Thread: I think we're winning

"I" deserve "my" stuff becuase "I" bought it. I wish the world worked in a way that other people's work bought me stuff, but that doesn't cut it.

Originally Posted by Half/Dreaming

"I" deserve "my" stuff becuase "I" bought it. I wish the world worked in a way that other people's work bought me stuff, but that doesn't cut it.

Quoted for truth.

Unless you are a religious type, in which case everything you get given is from your god.

Including cancer.

What is so wrong with sharing your posessions? If a mother and three kids get kicked out of there house and have to live in their car is it really so horrible to let them maybe use your vacation home ,if you have one, and to maybe, using your social network, try to find the mom a job?

Its not about sharing. Its about slack-offs not getting to live a luxurious life at the expense of other people. If you want, go give all your shit to the poor, and see how much they thank you.

It's very ignorant to call all poor people slackoffs. Most of them get thrown out because they lost there job or have a drug problem, not because they are lazy. It's not about giving all your possesions away so that they live luxiourious lives but it is about helping others so that they can at least have the bare neccesitys. I am pretty sure gods not going to get mad because you helped others but failed to give away your house.

Originally Posted by wannywan

Quoted for truth.

Unless you are a religious type, in which case everything you get given is from your god.

Including cancer.

God doesn't give anybody cancer. It's a natural side-effect of death entering the world at the Fall. And that argument seemed so compelling at first. . . .

If you want, go give all your shit to the poor, and see how much they thank you.

Jesus didn't want us to give things away to get thanks. We give because we love, and because it all belongs to God anyway, and it helps us release our grip on the natural world that blinds us to the supernatural (as in "extremely natural") spiritual world.

Originally Posted by Lucid_boy

It's very ignorant to call all poor people slackoffs. Most of them get thrown out because they lost there job or have a drug problem, not because they are lazy. It's not about giving all your possesions away so that they live luxiourious lives but it is about helping others so that they can at least have the bare neccesitys. I am pretty sure gods not going to get mad because you helped others but failed to give away your house.

Anyone who lets their drug addiction destory their life is a slackoff in my eyes. The only acception is being born addicted to crack because of your mom.

They will not be grateful for your sacrifice. If you gave them goods and survival tools they probably wouldnt thank you and would ask why you didn't give them money.

Originally Posted by Half/Dreaming

Anyone who lets their drug addiction destory their life is a slackoff in my eyes. The only acception is being born addicted to crack because of your mom.

They will not be grateful for your sacrifice. If you gave them goods and survival tools they probably wouldnt thank you and would ask why you didn't give them money.

Again, resisting on those grounds just proves that you would be giving for selfish motives to begin with.

So what if I am selfish? You are too, and you know it. My selfishness causes no harm to other people. The majority of people who are homeless or useless are so because the don't have the stones to do what is necessary to survive. They are pessimistic. They don't have ambition. People don't deserve objects unless they earn them, because people who can't earn waste.

Helping the helpless is a lost cause. True help comes from within. America has a high homeless rate because our people are spoiled.

Great to see all book-readers to be so interested in Atheism. to bad, that probably it's just because Christians, especially the redneck kind, just don't read as much : /

Still, it's a nice anecdote to a step forward. The academic circles have pretty much been cleansed of religion. Politics is going along pretty okay too, to bad about America. But the day the overall people smarten up... don't wait up for it : / =)

Yay 4 Dawking.

Neruo, you're so ignorant and you don't even know it. It's amusing. I assume when you say "redneck", you're talking about Americans, aren't you?

Originally Posted by Half/Dreaming

Neruo, you're so ignorant and you don't even know it. It's amusing. I assume when you say "redneck", you're talking about Americans, aren't you?

Interestingly, I was actually stumbling on that sentence when I wrote it. At first, I actually wrote down "American Christians". However, I knew that would probably piss off some American person, because he might feel I offended all of America. However, I still have the impression that American Christians read less books than European ones, if I see what goes on in Evangelical and Mormon Churches and such. Especially, the ones in somewhat rural areas. I am pretty certain, the Christians in the middle of America, the bible-belt, read less books than Christians from near the costs. Thus, I used the term 'redneck', while I actually should have said 'Christians from rural areas'.

However, seeing the sales-records are probably based upon sales made in America, the term 'redneck' probably also would have gotten the message across, despite it being a term that often generalizes a very large area that can include more than just rural areas. 'Redneck', however, might have also been a slightly bad choice, because of the offence rednecks might take

I think the average European Christian for rural areas reads less books than the average European, however I also believe the average American Christian from a rural area reads less than a European one. At least, I strongly have that impression.

Yes?

Ahh, neuro, I'm not offended. I just don't understand why you think every 'American Christian' talks with a southern accent and has a shotgun.

The bible belt hardly exists anymore. One of my cousins was a member of the dying breed. We would get baked and talk this stuff out day after day. The ones who grow up in it reject it fairly quickly. And yes, he's from Alabama.

Neruo, let me know if you're ever coming to the States. C'mon down to Georgia and i'll sho u wut were relly like

Originally Posted by Half/Dreaming

Ahh, neuro, I'm not offended. I just don't understand why you think every 'American Christian' talks with a southern accent and has a shotgun.

The bible belt hardly exists anymore. One of my cousins was a member of the dying breed. We would get baked and talk this stuff out day after day. The ones who grow up in it reject it fairly quickly. And yes, he's from Alabama.

Neruo, let me know if you're ever coming to the States. C'mon down to Georgia and i'll sho u wut were relly like

Haha, yeah, I just am overly generalizing, if not (unjustfully) stereotyping. But if I see "Jesus camp" and people like ted haggerd being in control over like a couple of million of believers, it is hard to think of the average Christian as smart.

But maybe it are just the overly outspoken ones that are retards, what could certainly make my estimate of the average Christian pretty skewed.

-

Also, don't feel offended if I think most American's are fucking retarded. I think most Dutch people are fucking retarded too. = )

Jesus camp is so funny!!! Stuff like that doesnt even really bother me anymore.

The whole world is fucking retarded, but nobody knows it about themself. If anything, life is about finding out just how stupid you are and fixing it.

Originally Posted by Neruo

Haha, yeah, I just am overly generalizing, if not (unjustfully) stereotyping. But if I see "Jesus camp" and people like ted haggerd being in control over like a couple of million of believers, it is hard to think of the average Christian as smart.

But maybe it are just the overly outspoken ones that are retards, what could certainly make my estimate of the average Christian pretty skewed.

-

Also, don't feel offended if I think most American's are fucking retarded. I think most Dutch people are fucking retarded too. = )

You sound so ignorant and racist spouting this trash. I'd rather have a billion retarted American friends that have no bladder control over one of you. You claim Atheists are so intelligent and well informed and then you go bable on about how all christians are Idiots. That is not an attack on my beliefs that is just a straight up attack on ME. If Americans are so stupid how did we become the worlds ONLY superpower? I find it HIGHLY unitelligent of you to lump all Americans in the same catagory. I read 1-2 books a day and they're not sex books either. In conclusion: your not nice and not all Americans are dumb. I just pray you learn some humility and kindness.

Originally Posted by SilverZero

God doesn't give anybody cancer. It's a natural side-effect of death entering the world at the Fall. And that argument seemed so compelling at first. . . .

Wrong again. People don't die of cancer because of 'death' entering the world at 'the Fall'.

How completely preposterous, and if it was true, then why does an all encompassing, loving deity create the situation (and the snake/beast/whatever) where the first two people on earth can be tempted, thus damning the world thereafter?

Your religion is warped, try Buddhism or something.

Originally Posted by Lucid_boy

You sound so ignorant and racist spouting this trash. I'd rather have a billion retarted American friends that have no bladder control over one of you. You claim Atheists are so intelligent and well informed and then you go bable on about how all christians are Idiots. That is not an attack on my beliefs that is just a straight up attack on ME. If Americans are so stupid how did we become the worlds ONLY superpower? I find it HIGHLY unitelligent of you to lump all Americans in the same catagory. I read 1-2 books a day and they're not sex books either. In conclusion: your not nice and not all Americans are dumb. I just pray you learn some humility and kindness.

Haha. Idiot. I can't help the FACT that the average Christian is less intelligent than the average Atheist. It's just a fact, it wasn't a personal value-judgement. To draw the conclusion stupid people read less than intelligent people, isn't a weird conclusion.

Also, a great portion of extremely Dumb people, and besides that enough smart people is a GREAT mix to get a good economy, and thus become a superpower.

Also, the average American is slightly less intelligent than the average European, due to the bad education a relatively large part of your country is receiving.

Cry about it, big boy.

Originally Posted by Neruo

Also, the average American is slightly less intelligent than the average European, due to the bad education a relatively large part of your country is receiving.

Cry about it, big boy.

I'm not going to argue that high school education there is better than here. But we do have more college educated people in the US.

If you guys are so much smarter than we are, then why isn't a united Europe the superpower?

Originally Posted by Half/Dreaming

I'm not going to argue that high school education there is better than here. But we do have more college educated people in the US.

Might I have the source of those numbers please? Do you have more college educated people per person? If not, China and India own your amount of college education people.

If you guys are so much smarter than we are, then why isn't a united Europe the superpower?

You already answered your own question. Europe is far from united. I'll take ages for Europe to Really work as one country, with this new wave of anti-EU-ism :/.

I wasn't aware the EU really did anything anymore.

Hmm, went from a religion debate to the whole country thing. Well, I live in rural America (Virginia), and I am the first to say that for the most part, the stereotype is true. You come to rural America and it is populated by almost nothing but stupid dumb-as-fuck rednecks. Now I love my country, but I have no problem with seeing why every other country stereotypes us as "stupid Americans" just as we stereotype others (pussy canadians, bad-teeth brits, alcohol-addicted Irish, radical middle-easterns, etc etc).

I find it really irritating when people say "you shouldn't listen to stereotypes". Well, where the hell to people think stereotypes come from? Do people just randomly say "I think I'm gonna tell everyone that all Mexicans in the US don't speak English". No, stereotypes arise from multitudes of the same occurrence, over and over and over, and usually (not always) is a majority occurrence. Here's another stereotype: Poor people are rude. Is it true? In my experience working retail (5 years, still working through college), yes, it's true. Is it true for everyone? No, but I would say around 55-60%, which is a majority.

And as far as the stupid American stereotype, I think the thing that really tips the scale of the stereotype is our president, noooo charisma or tact at all.

Here's one personal example of a guy I work with:

Christian Co-worker: I believe the earth is billions of years old.
Me: But yet you don't believe in evolution?
Co-worker: I didn't come from no monkey!
Me: You didn't. Chimps, apes and humans evolved from the same primate.
Co-worker: Well if I evolved from a monkey, then how come they don't build houses?
Me: (Ughh). *Moves on and explains how humans have two chromosomes fused together that would explain why monkeys have an extra set of chromosomes*
Co-worker: Well if monkeys have more chromosomes then how come they ain't smarter than us? (A self satisfied grin on his face cause he thinks he beat the atheist).
Me: *Gives up and walks away*

-As a side note, I highly encourage Christians and Atheists alike to youtube Ken Miller and watch his lecture. Extremely informative and interesting (and he's not an atheist).

Originally Posted by Half/Dreaming

I'm not going to argue that high school education there is better than here. But we do have more college educated people in the US.

If you guys are so much smarter than we are, then why isn't a united Europe the superpower?

How come America doesn't have architectural wonders spanning millenium into the past like Europe then? Or maybe even a rich and varied history with many cultures?


What's the point in arguing whether Europe is better/smarter than America anyway? Surely they're completely different, Europe is a continent, America is a single country.

Originally Posted by Half/Dreaming

If you guys are so much smarter than we are, then why isn't a united Europe the superpower?

Umm... no offense, but you gain power by controlling stupid, uneducated people with fear. "Iraq is evil, we must attack and free them!", "Oh no, They speak the truth, terror is upon us!" and you attack them. When smart people, or people capable to come to their own conclusion it's more like "We are not supporting you because what you say is stupid." And then the nation hates "him". I'm definitely not saying that all Americans are "stupid", but I mostly believe that what I said is true and it is true :p .