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P1234567890
Emperor of the Universe
Joined: 11 Mar 2006
Posts: 8319
Location: Victoria, Canada
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 Posted: Tue Apr 17, 2007 8:11 am Post subject: Famous Atheists |
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I thought I'd start a thread in which to advertise famous atheists.
Our first featured atheist will be Voltairine de Cleyre:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Voltairine_de_Cleyre
She was pretty forward-thinking considering the time she lived in...
_________________
"Men never do evil so completely and cheerfully as when they do it from religious conviction."
-Blaise Pascal
"...with or without religion, good people can behave well and bad people can do evil; but for good people to do evil -that takes religion..."
-Steven Weinberg
"I would bless my children with your destruction instead."
-Someone who shall remain anonymous. |
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P1234567890
Emperor of the Universe
Joined: 11 Mar 2006
Posts: 8319
Location: Victoria, Canada
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| Posted: Mon Apr 23, 2007 6:44 am Post subject: |
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It looks like my attempts to get a conversation started about famous atheists isn't getting off the ground.
Check out this web site about famous atheists:
http://www.wonderfulatheistsofcfl.org/Quotes.htm
Some of the names on the list might surprise you!
For example, I didn't know that Napoleon was an atheist...
_________________
"Men never do evil so completely and cheerfully as when they do it from religious conviction."
-Blaise Pascal
"...with or without religion, good people can behave well and bad people can do evil; but for good people to do evil -that takes religion..."
-Steven Weinberg
"I would bless my children with your destruction instead."
-Someone who shall remain anonymous. |
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Pondering
King of the Jungle
Joined: 15 Sep 2005
Posts: 1511
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| Posted: Mon Apr 23, 2007 8:16 am Post subject: |
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| P1234567890 wrote: |
For example, I didn't know that Napoleon was an atheist... |
hmmm...maybe not the best example to encourage others with  Unless you want to be a egomaniacal dictator 
_________________
Links of note:"Review for Doubting Christians"
Sheep, Wolves, and Sheepdogs
“You cannot strengthen the weak by weakening the strong...You cannot help men permanently by doing for them what they could and should do for themselves.” - Ronald Reagan |
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P1234567890
Emperor of the Universe
Joined: 11 Mar 2006
Posts: 8319
Location: Victoria, Canada
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| Posted: Mon Apr 23, 2007 8:31 am Post subject: |
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| Pondering wrote: | | P1234567890 wrote: |
For example, I didn't know that Napoleon was an atheist... |
hmmm...maybe not the best example to encourage others with Unless you want to be a egomaniacal dictator |
Yeah, there are a few examples of losers on the list, like the Marquis de Sade... But most of the people are interesting.
Check out Robert Frost's stuff:
| Quote: | I turned to speak to God,
About the world's despair;
But to make bad matters worse,
I found God wasn't there. |
Isn't that fantastic?
_________________
"Men never do evil so completely and cheerfully as when they do it from religious conviction."
-Blaise Pascal
"...with or without religion, good people can behave well and bad people can do evil; but for good people to do evil -that takes religion..."
-Steven Weinberg
"I would bless my children with your destruction instead."
-Someone who shall remain anonymous. |
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P1234567890
Emperor of the Universe
Joined: 11 Mar 2006
Posts: 8319
Location: Victoria, Canada
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| Posted: Mon Apr 23, 2007 8:45 am Post subject: |
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And Thomas Jefferson (an American legend) had this to say:
| Quote: | | The Christian god can easily be pictured as virtually the same god as the many ancient gods of past civilizations. The Christian god is a three headed monster; cruel, vengeful and capricious. If one wishes to know more of this raging, three headed beast-like god, one only needs to look at the caliber of people who say they serve him. They are always of two classes: fools and hypocrites. |
He also said this:
| Quote: | | "History I believe furnishes no example of a priest-ridden people maintaining a free civil government. This marks the lowest grade of ignorance, of which their political as well as religious leaders will always avail themselves for their own purpose. " |
And this:
| Quote: | | "Christianity is the most perverted system that ever shone on man." |
... So it looks to me like he properly understood the concept of separating church and state.
_________________
"Men never do evil so completely and cheerfully as when they do it from religious conviction."
-Blaise Pascal
"...with or without religion, good people can behave well and bad people can do evil; but for good people to do evil -that takes religion..."
-Steven Weinberg
"I would bless my children with your destruction instead."
-Someone who shall remain anonymous. |
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Ana
King of the Jungle
Joined: 10 Mar 2006
Posts: 1566
Location: BC
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| Posted: Mon Apr 23, 2007 8:46 am Post subject: |
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| P1234567890 wrote: |
Check out Robert Frost's stuff:
| Quote: | I turned to speak to God,
About the world's despair;
But to make bad matters worse,
I found God wasn't there. |
Isn't that fantastic? |
That is fantastic.
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Truth doesn't care about theology, and theology doesn't care about truth.
Ana's Bananas |
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Pondering
King of the Jungle
Joined: 15 Sep 2005
Posts: 1511
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| Posted: Mon Apr 23, 2007 9:42 am Post subject: |
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I'm a big fan of TJ...and to be fair, I don't think he was an atheist...he was a Deist...
He didn't like organized Christianity....he also had his own version of the Bible...he basically took out all the "miracle" stuff and still thought it was a good guidebook...
of course this is the guy that penned "all men are created equal" while being a slaveowner so.....
_________________
Links of note:"Review for Doubting Christians"
Sheep, Wolves, and Sheepdogs
“You cannot strengthen the weak by weakening the strong...You cannot help men permanently by doing for them what they could and should do for themselves.” - Ronald Reagan |
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P1234567890
Emperor of the Universe
Joined: 11 Mar 2006
Posts: 8319
Location: Victoria, Canada
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| Posted: Mon Apr 23, 2007 9:46 am Post subject: |
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| Pondering wrote: |
He didn't like organized Christianity....he also had his own version of the Bible...he basically took out all the "miracle" stuff and still thought it was a good guidebook...
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Sure, but who can argue with the 'love thy neighbor' stuff? You're basically saying that after you take all of the horrendously evil stuff out of the Bible, it becomes a good book. Isn't this trivially obvious? Once you take out the bad stuff, all that's left is good!
_________________
"Men never do evil so completely and cheerfully as when they do it from religious conviction."
-Blaise Pascal
"...with or without religion, good people can behave well and bad people can do evil; but for good people to do evil -that takes religion..."
-Steven Weinberg
"I would bless my children with your destruction instead."
-Someone who shall remain anonymous. |
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Pondering
King of the Jungle
Joined: 15 Sep 2005
Posts: 1511
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| Posted: Mon Apr 23, 2007 10:10 am Post subject: |
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mmmm....I know he took out the "miracle" stuff...not sure about the "evil" stuff...there is a difference...I'll look into it a bit...
_________________
Links of note:"Review for Doubting Christians"
Sheep, Wolves, and Sheepdogs
“You cannot strengthen the weak by weakening the strong...You cannot help men permanently by doing for them what they could and should do for themselves.” - Ronald Reagan |
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P1234567890
Emperor of the Universe
Joined: 11 Mar 2006
Posts: 8319
Location: Victoria, Canada
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| Posted: Mon Apr 23, 2007 11:33 am Post subject: |
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| Pondering wrote: | | mmmm....I know he took out the "miracle" stuff...not sure about the "evil" stuff...there is a difference...I'll look into it a bit... |
Well, given that he wrote this:
| Quote: | | "The Christian god can easily be pictured as virtually the same god as the many ancient gods of past civilizations. The Christian god is a three headed monster; cruel, vengeful and capricious. If one wishes to know more of this raging, three headed beast-like god, one only needs to look at the caliber of people who say they serve him. They are always of two classes: fools and hypocrites." |
I'd be surprised if he was a big fan of the evil parts of the Bible...
_________________
"Men never do evil so completely and cheerfully as when they do it from religious conviction."
-Blaise Pascal
"...with or without religion, good people can behave well and bad people can do evil; but for good people to do evil -that takes religion..."
-Steven Weinberg
"I would bless my children with your destruction instead."
-Someone who shall remain anonymous. |
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Pondering
King of the Jungle
Joined: 15 Sep 2005
Posts: 1511
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| Posted: Tue Apr 24, 2007 4:17 am Post subject: |
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just to follow up, he didn't believe in the divinity of Jesus, but did believe Jesus was the most moral, ethical leader the world had seen and was a good model for others to emulate...
The "Jefferson Bible" isn't the name he gave it...it's actually a merging/retelling of only the Gospels, but he removed all the "miracles"....
For example, it does include the story of Jesus in the temple teaching the scholars at the age of 12, but doesn't have the 3 wise men following the star....
It concludes with Jesus' sacrifice (crucifixtion) and burial...but not resurrection.
_________________
Links of note:"Review for Doubting Christians"
Sheep, Wolves, and Sheepdogs
“You cannot strengthen the weak by weakening the strong...You cannot help men permanently by doing for them what they could and should do for themselves.” - Ronald Reagan |
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Ana
King of the Jungle
Joined: 10 Mar 2006
Posts: 1566
Location: BC
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| Posted: Tue Apr 24, 2007 8:36 am Post subject: |
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| Pondering wrote: |
For example, it does include the story of Jesus in the temple teaching the scholars at the age of 12, but doesn't have the 3 wise men following the star.... |
That's kind of ironic, since the 3 wisemen are probably the least far-fetched element of the story (3 Zoroastrian magi following a star - the magi were famous for their atrology).
_________________
Truth doesn't care about theology, and theology doesn't care about truth.
Ana's Bananas |
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P1234567890
Emperor of the Universe
Joined: 11 Mar 2006
Posts: 8319
Location: Victoria, Canada
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| Posted: Tue Apr 24, 2007 1:06 pm Post subject: |
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| Pondering wrote: | just to follow up, he didn't believe in the divinity of Jesus, but did believe Jesus was the most moral, ethical leader the world had seen and was a good model for others to emulate...
The "Jefferson Bible" isn't the name he gave it...it's actually a merging/retelling of only the Gospels, but he removed all the "miracles"....
For example, it does include the story of Jesus in the temple teaching the scholars at the age of 12, but doesn't have the 3 wise men following the star....
It concludes with Jesus' sacrifice (crucifixtion) and burial...but not resurrection. |
Sounds fine to me. I'm a big fan of Jesus myself.
_________________
"Men never do evil so completely and cheerfully as when they do it from religious conviction."
-Blaise Pascal
"...with or without religion, good people can behave well and bad people can do evil; but for good people to do evil -that takes religion..."
-Steven Weinberg
"I would bless my children with your destruction instead."
-Someone who shall remain anonymous. |
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