"In God we trust"

Someone in a previous thread asked why atheists have such a need to evangelise with apparant 'bitterness'.

I think the frequency with which the phrase "in God we trust" appears around America explains one of my motivations for evangelising (is that a word?) atheism.

To try to convey to believers the problem with that message, try to imagine a hypothetical country which is the richest and most powerful in the world, but even the most intelligent and powerful people in that country swear by their analagous motto "In the magic 8-ball we trust".

Its a very very scary idea.

Most of the religious posters agree that you have to abandon logic to take the leap of faith (I think). The most powerful country in the world run by people who have abandoned logic? Scary. And worth some effort 'evangelising' to try to change it.

I don't know that it is worth even a modicum of effort to try and change the religious status quo but will still agree with your overall statement.
Living in a country where a large number of people think it's really really a big deal whether or not "under god" is kept in the pledge of allegiance can be annoying at best.

g

[RJT]

So you are saying that these atheists are bringing their biases (justified or not ) to the discussion table? I happen to think that is the case, but only they say if it is the case or not.

Of course atheists are bringing their biases to the table...i dont truly consider myself an atheist but I am biased as well.
Simply a hell of a lot less biased than most religious people.
There is bitterness because of what I consider to be supremely stupid people inconveniencing my life with their rhetoric.
That is all.

g

[kbfc]

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So you are saying that these atheists are bringing their biases (justified or not ) to the discussion table? I happen to think that is the case, but only they say if it is the case or not.

[/ QUOTE ]

To refer back to the other thread, this is only important if the person in question is also unable to recognize when some bias might be affecting his rationale, and thus account for it.

That said, in my case, years ago I gave up the idea of "making a difference" by spreading atheism to the evangelized masses. Presently, I bring as much bias to this forum as I do the golf course.

[RJT]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
So you are saying that these atheists are bringing their biases (justified or not ) to the discussion table? I happen to think that is the case, but only they say if it is the case or not.

[/ QUOTE ]

To refer back to the other thread, this is only important if the person in question is also unable to recognize when some bias might be affecting his rationale, and thus account for it.

[/ QUOTE ]

Yep, exactly.

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That said, in my case, years ago I gave up the idea of "making a difference" by spreading atheism to the evangelized masses. Presently, I bring as much bias to this forum as I do the golf course.

[/ QUOTE ]

Nice comparison.

[Jeff V]

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I think the frequency with which the phrase "in God we trust" appears around America explains one of my motivations for evangelising (is that a word?) atheism.

[/ QUOTE ]

You should maybe check your history to find our founding fathers thoughts on faith.

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you have to abandon logic to take the leap of faith (I think). The most powerful country in the world run by people who have abandoned logic? Scary. And worth some effort 'evangelising' to try to change it.

[/ QUOTE ]

This statement is logical? Gimme a break.

[kbfc]

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You should maybe check your history to find our founding fathers thoughts on faith.

[/ QUOTE ]

This isn't going to help your case.

[mostsmooth]

[ QUOTE ]
Someone in a previous thread asked why atheists have such a need to evangelise with apparant 'bitterness'.

I think the frequency with which the phrase "in God we trust" appears around America explains one of my motivations for evangelising (is that a word?) atheism.

To try to convey to believers the problem with that message, try to imagine a hypothetical country which is the richest and most powerful in the world, but even the most intelligent and powerful people in that country swear by their analagous motto "In the magic 8-ball we trust".

Its a very very scary idea.

Most of the religious posters agree that you have to abandon logic to take the leap of faith (I think). The most powerful country in the world run by people who have abandoned logic? Scary. And worth some effort 'evangelising' to try to change it.

[/ QUOTE ]
is "in god we trust" anyplace but on the money? i cant recall seeing it anywhere else.
if 95% of the earth believed in a magic 8 ball, why would anybody except the other 5% think it was very very scary?

I'll regret the day when my pet cat yaks on the coffee table and tells me to [censored] off like an irate Irishman