World Religions - Atheism Discussion Thread

[ben says]

I have a question for an atheist

If God does not exist, explain the term "Adam's Apple"

All I'm doing is asking a question, not criticizing, so if you're planning on biting my head off, save your fangs and keep your panties on.

NOT trying to bite your head off/be an ass...but this post is a joke, right?

[Tamara-B]

Tamara-B: Forgive me for sounding ignorant, but how does a culture naming a part of the body after the first human in a mythical story need more explanation?

I'm just wondering what atheists call that part of the body. How do they explain the name? You don't sound ignorant to me

[Tamara-B]

I have a question for an atheist

If God does not exist, explain the term "Adam's Apple"

All I'm doing is asking a question, not criticizing, so if you're planning on biting my head off, save your fangs and keep your panties on.

NOT trying to bite your head off/be an ass...but this post is a joke, right?

My career aspirations don't involve being a comic, so no this post is not a joke.

[vince]

Well, modern medicine calls it: Laryngeal prominence

I call it an Adam's Apple because that is what I was taught to call it.

[ben says]

I have a question for an atheist

If God does not exist, explain the term "Adam's Apple"

All I'm doing is asking a question, not criticizing, so if you're planning on biting my head off, save your fangs and keep your panties on.

NOT trying to bite your head off/be an ass...but this post is a joke, right?

My career aspirations don't involve being a comic, so no this post is not a joke.

Let me put it this way: what exactly are you getting at? That because the laryngeal prominence is called an Adam's Apple, god is real?

[Bridges]

Tamara-B: Forgive me for sounding ignorant, but how does a culture naming a part of the body after the first human in a mythical story need more explanation?

I'm just wondering what atheists call that part of the body. How do they explain the name? You don't sound ignorant to me

Never thought of it like that.  I wonder what Non-Roman god believers call the planets. 

[Ocklawaha]

Tamara-B: Forgive me for sounding ignorant, but how does a culture naming a part of the body after the first human in a mythical story need more explanation?

Is it a myth? How do  you know? What proofs do you offer besides 'disbelief?'

On one side, we had a story, legend or fable that is thousands of years old, on the other a 21St Century guy claiming to know the story is false. Was 'Adam' the first man able to write? Did one of his children write his story?

Troy was a myth, oops, no is wasn't. Greek fire was a myth, oops, no it wasn't. The coin that saved a Confederate officer from a bullet was a myth, uh? Nope.

[Tamara-B]

I have a question for an atheist

If God does not exist, explain the term "Adam's Apple"

All I'm doing is asking a question, not criticizing, so if you're planning on biting my head off, save your fangs and keep your panties on.

NOT trying to bite your head off/be an ass...but this post is a joke, right?

My career aspirations don't involve being a comic, so no this post is not a joke.

Let me put it this way: what exactly are you getting at? That because the laryngeal prominence is called an Adam's Apple, god is real?

I feel God is real because that's my belief

[Bridges]

I feel God is real because that's my belief

Well ok then.  Why not just say that, instead of some weird semantic game?  This is what I never understand from a lot of believers.  They try and convince others with pseudo-science or tricks (see Kirk Cameron's banana).  If you believe, and that is enough for you then fantastic.  Nothing should shake that.  I don't get why they feel they have to prove it to others with games or logic twists.  If the "word" or whatever is strong enough for you to believe then so be it.  Just say that. 

[nomeus]

One can "feel" and "believe" but one can’t truly ever know for sure either way. Agnostic has to do with knowledge and atheism has to do with belief. You can surely be an agnostic Christian or agnostic any other religion for that matter. There are many agnostic Christians in the world. They believe/feel there is a god but are intelligent enough to know that they can’t possibly know for a fact, thus making them agnostic Christians. I personally feel that if you can’t know 100% for sure that there is/isn't a god, then it's kind of silly to "believe" there is one. Why not "believe" in Santa Claus? Is Santa any sillier than a supposed all knowing, all seeing sky man that watches and judges everything you do? Is believing in the tooth fairy any more silly than believing in some god that supposedly controls everything, including wars, famine, birth defects, crime, natural disasters etc. etc.? Why is YOUR god the ONLY god? If you grew up never hearing of the words god/Jesus/bible, do you really think you would just come to your own conclusion that there must be some old guy in the clouds watching you and you should appease him? Why do so many people think that the Christian bible is the only bible that matters? Why are there so many religions in the world? Why does Tom Cruise believe that some aliens living inside a volcano created everything? Is Tom Cruise any more/less silly than someone quoting the Christian bible? What about the Mormons? Joseph Smith claimed (not very long ago mind you) that he walked out into the woods and god and Jesus told him what to write down on some mystical stones that he put into a hat and translated from some other language. Talk about silly...

What about the following? (taken from "why can’t I own a Canadian")

When I burn a bull on the altar as a sacrifice, I know it creates a pleasing odor for the Lord - Lev.1:9. The problem is my neighbors. They claim the odor is not pleasing to them. Should I smite them?

I would like to sell my daughter into slavery, as sanctioned in Exodus 21:7. In this day and age, what do you think would be a fair price for her?

I know that I am allowed no contact with a woman while she is in her period of menstrual uncleanliness - Lev.15:19- 24. The problem is, how do I tell? I have tried asking, but most women take offense.

Lev. 25:44 states that I may indeed possess slaves, both male and female, provided they are purchased from neighboring nations. A friend of mine claims that this applies to Mexicans, but not Canadians. Can you clarify? Why can't I own Canadians?

I have a neighbor who insists on working on the Sabbath. Exodus 35:2 clearly states he should be put to death. Am I morally obligated to kill him myself?

A friend of mine feels that even though eating shellfish is an abomination - Lev. 11:10, it is a lesser abomination than homosexuality. I don't agree. Can you settle this?

Lev. 21:20 states that I may not approach the altar of God if I have a defect in my sight. I have to admit that I wear reading glasses. Does my vision have to be 20/20, or is there some wiggle room here?

Most of my male friends get their hair trimmed, including the hair around their temples, even though this is expressly forbidden by Lev. 19:27. How should they die?

I know from Lev. 11:6-8 that touching the skin of a dead pig makes me unclean, but may I still play football if I wear gloves?

My uncle has a farm. He violates Lev. 19:19 by planting two different crops in the same field, as does his wife by wearing garments made of two different kinds of thread (cotton/polyester blend). He also tends to curse and blaspheme a lot. Is it really necessary that we go to all the trouble of getting the whole town together to stone them? - Lev.24:10-16. Couldn't we just burn them to death at a private family affair like we do with people who sleep with their in-laws? (Lev. 20:14)

Now I know what you’re going to say...you’re going to say that the Old Testament doesn't matter. Well according to Matthew 5:17 says that it does matter. Besides, what kind of religion just up and says "oh, that crazy stuff? Just forget about that nonsense"?

What about the fact that in the Christian bible, Satan kills less than 10 people and god kills over 2 million?

There are many contradictions in the bible...here are some

Should we kill?

    Exodus 20:13 "Thou shalt not kill."
    Leviticus 24:17 "And he that killeth any man shall surely be put to death."

    Vs.
    Exodus 32:27 "Thus sayeth the Lord God of Israel, Put every man his sword by his side, . . . and slay every man his brother, . . . companion, . . . neighbor."
    I Samuel 6:19 " . . . and the people lamented because the Lord had smitten many of the people with a great slaughter."
    I Samuel 15:2,3,7,8 "Thus saith the Lord . . . Now go and smite Amalek, and utterly destroy all that they have, and spare them not; but slay both man and woman, infant and suckling, ox and sheep, camel and ass. . . . And Saul smote the Amalekites . . . and utterly destroyed all the people with the edge of the sword."
    Numbers 15:36 "And all the congregation brought him without the camp, and stoned him with stones, and he died; as the Lord commanded Moses."
    Hosea 13:16 "they shall fall by the sword: their infants shall be dashed in pieces, and their women with children shall be ripped up."

   
http://ffrf.org/legacy/books/lfif/?t=contra

God and all that is a timeless topic and will never go away but I must say...if you believe in an all-powerful cloud dwelling being that is judging you, you should also believe in Santa, unicorns, and the tooth fairy for starters. God, Jesus and most religions are just fairy tales for adults to help them cope in their lives. I wouldn't have a problem with that except religion worldwide does more harm than good.

“I am against religion because it teaches us to be satisfied with not understanding the world.” - Richard Dawkins

...a little Neil deGrasse Tyson for good measure...

[tufsu1]

back to Ron's point....somehow First Baptist is going to show kids dinosaur bones and then teach that they are only thousands of years old (vs. miillions)...never mind that whole carbon dating thing....it doesn't fit the creationism storyline.

[ronchamblin]

Beautiful Nomeus. 

[nomeus]

well thanks ron

[Tamara-B]

I feel God is real because that's my belief

Well ok then.  Why not just say that, instead of some weird semantic game?  This is what I never understand from a lot of believers.  They try and convince others with pseudo-science or tricks (see Kirk Cameron's banana).  If you believe, and that is enough for you then fantastic.  Nothing should shake that.  I don't get why they feel they have to prove it to others with games or logic twists.  If the "word" or whatever is strong enough for you to believe then so be it.  Just say that.

"Why not just say that?"

It's too bad you're not the mouth police and I can say what I please. Tricks? All I did was ask about the term "Adam's apple" Save your fangs!

[officerk]

Tamara-B - things get named what they get named... some are common names as the "Adams apple" and some are not.... when they are from religions they do not prove the existence of any god or gods... Do you have your own calendar that is not based on the Greek & Roman gods and mythology? Or based on your logic does the fact that our calendar is based on those gods prove that they in fact exist? 
January -- Janus's month: Janus is the Roman god of gates and doorways, depicted with two faces looking in opposite directions. His festival month is January.
February -- month of Februa: Februa is the Roman festival of purification, held on February fifteenth. It is possibly of Sabine origin.
March -- Mars' month: Mars is the Roman god of war.
April -- Aphrodite's month: Aphrodite is the Greek goddess of love and beauty.
May -- Maia's month: Maia (meaning "the great one") is the Italic goddess of spring, the daughter of Faunus, and wife of Vulcan.
June -- Juno's month: Juno is the principle goddess of the Roman Pantheon. She is the goddess of marriage and the well-being of women. She is the wife and sister of Jupiter.

I could go on - but I think you get the point - often a name is a name. A NAME is not proof of existence of a Deity.