It might be if the theists keep their religious practices to themselves and as Alex says out of government

I think this is the key point, if religious belief were a private thing that did not try and impose itself on others, most atheists would be ok with that. Were all free to believe what we want after all.

sadly though, this isn’t what we see in societies the world over there is indoctrination, predudice, lack of popportunity, intolerence etc. precisely because of religious belief.

I wish it wasn’t so, if more people were like #76 Believer, then perhaps things could get better.

Peace :)

i wish you the same. now:

1. you think gays are what they are and should be allowed to marry?
2. women are equal to men and should be afforded the same opportunities.
3. religious practice should be private and out of the government?
4. muslims and other religions should be tolerated?

“I choose to respect everyone, whether I consider them my intellectual equal or not.”

let’s see your true color. we could be cool.

I believe in God. If that makes me a moron to you, then so be it. I don’t need anyone to validate my intelligence for me.

If you choose not to believe in God, then so be it. We are all allowed to believe what we want or do not want to believe.

If you are a believer; however, I don’t think it’s really all that intelligent to use profanity and to figuratively decapitate athiests, agnostics or other non-believers to proof your so-called belief in a loving Christ.

I choose to respect everyone, whether I consider them my intellectual equal or not. I don’t claim to know all the answers regarding the God I believe in, but I do think my belief in God and science can co-exist and, in fact, complement one another.

Whether or not you believe, I wish grace and peace for you.

“I have no need to explain the “first cause”, because I don’t think there is one.”

That’s why I wrote define “first cause(s).”

So, you could name the matter/energy (+space/time) an “axiom”.

BTW, which god was the “first cause”?

If we, for the sake of debate, accept a god as a “first case”, then that god has nothing to do with any of religions that ever existed on earth.
I can’t imagine an allmighty creator who created the huge universe, together with enormously complicated laws of physics that run it, watching me when I have sex with my neighbor’s wife and waving his finger threatening me with hell.

That sounds really ridiculous!

I have no need to explain the “first cause”, because I don’t think there is one.

If you imagine the cause – effect line a straight line, then your “first cause” can’t work. Simply, as YOU, HEIST claim all the time, EVERYTHING MUST HAVE A CAUSE, so I can’t see why god would be an exception (unless god is not “everything”, in which case (he?) is nothing).

If you imagine the cause – effect line a closed line (like a circle, or something similar), then we don’t need a god.

One statement can illustrate (not prove, but idea seems to be rational) it: matter/energy was NOT “created”. It “just existed”, it was always present “per se”, it never disapeared, it just changed its form according to strict laws of physics.
So, if you like, you are free to name matter/energy a “god”.
No cause!

Who mentioned coincidental world?
Sorry, but the universe, including our world, is not coincidental.
Only theists insist all the time on that crap.

Everything in the universe runs according to precise laws of physics, all the time, no exception.
Heat will ALWAYS run from warmer to colder. Negative and positive charges will ALWAYS mutually attract. Anything having mass will always attract anything else (including something that have no mass, like light).
Water will always turn to vapor at certain temperature, and to ice at other temperature.
Atoms of iron will vibrate EXACTLY within known and measurable paths at different temperatures.

“Coincidence”, “luck”, “chance”, … are the names that people gave to sequences of events that are unobservable in details, so we can’t predict their consequences without billions of calculations. BUT, inside ANY of such events, NOTHING is ever “coincidental”.
Go to school!

32.ASStrophysicist said …

“If man is as stupid as Lou(Raël)claims…”

I didn’t make any such claim. Show us where I did, otherwise that makes you a liar or an idiot – most likely both.