Ask an Atheist with Sam Mulvey

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Kyle

Someone missed the memo about Pascal’s Wager being disowned by apologists everywhere as bad apologetics.

hope more

kyle, kyle, kyle…sounds like a teenager name too :). You missed the sarcasm of the message. Let me break it down… No apologist would even consider Pascal’s wager. But since Mike wouldn’t even consider any of Jennifer’s talking point what’s the point of using apologetics?

hope more

I don’t know Jennfier or any of her work. I just stumbled upon your blog and it seems coming from a teenager – a lost and rebellious teenager (which everybody once was). If you are not, then let’s tackle your issues dead-on objectively without prejudices and presuppositions. Maybe, you think people didn’t understand you article is because you rally didn’t have a point at all. It’s really not hard to miss why you are mocking her. ..because she’s found something you detest. She’s not an atheist now and you still are. OK, for me there are 3 kinds of atheists:… Read more »

MarinaM.

But she wasn’t really as big an atheist as she originally claimed. She was baptized a Catholic, and had plenty of Catholic family members around her growing up. Since she has this book coming out, one that can be fact-checked, she’s dialed back some of the “raised atheist” and “lifelong atheist” talk. And if #2 is her supposed main audience (personally, I think her main audience is anyone who will tell her how great she is and/or buy her book), why is she _that_ person for so many people? She never looks past her own blog hits, and spends most… Read more »

Mike Gillis

Hope, Even if you already hadn’t posted about Pascal’s Wager — a thoroughly debunked proof of a gods’ existence — your response says to me that you haven’t met a lot of atheists. I am neither 1, 2, or 3. There is nothing in your post, including the condescending tone and the assumption that you know us, our history and our motivations — that we haven’t heard thousands of times before. I wish that it weren’t the case, but you still don’t get it. I’m not attacking Ms. Fulwiler because she’s a Catholic. And not because she’s no longer an… Read more »

hope more

OK. Thank you for your response! I’ll see If I can call-in but when you have time, i’ll try, and as objectively as possible to address your simple statement.

…”As for why I’m an atheist, it’s simple. There is no objective, repeatable evidence for the existence of any gods.”

You probably didn’t know I exist before i commented on your article :). Point is, evidence is not necessary for an existence of something or not.

Randy

“…evidence is not necessary for an[sic] existence of something or not.”

True. Either something exists or it does not. However, reducing the belief in the existence of something to a guessing game doesn’t seem like a good way for those of us who desire to hold true beliefs. Hence the evidence requirement.

hope more

Even if it doesn’t seem like a good way still doesn’t disprove it exists or not. Hence :), the third type of atheists – searching (see post above about 3 types of athiests). You guys are probably the most brilliant and intelligent people among all atheists. I’ve seen, read and heard people like you and you guys rock and really good at debates. The problem with debate is… to use your own words “doesn’t seem like a good way for those of use who desire to hold true beliefs”. I’m pretty sure any of you (third types ) will hold… Read more »

Athywren

You’re right, it’s very likely that not a single one of us knew you existed before you commented here. Then you did. Now we know. See how easy that was? Why is such a display beyond your omnipotent, omniscient and omni-benevolent god? True, you existed before any of us had any reason to suspect that you did, but belief in you is not required to avoid an eternal torment. According to a majority of Christians, belief in god and Jesus is required to avoid that torment… and yet the omnipotent, omniscient, omni-benevolent god has made no attempt to reach us.… Read more »

hope more

What is your email address? I’m that stupid that I can’t find it in your website. I’d really like to know what your reasons are for being an athiest? Not the stereotype reasons but “your reason”.since you don’t want to be stereotyped anyway. Surely, if you have heard a thousand times every single argument for atheism your simple reason that “There is no objective, repeatable evidence for the existence of any gods” is very unscientific. I know you can do better than that. I’d really like an honest, adult, rational, philosopical and logical dialogue without the mocking, sarcasm or stooping… Read more »

Becky Friedman

Hope, scroll to the top of the page where it says in a big red box “Ask A Question.” There are many episodes you can listen to where individual hosts and guests describe their reasons for being an atheist, Mike included.

Mike Gillis

I’m not giving out my email address. If you want to.interact with me, call into the show. Otherwise, there is a giant backlog of old episodes of the radio show onthis site to listen to if you want to know what I believe and why. I don’t do private email debates.

I’m not going to respond any further to this thread. You know how to listen to the show or call in.

hope more

OK. So, which email you referred to when you said?

“We answer emails on the show, so don’t expect a personal response. For that, you need to call in. We air on Sundays from 3-4pm Pacific time. The number is 253-584-1480″…

I’d be glad to send an email to that address…

Anyways. I truly hope you find the happiness and joy in this life. Much like what Jennifer found. Thank you for your time.

Steve

Einstein was not an atheist. He was a self-proclaimed pantheist or at best agnostic. In fact, he had very critical words for atheists: “fanatical atheists are like slaves who are still feeling the weight of their chains which they have thrown off after hard struggle. They are creatures who—in their grudge against the traditional ‘opium of the people’—cannot bear the music of the spheres.” Albert Einstein Just in case you missed it, Einstein thinks you are grudge holders, slaves to your negative ideology to the point that you are deaf. “I believe in Spinoza’s God, who reveals himself in the… Read more »

Becky Friedman

“Life is short, way too short to grind an ideological axe all the time. What a downer of an existence”.

I agree.

I’m sure glad that I, an assistant producer for the show, spend just a fraction of my waking hours grinding ideological axes. Most of the time I’m working hard at my job, spending time with friends, volunteering to improve the lives of others, playing with pets, reading, cooking, advocating for equity in education, keeping house, watching enjoyable TV shows…

hope more

Good for you Becky!!! Forgive me for my curiosity but why do you do all those fun stuff especially the charitable ones like “volunteering to improve the lives of others”, “advocating for equity in education”…Why do you wake up in the morning and say i’m going to do “good things” for others today? Just curious. It’s okay if you say it’s non of my business. 😀

Again, It’s awesome that you do what you do!

Randy

Humbly, Einstein knew he was just a human with limited knowledge and he was angered by people who were convinced that there is no God that then used his name to spread that lie. Wait… What? I think you got that wrong. To quote Einstein, “It was, of course, a lie what you read about my religious convictions, a lie which is being systematically repeated. I do not believe in a personal God and I have never denied this but have expressed it clearly. If something is in me which can be called religious then it is the unbounded admiration… Read more »

Steve

Randy,

Read Spinoza. Keyword “personal” God. The quote I refrrenced is a direct quote from Albert Einstein. He was critical of both sides of the issue obviously. He did not support Atheism, clearly, however as they used his name to attack others which he had no patience for. Try as you might, Albert Einstein distanced himself from Atheism. You should research and study why.

MarinaM.

Oh dear, and she has a “memoir” coming out and she’s hosting some kind of “conference”, so there will be no end to her self-promotional tweets and blog posts. Sigh. So tiresome. I’ve yet to come across a person who is as relentlessly and unabashedly self-promotional as that shallow, tone-deaf woman. I used to be Catholic, but it was these “New Evangelization” types, who turn themselves and their families into brands and only see other people as unique hits or consumers for this brand of theirs who made Catholicism an increasingly empty religion for me. All about money, self-promotion, comparisons,… Read more »

hope more

Marina, How do you know her motives? How do you know she didn’t have a real conversion of the heart? You have so many conclusions on so very little “evidence”. I mean, really have you met Jennifer? You can get all the information about her in the internet or even her friends. But not unless you really talk to her and get to know her – up close and personal, you really don’t know her and her motives much more generalize an entire religion. I’d like to know your particular issues. You seemed to be bitter about religion in general.

MarinaM

So little evidence? Her years and years of blogging provide plenty of evidence.

I’m not bitter about religion at all. I’m an active and involved member of another church. I was baptized Catholic and spent most of my life a practicing Catholic but left after I saw what the Catholic Church had turned into.

hope more

marina,
I’m glad to hear that you are part of a church (I hope christian :)). I’m just curious what did you see that the Catholic Church has turned into? I’m interested and curious to hear if you don’t ind. My email is ihope.more@yahoo.com

MarinaM.

I don’t email strangers off the internet. Bonjour.

hope more

ok. Thanks for your time. Have a happy day!