Why should we give up our beliefs?

[Owlswing]

Again I am glad that I am Pagan.

No-one 'indoctinated' me with any of my beliefs. I read anything that I could find about Paganism and found those things which seemed to be right for me, kept on reading and adjusted my way of working with the deities as I gained more knowledge.

The part I have put in bold is the indoctrination. You unconsciously indoctrinated yourself with the ideas of other people that such "deities" existed.

So much better than getting told off for snoring during a long and boring sermon telling me that the world was created in seven days just over 4,000 years ago.

But basically not very different.

It is amazing how people think when they are trying to fit someone else's experiences into thier way of thinking.

If what I did was self-indoctrination then what you have done is far far worse than that, it is acceptance without thought, denial of your God-given freewill and intelligence, of what someone else has told you, without consideratiuon to the possibility of it being incorrect.

If it IS self-indoctrination it is thousands of times better than allowing myself to be indoctrinated by someone else to their way of thinking becasue I am too lazy, or too weak, to think for myself.

[Leonard James]

If it IS self-indoctrination it is thousands of times better than allowing myself to be indoctrinated by someone else to their way of thinking becasue I am too lazy, or too weak, to think for myself.

Thinking for myself is precisely what I do! I take everything that I have learned from other people, think about what they are claiming, and reject what I don't accept as true.

And the foremost of the things I reject is the existence of gods of any sort, simply because the "evidence" presented for them is unconvincing to me.

[Walt Zingmatilder]

If it IS self-indoctrination it is thousands of times better than allowing myself to be indoctrinated by someone else to their way of thinking becasue I am too lazy, or too weak, to think for myself.

Thinking for myself is precisely what I do! I take everything that I have learned from other people, think about what they are claiming, and reject what I don't accept as true.

R. They all say that.....

[Leonard James]

If it IS self-indoctrination it is thousands of times better than allowing myself to be indoctrinated by someone else to their way of thinking becasue I am too lazy, or too weak, to think for myself.

Thinking for myself is precisely what I do! I take everything that I have learned from other people, think about what they are claiming, and reject what I don't accept as true.

R. They all say that.....

True, but the majority of nominal theists never think about it, they just follow like sheep.

[Walt Zingmatilder]

If it IS self-indoctrination it is thousands of times better than allowing myself to be indoctrinated by someone else to their way of thinking becasue I am too lazy, or too weak, to think for myself.

Thinking for myself is precisely what I do! I take everything that I have learned from other people, think about what they are claiming, and reject what I don't accept as true.

R. They all say that.....

True, but the majority of nominal theists never think about it, they just follow like sheep.

I think it's the other way round now. hence the word ''apatheist'' a couldn't give a shitness that typifies modern atheists.
You're harking back to the old times.

[Leonard James]

You're harking back to the old times.

Maybe because I'm an old-timer. 

[Walt Zingmatilder]

You're harking back to the old times.

Maybe because I'm an old-timer. 

A very good morning to you and yours, sir.

[Leonard James]

You're harking back to the old times.

Maybe because I'm an old-timer. 

A very good morning to you and yours, sir.

Igualmente, jovencito!

[BashfulAnthony]

If it IS self-indoctrination it is thousands of times better than allowing myself to be indoctrinated by someone else to their way of thinking becasue I am too lazy, or too weak, to think for myself.

Thinking for myself is precisely what I do! I take everything that I have learned from other people, think about what they are claiming, and reject what I don't accept as true.

R. They all say that.....

True, but the majority of nominal theists never think about it, they just follow like sheep.

And you know that for a fact, do you?  So you must have canvassed the millions of them to be able to state that.  You have, then?  Or just another generalisation you've plucked out of the air to suit your "argument!"

[cyberman]

You unconsciously indoctrinated yourself with the ideas of other people that such "deities" existed.

I'd be interested in hearing from you how that works but doubtful of your abilities to justify that thesis (based on almost zero previous evidence).....
Which leads me to ask how you know yourself not to be, as you say, ''unconsciously indoctrinated yourself with the ideas of other people.''?

'Indoctrinated' is Len's way of saying 'arrived at a different conclusion from me'

[Owlswing]

If it IS self-indoctrination it is thousands of times better than allowing myself to be indoctrinated by someone else to their way of thinking becasue I am too lazy, or too weak, to think for myself.

Thinking for myself is precisely what I do! I take everything that I have learned from other people, think about what they are claiming, and reject what I don't accept as true.

And the foremost of the things I reject is the existence of gods of any sort, simply because the "evidence" presented for them is unconvincing to me.

The emboldened it is just what I said myself!

You reject deities, I accept them. One of us is wrong but we will neither of us have any proof of which we of us is which until we are dead.

Tough that, ain't it?

[Leonard James]

The emboldened it is just what I said myself!

You reject deities, I accept them. One of us is wrong but we will neither of us have any proof of which we of us is which until we are dead.

Tough that, ain't it?

And of no importance! 

[cyberman]

The emboldened it is just what I said myself!

You reject deities, I accept them. One of us is wrong but we will neither of us have any proof of which we of us is which until we are dead.

Tough that, ain't it?

And of no importance! 

If it is of no importance,  I wonder why you have dedicated so much of your time to telling people they've guessed wrongly.

[Owlswing]

The emboldened it is just what I said myself!

You reject deities, I accept them. One of us is wrong but we will neither of us have any proof of which we of us is which until we are dead.

Tough that, ain't it?

And of no importance! 

Then why do you bother posting!

Your responses show that your denial of the deities is as important to you as my belief in my deities is to me.

[BashfulAnthony]

I've been asking the reason any of these atheists have blathered on for so long, when they are arguing about, what is to them, a non-existent God!  None has really answered satisfactorily.  So we can only wonder!   

[Leonard James]

The emboldened it is just what I said myself!

You reject deities, I accept them. One of us is wrong but we will neither of us have any proof of which we of us is which until we are dead.

Tough that, ain't it?

And of no importance! 

Then why do you bother posting!

Your responses show that your denial of the deities is as important to you as my belief in my deities is to me.

Nah, it's just too hot to go outside, and I can't sit just doing nothing.

[Shaker]

I've been asking the reason any of these atheists have blathered on for so long, when they are arguing about, what is to them, a non-existent God!  None has really answered satisfactorily.  So we can only wonder!   

Well that's either blithering ignorance or a downright lie. You've had the answer - indeed the same answer - to that question every time you've trotted it out. Whether you find it satisfactory or not is your problem; you've asked the question and have had your answer.

[Gonnagle]

Dear Shaker,

Thank you

Dear Christians,

Copy and paste Shakers post, it will save a lot of time next time you are asked the same old boring questions.

Gonnagle.

[BashfulAnthony]

I've been asking the reason any of these atheists have blathered on for so long, when they are arguing about, what is to them, a non-existent God!  None has really answered satisfactorily.  So we can only wonder!   

Well that's either blithering ignorance or a downright lie. You've had the answer - indeed the same answer - to that question every time you've trotted it out. Whether you find it satisfactory or not is your problem; you've asked the question and have had your answer.

If you've been given the answer, why are you still blathering? 

[Shaker]

I'm not.

You've been given the answer to a question you asking. Whose problem is it if you can't accept the answer?

[BashfulAnthony]

I'm not.

You've been gi

Wellyou, repeating it over and over is making no impact.  So stop blathering.