william18 wrote:Ditocoaf wrote:william18 wrote:joecoolfrog wrote:GabonX wrote:You're coming off as being more self righteous than Jerry Falwell. If all athiests were so smart they would realise that they can't change people's faith, especially over the enternet.
I guess the rule about athiests being smarter really isn't so absolute...
I dont see any atheists trying to change anyones faith, I do see plenty of posts debunking some of the nonsense peddled by the lunatic fringe of Christianity.
Belief in evolution is logical and consequently shows a degree of inteligence, literal belief in all of the bible shows the opposite. Inteligent Christians reconcile their faith with modern science, others lack the cerebral capacity to do the same.
The Bibal wasn't ment to be taken entirley literaly. A lot of the stuff atheists consider nonscene is meant to be viewed at a metephorical standpoint, then it will make sence.
And athiests (well, some of them) are fine with that. I like a lot of the bible's (well, a lot of the new testament's) moral teachings. However, a lot of religious people take the stuff so literally that it becomes absurd. And some of the weird and/or horrible stuff, well, it's hard to see how it could be taken metaphorically. Like the passage mandating that you bury your children alive if they learn anything about other religions. (in the old testament, of course)
I agree people take chritianity to far (3rd Crusade,Spanish Inqusition etc,) but when the passages ask for extreme measures then it insures the religion will last a very long time. Many of the moral teachings prevented what is gong on now. Back then when there were no STD's(atleast I think) they still told men not to go to prostitutes. Now the scripture says the same except now we have STD's. This is almost like the testemants were carved to anticipate what was going to happen.
Those things happen when you mix religion and politics. There is a saying, "In this world good men will do good things, and bad men will do bad things. But for good men to do bad things, that takes religion."
And you are waaaayyyyy off base. There have always been STDs. And in great numbers.
And don't forget, men obviously have always gone to prostitutes, otherwise there never would have been any. There's a reason it is called the oldest profession in the world.
It isn't that the Testiments were written to anticipate, Its your interpretation of them that changes. Like for your own example above. It's all in how you see it.
Also I don't know. Just because you're Atheist wouldn't make you smarter like most things wouldn't, but it might be the reverse that smarter people know that Atheism is true. 
Maybe... Personally I'm agnostic. 
