@Joy Martin Understood and agreed. Everyone hobbles along in this life, some seeking support of some kind, others getting by through sheer personal will, some wail incessantly about life's inequities, feeling sorry for themselves, some find that fear of their own mortality drives them to believe, and accept, that death is not to be feared, not an easy proposition unless convinced a "hereafter" awaits, and it will exceed all the expectations of this current life. Frank
True, so many people take different paths to find "relief" and a more positive life. I went thru a lifechanging divorce which took me to many paths to find peace and contentment. There is so much help out there and everyone chooses their ways, some never do. So many go to the bottle and many take way too many forms of drugs to dull their pains. Both mental and physical.
@Joy Martin Also understood. And, all too well. I did, but don't. We separated in 1975, when I was two semesters away from graduation with an Engineering Degree. I felt crushed. My Mother chose to come out to live with me, visibly moved by a pending divorce, but strong enough to not show it. My wife & I put our beautiful house up for sale, sold it in less than a month, took the remaining equity, $22,000 and split it. I bought a nice little house, needing a place due to my great horde of tools and equipment, and continued classes at UNLV. My Mother chastised me for my drinking. Religion of no use, no other sustenance, no excuses. I remained productive, active. I had to. I veneered the house with white facebrick, built a nice garage/shop out back of red brick. I was unemployed during these years of college, except for a several month stint near graduation working for the Bureau of Reclamation, Hoover Dam Administration, Boulder City, part-time. This was the most painful time in my entire life. Frank
I have absolutely nothing against Athiests. Not having a specific faith is a belief, and is therefore a faith in itself. Hal
I can't imagine that anyone would doubt the theory of evolution. There is absolute proof found almost every day in fossils, archeological digs, etc.
Now come on Yvonne. We can make up a false definition of anything. You seem to be trying to start an argument but I'm not going there. I thought we were supposed to be nice to each other on this forum.
I saw nothing particularly unfriendly about the meme but it does make a definite statement concerning being mocked because one is a believer. It also asks the question of getting something out of nothing which to me, is a valid statement / query. The OP is called Atheism and Intelligence. Now, the thread was started by Lon and in the first post he admitted that he is an Atheist. Cool. Whatever floats a person’s boat. But, by way of reasoning and since Lon didn’t say he was unintelligent, it then follows that by inference an intelligent person should be an Atheist instead of a believer. Might as well call it the same thing as it has been in several other forums and even nudged at here and name it, “How can an intelligent person believe in God?” No, the title doesn’t say that but again, it does infer that so by comparison, the meme Yvonne posted is much nicer than the opposing mockery that’s been posted in other threads.
Nothing into something 13 1/2 billion years ago by a supernatural being that still lives? The nice story is mankind was made in his image. The not so nice the archaelogical finds that support evolution. http://humanorigins.si.edu/education/introduction-human-evolution There is a reason for pre historic. It tells a story that is verifiable. Then there are versions of how mankind began. This source seems like a pretty good representation of that story. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adam_and_Eve
I don't understand why @Yvonne Smith can't just post her opinion without anyone calling on her to defend it. She lets everyone else post their opinions without questioning them.
So then......explain an infinite universe to me or to make it much much simpler, find me one piece of empirical evidence that there isn’t an infinite consciousness. Even your own science (not that you’re a scientist or a quantum mathematician) that you decry every moment you are in a debate with a believer is still pointing in that direction. Heck, you nor anyone else can even tell me what the full meaning of eternity is because it’s totally beyond any grasp of any person no matter how well “reasoned” or schooled one might be. Everything and every link you have provided thus far to back you up is pure theory and some might say, rhetorical in nature. Give me some empirically based evidence that there isn’t an eternal consciousness (God) and I’ll be all uh.....eyes.
As far as agreeing with me, you are only agreeing with my assessment of the title of the thread. Obviously I do not agree that intelligent people should deny the existence of an eternal consciousness but in fact, to do so lacks a good portion of reasoning. Reasoning without empirical proof is theory and theory takes an open mind in order to ascertain the truths held outside the realm of theory bridging into fact. Atheists do not believe in God or any substantial existence one might call a god. That doesn’t make a non believer more or less intelligent but it does definitely limit that non-believer’s capability to mentally test what proofs, either way, there might be. Basically, you’re at a stand still but that’s okay and I guess there’s nothing wrong with that, I simply choose to keep studying and moving forward. As for me, I am a finite body and brain with an infinite mind looking at an infinitesimal universe and have so many questions that bear very few answers but that doesn’t stop me from going further in order to find explanations for the unexplainable. That said, this believer’s twice certified extremely high IQ along with a lot of experience and study has decided that there is indeed something, call Him God or what have you, that exists. You guys can believe what you wish and may I write, without me demeaning your intelligence level.