Would a nuclear bomb and its intented purpose to destroy life on a massive scale be evidence against science and reason?

I am not arguing for the rejection of science and reason as an atheist would against God.

Your clear and simple statement of what you prefer is the most powerful way to be, and appears consistent with nontheistic Eastern religion-philosopy.

Christianity is more of an Historical issue (Bible History, Archaeology, Ancient Bible manuscripts), than a Scientific issue (there are many well-credentialed scientists who believe the Bible is accurate & true). Some of American Society’s most beneficial aspects & institutions were born out of Christian & Bible ideas. The historical resurrection of Jesus Christ may have a powerful impact on each of us as we individually allow Him into our lives.

Kate I am puzzled as to why an atheist would want to promote atheism, Do you wish to convert someone off of their belief in a God? Do you think people would be more ethical if they would stop believing in God? I can understand someone not believing in God , I understand ethics, I understand being rational, I read that Thomas Paine was a forerunner to the ethical societies, he was not an atheist and did not want to convert people away from believing in a God, Paine was a rationalist with very high ethics who believed in God, and this is how he served God, He worked to improve the lives of Gods children, he loved all and worked for all and I think he did more for this country than any one that I can think of, he is the # 1 father of this country.
If someone believes in a God and this believe keeps them from killing others I would not want to take this believe away from them, for then if they went out and killed someone then I think that I would have done an unethical act,
The Ethical Society would seem like a Society that I would want to join, The name sounds like a group that wants to promote ethics and I think that I have good ethics but I could not join a group that thinks its ethical to promote atheism, the promotions of atheism is the job of the Atheist Group
Kate don’t take me wrong I am not attacking you or the other atheist I am just trying to understand something that has long puzzled me

Kate, It’s hard to describe my dad, I guess the best word would be “extreme” I don’t know if he was a social path or if he was bi polar I don’t know but I am sure something wasn’t right, some people loved him and thought he was a great man and others hated him and thought that he was a no good low down sonofagun and I would have to agree with both sides, I wouldn’t of traded him for a different dad but would not wish that someone had one like him, we had a lot of fun and a lot of hard times sometimes in the same day, I loved him very much but I hated the mental abuse that he caused me and others, It was a love hate relation ship and I would have to say that was the greatest thing about him we did have a relation ship, when I was 43 years old and 2 years after he passed away I was still hurting from some of the things that he did to me, I was unable to forgive him and it was tearing me up inside, I wanted him to understand how he hurt me and to say that he was sorry and to say I love you son, One night over 2 years after his passing around 3 o’clock in the morning I awoke from my sleep crying like a little baby, 43 years old with un controllable crying like a baby missing my daddy, I got out of bed and went and locked myself in the bath room and as I set there still crying like a baby I said I love you and I forgive you, and as soon as I said this it felt like a hand reached down through the top of my head and reached into my heart and pulled all the hate out of me and instantly I stopped crying and was dry eyed, then I got up and went in the bedroom and got out an old photo album and looked at old pictures of him and it all looked different with out the hate in my heart I was looking at pictures of my dad that I knew quite well asking is this a picture of dad by this time my wife was by my side saying yes that’s him, this felt unreal looking at these pictures of my dad with out the hate, in one picture that I looked at, his eyes looked right at me and its seems like he said “Thank you son I made it I love you” Looking back at this I think that hate makes us see things differently, yes may dad did many things wrong but I was also wrong for having the hate in my heart, “I forgave my father” don’t sound right, me forgiving my father, now I think it was the father in heaven who forgave both sons, I do not recall praying or asking for Gods help, do I know for fact that this was the hand of God, no I do not for fact that this was the hand of god, do I believe that this was the hand of God, Yes I do, Looking back at my life there are so many things that re affirms my belief in God, one of the major things is the two times that I seen my wife Glow when they placed my newborn son on her she glowed and the second time she held a dieing baby in her arms and my wife was glowing, the first time I saw my wife I was 15 years old 37 years ago it wasn’t a glow but it was love at first site and it has never faded love at first site is not as powerful as a glow and again I think this was God’s doings Do I know for fact that this was God, No I do not, but I believe it to be, These things happened to me and many more, these things makes me feel blessed, special and thankful and it helps me deal with this life, I know people who have unshakable belief and faith in God seems funny to me but I am not one of them I think that I have been touched by the hand of God but i’m wishywashie on faith and belief??
some may say Mark you been having chemical reactions because there is no God and were just a bunch of chemicals and this would make me wonder as to why when there chemicals inter react with each other they produce great wisdom to where they know for fact one way on the other, and why when my chemicals react together they leave me in great confusion, so to those who want to convert people from their beliefs, ask your self Why?
God bless you to those that believe in God and to those that don’t May you chemicals react in a positive way

Last week, I saw a flyer promoting this event tacked on the bulletin board - ironically - at one of the area Schnucks stores that has garnered so much controversy for its display of the Crucifix.
I must confess, my first impulse was to rip it down and wad it up. (Kate’s post did not capture the arrogant, insulting condescendsion that radiated from the flyer and its verbiage. No surprise there, she is classier than many/most? of the anti-believers.) But I resisted. Instead, I went home and printed up a flyer of my own inviting believers to attend and RESPECTFULLY engage the author and the audience. I doubt, however, many will take up the challenge. Most Christians are too busy living their lives to take up their shields and defend their faith, and even fewer bother to learn even the most basic apologetics. That’s why - sad to say - the Christian faith takes a daily beating in the press, the entertainment media and in institutions of “education.”

Hey Joe L.,

You posted, “Most Christians are too busy living their lives to take up their shields and defend their faith”. You mean your metaphorical shields to defend your indefensible beliefs about supernatural beings, right? Surely this is not what you are attempting whenever you voluntarily inject ad hominem objections to bold face phrases, right?

Yet, curiously, your complaint about Believers applies similarly to non-believers (yes, your “anti-believers”), as well. Most folks, Believers or not, are, like you said are “too busy” to bother. Many non-believers simply don’t see the threat to society when a significant percentage of people Believe with no evidence whatsoever in Magic Stories and Fictional Heroes, Believe that “they are right, everyone else is wrong”, and use their Beliefs to influence public policy. (However, there is hope! Another blog (Give me that Old Time Religion) points out that the percentage of young people who Believe has dropped nearly 10% in the last five years from 22% of the population to 20% now.)

I hope I can make it to the Little Theater Saturday night so that I can watch you deliver a RESPECTFULLY eloquent performance when asked to articulate evidence, any evidence at all, that your personal beliefs about God are the correct ones.

Here’s an idea! Why not warm up now!

Personally, I’m not interested in converting anyone to atheism. I am interested in reaching out to “freethinkers” of all kinds, as many lack like-minded friends or family members, in order to let them know that they are not alone and to help them find community if they want it. I’m also interested in promoting humanism as an ethical, positive life stance, to counter the crazy negative things some people say about humanists. I am interested in the debate about the overall affect of religions, although history is enormously complicated and I’m doubtful anyone can really tote up all the help and harm that religions have influenced and say that overall religions have been “good” or “bad.” I do hope people of all beliefs will come to the lecture and take part in the discussion.

What Christians and atheists seem to have most in common is that each group thinks it’s more maligned by the media

Kate, thanks for the reply
Am I correct to think that the Ethical Society is an atheist group?

The Ethical Society is “nontheist,” which means that as an organization we take no position on whether or not there is a god. Our focus is on ethical living. We’re humanist in that we look to human experience and nature to figure out what’s ethical and how to act ethically. So we may look at what religions have said about ethics, but we use other religions’ text more like a sociologist would, to see what they have in common and what they tell us about universal human values, differences, etc. Our stance toward God is very similar to the Buddha, who said that humans had enough to do understanding ourselves, let alone messing with god ideas.

Practically, as a community that promotes ethical living independent of belief in gods, we have a lot of atheist members. But to assume that every member is an atheist or even humanist would be a mistake.

Kate thanks for the reply I now have a different view on the Ethical Society, The Ethical Society is a “nontheist,” group and their focus is on ethical living, I think this group that takes no position on whether or not there is a god would have better odds of achieving its objective if it wasn’t so intertwined with groups that do take a position on as to if there is a God, So again Kate I thank you for your reply its seems that our difference in opinion is in the strategy of the Ethical Society and as I am not a member its non of my business and with this I say good day to you and enjoy your little ones they grow so fast