a baby can't be atheist until understanding the concept of god.

And that's from a religious scholar, so it must be true.

I'm born without a belief in gods, but I'm not an atheist until I know what gods are and make a conscious choice to deny them?

By that yardstick, babies are also bank robbers until they know that they aren't. Stupid babies.

"Stupid babies"



Are you actually saying that religious belief isn't some special way of knowing?

It's extraordinarily disingenuous of you to argle-bargle hoo-hah Deuteronomy 2:17.

Ha! Made you look!

Leaves room satisfied that they've enlightened the rubes.

I'm sigh-kick.

17 the Lord said to me, 18 “Today you are to pass by the region of Moab at Ar.

Um... This is one of those metaphors that we anti-theist bigots just don't get, isn't it?

sure as hell had better be a metaphor for something, or else we've got a huge problem with well over a billion people on this planet in need of immediate help.

They are conniving, manipulative, scheming little layabouts who suck up resources at an alarming rate.

I've known people that could screw up a bowl of cornflakes, so it's all in how you prepare them.

This is how I picture all of us spending the upcoming primary season: drinking home brew in our newly built home theater watching movies onager recommended MST 3000 style.

indeed the bots would ask if the baby on the cover of movie #2 was English...because of the teeth...

TL;DR, usual argle-bargle, bla-bla-bla...

Well, of course I saw the original It's Alive movies! How could I resist? When the third one came out, I remember thinking: "What could possibly be better than a demonic killer baby? Holy crap, an entire ISLAND of the little buggers!"

I have NOT seen any of the direct-to-DVD "Alive" remakes from 2008 and up. Might have to check those out.

For other MST3K nuts like me: the MST3K Digital Archive Project (DAP) is worth a Google for anyone who doesn't know about it. Originally posted to obscure corners of the Internet as a D/L of about 37 DVDs. Archived everything from the very first episodes on local Minnesota TV, to the end. Then the lawyers and other assholes got involved, I think...

I thought I was a big MST3K fan. But this must be the Greatest MST3K Fan Ever:

No one is that cool.

I know my way around the receiving end of a tattoo needle. A black tattoo should be pretty uniform in color. Could be the lighting is strange, but that definitely looks like it was drawn on with a felt-tip.

Which of course would be AWESOMELY appropriate!

What a wonderful way to revisit all of those delightfully cheesy sci-fi movies you were watching when you were supposed to be doing your homework.

So happy to find other fans, my s/o just doesn't get it.

all other wants/needs/wishes are secondary to drinking home brew in my newly built home theater watching movies onager recommended MST 3000 style.

Add that to the restaurants, bars, free day care and chapel, there will be no reason to ever leave here again.

Ha! Perfect!

Atheist has been redefined so many times that one cannot assume any definition until someone gives it for themself. At this point the most common definitions require some forethought and knowledge to come to.

So in some definitions are babies atheist (no beliefs, including those of gods)? Yes.
Are they Atheist (consciously choose to examine the information surrounding gods and rejected it)? No.

You mean the one applied to the christians for not making the proper offerings to the Roman gods?

There may be genetic dispositions that makes one more inclined or less inclined to be religious.


Of course the environment will either encourage these genetic traits or not.

"There may be genetic dispositions that makes one more inclined or less inclined to be religious."

I don't think so, anymore than I think preference for domestic automobiles is innate.

My two cents.

Well, we know there are series of genes that do things like..oh... makes one concentrate harder on tasks for longer. The sequence can be seen in the genome. If someone with this sequence smokes, they are at a greater risk of cancer and adverse effects.... because when they smoke, they more likely smoke the whole cigarette and more deeply.... so are at a higher risk. See...genetic inclination, mixed with something the environment encourages, effects in ways that seem impossible or absurd.

There may be genes that lean one towards gullibility or skepticism.... that then manifest in behaviors and results that at 1st seem outrageous.

Therefore, all babies are born atheists. Only after indoctrination by whatever fairy tales their parents believe in, do they become corrupted by faith.

What we do know for sure is that children raised to take the Bible seriously have a lower ability to distinguish fantasy from reality in other areas of life as well.

I was raised to be a skeptic and encouraged to make up my own mind.

I like pie. Why do you hate pie? Why do you hate my like of pie? What's wrong with me liking pie? WHY MUST YOU PERSECUTE ME FOR LIKING PIE???!!11DWAKINS111!!!

May I call someone to counsel and/or pray for you?

I have several DU therapists on speed dial and they don't even charge.

I'd rather put every web page that doesn't like pie on an RSS feed and let them know how WRONG they are how even holding that opinion is a THOUGHTCRIME and offensive to me personally and BIGOTED AGAINST THE PEACEFUL, PIE LOVING PEOPLE OF THE WORLD11!!KEYLIME!! How dare you have bad thoughts against me!!!rhubarbstrawberry11!!

I can't hear you, I'm too busy stabbing a sacred body of pie with an icepick.

Die, Pie-man, Die!

I suppose you harbor similar bigotry against tarts, turnovers, cobblers and custards, but it's okay if you make fun of baklava. I mean, really, baklava? That shit's crazy! Ha! Silly baklava-ists! Fuck them!

I heard that this place was full of desertophobes but I had no idea they were so shamelessly persecuting innocent after dinner sweet treats.



I just thank Cob that you're here to warn people about this.

It's a movement! Battenberg is beautiful! Power to the petit-fours! Scones suck, though. Scones and baklava. Fuck them. Crazy bastards!

Those anti-pie haterz had better stop trying to turn Amurka into a Secular Buffet.

We will not stand for it!

...a happy, grinning young woman, gleefully extending 2 middle fingers to religious believers.

On second thought, delete the Internet psychiatrist/theologian.

You need to remember to put a disclaimer on your posts in here, onager. I'm surprised this one hasn't gone POOF! yet...

Onager just wants her fingers. Less shipping cost that way.

That line cracks me up every time I think about it. Like many of the Daily Poutrage posts I see in Other DU Groups. As often happens, I find myself shaking my head and asking: "Well, what does THAT have to do with anything?"

Point taken though. I'll watch myself closely, here in our Safe Haven. And if I say anything believerist, racist, sexist, atheist-ist or otherwise Double-Plus-Ungood, I promise to immediately ban myself.

It was one of the worst (or best depending on your pov) moments in that forum's history.

What's your excuse?

I guess that means you (insert barely coherent, snotty accusation here), too!

*poster declares victory and proceeds to strut around DU crowing about how they showed LO4E for the lying infiltrator they really are*

There is not one scintilla of data presented by this author to substantiate the claim that "babies are born atheists". Not one.

The inability of the average web reader to actually get past headlines and be able to analyze information is probably one of the most dangerous trends in the world right now. People will believe anything they are told if it suits their agenda.

Firstly. I am having trouble with the computer machine. I can't find the "enter" key. I see return but no enter. Also, yes. Which button is the left mouse button? I drag the mouse across the screen and all it does is leave a streak on the screen. Also, again. Does the TV have to be on 02 or 03 or 04 to get the computer channel to come through?

Yes please thanks. In advance. And also my printer, if that helps.

Most popular thread since that time we spent days roasting you-know-who on a spit. Good times!!

That new electronic scrambling device the hosts installed seems to be working.

I'll get Mr Blah to start designing a new one right away. One that is more stealthy!!

...above the crib and within the sight line of the baby. It's also a good idea to read from "The God Delusion" a couple times a day. And the Atheist Baby's first solid food should be Theist Baby.

We'll have to add it to the list of helpful directions provided to parents of newly spawed atheists.

where they have no sense of humor at all. Says a lot about a group when they're not able to have any fun or laugh at themselves about who and what they are.

That's one of my favorite things about this group. We make fun of everything, including ourselves. Most of the time, especially ourselves.

Seems like I spend much of my DU time peeking into Other Groups, looking for the source of in-jokes. Though our latest encryption protocols help with that.

It's really entertaining to compare the ways certain subjects are covered in Other Groups vs our little loony-bin (ALERT: ABLEIST LANGUAGE!)

Other Groups: "You're mocking Eternal Truths held sacred for centuries!"

This Groups: "Nah. We're mocking Shit People Made Up centuries ago and trying to figure out why other people still believe it."

to sit around and reassure each other that we were so much more mature and grown up than those other posters. I can't imagine how pathetic your life would have to be to do that.

the reality is that those safe havens under religion don't seem to have too many people in them...besides "Religion" this safe haven is the only one with any real activity...and much of what goes on in religion is folks here making points there...

If the people there had a sense of humor, that would still be a reason to go there, even though the non-existent regulars have nothing in the way of intellectual engagement and actual discussion of issues to offer (despite their endless claims to want that, without distraction from the mean ol' atheists). But they don't even have that. People who are so stiff about making fun of themselves can't really be trusted...

Some things should be laughed at.

Hard.

the "Blame Religion for Everything Room" in honor of a vermin lover who enjoys making that horseshit claim and who I'm sure is reading this

Instead of doing something constructive with their time (like praying?) they prefer to stalk, alert and lie about our posts.

Very unhealthy, I wonder what a real therapist would have to say about such behaviour...

Agent 99. I'm sure he's diagnosing his favorite crony as we speak...over the internet, of course.

Or so I've heard.

I knew I forgot something.

inability to communicate is anything to go by, they are born republicans.

Repubs keep blatting about how persecuted they are.