extraterrestrial life somewhere in the Comos or at least a good chance? As a mathematician and scientist, I can say with much confidence there is life elsewhere in the universe. It is likely, in fact, that there are possibly billions and billions(as Sagan, used to say) of other worlds with intelligent life. Scientists are now discovering other Earth-like planets in the Milky Way Galaxy and beyond that lie in the habitable ,or "Goldilocks" zone( not too close, not too far from its sun).There could be millions of such planets in our galaxy alone. In the grand scheme of things, the Earth is but an insignificant pale blue dot amid the infinity of space and time that houses the universe. Scientists think that it is possible there are ,in fact, other universes. The laws of physics and probability says that life elsewhere in the universe is plentiful. It happens.
June 23, 201412 yr As a mathematician and scientist, I can say with much confidence there is life elsewhere in the universe. It is likely, in fact, that there are possibly billions and billions(as Sagan, used to say) of other worlds with intelligent life. Scientists are now discovering other Earth-like planets in the Milky Way Galaxy and beyond that lie in the habitable ,or "Goldilocks" zone( not too close, not too far from its sun).There could be millions of such planets in our galaxy alone. In the grand scheme of things, the Earth is but an insignificant pale blue dot amid the infinity of space and time that houses the universe. Scientists think that it is possible there are ,in fact, other universes. The laws of physics and probability says that life elsewhere in the universe is plentiful. It happens. Yet you do so without proof...hmmm Or did I miss that breaking news that life had been found out there somewhere, seems like that would have been big news.
June 24, 201412 yr All I know is I want to be the first non-Star Trek person to call a Cardassian a "Spoon-Head" when they get here. Wow, this thread got off-topic in a big way.
June 24, 201412 yr All I know is I want to be the first non-Star Trek person to call a Cardassian a "Spoon-Head" when they get here. Wow, this thread got off-topic in a big way. Kim, Khole, Kourtney or Kris...they are all Spoon-heads!
June 24, 201412 yr SF, do you think that there is extraterrestrial life somewhere in the Comos or at least a good chance? I knew that question was a setup as soon as I read it.:lol2: Maybe - just maybe - it takes a modicum of faith to rely on science and statistical probabilities. Just a different kind of faith.
June 24, 201412 yr I knew that question was a setup as soon as I read it.:lol2: Maybe - just maybe - it takes a modicum of faith to rely on science and statistical probabilities. Just a different kind of faith. Oh no, Faith is just for slack jawed rubes!
June 25, 201412 yr I think you make the mistake a lot of people make on this: don't conflate atheism or agnosticism with a respect an understanding of scientific thought and process. Plenty of religious people out there with deep respect for science and who even work in the field. Plenty of dumber-than-a-bag-of-hammers idiots out there who aren't religious. In the past several centuries if you look at many of the great minds who's discoveries revolutionized their fields, I invite you to look at their titles. I don't mean just Dr. or Prof. or academic letters after their name, I mean their whole titles. You will see many of these great thinkers have titles before their name like Fr. or Bro. (Father or Brother) and after their names letter like SJ (Society of Jesus or Jesuits and more often called) or OFM (Order of Friars Minor or more often called Franciscans) or OP (Order of Preachers or more often called Dominicans).
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