Do Atheists have an emptiness which needs filling?

[Penny Lane 8,159]

[quote name=' timestamp='1361548408' post='5997304]

No.

Yep. Were you not here? The Republicans on this board were so confident, they were posting poll numbers daily. Not all polls said this, obviously, but quite a few (Rasmussen was way off) showed Romney ahead. Or closer than he was.

[Caryh 5,206]

there is no such thing as atheistic faith.

There is when an atheist treats it like a religion. Such as denying a possible downside in atheists contrary to evidence because they want to believe its not so.

[^_^ 5,021]

No, I'm not. I don't believe in polls conducted over the telephone for anything, not just this.

Group up a bunch of religious people vs non religious and give them a physical exam. Show some actual data, not just what people tell you in a phone call.

Well, if you don't believe in telephone polls at all then what else is there to say?

Purely anecdotally speaking, the more spiritual I get the fatter I get.

Yep. Were you not here? The Republicans on this board were so confident, they were posting poll numbers daily. Not all polls said this, obviously, but quite a few (Rasmussen was way off) showed Romney ahead. Or closer than he was.

I think you may be talking about the "unskewed polls" project. That was some internet fucktard taking polls produced by professional outfits and applying a 'filter' to them. He called it unskewing.

[decocker 7,198]

There is when an atheist treats it like a religion. Such as denying a possible downside in atheists contrary to evidence because they want to believe its not so.

i'm comparing what religious people are trying to tell me about people who don't have religion to the people i actually know who are religious and non religious. it has nothing to do with me treating atheism like a religion. that's ridiculous.

[Caryh 5,206]

i'm not suddenly dismissing anything. i consistently dismiss anything danno says.

when i said i wanted proof, i should have specified scientific proof, not personal assessment via gallup poll. my bad.

additionally - i do not know a single religious person (by the polling standard) who is not overweight, if not morbidly obese. that might have something to do with my distrust of this poll.

I should introduce you to all 88 lbs of my wife. As to being fat and a church goer, I've been looking around at my church and noticing recently how much our congregation is not fat. This mainly came about because my wife has made it her duty to make sure I am fat now, after a lifetime of me always being thin. So I've look around and noticed I'm one of the few overweight ones in church.

[Penny Lane 8,159]

There is when an atheist treats it like a religion. Such as denying a possible downside in atheists contrary to evidence because they want to believe its not so.

The most religious parts of this country are also the most overweight.

Top ten fattest states in America:

10. Michigan

09. Arkansas

08. South Carolina

07. Oklahoma

06. Kentucky

05. Louisiana

04. Tennessee

03. West Virginia

02. Alabama

01. Mississippi

7/10 of those states are also in the top 10 most religious. Some are just on the edge.

Edited February 22, 2013 by Evylin

[decocker 7,198]

I should introduce you to all 88 lbs of my wife. As to being fat and a church goer, I've been looking around at my church and noticing recently how much our congregation is not fat. This mainly came about because my wife has made it her duty to make sure I am fat now, after a lifetime of me always being thin. So I've look around and noticed I'm one of the few overweight ones in church.

i'm not saying that all religious people are fat - that's absurd.

i'm speaking from my personal experience.

danno says that people who don't have religion are fat, lazy, lonely, suicidal, and mostly men - in my experience his claims couldn't be further from the truth.

if he is, in fact, correct with his claims - fine. great. yay. religion makes people thin, energetic, in satisfying relationships, content and mostly women. still, i want no part of it. i must abide by my atheistic faith.

Edited February 22, 2013 by val erie

[^_^ 5,021]

But I don't want to be a woman!

[Caryh 5,206]

i'm comparing what religious people are trying to tell me about people who don't have religion to the people i actually know who are religious and non religious. it has nothing to do with me treating atheism like a religion. that's ridiculous.

I actually know many atheists that treat being atheists as a religion. Certainly not all of them mind you, but their seems to a fair percentage of them. If a poll or study shows a perceived benefit or positive to people of faith they will knock it and dismiss it, just as you have done. If a poll or study shows a perceived benefit or positive to being an atheist, they will loudly wave a flag over it making sure everyone sees it. They are often trying to do their best to get other people to join the ranks of atheists, because they think it will make a better world. I swear one day I'll get a atheist at my door trying to convert me

[Penny Lane 8,159]

I actually know many atheists that treat being atheists as a religion. Certainly not all of them mind you, but their seems to a fair percentage of them. If a poll or study shows a perceived benefit or positive to people of faith they will knock it and dismiss it, just as you have done. If a poll or study shows a perceived benefit or positive to being an atheist, they will loudly wave a flag over it making sure everyone sees it. They are often trying to do their best to get other people to join the ranks of atheists, because they think it will make a better world. I swear one day I'll get a atheist at my door trying to convert me

Nobody's dismissing anything, rather they're showing other studies and information that might prove the original claim wrong. Is that not allowed? Must we take the religious "facts" at face value without doing any research on our own in fear of it being considered dismissive?

If someone comes out and says atheists are generally unhealthier, I'm going to look that up and see if that's true. It doesn't seem to be. The unhealthiest parts of this country are the most religious. That's not a knock against religion, that's a knock against people (or just one person in this case) trying to make it seem like atheists have something fundamentally wrong with them that they have an "emptiness which needs filling" as long with a long list of health and social concerns.

The claims in this thread are bullsh*t, and coming from the source, that's no surprise.

I certainly do not treat atheism as a religion. I do not preach atheism to other people. I couldn't care less what religion you are, just leave me out of it. I do not tell people to live their lives a certain way or face eternal punishments.

Edited February 22, 2013 by Evylin

[decocker 7,198]

I swear one day I'll get a atheist at my door trying to convert me

maybe that will happen one day. but the fact that it hasn't yet should tell you something.

i get mormons at my door once a friggin month.

[Caryh 5,206]

[quote name=' timestamp='1361549328' post='5997337]

But I don't want to be a woman!

You will be a thin, healthy, giving, happy, married woman or you'll go to he11.

[Caryh 5,206]

Nobody's dismissing anything, rather they're showing other studies and information that might prove the original claim wrong. Is that not allowed? Must we take the religious "facts" at face value without doing any research on our own in fear of it being considered dismissive?

If someone comes out and says atheists are generally unhealthier, I'm going to look that up and see if that's true. It doesn't seem to be. The unhealthiest parts of this country are the most religious. That's not a knock against religion, that's a knock against people (or just one person in this case) trying to make it seem like atheists have something fundamentally wrong with them that they have an "emptiness which needs filling" as long with a long list of health and social concerns.

The claims in this thread are bullsh*t, and coming from the source, that's no surprise.

I certainly do not treat atheism as a religion. I do not preach atheism to other people. I couldn't care less what religion you are, just leave me out of it. I do not tell people to live their lives a certain way or face eternal punishments.

I believe you called everyone in the poll a liar. You also said a poll is no good, it must be a study. That surely is dismissing the poll.

Just because the OP says something poorly, or views an article in a different light, doesn't make the entire concept wrong. I might have worded the subject topic a bit differently personally. Humans have a need for social interaction, a church goer generally has a place to go to fill that need. Why would it be surprising that a similar group wouldn't attract people that think the same to not want to get together to interact? This isn't a missing thing in atheists, its a fundamental human need. People join all types of social groups based on common interesting and thinking.

[Penny Lane 8,159]

I believe you called everyone in the poll a liar. You also said a poll is no good, it must be a study. That surely is dismissing the poll.

Just because the OP says something poorly, or views an article in a different light, doesn't make the entire concept wrong. I might have worded the subject topic a bit differently personally. Humans have a need for social interaction, a church goer generally has a place to go to fill that need. Why would it be surprising that a similar group wouldn't attract people that think the same to not want to get together to interact? This isn't a missing thing in atheists, its a fundamental human need. People join all types of social groups based on common interesting and thinking.

You believe wrong. I swear, sometimes you guys read things that nobody said. Show me where I said everyone included in that poll lied. I didn't. I said I don't trust the poll results to be accurate because some people lie, especially when it comes to making themselves look better. SOME PEOPLE is not EVERYONE. Please.

I'm not even talking about the OP anymore. I'm talking about the FURTHER claim that atheists are fat, lonely, depressed men.

There are plenty of happy, healthy religious people. There are also plenty of healthy, happy non religious people. To take one group and claim they're the unhealthy ones is ignorant and incorrect.

Edited February 22, 2013 by Evylin

[Caryh 5,206]

maybe that will happen one day. but the fact that it hasn't yet should tell you something.

i get mormons at my door once a friggin month.

I think I've chased away the ones that show up in my neighborhood now. My wife being the very polite person she is, would sit and talk with them even though she has no interest in being converted away from the Catholic faith. She asked how to get them to stop, and I said just tell them to go away, that you have a religion and have no interest in talking to them, then close the door. She asked me to do it, and after a couple weeks they stopped showing up at our house, but I still see them in the neighborhood.