"New Age" Atheism

Originally posted by @freakykbh
I used to hate Penn for his atheism simply because he seemed so smart, and why should that argument get to claim someone with such a hard-on for the truth when truth was supposedly on the same side I was on?
I loved him for his rejection of convention and his bottom line hopefulness evidenced by his sense of humor, his honoring of all those around him.
...[text shortened]... ernity rests in the balance.

Do I?

EDIT: Great post; sorry to detract from the main point.

<<He considers that choice deadly serious, as though all of eternity rests in the balance.>>

You don’t think this applies to Christians? It did for me. I didn’t become a Christian until I’d spent over a year looking into the evidence for Jesus Christ’s Resurrection, reading the Bible, praying and attending church and Bible study classes.

Originally posted by @stellspalfie
What do you think motivates an atheist to 'hedge their bets'?

It continually amazes me how some theists fail to comprehend what it means to be an atheist. It's akin to an adult 'hedging their bets' by putting mince pies out for Santa Claus,...just in case.

Originally posted by @fmf
Ask sonship to threaten this Penn chap with being hung out burning on chains for eternity. If fear might turn "people from other worlds" into Christians, maybe it'd work on Penn.

Despite the sophomoric attempt at humor, fear is a valid psychological impetus.
So is pleasure.
Weird, don't you think, how orthodox Christianity has, uses both within its framework.
Almost as though someone knew exactly what motivates man the most.

Originally posted by @ghost-of-a-duke
It continually amazes me how some theists fail to comprehend what it means to be an atheist. It's akin to an adult 'hedging their bets' by putting mince pies out for Santa Claus,...just in case.

I will try to point out to the group every time I see an atheist make a positive claim along the lines of "God does not exist." I'm not sure you will catch them all, but just know why I'm doing it. The "we just lack belief" talking point doesn't apply to 99% of internet atheists.

Originally posted by @stellspalfie
What do you think motivates an atheist to 'hedge their bets'?

Conscience. Lacking certainty.

Originally posted by @freakykbh
Despite the sophomoric attempt at humor, fear is a valid psychological impetus.
So is pleasure.
Weird, don't you think, how orthodox Christianity has, uses both within its framework.
Almost as though someone knew exactly what motivates man the most.

It doesn't make any sense, psychologically or morally. Would sonship's infamous stuff about burning non-believers being "hung out in chains" as a warning to aliens from outer space - which is not humour, it's sonship stuff - would it work on Penn?

Originally posted by @tom-wolsey
Conscience. Lacking certainty.

Lacking certainty in what? How does an atheists conscience motivate them to 'hedge their bets'?

Originally posted by @ghost-of-a-duke
It continually amazes me how some theists fail to comprehend what it means to be an atheist. It's akin to an adult 'hedging their bets' by putting mince pies out for Santa Claus,...just in case.

Mince pies? That's a bit much.

Oreos and milk, maybe.

Originally posted by @fmf
It doesn't make any sense, psychologically or morally. Would sonship's infamous stuff about burning non-believers being "hung out in chains" as a warning to aliens from outer space - which is not humour, it's sonship stuff - would it work on Penn?

Your pronouncement "It doesn't make any sense, psychologically or morally," is serious-sounding.
What's it based on, though?

There is nothing but consensus on the psychological benefits conferred when an actor is motivated by both loss and reward: running from and running to.
Morally?
What is bad behavior, if not hellish?

You talk gibberish and expect to be taken seriously.

Originally posted by @romans1009
<<He considers that choice deadly serious, as though all of eternity rests in the balance.>>

You don’t think this applies to Christians? It did for me. I didn’t become a Christian until I’d spent over a year looking into the evidence for Jesus Christ’s Resurrection, reading the Bible, praying and attending church and Bible study classes.

I think it applies to all of us.
I just think some of us are more laser-like in their inspection than others.
Penn is such an example.

EDIT:
Christians--- modern day variety--- are far more emotionally driven than thought driven.
It's reviling, in my opinion, that it has become acceptable to think about the question and then shift to emotion as proof.

Originally posted by @freakykbh
Your pronouncement "It doesn't make any sense, psychologically or morally," is serious-sounding.
What's it based on, though?

There is nothing but consensus on the psychological benefits conferred when an actor is motivated by both loss and reward: running from and running to.
Morally?
What is bad behavior, if not hellish?

You talk gibberish and expect to be taken seriously.

That's funny, you usually do exactly the same.

Originally posted by @suzianne
That's funny, you usually do exactly the same.

Say something nice or shut the hell up.

Originally posted by @freakykbh
Say something nice or shut the hell up.

Good morning to you too, sunshine.

Originally posted by @freakykbh
Your pronouncement "It doesn't make any sense, psychologically or morally," is serious-sounding.
What's it based on, though?

There is nothing but consensus on the psychological benefits conferred when an actor is motivated by both loss and reward: running from and running to.
Morally?
What is bad behavior, if not hellish?

You talk gibberish and expect to be taken seriously.

Non-credible threats have no value for either coercion or deterrence.

Demented talk about angry vengeful supernatural "eternal torture" for disbelief is for Christian believers preaching their wretched ideology to their own already-superstitious choir.

It is merely some sort of monstrous tool of mundane mind control with a medieval stink.

The gibberish about burning non-believers being hung out on chains to glorify "God" with their "woe" and to scare people from other planets is sonship's boggle-eyed gibberish, not mine.

Originally posted by @fmf
Non-credible threats have no value for either coercion or deterrence.

Demented talk about angry vengeful supernatural "eternal torture" for disbelief is for Christian believers preaching their wretched ideology to their own already-superstitious choir.

It is merely some sort of monstrous tool of mundane mind control with a medieval stink.

The gibberis ...[text shortened]... their "woe" and to scare people from other planets is sonship's boggle-eyed gibberish, not mine.

You think you can erase the entire history of man and replace him with... Mr. Spock?
Sure.