Thank goodness.<div class="gmail_extra"><br><br><div class="gmail_quote">On Tue, Nov 27, 2012 at 6:32 PM, Scott Dredge <span dir="ltr"><<a href="mailto:scooterd408@hotmail.com" target="_blank">scooterd408@hotmail.com</a>></span> wrote:<br>
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Even worse, scientists have blind faith in things like 'numbers' and 'time' which don't exist.<br><br><div><div></div><hr>Date: Tue, 27 Nov 2012 16:42:28 -0800<br>From: <a href="mailto:godshatter@yahoo.com" target="_blank">godshatter@yahoo.com</a><br>
To: <a href="mailto:donovanjarnold2005@yahoo.com" target="_blank">donovanjarnold2005@yahoo.com</a>; <a href="mailto:thansen@moscow.com" target="_blank">thansen@moscow.com</a>; <a href="mailto:vision2020@moscow.com" target="_blank">vision2020@moscow.com</a><div>
<div class="h5"><br>Subject: Re: [Vision2020] "Why I Do Not Believe in a God" (Ricky Gervais)<br><br><div style="font-size:12pt;font-family:times new roman,new york,times,serif">These lazy, procrastinating scientists haven't proven there are no elves, pixies, invisible rabbits, unicorns, or huge squid-like beings slumbering deep under the sea either. I demand they get off their butts and do something about it. All they do is look abashed, mumble something about "burden of proof" and skulk off quietly, slowly, making no sudden moves, and not glancing in your direction if they can help it.<br>
<br>Paul<br><div><span><br></span></div><div><br></div> <div style="font-family:times new roman,new york,times,serif;font-size:12pt"> <div style="font-family:times new roman,new york,times,serif;font-size:12pt"> <div dir="ltr">
<font face="Arial"> <hr size="1"> <b><span style="font-weight:bold">From:</span></b> Donovan Arnold <<a href="mailto:donovanjarnold2005@yahoo.com" target="_blank">donovanjarnold2005@yahoo.com</a>><br> <b><span style="font-weight:bold">To:</span></b> Tom Hansen <<a href="mailto:thansen@moscow.com" target="_blank">thansen@moscow.com</a>>; Moscow Vision 2020 <<a href="mailto:vision2020@moscow.com" target="_blank">vision2020@moscow.com</a>> <br>
<b><span style="font-weight:bold">Sent:</span></b> Tuesday, November 27, 2012 4:12 PM<br> <b><span style="font-weight:bold">Subject:</span></b> Re: [Vision2020] "Why I Do Not Believe in a God" (Ricky Gervais)<br>
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<div><div><div style="font-size:12pt;font-family:times new roman,new york,times,serif"><div><span>Science hasn't proved there is no God. So to claim there is no God based on science is <span><span>illogical thinking</span></span>. It is pure faith and personal experience believing either way.</span></div>
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<div><span>Donovan J. Arnold</span></div>
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</div><b><span style="font-weight:bold">From:</span></b> Tom Hansen <<a href="mailto:thansen@moscow.com" target="_blank">thansen@moscow.com</a>><br><b><span style="font-weight:bold">To:</span></b> Moscow Vision 2020 <<a href="mailto:vision2020@moscow.com" target="_blank">vision2020@moscow.com</a>> <br>
<b><span style="font-weight:bold">Sent:</span></b> Monday, November 26, 2012 8:06 PM<br><b><span style="font-weight:bold">Subject:</span></b> [Vision2020] "Why I Do Not Believe in a God" (Ricky <span>Gervais</span>)<br>
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<div>Courtesy of the December 22, 2010edition of the Wall Street Journal at:</div>
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<div><span style="line-height:19px;white-space:nowrap;font-size:15px"><a href="http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703886904576031640102154156.html" target="_blank">http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703886904576031640102154156.html</a></span></div>
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<h1 style="background-image:none;min-width:0px!important;padding-bottom:0px;padding-left:0px;width:auto;padding-right:0px;font-weight:normal;padding-top:0px"><font size="3"><span><br></span></font></h1>
<h1 style="background-image:none;min-width:0px!important;padding-bottom:0px;padding-left:0px;width:auto;padding-right:0px;font-weight:normal;padding-top:0px"><font size="3"><span>"Why I Do Not Believe in a God"</span></font></h1>
<div><font size="3"><span>By Ricky <span>Gervais</span></span></font></div>
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<div><span style="text-align:left">Why don't you believe in God? I get that question all the time. I always try to give a sensitive, reasoned answer. This is usually awkward, time consuming and pointless. People who believe in God don't need proof of his existence, and they certainly don't want evidence <span>tothe</span> contrary. They are happy with their belief. They even say things like "it's true to me" and "it's faith." I still give my logical answer because I feel that not being honest would be patronizing and impolite. It is ironic therefore that "I don't believe in God because there is absolutely no scientific evidence for his existence and from what I've heard the very definition is a logical impossibility in this known universe," comes across as both patronizing and impolite.</span></div>
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<div><span style="text-align:left">Arrogance is another accusation. Which seems particularly unfair. Science seeks the truth. And it does not discriminate. For better or worse it finds things out. Science is humble. It knows what it knows and it knows what it doesn't know. It bases its conclusions and beliefs on hard evidence—evidence that is constantly updated and upgraded. It doesn't get offended when new facts come along. It embraces the body of knowledge. It doesn't hold on to medieval practices because they are tradition. If it did, you wouldn't get a shot of penicillin, you'd pop a leach down your trousers and pray. Whatever you "believe," this is not as effective as medicine. Again you can say, "It works for me," but so do placebos. My point being, I'm saying God doesn't exist. I'm not saying faith doesn't exist. I know faith exists. I see it all the time. But believing in something doesn't make it true. Hoping that something is true doesn't
make it true. The existence of God is not subjective. He either exists or he doesn't. It's not a matter of opinion. You can have your own opinions. But you can't have your own facts.</span></div>
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<div><span style="text-align:left">Why don't I believe in God? No, no, no, why do YOU believe in God? Surely the burden of proof is on the believer. You started all this. If I came up to you and said, "Why don't you believe I can fly?" You'd say, "Why would I?" I'd reply, "Because it's a matter of faith." If I then said, "Prove I can't fly. Prove I can't fly see. See, you can't prove it can you?" You'd probably either walk away, call security or throw me out of the window and shout, "F—<span>ing</span> fly then you lunatic."</span></div>
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<div><span style="text-align:left">This, is of course a spirituality issue, religion is a different matter. As an atheist, I see nothing "wrong" in believing in a God. I don't think there is a God, but belief in him does no harm. If it helps you in any way, then that's fine with me. It's when belief starts infringing on other people's rights that it worries me. I would never deny your right to believe in a God. I would just rather you didn't kill people who believe in a different god, say. Or stone someone to death because your rule book says their sexuality is immoral. It's strange that anyone who believes that an all-powerful, all-knowing, omniscient power responsible for everything would also want to judge and punish people for what they are.</span></div>
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<div style="padding-bottom:0px;padding-left:0px;padding-right:0px;padding-top:0px"><span>From what I can gather, pretty much the worst type of person you can be is an atheist. The first four commandments hammer this point home. There is a God, I'm him, no one else is, you're not as good and don't forget it. (Don't murder anyone, doesn't get a mention until number 6.)</span></div>
<div style="padding-bottom:0px;padding-left:0px;padding-right:0px;padding-top:0px"><span>When confronted with anyone who holds my lack of religious faith in such contempt, I say, "It's the way God made me."</span></div>
<div style="padding-bottom:0px;padding-left:0px;padding-right:0px;padding-top:0px"><span>But what are atheists really being accused of?</span></div>
<div style="padding-bottom:0px;padding-left:0px;padding-right:0px;padding-top:0px"><span>The dictionary definition of God is "a supernatural creator and overseer of the universe." Included in this definition are all deities, goddesses and supernatural beings. Since the beginning of recorded history, which is defined by the invention of writing by the Sumerians around 6,000 years ago, historians have cataloged over 3700 supernatural beings, of which 2870 can be considered deities.</span></div>
<div style="padding-bottom:0px;padding-left:0px;padding-right:0px;padding-top:0px"><span>So next time someone tells me they believe in God, I'll say "Oh which one? Zeus? Hades? Jupiter? Mars? Odin? Thor? Krishna? Vishnu? Ra?…" If they say "Just God. I only believe in the one God," I'll point out that they are nearly as atheistic as me. I don't believe in 2,870 gods, and they don't believe in 2,869.</span></div>
<div style="padding-bottom:0px;padding-left:0px;padding-right:0px;padding-top:0px"><span>I used to believe in God. The Christian one that is.</span></div>
<div style="padding-bottom:0px;padding-left:0px;padding-right:0px;padding-top:0px"><span>I loved Jesus. He was my hero. More than pop stars. More than footballers. More than God. God was by definition omnipotent and perfect. Jesus was a man. He had to work at it. He had temptation but defeated sin. He had integrity and courage. But He was my hero because He was kind. And He was kind to everyone. He didn't bow to peer pressure or tyranny or cruelty. He didn't care who you were. He loved you. What a guy. I wanted to be just like Him.</span></div>
<div style="padding-bottom:0px;padding-left:0px;padding-right:0px;padding-top:0px"><span>One day when I was about 8 years old, I was drawing the crucifixion as part of my Bible studies homework. I loved art too. And nature. I loved how God made all the animals. They were also perfect. Unconditionally beautiful. It was an amazing world.</span></div>
<div style="padding-bottom:0px;padding-left:0px;padding-right:0px;padding-top:0px"><span>I lived in a very poor, working-class estate in an urban sprawl called Reading, about 40 miles west of London. My father was a laborer and my mother was a housewife. I was never ashamed of poverty. It was almost noble. Also, everyone I knew was in the same situation, and I had everything I needed. School was free. My clothes were cheap and always clean and ironed. And mum was always cooking. She was cooking the day I was drawing on the cross.</span></div>
<div style="padding-bottom:0px;padding-left:0px;padding-right:0px;padding-top:0px"><span>I was sitting at the kitchen table when my brother came home. He was 11 years older than me, so he would have been 19. He was as smart as anyone I knew, but he was too cheeky. He would answer back and get into trouble. I was a good boy. I went to church and believed in God — what a relief for a working-class mother. You see, growing up where I did, mums didn't hope as high as their kids growing up to be doctors; they just hoped their kids didn't go to jail. So bring them up believing in God and they'll be good and law abiding. It's a perfect system. Well, nearly. Some 75% of Americans are God-fearing Christians; 75% of prisoners are God-fearing Christians. Some 10% of Americans are atheists; 0.2% of prisoners are atheists.</span></div>
<div style="padding-bottom:0px;padding-left:0px;padding-right:0px;padding-top:0px"><span>But anyway, there I was happily drawing my hero when my big brother Bob asked, "Why do you believe in God?" Just a simple question. But my mum panicked. "Bob," she said in a tone that I knew meant, "Shut up." Why was that a bad thing to ask? If there was a God and my faith was strong it didn't matter what people said.</span></div>
<div style="padding-bottom:0px;padding-left:0px;padding-right:0px;padding-top:0px"><span>Oh… hang on. There is no God. He knows it, and she knows it deep down. It was as simple as that. I started thinking about it and asking more questions, and within an hour, I was an atheist.</span></div>
<div style="padding-bottom:0px;padding-left:0px;padding-right:0px;padding-top:0px"><span>Wow. No God. If mum had lied to me about God, had she also lied to me about Santa? Yes, of course, but who cares? The gifts kept coming. And so did the gifts of my <span>newfound</span> atheism. The gifts of truth, science, nature. The real beauty of this world. I learned of evolution—a theory so simple that only England's greatest genius could have come up with it. Evolution of plants, animals and us–-with imagination, free will, love, humor. I no longer needed a reason for my existence, just a reason to live. And imagination, free will, love, humor, fun, music, sports, beer and pizza are all good enough reasons for living.</span></div>
<div style="padding-bottom:0px;padding-left:0px;padding-right:0px;padding-top:0px"><span>But living an honest life—for that you need the truth. That's the other thing I learned that day: that the truth, however shocking or uncomfortable, in the end leads to liberation and dignity.</span></div>
<div style="padding-bottom:0px;padding-left:0px;padding-right:0px;padding-top:0px"><span>So what does the question "Why don't you believe in God?" really mean? I think when someone asks that they are really questioning their own belief. In a way they are asking, "What makes you so special?" "How come you weren't brainwashed with the rest of us?" "How dare you say I'm a fool and I'm not going to heaven, f— you!" Let's be honest, if one person believed in God he would be considered pretty strange. But because it's a very popular view it's accepted. And why is it such a popular view? That's obvious. It's an attractive proposition. Believe in me and live forever. Again if it was just a case of spirituality this would be fine.</span></div>
<div style="padding-bottom:0px;padding-left:0px;padding-right:0px;padding-top:0px"><span>"Do unto others…" is a good rule of thumb. I live by that. Forgiveness is probably the greatest virtue there is. But that's exactly what it is—a virtue. Not just a Christian virtue. No one owns being good. I'm good. I just don't believe I'll be rewarded for it in heaven.</span></div>
<div style="padding-bottom:0px;padding-left:0px;padding-right:0px;padding-top:0px"><span>My reward is here and now. It's knowing that I try to do the right thing. That I lived a good life. And that's where spirituality really lost its way. When it became a stick to beat people with. "Do this or you'll burn in hell."</span></div>
<div style="padding-bottom:0px;padding-left:0px;padding-right:0px;padding-top:0px"><span>You won't burn in hell. But be nice anyway.</span></div></div>
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<div><span>Seeya</span> round town, Moscow, because . . .</div>
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<div>"Moscow Cares"</div>
<div><a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.moscowcares.com/" target="_blank">http://www.moscowcares.com/</a></div>
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<div>Tom Hansen</div>
<div>Moscow, Idaho</div>
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