Atheist knowledge

[M61A1]

Yuh, like the bulk of the Nazi's at Nuremberg, they repented, "found Christ" at the last minute so yep, they get a gold ticket to Heaven, this is the same forgiving god who didn't bother to intervene while those same Nazi's killed 5 or 6 million Jews, let alone the sum total of some 50 million innocents many praying for help the whole time.

So it's obviously ok to do whatever the hell you want in life and repent on your deathbed.

 

But of course there's something in the Bible to cover that.

I think I've posted this before, but relevant here....

 

[ATTACH]47855._xfImport[/ATTACH]

 

[turboplanner]

Even Harley are turning to God......after all those years.......

 

http://www.harley-davidson.com/content/h-d/en_AU/home/try-a-bike/forgiveness-offer.html

 

 

[M61A1]

Even Harley are turning to God......after all those years.......http://www.harley-davidson.com/content/h-d/en_AU/home/try-a-bike/forgiveness-offer.html

I will not repent......this is a false god.

 

Harley Davidson: turning fuel into noise without the harmful effects of horsepower since 1903.

 

 

[Old Koreelah]

...The latest information I've read suggests the Biblical version may be based on the end of the last ice age, when the mediterranean sea was created over what was previously a river which flowed from east to west out through the Pillars of Heracles...

There is a more plausible theory that the Black Sea was originally a shallow lake and the Dardanelles and Bosphorus opened to let in water from all the oceans. The fertile lake shore was inundated, leading to the deluge myth.

 

http://earth.usc.edu/~stott/Catalina/Mediterranean.html/Mediterranean.html

 

http://www.nydailynews.com/news/world/explorer-bob-ballard-finds-proof-ancient-flood-article-1.1220407

 

 

[Marty_d]

Someone did the maths to show there was not enough ice, water and moisture on earth to cover all the land, and you would spend a few lifetimes capturing two of every species, but there are flood legends in many unrelated civilisations.The latest information I've read suggests the Biblical version may be based on the end of the last ice age, when the mediterranean sea was created over what was previously a river which flowed from east to west out through the Pillars of Heracles.

 

The suggestions is 'the world" referred to to the "world" of the people who lived in and around the area now covered by the Mediterranian.

There is a more plausible theory that the Black Sea was originally a shallow lake and the Dardanelles and Bosphorus opened to let in water from all the oceans. The fertile lake shore was inundated, leading to the deluge myth.

http://earth.usc.edu/~stott/Catalina/Mediterranean.html/Mediterranean.html

 

http://www.nydailynews.com/news/world/explorer-bob-ballard-finds-proof-ancient-flood-article-1.1220407

What we have to remember is that the world population as at 2000 years ago is estimated to be between 150 and 300 million. That's between 1/20th and 1/40th (approximately) of what it is today.

 

Yes they thought the Mediterranean was the entire world (although the Romans certainly knew about Africa), so any localized flood event would spark all kinds of legends.

 

That's the whole point. How can anyone seriously believe the tripe in these "holy" books, when they're based on stories handed down (some hundreds of years after the protagonist's death) from people with extremely limited knowledge of science and medicine?

 

 

[eightyknots]

Caution. The attached graphic contains a naughty word and very naughty word. But it does contain humor for non believers.[ATTACH]41393[/ATTACH]

Only the atheists in this depiction used coarse language: why?

 

 

[facthunter]

There has to be something bad about them. Nev

 

 

[turboplanner]

How can anyone seriously believe the tripe in these "holy" books, when they're based on stories handed down (some hundreds of years after the protagonist's death) from people with extremely limited knowledge of science and medicine?

Built any pyramids lately Marty?

 

 

[dutchroll]

Only the atheists in this depiction used coarse language: why?

It is rumoured that in Hell, which awaits atheists, there is unlimited free beer and strippers.

 

Might as well try to guarantee you're going to get there........

 

 

[Geoff13]

Only the atheists in this depiction used coarse language: why?

All three of the other depictions in volve course language. I guess it depends on your definition.

 

 

[Marty_d]

Only the atheists in this depiction used coarse language: why?

Hmmm... the other 3 show the intolerance, fear and violence related to organised religion, but you're only worried about coarse language...?

 

Reminds me of those crazy bible-belt Yanks who happily subject their children to fire and brimstone every Sunday but freak out if they see a nipple on TV.

 

 

[Marty_d]

Built any pyramids lately Marty?

Nope, and I don't tend to get engineering and craftsmanship confused with science either.

 

 

[Bruce]

Turbs, I don't understand your reference to pyramids. They were quite crude but labor-intensive structures serving an insane purpose.. why did you mention them?

 

 

[turboplanner]

Turbs, I don't understand your reference to pyramids. They were quite crude but labor-intensive structures serving an insane purpose.. why did you mention them?

Marty said:

 

#3055 "How can anyone seriously believe the tripe in these "holy" books, when they're based on stories handed down (some hundreds of years after the protagonist's death) from people with extremely limited knowledge of science and medicine?"

 

I asked him if he'd built any pyramids lately

 

Then he said:

 

#3062 "Nope, and I don't tend to get engineering and craftsmanship confused with science either."

 

Some atheists cling to beliefs that ancient civilisations must have consisted of "goat herders" and people of limited knowledge.

 

This link shows the skill of the people who taught the ancient Egyptians, and as far as Marty's second positioning statement goes, this link shows their skill, not only in building, but in understanding the science as well.

 

http://transmissionsmedia.com/the-inexplicable-precision-in-the-construction-of-the-great-pyramid-at-giza/

 

As far as medicine goes, the Egyptians regularly used trepanning to relieve pressure after brain injuries.

 

 

[Marty_d]

Marty said:#3055 "How can anyone seriously believe the tripe in these "holy" books, when they're based on stories handed down (some hundreds of years after the protagonist's death) from people with extremely limited knowledge of science and medicine?"

 

I asked him if he'd built any pyramids lately

 

Then he said:

 

#3062 "Nope, and I don't tend to get engineering and craftsmanship confused with science either."

 

Some atheists cling to beliefs that ancient civilisations must have consisted of "goat herders" and people of limited knowledge.

 

This link shows the skill of the people who taught the ancient Egyptians, and as far as Marty's second positioning statement goes, this link shows their skill, not only in building, but in understanding the science as well.

 

http://transmissionsmedia.com/the-inexplicable-precision-in-the-construction-of-the-great-pyramid-at-giza/

 

As far as medicine goes, the Egyptians regularly used trepanning to relieve pressure after brain injuries.

Not only trepanning but they had a range of surgical techniques that were advanced for that time. Several medical scrolls have been discovered which shows they had a type of medical training school. However before we get too excited about this, also be aware they had no in-depth knowledge of anatomy (ie they knew enough to remove the brain through the nose and the organs through a cut in the abdomen, but they had no idea of the circulatory system), and then there's this little gem:

 

"Many practices were ineffective or harmful. Michael D. Parkins says that 72% of 260 medical prescriptions in the Hearst Papyrus had no known curative elements, and many contained animal dung which contains products of fermentation and molds, some of them having curative properties, but also bacteria posing a grave threat of infection."

 

It's not a matter of "clinging to beliefs" (that's kind of the opposite of atheism) about the lack of knowledge of ancient civilisations, it's a simple statement of fact that of course their prowess in science and medicine was incredibly basic compared to now. In some regards it may have even been better than medicine in Europe in the early 1800's, where surgeons proudly wore their bloodstained suits from one operation to the next and would have thought you crazy if you asked them to wash their hands.

 

The original point was about the flood that supposedly covered the earth actually being a localized event. How about another bible story - the tower of Babel? Now apparently some dudes wanted to build a tower that reached to heaven. (Even now we haven't quite got the space elevator technology down pat....) But god got a bit p*ssed off about this and knocked down the tower and made them all speak different languages.

 

So... how tall would this tower have been? Taller than the pyramids? How about the Eiffel Tower? Empire State? Burj Al Khalifa? And what about the unmanned and manned rockets travelling into space since the early 1960's? God doesn't seem too worried about them...

 

So, I stand by my assertion that holy books are full of sh*t.

 

 

[facthunter]

Heaven being "UP THERE" is OK if you believe the earth is flat. When we inhabit a sphere, Up there doesn't have much meaning.. The Rainbow Serpent is all powerful in aboriginal lore but can the powers be taken literally? What is the purpose of sacred writings, obviously written by MAN but considered by many to be the " Absolute Word of GOD? In some ways to explain the otherwise inexplicable and give cause and purpose to life itself. You take it all on trust or often with considerable coercion. Being an unbeliever has serious consequences on this earth and obviously in "HEAVEN".

 

AS time goes by and man , being something of a bighead animal with a large brain, incessantly seeks to climb the highest mountain Swim the seas and explore space as well as thinking in the abstract, inventing languages to communicate, Invent forms of maths and achieve amazing knowledge that wasn't around a relatively short time ago. Unless HE destroys the world, and has the potential to do so(and it appears the inclination) WE (Humankind) will continue to get more knowledge and explanations of the universe around us, leaving (I would have thought) less things for religion to have to explain. Religion has rarely promoted or assisted science . Why would it? We are told belief ina religion has all the answers and for many it is only preparation for another place. Nev

 

 

[turboplanner]

You are usually told that by someone wanting to make a dollar out of it; a market first identified by Saul. The invention of purgatory was far more effective on Roman Catholics than "Book your place in heaven NOW!; seating is limited!"

 

 

[Marty_d]

Some more Tim Minchin....

 

Doesn't some sect or other believe there's only 144,000 spots in heaven? Why do they bother then... it was full thousands of years ago!

 

 

[facthunter]

Excommunication was probably the equivalent of pointing the bone in aboriginal culture. Nev

 

 

[Marty_d]

...to explain the otherwise inexplicable and give cause and purpose to life itself.

And therein lies the problem. The inexplicable will eventually be worked out, but the idea that life HAS to have a purpose is the strange one. A type of ape stands upright to see over the tall grass, and as his brain expands (slowly) over the millennia he starts to think that he's special and there must be a purpose for his life. The other apes, meanwhile, spend their days lazing around, eating, defecating and fornicating and never spend much time worrying about why they exist.

 

 

[PA.]

The other apes, meanwhile, spend their days lazing around, eating, defecating and fornicating and never spend much time worrying about why they exist.

Life is good for these apes.

 

 

[eightyknots]

Doesn't some sect or other believe there's only 144,000 spots in heaven? Why do they bother then... it was full thousands of years ago!

Yes, that'll be the Russellites (these people now refer to themselves as Jehovah's Witnesses).

 

 

[Marty_d]

Thanks 80kts - next time they knock on the door I'll ask why they put in the effort, given there's no room left.

 

 

[eightyknots]

Thanks 80kts - next time they knock on the door I'll ask why they put in the effort, given there's no room left.

The explanation I heard is that, now the 144,000 places are taken, they're starting an overflow heaven on earth, or words to that effect. That is what I was told by them.

 

 

[M61A1]

If heaven is going to be full of the sort of people who believe they're going there when they die, it's not a place I would like.