"The success of Mormonism depresses me. I mean, we KNOW that Joseph Smith was a charlatan. Everything about him screams charlatan and yet, plenty of respectable people, including Presidential Candidates, men in suites, appear to believe it."

Then he goes on to explain why he was such a charlatan. The BoA has nothing to do with the original document.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Imud8xaGkmo



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 10/22/2019 04:49PM by schrodingerscat.

"men in suites"

Why that matters is beyond me. I'm more concerned that poor people with gold teeth in other countries are buying it - up to their teeth.

And why Richard Dawkins is a repeating theme is as well.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 10/22/2019 06:37PM by Elder Berry.

What I find interesting is that Joe Rogan loves Mormons and says they're his favorite type of people. Richard Dawkins shrugs his shoulders and says yeah maybe?
Maybe being nice is fake A.F?
I really don't think they're the nicest kind of people. I think they lie for a living. And their tribal. They're not very friendly unless they want you in their cool. Once you make it known that you have no interest in the cold they drop you like a hot potato. Seen it a million times. I was Mormon I wasn't a very nice person. I was racist misogynist and kind of homophobic. Fortunately can over those things. Hopefully. Thanks to leaving this racist homophobic misogynist pyramid scheme that's really just a white supremacist getting together with their white hoodie under their shirts and pants

y'all exmos should not be making fun of a dude in a wheelchair ~


even if he is a pitiful atheist ~


the dude had ALS for god-sakes ~


a horrible disease ~


he was a pretty good cosmetologist too ~


an he knew a lot of stuff about quantum physics ~


just because he was a pitiful atheist doesn't mean it is OK for exmos to make fun of him ~


RIP Richard Dawkins ~

Um, Stephen Hawking.

I'm pretty sure Ziller made that mistake intentionally. He gets silly when he hab bonar.

Dawkins is depressed therefore Atheism is false.

hahaha ha. Isn't it fun to put your own twist on reasoning? Makes it so much easier to be right. ;) No?

I misread the post title. I thought they were talking about Richard Dawson , the actor and family feud guy. I knew he’s been dead for awhile, so I knew it wasn’t him. ( I always thought he was “ Richard Dawkins, instead of Dawson anyway)

Wow, didn't mean to start a board war.

Back to the topic (not Dawkins character or lack of it) I don't get why he us depressed about the success of Mormons. I mean, I used to be Mormon and its an abusive, racist, sexist, Doomsday CULT, but I dont let somebodys success depress me.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 10/23/2019 07:12PM by schrodingerscat.

Can someone boil it down to a sentence maybe?

Beth Wrote:
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> Can someone boil it down to a sentence maybe?

Dawkins did,

"The success of Mormonism depresses me. I mean, we KNOW that Joseph Smith was a charlatan. Everything about him screams charlatan and yet, plenty of respectable people, including Presidential Candidates, men in suites, appear to believe it."

Explain that pathology.

With all the Dawkins bashing, how about a cool Atheist? I vote for Penn Jillette.

Why do theists often want atheists to have a guru? Atheism is not dependent on having a saintly authority figure.

dagny Wrote:
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> Why do theists often want atheists to have a guru?
> Atheism is not dependent on having a saintly
> authority figure.


I don’t know what theists want or don’t want vis-a-vis atheists and gurus, “saintly” or not.

But if we take the meaning of guru other than in its original Hindu meaning:

1 : a personal religious teacher and spiritual guide in Hinduism

2a : a teacher and especially intellectual guide in matters of fundamental concern
has been a guru to many young writers

b : one who is an acknowledged leader or chief proponent
became the guru of the movement

c : a person with knowledge or expertise : EXPERT
a computer guru

It is clear that many atheists have gurus and/or are gurus themselves.


So the same kind of question back at you: why do many atheists seem so triggered by general use words borrowed from religion?

I think some religious people mostly see a religious context when they use words that are associated with religion.

I think often the tendency is for religious words to imply something is a religion or religion-related. Atheism is not a religion in my view, so, terms that imply religion add to confusion.

I don't understand atheists who revere some author at the level religious folks view a god or religious leader. I'm sure there are some.

Everyone has some views I probably agree with and other views I disagree with. I meant to say there is no universal guru who is right about everything. I'm not sure what other word fits. I don't think hero is the right word either.

Here on RfM we keep getting posts implying that quotes from smart famous people stating opinions somehow have more credibility factually.

Why do theists often want atheists to have a guru?

COMMENT: It isn't theists wanting atheists to have a guru. It is that some atheists set themselves up to play this "guru" role. They do this by writing popular anti-religion books and going on speaking tours touting their atheistic anti-religion views. No one assumes this role more persistently than Richard Dawkins. I assume that most theists would be very happy if Dawkins (and the other "prophets" of atheism) would just go away, or shut up. But let's be honest; Dawkins is preaching a worldview just as much as any outspoken religious preacher is. Whereas religious preachers pass the plate; Dawkins sells tickets.

https://centerforinquiry.org/dawkins-tour/?utm_source=bing&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=bing_brand%20_rdf_tour&source=bbrdftour&msclkid=c7f5c190a21315267b099c216c28b057

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Atheism is not dependent on having a saintly authority figure.

COMMENT: True, but then neither is religion!

Saint Christopher Hitchens .