Disqus - Friends of roguemedic

Re: A Black Eye For Feminism and Atheism: Watch This Nasty Mob Attack Catholics With Paint and Gobs of Spit

Grace — Sun, 15 Dec 2013 15:10:37 -0000

Thanks for the thought-provoking discussion. So, you agree that when the woman touched the man just after touching her breasts, that was assault? And you also agree that it was harassment before she touched the man -- when she rubbed her breasts directly in front of him, while so physically close to him? (It seems like you've answered both questions yes -- I just want to make sure I'm understanding you correctly.)

I agree with your comment about a man masturbating in the corner vs. a man masturbating to hurt you. As for the cunnilingus which was consensual for the two women who carried it out, it still disturbs me that they did it when seeing it was clearly non-consensual for the men right in front of them. To me, it seemed like the non-consent of the men was part of the reason why they did it -- it seemed like they did it specifically to make the men uncomfortable.

Re: A Black Eye For Feminism and Atheism: Watch This Nasty Mob Attack Catholics With Paint and Gobs of Spit

Grace — Sun, 15 Dec 2013 15:39:01 -0000

Hmm, maybe.

But men who have more developed breasts aren't told that their breasts are sexually inappropriate. They might be made to feel embarrassed about it -- which is unfortunate -- but they won't be told that it's obscene or indecent for them to not wear a shirt at the beach. For some people -- assuming that you knew that they were cisgender -- you might not be able to tell whether they were a man or a woman if you were only looking at a picture of their chest.

Re: Quoting Quiverfull: Women All Want Strings Attached?

Grace — Sat, 21 Dec 2013 16:58:57 -0000

Thanks for pointing this out. Would not have noticed it otherwise.

Re: Congressman Proposes Legislation to Protect Christians from the ‘War on Christmas’

Grace — Tue, 24 Dec 2013 16:02:16 -0000

People who downvoted, I'm pretty sure he was being sarcastic.

Re: Dear God, Thank You For Not Giving Me Functioning Legs

Grace — Sun, 12 Jan 2014 04:11:28 -0000

I disagree at least somewhat... Yes, atheists don't believe in God, but that doesn't mean they can't dislike him or hate him like a fictional character, or that they can't insult him. They would see those insults as describing a fictional character rather than a real being, of course. (I consider myself an agnostic atheist right now, just to be clear.)

Re: Are You Out of the Closet as a Non-Believer? ‘Cracked’ Advises People Who Want To Be Liked To Hide Their Atheism

Grace — Sun, 12 Jan 2014 22:13:53 -0000

Starship, may I ask what led you to come back to the Christian faith?

I identified as a Christian for most of my life ... I was often troubled by doubts, but I still thought of myself as a Christian. I just recently realized / accepted that I don't believe in the Christian God, and I started personally identifying myself as an agnostic atheist. I haven't used that term to describe myself to other people yet though. Right now I don't see myself becoming a Christian again (though I wouldn't say it's not a possibility. If God shows me Him/Herself I would definitely reconsider.)

But I'm still interested in hearing about the experiences of people who left faith and came back. :)

Re: A Black Eye For Feminism and Atheism: Watch This Nasty Mob Attack Catholics With Paint and Gobs of Spit

Grace — Sun, 12 Jan 2014 22:31:43 -0000

(Sorry that this reply is so late) You made good points... My opinion about the cunnilingus hasn't changed, but I think after discussing I can see where you're coming from. I respect that.

Re: Dear God, Thank You For Not Giving Me Functioning Legs

Grace — Sun, 12 Jan 2014 23:13:14 -0000

cygnus, I'm not saying atheists are insulting God just by expressing their disbelief. That would be like saying they're insulting God just by saying they're atheists... which is just silly.

But I do think some atheists -- not all atheists -- insult God (as a fictional character) when they call him petty, an asshole, an egomaniac, bloodthirsty, etc. Some atheists say that even if they knew the Biblical God was real, they would hate Him and resist Him because He is so immoral. From their perspective it's disliking or hating a fictional character. But I can kind of understand why Christians would see that as aggression towards God.

Re: Dear God, Thank You For Not Giving Me Functioning Legs

Grace — Mon, 13 Jan 2014 00:01:09 -0000

Agreed. But many Christians hold that it is obvious that God is real. If you start with the assumption that the existence of God is obvious, it's likely that you will hear an atheist who characterizes the Biblical God as a jerk as saying "I choose not to believe in God because He is a jerk."

Hopefully though, when an atheist explains that no, that's not what they think -- like you said, "those are not mutually exclusive categories" -- people will listen. Maybe not everyone, but some people.

I have to admit that for me, the biggest factor that led me away from Christianity and towards identifying as an agnostic atheist, were the wrongs that I perceived in the Bible. I had some doubt before, as a Christian, but the doubt didn't trouble me enough to make me decide I was an atheist. What really troubled me enough to make me rethink my faith were the things in the Bible that I found morally wrong.

It's not that I believe God is real and call myself an atheist to spite Him because I think he's immoral. But the moral wrongs were what pushed me to admit to myself that I don't, as of now, see compelling evidence to believe in the Biblical God. And I didn't see a point to trying to have faith in the Biblical God anymore if I didn't even think He was good.

Re: Are You Out of the Closet as a Non-Believer? ‘Cracked’ Advises People Who Want To Be Liked To Hide Their Atheism

Grace — Mon, 13 Jan 2014 13:49:09 -0000

Cool, thanks for sharing about your experience. Reading/examining the Bible for myself was important to my journey too.

Re: Atheist Bus Ad Goes Up in Sudbury, Ontario

Grace — Mon, 13 Jan 2014 17:22:23 -0000

I think the ads that say "you're not alone" are much better than the ads that seem to say "religious people, you're wrong." I don't like the "you're wrong" ads. I do like this ad. :)

Re: Are You Out of the Closet as a Non-Believer? ‘Cracked’ Advises People Who Want To Be Liked To Hide Their Atheism

Grace — Mon, 13 Jan 2014 20:01:33 -0000

As a college student living with my parents, I recently admitted to my Christian family that I don't think I believe in the Biblical God. I didn't use the word atheist yet; I want to let them get used to my non-belief slowly. My parents hope I'll change my mind, of course. I'm sure they're concerned about my salvation.

One thing that bothers me is that, when my parents have conversations with me about why I disbelieve, I realize that I don't want them to lose their faith. It's very meaningful to them and it's been a huge part of their lives for a long time. It's something that connects them to a lot of their closest friends. I don't want to take that huge part of their lives away from them. I'm afraid that if they stop believing, they will be... sad. Very sad.

So there's a part of me that's afraid that by discussing my lack of faith with them, I'll lead one or both of them to lose their faith, and... even though I'm an atheist, I would be sad if that happened.

Is that weird?

----

Edited to add: I would especially feel bad if one of them lost their faith but not the other. If that happened, I would feel like I harmed my parents' relationship...

But I don't know if it's at all likely that either of them would lose their faith. So maybe I'm worrying over something that would never happen. I don't know.

Re: Dear God, Thank You For Not Giving Me Functioning Legs

Grace — Tue, 14 Jan 2014 00:28:19 -0000

First of all, you don't have to claim "There is no God / there are no gods" to be an atheist. There is such a thing as agnostic atheism; someone can be an atheist and still think that it's possible that a God or gods could exist. As long as they don't actually hold the belief that a God or gods exist, they're still an atheist. That happens to be the type of atheist I am.

Not believing that a God exists is not the same as believing that there are no Gods. The former simply means I don't see evidence to believe in a God, so I don't believe. But it doesn't mean I rule out the possibility that there could be a God. Some atheists rule out the possibility, but not all atheists do. Sometimes agnostic atheism is referred to a "weak atheism." Atheism that claims there are no Gods is sometimes referred to as "strong atheism."

I'm somewhat offended that you insist that I must be a Christian or at least a theist, as if you know what's inside my mind better than I do. Apparently if my view differs from yours, I must not be a True Atheist™.

What I wrote was based on comments I have seen some atheists make. I didn't just make up random crap and pretend that atheists say it. I also specifically said "some atheists" -- it should be clear that I wasn't claiming that all or even the majority of atheists say this. So I don't think I was "putting words in the mouth of atheists."

What I said was that some atheists have said that even if they knew God was real, they would reject him. I don't think this statement implies that they think God is real, or even that it necessarily implies they are agnostic and think there's a possibility that there could be a God. To me, it seems like a statement about a hypothetical scenario. The statement does not imply that the scenario is true.

It's kind of like saying, "Even if I had the superpower of flight, I wouldn't fly, because I'm scared of heights." That sentence does not imply that the person who said it thinks they have the ability to fly, or that they think there's a possibility that they have the ability to fly.

Re: Are You Out of the Closet as a Non-Believer? ‘Cracked’ Advises People Who Want To Be Liked To Hide Their Atheism

Grace — Tue, 14 Jan 2014 00:34:04 -0000

I don't understand your point.

Re: A Black Eye For Feminism and Atheism: Watch This Nasty Mob Attack Catholics With Paint and Gobs of Spit

Grace — Tue, 14 Jan 2014 12:13:29 -0000

(Sorry this reply is so late) Isn't that just speculation? Do we actually have evidence that shows that's why society considers breasts attractive for men and muscles attractive for men?

Anyways, I just think considering breasts sexual enough to be publicly indecent is a pretty subjective judgment. At other times in Europe, ankles and legs were considered more indecent to show than breasts.

And, like you said, "muscles are considered sexy for men." Yet it isn't considered indecent for men to be shirtless.

Re: Are You Out of the Closet as a Non-Believer? ‘Cracked’ Advises People Who Want To Be Liked To Hide Their Atheism

Grace — Tue, 14 Jan 2014 23:37:45 -0000

Oh... well, if that's cyngus meant, I don't have to worry about that. :) My parents would never cut off relations with me.

Re: Dear God, Thank You For Not Giving Me Functioning Legs

Grace — Wed, 15 Jan 2014 13:18:36 -0000

A theist is someone who believes in a god or gods; an atheist is someone who does not believe in a god or gods.

It seems to me that you misunderstood what I said. You didn't even really respond to anything I said in my last comment -- you simply dismissed the comment as "lengthy and awkward." So I don't think this discussion is going anywhere. Peace. :)

Re: Are You Out of the Closet as a Non-Believer? ‘Cracked’ Advises People Who Want To Be Liked To Hide Their Atheism

Grace — Wed, 15 Jan 2014 13:29:13 -0000

I don't believe in God, so your question about what God is doing is irrelevant. Peace.

Re: Responding to the Statement ‘You Don’t Act Like an Atheist’

Grace — Thu, 16 Jan 2014 02:03:40 -0000

So far I haven't used the term "agnostic atheist" to describe myself to people I know in person, but I plan to. I wonder if I will experience this at all once I do... Hopefully not.

What was surprising to me was having an atheist online inform me that a comment I made showed I wasn't an atheist, and that I was actually a Christian or a theist. I never expected that to hear that from another atheist. XD As an agnostic atheist, I wouldn't be surprised if some atheists saw me as an agnostic and not as an atheist. But being called a theist was unexpected.

Re: Responding to the Statement ‘You Don’t Act Like an Atheist’

Grace — Wed, 22 Jan 2014 14:45:51 -0000

These two comments:

http://www.patheos.com/blog...

and

http://www.patheos.com/blog...

Re: Are You Out of the Closet as a Non-Believer? ‘Cracked’ Advises People Who Want To Be Liked To Hide Their Atheism

Grace — Wed, 22 Jan 2014 14:52:36 -0000

If you think agnosticism and atheism are mutually exclusive categories, just think of me as an agnostic rather than as an agnostic atheist.

It puzzles me that you can't understand why I'd care whether my parents lose their faith. I care about my parents and their emotional well-being. Their faith is a source of meaning and comfort for them, and I feel that losing it would cause them a great deal of pain. But you think that shouldn't matter to me?

Your continual condescension is annoying. But your second sentence, "If they lose their faith is because they don't have one, not because of your actions," actually makes sense. So thanks for that, I guess.

Re: Can You Solve These Clues From Jeopardy’s ‘Bible Violence’ Category?

Grace — Thu, 30 Jan 2014 16:29:04 -0000

I missed the last one too.

Edit: When I read that clue, I thought the answer was supposed to be the person who said the quote in the clue, but it wasn't Job who said that. It was a messenger who came to him. That was confusing.

Re: Proud Muslim Parents, Just After Giving Birth, Dress Baby in Battle Fatigues, Promise He’ll Be a Martyr For Islam

Grace — Fri, 31 Jan 2014 13:54:11 -0000

Downvoted for using a gross ethnic slur.

Re: Proud Muslim Parents, Just After Giving Birth, Dress Baby in Battle Fatigues, Promise He’ll Be a Martyr For Islam

Grace — Fri, 31 Jan 2014 13:58:01 -0000

The fuck is wrong with you. I don't know if you really believe that -- which would be really shitty theology -- or if you're just trying to get a reaction.

Re: Proud Muslim Parents, Just After Giving Birth, Dress Baby in Battle Fatigues, Promise He’ll Be a Martyr For Islam

Grace — Fri, 31 Jan 2014 18:05:37 -0000

That picture is perfect.