Wednesday 19 September 2007

30 days, an athiest among christians

link to the video

Someone just posted this up on a forum I frequent and I made comments as I watched. Though I might as well share them here too.

They make repeated assertions that if she gets to know them as people and christians, she'll convert. I'm not an athiest because I don't like christians, I'm an athiest because I've never seen any proof for a god, and I've looked. They also assert multiple times that they believe learning about christianity will convert her. Most athiests, this one included, like most people in general, were raised with a religeous background. I know I was.

Timepoint 17:20 - Equates athiems with hatred of christianity. No. I'm sure I don't need to say this here but I'm not an theist becsue I hate christianity, I'm an athiest becsaue I do not believe that god exists, in any form. I believe the physical reality of the world is all there is to the world.

Timepoint 23:00 - In response to a complaint about how the goverment does sanction religeon by including "In god we trust" on money, Christian Guy says "If you don't like it, move". No, wrong. There is no reason athiests should be forced out of a country simply for not conforming to the dominant beliefes, and if that country does not have a state sanctioned beliefe system they should expect things like flags, pledges, money, goverment, etc to be secular, and in a place with state religeon they can petition to change that. Moving won't help and I shoudln't be forced out of my home because of your beliefe.

Timepoint 28:07 - He askes her what she believes. I'd like to take that question upon myself for a second. I beleive in people. I believe that people exist, and the people go great evil, and also great good. I believe that we only get one life, so we should make the most of it. I believe we can understand the world. I believe that life is what you make of it and we're all responsible for ourselves and each other. I believe there's no justification for discrimination.

Timepoint 29:37 - Discussion of universal origin. Argument for incredulity, I can't imagine it so it couldn't have happened. Anyone watch Sayonara Zetsubou Sense? It's one of this seasons anime, you should watch it. Anyway, the lead girl often comes out with things like "Well, I've only ever heard of hikikomori on TV, how could there be one in my class" but there is. The fact she finds it incredulous doesn't mean it isn't true. I can't comprehend the big bang. I have a hard time with physics, I can't coneptualise it. But that doesn't mean it didn't happen, and I accept that the people who understand the data accept it, so I believe them, and I know if my trust of them came itno doubt, with some difficulty I could read around it and learn about it and use the evidence my make my own conclusions.

Timepoint 30:02 - "How do you feel like you came into existance". Well, done night aobut three months after their marriage, my mum and dad had sex. His sperm connected with her ova and that fetus transplanted into her womb, by sheer chance. I managed to not spontaneously abort, and was born. That's how I came into being. I don't know how to answer it any other way. I don't understand what kind of answer they want.

Timepoint 30:38 - You know what, I don't come into the world claimin an impeccable understanding of the bible and theology. I don't. I know nothing about the bible. I know a few of the stories in outline, but I ahve not studied the book itself in detail. Because of that, I avoid discussing the bible. To me, these people who have only a rudimentary grasp of evolution talking about it like that, it's like me talking about the bible, a few bits I remember and 99% bullshit because I just don't know. They don't know, they haven't studies it, in my mind they shouldn't be talking about it.

Timpoint 31:30 - I don't like how the presenters are handeling this. They've been pretty impartial on a lot of things but, well, creationism vrs evolution is like fairytail vrs. actual reality. Impartiality isn't telling the fairy tail as if it's equaliy valid. Impartiality is telling the truth, but presenting two sides if they seem equally valid.

Timepoint 34:50 - He says it's heartbreaking for him that they tell their kids there's no god. It's eartbreaking to me that anyone tells their kids anything like that. To me, kids don't have a religeon, you teach them all you know and let them make their own decisions. Him raising his kids telling them they're going to burn in the fires of hell if they don't conform to his religeon believe actually seems worse to me then her saying there's no god. He says he wants them to be open minded, but he can't even comprehend not having "under god" on his money, how open minded can be be?

Timepoint 38:38 - If I raised children, I would tech them to think. I would teach them to ask questions and be kind and good and appreciate people for what they are and to let good deeds be their own reward, instead of doing good so the mythical syk fairy is happy with them. I'd teach them respect, and friendliness, and acceptance of all poeple. I'd teach them that everyone is falable, including themsleves, but that's ok, we're all in this together, and they don't have to be afraid.

All in all, I have to be a bit in awe of her becasue I would have punched him, though it would probably have been the creationism that did it for me and maybe she's not opposed to creationism as strongly as I am.

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