APK, You read the critiques of Josh McDowell's book but resist reading even significant portions of the book itself? Is that how science or a court of law operates? FWIW, Josh McDowell converted from agnosticism to Christianity researching to prove there is no God. Why didn't Josh McDowell write The God Delusion in 1972 instead? He would have made lot of money from royalties and speaking engagements. His original disposition would be to write a book like Dawkins instead of Evidence Demands a Verdict. I'll point out that Richard Dawkins' books makes a lot of money too, just as McDowell's does. Maybe you think abrasive posts and taunting people like me for pointing them out helps? - get more abrasive. Go ahead and compare me to Palin, Hitler, anyone else you find very distastful - go ahead. I could talk about my experiences or quote the Bible, but why would anyone here pretend to think you would not immediately shoot them down? You are contentious with the God question alone.
APK, it's clear that you are not only an athiest, but you're just hostile against religion. god doesn't need to be goaded into doing the right thing....we're the ones that screw up, not him.
Taunting or suggesting the OP is a coward is a poor tactic, but I'll provide APK the link to a Norwegian article and paste the English translation (as is, but the red is my emphasis) There have not been many studies like this. - Ateister er klokere enn religise - Utenriks - Dagbladet.no
FYI: Dr Bente Pakkenberg is a neurosurgon. Her degree is from the University of Copenhagen. As might be expected I concurr with her that this article and the one at the start of the is thread can't really be used to say something about one's belief.
so let me ask you this: do you consider mormons christians? how about baptists? how on earth stating that Christianity, Judaism and Islam are believing in the same god and sharing the same Old Testimony becomes "to say there is no God??". Actually Joseph was a religious man.. at least at some point, otherwise he wouldn't received the scholarship to Georgian Orthodox Seminary and was not readying to become a priest.
a few years ago dean of Harvard got ousted for mare suggestion that there should be a study on why female students do considerably worse on math test then male counterparts. It is well known but politically charged fact that there are considerable differences btw how male and female mind operates, there are many tests on which females outperform males by a country mile.
The Stalin thing is a bit of a red herring in this argument, really. Stalin wasn't applying atheist principles to the way he ruled with an iron fist. He was atheist and he definitely moved against the church, because it was a powerful institution and a potential adversary. But he wasn't a tyrant because he was athesit, rather he was a tyrant because he was power hungry, paranoid, and had modern methods at his disposal. Hitler, on the other hand, used religion to help solidify his power. Franco did the same. They may or may not have been atheists. Hitler may well have been, but many of his public speeches definitely use religious rhetoric. Dawkins makes some reasonable arguments on these points in the God Delusion, which I have paraphrased above. (though I might have added the Franco bit, don't think he mentioned Franco).
They are definitely theists and this thread is theists vs. atheists/agnostics - not various sects or religions. The topic is about if people are religious or not and their IQ....sorry - I'm not going to make it easy for you to take a diversion and attack me because it's not about me....just like I did not go into prior controversial studies Helmuth Nyborg made, because it was a study similar to what APK linked. Nor do I intend to take your bait and get into a side show of various sects/religions fighting...somehow they don't have the urge to fight.
Actually topic is that younger generation is less religious, not their IQ. The IQ was brought in by a side remark, indicating that people who think logically need less magic to explain things. With younger generation perhaps it isn't about IQ at all but about different type of magic; bible is soo boring when compared to Harry Porter.. BTW Chuck noone attacks you personally; you just feel threatened when someone says there isn't god.. and your opponents don't when you say there is Almighty. with respect to differences btw religions question, you were the one to bring so let me ask again: do you consider mormons christians? how about baptists? are they christians too? (yes you've already agreed they are religions) it is a very interesting question; I am trying to understand where you draw the line.. apologies if it offended you in some way.
I challenge you to read my prior post and find it defensive or anything like that - I was just replying. Same answer. The thread topic was: "Goodbye Religion" - not "Goodbye (name of whatever religion/sect)" I'm going to have to pass on the opportunity to fight Mormons, Baptists, whatever sect/religion....there is enough contention on theism vs atheism as is.
If they believe in Christ as the son of God they are Christian by definition. The rest of their beliefs may vary widely (or wildly). Tom
if that's the case and you content with theism vs atheism and you'd like to pass on opportunity to differences btw them you'll have to retract your comments (quote below), which some of us find alerting.
Some of you guys never miss an opportunity to misunderstand and/or misrepresent posts you disagree with.
Oh, for Chuck's sake. Were you misquoted? Misrepresented? Why not take the opportunity to explain your meaning of the term you used?
^ generally you are above that, so I don't understand your last post. No other topic at PC has people bent on finding a way to be disagreeable with an OP like this one. One of my objectives is to point out the grade school mentality of this behavior - it probably outnumbers the times when you secular guys state you are more intelligent, rational and at peace, but when onlookers see this banter directed at me, spiderman, etc, are they going to believe it? I'm not getting bothered with the attacks on me as you are playing right into my hands - is that how allegedly more intelligent secular people behave?
