Faith is Born from Fear

[AtheistBuddah]

It has been said by many Christians that one of the primary reasons for someone being an atheist and saying that they don't believe is because they don't want to believe. They don't want to ask the hard question "What if I'm wrong?" because they can't accept the implications of that questioning. They claim that we as atheists take the easy way out but I argue that it is just the opposite. Christians downright refuse to humor any kind of questioning when it comes to their belief. They refuse to look inside themselves and ask "What if there is no God?" because they are terrified of the implications of that question. They claim we are afraid of hell but in fact it is they who are afraid of oblivion. Of nonexistence. Understandably so. The idea of ceasing to exist is unpleasant to say the least. That is why being an atheist is far from the easy way out.

As an atheist you look that unpleasant reality in the face, swallow your fear and accept it and live your life to its fullest. Being a Christian is a way of ignoring the fact that the world is an unpleasant and often unjust place where some people live their whole lives in despair before their flame of consciousness goes out forever. This world can be cruel and unfair but as atheists we accept that it's the only one we are ever going to get and that motivates us to fight our hardest to make it a better and brighter one. For our sake and for the sake of our children. We don't turn away from reality and turn a wishful eye to an afterlife that isn't going to happen.

You are doing to others what you complain others are doing to you.

I am doing no such thing. I do not complain about the criticism of my ideas in fact I welcome and cherish it. I welcome Christians to make the same criticizing statements about my views because that is a vital part of how a free society works. What I complain about is when my rights and the rights of other minorities are infringed upon by the Christian majority in the name of their specific values.

Yes, you are. You are taking an entire class of people and sticking them into a little box and slapping a label on it. You are acting in exactly the same manner as the people you are complaining about.

The fundamental difference is that I am not trying to get laws passed that limit their freedom of expression.

I have no idea what you personally might be doing, but to say Atheists have not tried to do this is flat wrong. In fact, most of the attempts to limit freedom of expression I can think of have come from either Atheists or the left.

We want an Atheist display next to your Christmas displays. We want a booth next to Santa to talk to all the kids that don't believe in Santa or Xmas. And we want to put up right next to the Prayer you have in our school a sign that says THERE IS NO GOD and a Website where students can go see that their parents and churches have quite possibly been feeding them a fairy tale for the last 3-18 years. Let them decide after seeing both sides of the argument. But instead it is you who wouldn't dare let us have a place in society because we would expose your lie.

So don't cry about us. We sit quietly and let your religious holidays go by and some of us even participate. I like Easter and Xmas for the family. I skip church. The people bore me. Should I find a new church? Why? Am I doing it because I believe in God or because I want to meet new friends and have fun?

For some they believe because they want to believe. They don't want to be the odd ball in the flock. They enjoy church and the people at church. Met their wives or husbands at church. I know there is a lot of good that comes out of this cult but a lot of bad comes too. Like Ghandi said. Christ sounded like a good man. It's Christians that he had a problem with. AGREED!

I thought Santa Clause WAS the atheists alternative to Christmas.....

I'm going to give you the benefit of the doubt and assume that the Santa remark was joke.

Santa is like a training bra for future atheists.

It would appear not.

No? What are the central lesson's of Santa Claus?

1. People love a good bullshit story if it makes them feel good.
2. There's no such thing as a free lunch.

Pretty much the atheist credo.

And yet most people who believed in Santa turn out to be believers in Jesus. So again, it would appear not.

Sure. It's a minority in any case.

You ever read any Florence King? She's a bisexual, pagan, southern, conservative who argues for prayer in school and closeted sexual deviance. Her point of view, in broad strokes, is that the real value of having an independent mind is the level of resistance you face in claiming it. In other words, the value of being an atheist is emphasized by the fact that so few people bother to think for themselves.

It is amazing how many people are brainwashed with god. Some of them haven't given it much thought since they were "convinced" when they were young. They just say they believe or that they are christians but then ask them a few questions and they quickly admit that they don't believe the stories in the bible are literal and some of them will even admit there probably is no god.

Just a lot of them stay where its safe. Don't think about it, don't doubt, it's safer that way. An atheist has to have balls to deny god when theists say the penalty is torture forever. What a crock but it is clearly a very effective tactic to use on the sheep. I myself was one of them for over 40 years and recently woke up.

I guess I can agree, it is pretty cool being in on the secret truth that no one seems to want to hear or know. I appreciate the atheists who opened my eyes. I feel so stupid that I believed for so long. What was I thinking?

We got together every week and watched The Cosmos. It was fun. Like church.

The fool says there is no GOD. Why? Because he loves sin and allows satan to blind him. Sad to see.

Gismys did you go and make another profile? You scamp you lol

 

[Unkotare]

because you cannot attack my argument on its actual merits.

I already did that. Your insecurity is not a cry but a scream for help. Too bad the person who could help you doesn't seem to be paying attention.

 

[AtheistBuddah]

because you cannot attack my argument on its actual merits.

I already did that. Your insecurity is not a cry but a scream for help. Too bad the person who could help you doesn't seem to be paying attention.

If you're referring to your God he can go find someone else to help. Even if offered I wouldn't accept the aid of such an immoral and autocratic being.

 

[PostmodernProph]

It has been said by many Christians that one of the primary reasons for someone being an atheist and saying that they don't believe is because they don't want to believe. They don't want to ask the hard question "What if I'm wrong?" because they can't accept the implications of that questioning. They claim that we as atheists take the easy way out but I argue that it is just the opposite. Christians downright refuse to humor any kind of questioning when it comes to their belief. They refuse to look inside themselves and ask "What if there is no God?" because they are terrified of the implications of that question. They claim we are afraid of hell but in fact it is they who are afraid of oblivion. Of nonexistence. Understandably so. The idea of ceasing to exist is unpleasant to say the least. That is why being an atheist is far from the easy way out.

As an atheist you look that unpleasant reality in the face, swallow your fear and accept it and live your life to its fullest. Being a Christian is a way of ignoring the fact that the world is an unpleasant and often unjust place where some people live their whole lives in despair before their flame of consciousness goes out forever. This world can be cruel and unfair but as atheists we accept that it's the only one we are ever going to get and that motivates us to fight our hardest to make it a better and brighter one. For our sake and for the sake of our children. We don't turn away from reality and turn a wishful eye to an afterlife that isn't going to happen.

You are doing to others what you complain others are doing to you.

I am doing no such thing. I do not complain about the criticism of my ideas in fact I welcome and cherish it. I welcome Christians to make the same criticizing statements about my views because that is a vital part of how a free society works. What I complain about is when my rights and the rights of other minorities are infringed upon by the Christian majority in the name of their specific values.

Yes, you are. You are taking an entire class of people and sticking them into a little box and slapping a label on it. You are acting in exactly the same manner as the people you are complaining about.

The fundamental difference is that I am not trying to get laws passed that limit their freedom of expression.

I have no idea what you personally might be doing, but to say Atheists have not tried to do this is flat wrong. In fact, most of the attempts to limit freedom of expression I can think of have come from either Atheists or the left.

We want an Atheist display next to your Christmas displays. We want a booth next to Santa to talk to all the kids that don't believe in Santa or Xmas. And we want to put up right next to the Prayer you have in our school a sign that says THERE IS NO GOD and a Website where students can go see that their parents and churches have quite possibly been feeding them a fairy tale for the last 3-18 years. Let them decide after seeing both sides of the argument. But instead it is you who wouldn't dare let us have a place in society because we would expose your lie.

So don't cry about us. We sit quietly and let your religious holidays go by and some of us even participate. I like Easter and Xmas for the family. I skip church. The people bore me. Should I find a new church? Why? Am I doing it because I believe in God or because I want to meet new friends and have fun?

For some they believe because they want to believe. They don't want to be the odd ball in the flock. They enjoy church and the people at church. Met their wives or husbands at church. I know there is a lot of good that comes out of this cult but a lot of bad comes too. Like Ghandi said. Christ sounded like a good man. It's Christians that he had a problem with. AGREED!

I thought Santa Clause WAS the atheists alternative to Christmas.....

I'm going to give you the benefit of the doubt and assume that the Santa remark was joke.

Santa is like a training bra for future atheists.

It would appear not.

No? What are the central lesson's of Santa Claus?

1. People love a good bullshit story if it makes them feel good.
2. There's no such thing as a free lunch.

Pretty much the atheist credo.

And yet most people who believed in Santa turn out to be believers in Jesus. So again, it would appear not.

odd.....I would have argued that most people who believe in Santa were under 8 and didn't have a clue yet about who Jesus is......

 

[PostmodernProph]

So unbaptized babies are evil? What about people born in a country that is dominated by another religion like Buddhism or Hinduism? Your God sends punishes people solely on whether they believe in him or not. He cares nothing for the quality of their actions.

and you assume God sends unbaptized babies and people who didn't have an opportunity to make a choice to a place for those who've actually chosen NOT to believe in him?.......on what basis do you make that assumption?......

 

[PostmodernProph]

If I must spend eternity in hell rather than praise it for such actions, then I choose hell. And I pity those who choose otherwise.

odd....why on earth would you believe pity would be required?......

 

[PostmodernProph]

so I expect the same from you and everyone else so long as my actions don't bring harm to others.

what if someone believed what you say.....if you were wrong, wouldn't that be bringing harm to others?......

 

[dblack]

It is amazing how many people are brainwashed with god. Some of them haven't given it much thought since they were "convinced" when they were young. They just say they believe or that they are christians but then ask them a few questions and they quickly admit that they don't believe the stories in the bible are literal and some of them will even admit there probably is no god.

Just a lot of them stay where its safe. Don't think about it, don't doubt, it's safer that way. An atheist has to have balls to deny god when theists say the penalty is torture forever. What a crock but it is clearly a very effective tactic to use on the sheep. I myself was one of them for over 40 years and recently woke up.

I guess I can agree, it is pretty cool being in on the secret truth that no one seems to want to hear or know. I appreciate the atheists who opened my eyes. I feel so stupid that I believed for so long. What was I thinking?

We got together every week and watched The Cosmos. It was fun. Like church.

It is amazing. And 'free-thinkers' need to quit kidding themselves. There's clearly something profound going on there, and writing it off as 'brainwashing', or mere delusion, is denying the obvious.

 

[AtheistBuddah]

It has been said by many Christians that one of the primary reasons for someone being an atheist and saying that they don't believe is because they don't want to believe. They don't want to ask the hard question "What if I'm wrong?" because they can't accept the implications of that questioning. They claim that we as atheists take the easy way out but I argue that it is just the opposite. Christians downright refuse to humor any kind of questioning when it comes to their belief. They refuse to look inside themselves and ask "What if there is no God?" because they are terrified of the implications of that question. They claim we are afraid of hell but in fact it is they who are afraid of oblivion. Of nonexistence. Understandably so. The idea of ceasing to exist is unpleasant to say the least. That is why being an atheist is far from the easy way out.

As an atheist you look that unpleasant reality in the face, swallow your fear and accept it and live your life to its fullest. Being a Christian is a way of ignoring the fact that the world is an unpleasant and often unjust place where some people live their whole lives in despair before their flame of consciousness goes out forever. This world can be cruel and unfair but as atheists we accept that it's the only one we are ever going to get and that motivates us to fight our hardest to make it a better and brighter one. For our sake and for the sake of our children. We don't turn away from reality and turn a wishful eye to an afterlife that isn't going to happen.

You are doing to others what you complain others are doing to you.

I am doing no such thing. I do not complain about the criticism of my ideas in fact I welcome and cherish it. I welcome Christians to make the same criticizing statements about my views because that is a vital part of how a free society works. What I complain about is when my rights and the rights of other minorities are infringed upon by the Christian majority in the name of their specific values.

Yes, you are. You are taking an entire class of people and sticking them into a little box and slapping a label on it. You are acting in exactly the same manner as the people you are complaining about.

The fundamental difference is that I am not trying to get laws passed that limit their freedom of expression.

I have no idea what you personally might be doing, but to say Atheists have not tried to do this is flat wrong. In fact, most of the attempts to limit freedom of expression I can think of have come from either Atheists or the left.

We want an Atheist display next to your Christmas displays. We want a booth next to Santa to talk to all the kids that don't believe in Santa or Xmas. And we want to put up right next to the Prayer you have in our school a sign that says THERE IS NO GOD and a Website where students can go see that their parents and churches have quite possibly been feeding them a fairy tale for the last 3-18 years. Let them decide after seeing both sides of the argument. But instead it is you who wouldn't dare let us have a place in society because we would expose your lie.

So don't cry about us. We sit quietly and let your religious holidays go by and some of us even participate. I like Easter and Xmas for the family. I skip church. The people bore me. Should I find a new church? Why? Am I doing it because I believe in God or because I want to meet new friends and have fun?

For some they believe because they want to believe. They don't want to be the odd ball in the flock. They enjoy church and the people at church. Met their wives or husbands at church. I know there is a lot of good that comes out of this cult but a lot of bad comes too. Like Ghandi said. Christ sounded like a good man. It's Christians that he had a problem with. AGREED!

I thought Santa Clause WAS the atheists alternative to Christmas.....

I'm going to give you the benefit of the doubt and assume that the Santa remark was joke.

Santa is like a training bra for future atheists.

It would appear not.

No? What are the central lesson's of Santa Claus?

1. People love a good bullshit story if it makes them feel good.
2. There's no such thing as a free lunch.

Pretty much the atheist credo.

And yet most people who believed in Santa turn out to be believers in Jesus. So again, it would appear not.

odd.....I would have argued that most people who believe in Santa were under 8 and didn't have a clue yet about who Jesus is......

Um... I know 8 year olds definitely know about Jesus because I know Christians aren't at all above indoctrinating their kids as soon as possible. Need I remind you of Jesus Camp or Kidnapped for Christ?

 

[AtheistBuddah]

So unbaptized babies are evil? What about people born in a country that is dominated by another religion like Buddhism or Hinduism? Your God sends punishes people solely on whether they believe in him or not. He cares nothing for the quality of their actions.

and you assume God sends unbaptized babies and people who didn't have an opportunity to make a choice to a place for those who've actually chosen NOT to believe in him?.......on what basis do you make that assumption?......

Um the Bible. And pretty much every street preacher I've ever come in contact with or heard of. Might I ask you the same question? What basis do you make the assumption that he doesn't?

 

[AtheistBuddah]

so I expect the same from you and everyone else so long as my actions don't bring harm to others.

what if someone believed what you say.....if you were wrong, wouldn't that be bringing harm to others?......

Oh no, you don't get to pull that card. You spend almost a good 50% of your time on this forum telling people that they can CHOOSE to believe or not so by your own logic they would be responsible for their own belief not me.

 

[PostmodernProph]

Um... I know 8 year olds definitely know about Jesus because I know Christians aren't at all above indoctrinating their kids as soon as possible. Need I remind you of Jesus Camp or Kidnapped for Christ?

you can remind us of that.....if you're intent on wasting our time.....the issue is whether Santa Claus represents the Christian or atheist idea of Christmas......the answer is obvious....

 

[PratchettFan]

I was raising kids when slide rules were being replaced with calculators. I don't even know what opening and closing tags are. I'm hitting reply and sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn't. I find that if I edit to reduce the size of the quote the whole thing goes wahoonie. Seriously, if you can give some tips I would appreciate it.

So was my father, yet I know how to program in 16 different computer languages, and can code HTML and CSS. I usually don't bother, but I know that a

[/quote]

needsa

[quote]

to open it ir it just hands out making me look like an idiot. Age is not an excuse for being lazy.

And knowing 16 computer languages is not an excuse for being an ass.

 

[PostmodernProph]

So unbaptized babies are evil? What about people born in a country that is dominated by another religion like Buddhism or Hinduism? Your God sends punishes people solely on whether they believe in him or not. He cares nothing for the quality of their actions.

and you assume God sends unbaptized babies and people who didn't have an opportunity to make a choice to a place for those who've actually chosen NOT to believe in him?.......on what basis do you make that assumption?......

Um the Bible. And pretty much every street preacher I've ever come in contact with or heard of.

and where in the Bible does it say that God will not offer an opportunity of choice to those who did not have it in their life time?......does the Bible not say Jesus entered hell after his death to speak to those who had passed prior to his sacrifice?.....

Might I ask you the same question? What basis do you make the assumption that he doesn't?

on the basis that a deity capable of creating the earth is likely smart enough to realize that giving people a choice entails giving people a choice.....

 

[PostmodernProph]

so I expect the same from you and everyone else so long as my actions don't bring harm to others.

what if someone believed what you say.....if you were wrong, wouldn't that be bringing harm to others?......

Oh no, you don't get to pull that card. You spend almost a good 50% of your time on this forum telling people that they can CHOOSE to believe or not so by your own logic they would be responsible for their own belief not me.

I will play any card in my hand....if I have "lied" to them and they believe, but there is nothing but oblivion or if you have "lied" to them and they reject and there is eternal damnation and they made their choices based on those "lies", which of us has caused harm?.....

 

[PratchettFan]

[/QUOTE]

The issue isn't about us being hypocrites. It's about theists coming up to us uninvited and "spreading the word" and basically telling us a fairy tale and then saying if we don't believe it then we're going to hell. That's a fucked up story to tell someone. I would not want you telling my kids that story. So, if you guys continue to do it, we might need to start going around and approaching your children at the mall or wherever and hand then an atheist flier, and you should not have a problem with that. At least not enough of a problem to want to do anything about it.

We're not saying theism should be outlawed. If you want to tell people your cult story go ahead. Just be prepared for people to tell you to fuck off and eventually we're going to start sending our atheist version of you bible thumpers out to spread the real truth. There probably is no god. And if you are a christian spreading your word, I'm pretty sure your god doesn't exist. If there is a god, there is no evidence. It was all made up in your minds. The churches lie. It's a lie we've been brainwashed with for thousands of years. The bible is full of lies. Then hand them a pamphlet with good atheist websites on it.

Then one Sunday morning little Jimmy isn't going to church with you anymore. You can thank me later.[/QUOTE]

That's the thing about freedom of speech, sometimes you are going to hear things you don't like. You don't have to listen. You don't have to be affected by it at all. You don't have to stand there and listen. You can say no thank you and close the door. But freedom of speech is not freedom from speech. You can say what you like, hand out pamphlets all you like, but they get to do the same thing.

 

[PratchettFan]

It has been said by many Christians that one of the primary reasons for someone being an atheist and saying that they don't believe is because they don't want to believe. They don't want to ask the hard question "What if I'm wrong?" because they can't accept the implications of that questioning. They claim that we as atheists take the easy way out but I argue that it is just the opposite. Christians downright refuse to humor any kind of questioning when it comes to their belief. They refuse to look inside themselves and ask "What if there is no God?" because they are terrified of the implications of that question. They claim we are afraid of hell but in fact it is they who are afraid of oblivion. Of nonexistence. Understandably so. The idea of ceasing to exist is unpleasant to say the least. That is why being an atheist is far from the easy way out.

As an atheist you look that unpleasant reality in the face, swallow your fear and accept it and live your life to its fullest. Being a Christian is a way of ignoring the fact that the world is an unpleasant and often unjust place where some people live their whole lives in despair before their flame of consciousness goes out forever. This world can be cruel and unfair but as atheists we accept that it's the only one we are ever going to get and that motivates us to fight our hardest to make it a better and brighter one. For our sake and for the sake of our children. We don't turn away from reality and turn a wishful eye to an afterlife that isn't going to happen.

You are doing to others what you complain others are doing to you.

I am doing no such thing. I do not complain about the criticism of my ideas in fact I welcome and cherish it. I welcome Christians to make the same criticizing statements about my views because that is a vital part of how a free society works. What I complain about is when my rights and the rights of other minorities are infringed upon by the Christian majority in the name of their specific values.

Yes, you are. You are taking an entire class of people and sticking them into a little box and slapping a label on it. You are acting in exactly the same manner as the people you are complaining about.

The fundamental difference is that I am not trying to get laws passed that limit their freedom of expression.

I have no idea what you personally might be doing, but to say Atheists have not tried to do this is flat wrong. In fact, most of the attempts to limit freedom of expression I can think of have come from either Atheists or the left.

We want an Atheist display next to your Christmas displays. We want a booth next to Santa to talk to all the kids that don't believe in Santa or Xmas. And we want to put up right next to the Prayer you have in our school a sign that says THERE IS NO GOD and a Website where students can go see that their parents and churches have quite possibly been feeding them a fairy tale for the last 3-18 years. Let them decide after seeing both sides of the argument. But instead it is you who wouldn't dare let us have a place in society because we would expose your lie.

So don't cry about us. We sit quietly and let your religious holidays go by and some of us even participate. I like Easter and Xmas for the family. I skip church. The people bore me. Should I find a new church? Why? Am I doing it because I believe in God or because I want to meet new friends and have fun?

For some they believe because they want to believe. They don't want to be the odd ball in the flock. They enjoy church and the people at church. Met their wives or husbands at church. I know there is a lot of good that comes out of this cult but a lot of bad comes too. Like Ghandi said. Christ sounded like a good man. It's Christians that he had a problem with. AGREED!

I thought Santa Clause WAS the atheists alternative to Christmas.....

I'm going to give you the benefit of the doubt and assume that the Santa remark was joke.

Santa is like a training bra for future atheists.

It would appear not.

No? What are the central lesson's of Santa Claus?

1. People love a good bullshit story if it makes them feel good.
2. There's no such thing as a free lunch.

Pretty much the atheist credo.

And yet most people who believed in Santa turn out to be believers in Jesus. So again, it would appear not.

odd.....I would have argued that most people who believe in Santa were under 8 and didn't have a clue yet about who Jesus is......

Yes. Which is why I used the phrase "turned out to be". Their belief in Santa and their subsequence non-belief did not make them Atheists.

 

[PostmodernProph]

It has been said by many Christians that one of the primary reasons for someone being an atheist and saying that they don't believe is because they don't want to believe. They don't want to ask the hard question "What if I'm wrong?" because they can't accept the implications of that questioning. They claim that we as atheists take the easy way out but I argue that it is just the opposite. Christians downright refuse to humor any kind of questioning when it comes to their belief. They refuse to look inside themselves and ask "What if there is no God?" because they are terrified of the implications of that question. They claim we are afraid of hell but in fact it is they who are afraid of oblivion. Of nonexistence. Understandably so. The idea of ceasing to exist is unpleasant to say the least. That is why being an atheist is far from the easy way out.

As an atheist you look that unpleasant reality in the face, swallow your fear and accept it and live your life to its fullest. Being a Christian is a way of ignoring the fact that the world is an unpleasant and often unjust place where some people live their whole lives in despair before their flame of consciousness goes out forever. This world can be cruel and unfair but as atheists we accept that it's the only one we are ever going to get and that motivates us to fight our hardest to make it a better and brighter one. For our sake and for the sake of our children. We don't turn away from reality and turn a wishful eye to an afterlife that isn't going to happen.

You are doing to others what you complain others are doing to you.

I am doing no such thing. I do not complain about the criticism of my ideas in fact I welcome and cherish it. I welcome Christians to make the same criticizing statements about my views because that is a vital part of how a free society works. What I complain about is when my rights and the rights of other minorities are infringed upon by the Christian majority in the name of their specific values.

Yes, you are. You are taking an entire class of people and sticking them into a little box and slapping a label on it. You are acting in exactly the same manner as the people you are complaining about.

The fundamental difference is that I am not trying to get laws passed that limit their freedom of expression.

I have no idea what you personally might be doing, but to say Atheists have not tried to do this is flat wrong. In fact, most of the attempts to limit freedom of expression I can think of have come from either Atheists or the left.

We want an Atheist display next to your Christmas displays. We want a booth next to Santa to talk to all the kids that don't believe in Santa or Xmas. And we want to put up right next to the Prayer you have in our school a sign that says THERE IS NO GOD and a Website where students can go see that their parents and churches have quite possibly been feeding them a fairy tale for the last 3-18 years. Let them decide after seeing both sides of the argument. But instead it is you who wouldn't dare let us have a place in society because we would expose your lie.

So don't cry about us. We sit quietly and let your religious holidays go by and some of us even participate. I like Easter and Xmas for the family. I skip church. The people bore me. Should I find a new church? Why? Am I doing it because I believe in God or because I want to meet new friends and have fun?

For some they believe because they want to believe. They don't want to be the odd ball in the flock. They enjoy church and the people at church. Met their wives or husbands at church. I know there is a lot of good that comes out of this cult but a lot of bad comes too. Like Ghandi said. Christ sounded like a good man. It's Christians that he had a problem with. AGREED!

I thought Santa Clause WAS the atheists alternative to Christmas.....

I'm going to give you the benefit of the doubt and assume that the Santa remark was joke.

Santa is like a training bra for future atheists.

It would appear not.

No? What are the central lesson's of Santa Claus?

1. People love a good bullshit story if it makes them feel good.
2. There's no such thing as a free lunch.

Pretty much the atheist credo.

And yet most people who believed in Santa turn out to be believers in Jesus. So again, it would appear not.

odd.....I would have argued that most people who believe in Santa were under 8 and didn't have a clue yet about who Jesus is......

Yes. Which is why I used the phrase "turned out to be". Their belief in Santa and their subsequence non-belief did not make them Atheists.

so is this amazing statistic simply based on the fact that almost all children under the age of 8 believe in Santa Claus yet only 6% of adults are atheists and 75% are Christians?.....if so, I will concede that most who once believed in Santa Claus "turned out to be" Christians.....if you're implying anything more significant, I will simply relegate this to the "to be laughed at" file.....

 

[AtheistBuddah]

Um... I know 8 year olds definitely know about Jesus because I know Christians aren't at all above indoctrinating their kids as soon as possible. Need I remind you of Jesus Camp or Kidnapped for Christ?

you can remind us of that.....if you're intent on wasting our time.....the issue is whether Santa Claus represents the Christian or atheist idea of Christmas......the answer is obvious....

No it really isn't. Both Christians and atheists alike celebrate Christmas and many tell their children about Santa. In the grand scheme he is irrelevant to the meaning of the holiday. He certainly isn't some sort of atheist invention to replace Jesus.

 

[Unkotare]

because you cannot attack my argument on its actual merits.

I already did that. Your insecurity is not a cry but a scream for help. Too bad the person who could help you doesn't seem to be paying attention.

If you're referring to your God he can go find someone else to help. Even if offered I wouldn't accept the aid of such an immoral and autocratic being.

Missed the point again. Figures.