We Are Atheists, Not Scientists - The Atheist Experience 419

[lease2coach1]

A good point: nobody's expert in everything, and very few atheists are expert in evolution. Even a person who *is* an expert in one area is not necessarily expert in anything else: Richard Dawkins knows a lot about evolution, but in a TV special he made the basic error of suggesting that Muslims worship a different "god" than do Jews and Christians!

Still: we don't *have* to be science/theology experts to say "gods" don't make sense to us; and that we won't believe things that don't make sense.

[Sahuagin]

they are bit humble to say they aren't "scientists". they aren't biologists, but as far as I know, Don, Russ, Matt, and Jeff are all computer scientists.

[scaryninja1693]

I really hope there are aliens, that way there's a chance we may one day be visited by a race that's more than happy to laugh at the stupid ideas early Humanity came up with about our creation and purpose. Perhaps they might even be kind enough to hold back laughing at people who somehow still believe those uninformed opinions that we call religious scripture.

I don't know the answers, but I do know that religion is wrong with theirs. That's how rational minds should think, in my opinion.

[runeflame16]

@scaryninja1693 How do you know they would have the ability to laugh, eh? A more intelligent race would most likely have a lot more empathy then we do. How else would they have got so far along? Even so, they probably would have things as embarrassing and ignorant as us. Who knows, maybe they would believe in a god. I think religion will be around as long as the main question is "How did everything some to be and why?" This is all hypothetical of course. Pointless to think about but fun.

[scaryninja1693]

@runeflame16 Well if you want to get into technical issues of meeting aliens it's probably a terrible idea. First there's the issue of diseases and viruses, they may have some that are lethal and worse than ours, vice versa. Then there's Stephen Hawkings point that like white travellers and african black natives, or America's settlers and the native Americans, they might just enslave, plunder and move on. Worst of all if they somehow had a different religion they might send...'missionaries'.

[runeflame16]

@scaryninja1693 Meeting doesn't necessarily mean face to face.

[skywize]

He worked on the Ultima series! It's one of my favorites. I can't tell you how many hours I've spent on Exodus (Mac) and False Prophet (SNES)... false prophet... who'd a thunkit....

[FlipCoder]

I'm sure those programmers secretly use prayer to compile their code, not a compiler.

[magustx]

lol computer scientists are atheists. Makes a lot of sense due to the logic, mathematics, and even philosophy thats required

[DemonZonkey]

Jeff probably works for BioWare huh? That's the only game company I know of based out of Texas, I believe around Austin.

[GuacamoleKun]

"Evolution is the one that makes the most sense"

...Are there actually any BESIDES evolution and creationism? Or were there any other theories back before anyone thought of evolution?

I'd really like to know, they would certainly have to be interesting. XD;

[xynth101088]

@GuacamoleKun Not too sure myself, but I don't think so. I think mainly it was just different breeds of creation myths, some similar to the genesis account others not as nutty or more so. As far as evolution goes the Greeks had already put two and two together and realized there were similarities between species and that man and ape were related, they just didn't have all the details on the matter.

[woxiedowg]

Shit, I'm in love with Jeff Dee.

[jmm1233]

were not scientists were computer nerds , ftw

[UnderlordZ]

Wait, they all seem to work with software; doesn't that make them scientists, to an extent?

[drche420]

@UnderlordZ

If someone gets paid to follow the scientific method, then I'd call them a scientist.

[monkeytube138]

@UnderlordZ Nope. Why should that make them scientists any more than a novelist or a mechanic?

[UnderlordZ]

@monkeytube138 Because software is used to program technology, which is all scientific when stripped down to the basics.

[monkeytube138]

@UnderlordZ Programming is really more related to language and mathematics than anything else. By mathematics, I really only mean knowledge of math sufficient to carry out your job. It's just using tools to carry out an intended job, just like any other job. That it requires specialized knowledge does not make it science, nor do the specialized tools of the job. Everything is scientific when stripped down to it's basics.

[ricardjorg]

@monkeytube138 If we use the scientific method while programming/testing, doesn't that make us scientists? xD Just kidding

[mikeeboy1000]

It is only logical that if you, A PRIORI eliminate the possibility of a Supernatural Creator God, that ANYTHING could have been responsible for the CREATION of the cosmos and LIVING entities! Life being so complex, it could n't have just POPPED into existence FULLY FORMED so a SLOW and GRADUAL (FABIAN) HA, HA, method was ENVISIONED to explain how simple turns into complex! But how does SIMPLE LIFE just POP into existence and then supposedly change (EVOLVE) into all we are and see! Come on Down!

[kleenex3000]

@mikeeboy1000 "Anything could have been responsible" This is a good point of consideration! The physical laws, the complexity of the Universe, the moderate conditions on Earth that allow LIFE, the yet unknown ORIGIN (!) of Life all do "mildly SUGGEST" a totally unknown number of Creator Geniuses (0,1,100s,1000s...) that their properties are totaly UNKNOWN. The G-D of the Scriptures is the pathetic attempt of man to describe a Deity as a patriarch, a heavenly father. BIBLE = FRAUD, SCAM

[DandAinTac]

The hosts are responding to a common misconception on the part of atheists--they conflate atheism with the scientific theory of evolution. The two are entirely separate things.

[heydanbud]

i wonder what game studio he works at? It's not retro is it?

[McSibiss]

@heydanbud

If he work for Retro Studios, as a game designer, then he fucking rules!

The Metroid prime trilogy is among the best games ever made.

[Bakazuraz]

@village1diot Yeah, we already have a word for people who believe in nothing, it's called nihilism, not atheism.

[1RadicalOne]

Whatever happened to Jeff? I have not seen him lately.

[taevus]

@1RadicalOne atheist experience schedule "07/18/10: Host Matt Dillahunty and co-host Jeff Dee"

[1RadicalOne]

Yes, I have seen some recent ones where he is cohosting with Dillahunty, Wagner, or Glasser. My comment was two months old. :)

[Invincible327]

All Atheists in the world aren't Scientist, but most Scientist are Atheist ....or Agnostic

[Gtrplyr1]

Atheism is having no belief in anything at all, and Einstein was not an atheist.

[DavidLouisRozycki]

@Gtrplyr1 "I cannot imagine a God who rewards and punishes the objects of his creation, whose purposes are modeled after our own -- a God, in short, who is but a reflection of human frailty. Neither can I believe that the individual survives the death of his body, although feeble souls harbor such thoughts through fear or ridiculous egotism." [Einstein]

[monkeytube138]

@Gtrplyr1 No, atheism is a lack of belief in deities. You're thinking of nihilism.

[Gtrplyr1]

Einstein as well as many other intelligent brains believe in a god

[Sollythesilent]

Einstein was a pantheist. He used the term "god" as a general term for things that make up the universe (space, time, matter, etc.) Einstein repeatedly stated he was a man with no belief in a personal god.

[Gtrplyr1]

He believed in a god that was capable of forming "such Beauty" out of the universe. How each little detail was put into place.

[Gtrplyr1]

Not a personal god, but he had faith...

" Instead, he believed that there was a God that maintained and created the harmony of the universe"

[Sollythesilent]

Here's some quotes from Einstein himself, as opposed to some other guy that you haven't even named:

"I am a deeply religious nonbeliever. This is a some-what new kind of religion."

"I have never imputed to nature a purpose or goal, or anything that could be understood as anthropomorphic."

By "God" he meant the universe itself at how it takes care of itself seemingly without any outside intelligence.

[Gtrplyr1]

I understand that, my point is he believed in something that in fact you atheists call "crazy"

Face it he had faith ,not in Jesus Christ, but in something that has no evidence.

Religious people interpret God differently, as i do, i don' t follow the bible, to me God is willpower, strength, lack of fear, Ambition, to him it meant something else.

My friend Einstein had faith in a god.

[Sollythesilent]

Actually, he was pretty accepted by atheists, and was praised several times by Richard Dawkins (Read the God delusion). He was actually decried by several Jewish and Christian people in his beliefs.

God is a word. I could say god is an old shoe, and then say I believe the old shoe exists. Does that mean teh shoe is supernatural?

[Gtrplyr1]

Also not saying it's God, i am simply saying i remain an "open-minded critical thinker"

[Gtrplyr1]

Im still not convinced 100 percent that we came from monkeys, and that we possibly could of came from another specie which remains unconfirmed. If we did come from monkeys why aren't there morphing monkeys nowadays? What changed?

People who believe in God will say it is a feeling, which in fact has been documented as well. Not saying he is the creator, but i know people can feel it. I remain open minded and will be a scientist/psychiatrist one day.

[mstachife]

We didn't come from monkeys. Have you read anything about evolution or are you just using the stereotypical ignorant creationist argument..? And under your premise that BB and evolution are just a theory, the theory of gravity is just a theory. The theory that the Earth is round is just a theory. And how the hell could we have formulated the Big Bang theory without scientific proof..? Are you saying that all the astronomical observations confirming it were dreamed up or something?

[Gtrplyr1]

no shit shirlock. who said im a creationist? i didn't . Please don't categorize me in that stupid religion, atheist bullshit. I was talking to the village idiot. How could the earth being round be a theory? we care capable of seeing it in space and have satellites to view each part of the earth, otherwise G.P.S. would not be functional. im open-minded.

[mstachife]

Yes, through satellites (made possible through science) we see the Earth is round. Through telescopes, scientists have observed evidence that the Big Bang is the most plausible explanation for why the universe is as it is today. And my bad, I didn't know you weren't a creationist. Your the first person I've seen that used the morphing monkey argument that's not.

[Gtrplyr1]

It's cool dude, i am just so sick of going into chats and i get attacked by atheists because i have an open-mind. For instance, Being that the space domain is "infinite" , how the can we judge without examining what else is out there? Never said god did it....And just so you know, I am going to be a psychiatrist/ neuro scientist, so i do respect science, i just like to get to the bottom of things you know?

[mstachife]

Well long as you have an open mind I respect you, regardless of your religious beliefs lol.

[omnissient]

wtf does could of came mean?

It is either we could have come or we came.

Sure evolution is unconfirmed. The entire human genome has been decoded and can be compared to the genome of other living creatures and we see evolution take place in bacteria or in wheat or even pets that adapt to antibiotics or are bred to specific needs but thats not good enough evidence.

[Gtrplyr1]

it's good evidence, but i like to get to the bottom of things. Ther is always an if factor in the back of my mind.

[Frickles1787]

thats not what the theory of evolution says...and i know that when you say "monkeys" you dont literally mean monkeys..or i hope..because there is a difference between monkeys and apes. We are still apes by the way, great apes. Like gorillas, orangutans, and chimps.

[Gtrplyr1]

this war is getting out of hand, not so bad in here however. There is no proof God exists yet people feel him, The Big band theory is a theory as well as the man from ape. I say be open minded and be willing to accept any possibility. If the atheists believe the big bang theory is the way without scientific "factual" proof, why can't religious people believe in God?

[village1diot]

Three things...

1. Don't confuse "proof" with "evidence". There is a large amount of confirmed evidence for the Big Bang. There is no evidence for God that has ever been confirmed.

2. Don't confuse a "scientific theory" with a "theory". A scientific theory is based on empirical data that has been subjected to formal scientific principals. A basic theory is just an idea that may or may not be based on anything real or relevant.

3. I am not a scientist.

[Gtrplyr1]

There has never been a scientist derived from those times to mark "fact". Science is constantly changing,

scientists are constantly finding "new" specimens of monkey, gorilla etc. Big bang theory to me is not 100 percent credible, no scientist was alive millions of years ago to document. No scientist is capable of exploring the "infinite" space domain which in fact we can't technically say is. So we can not say that the Bang is the beginning.

[village1diot]

There are no scientific theories that are not open for debate. That is what science is about. As all things in life should adapt and change when necessary. All we can do is evaluate the evidence and come to a conclusion. A conclusion that can be changed based on better evidence is the only type of conclusion that will ever be excepted.

Religion, on the other hand, does not require evidence, & leaves absolutely no room for this type of adaption.

Science is, by far, the more reliable of the two.

[Gtrplyr1]

ok so we see you see no evidence for religion.. However some people feel the presence of God, and have every right to feel that spiritual energy. It is allowed by our U.S. constitution and is not going anywhere. Why is it that athiets who are in no way scientists or even have a bit of education and are so quick to attack others beliefs?

[kyagh]

If by god you mean the flying spaghetti monster then yes people do feel his noodly appendage touching them, if by chance you meant any other monstrous child eating god (deuteronomy 28:53) then i have pity for your soul for you will spend eternity in the boiling pot.

RAMEN!

[Gtrplyr1]

I have pity for you. Wasting a life trying to debunk, and bring upon bad, when in fact there are plenty of real problems in the world going on that have nothing to do with religion. Yet you waste time instead of taking part in making a change in the world, you think that by sitting behind a computer, preaching your point of view will bring peace to the world. God represents good. You need to move on. Pretty sad.

[kyagh]

Tell that to the families of the people that died in 9/11

[iSOBigD]

You mean "wasting a life" getting educated on many different topics in order to not die stupid.

We "waste time sitting behind a computer" preaching our point of view while you do the same - you also spend some of your time worshiping a god. Who's really wasting their time? The people spreading knowledge and promoting education or the ones praying to all-powerful invisible beings?

Pretty sad indeed.

[Gtrplyr1]

Your an idiot, yea I believe and care not for your opinion. I'm also going to be a doctor, so I guess that would count for helping society. I am just amazed of the blindness of the negative preachers. We have a gov that Is full of shit on many aspects and your to busy disproving god trying to seperate people(naive) Stop sticking up for scientists when you aren't one yorurself.

[iSOBigD]

If you don't care, don't post again.

Stop sticking up for priests, popes and preachers when you aren't one yourself.

See how your arguments are useless? Also, the next time you save someone's life thanks to your advanced education and medical devices and the patient says "thank God for saving me!" instead of thanking you, take a moment to think about it.

[Gtrplyr1]

And another thing, funny how you atheists(negative ones) will say that science is the only way. You won't believe in things unless you can physically see them. Did you know there is scientific evidence of Multiple dimensions? Bubble universes where exact replicas of our planet and people may exist? The possibility of alien like creatures that are genetically different then us. There is even scientific evidence of telepathic communication. Do you doubt these findings? Open your mind.

[iSOBigD]

All of those fields have people conducting research related to them. Once something is proven and makes sense, everyone should definitely believe it. You're the one who sticks to what was written 2000 years ago in just one book. You need to open your mind and consider that the millions of books written since then might actually be useful.

You're not studying medicine from the bible, are you now? Open your mind.

[Gtrplyr1]

I am highly open minded, for I believe and will one day be a accredited scientist. God is a personal thing. There is scientific evidence that religious people live longer and are happier, which is what God is about, to me thats creditable.

Question??? Why is it that most atheists support the Legalize Drug bullshit, are willing to subject people to danger and a high likelihood of death, but will totally defy or revolt against ones own personal belief in a higher power???

[Gtrplyr1]

Close-minded just incase you don't understand means not believing in something you don't understand. Not being able to open up to the possibility of ideas. Do you believe in aliens? Scientists do.. Do you believe in telepathic communication(paranormal activity) scientists do.

[CallMeMrNameless]

@Gtrplyr1

I don't think ANY scientist believes in telepathy, simply because there's no evidence and no known mechanism.

Extraterrestial life is likely in this big universe, but there's also yet to be any evidence.

That's what open-mindedness in science is all about: considering new ideas **that have evidence**.

"Open-mindedness"

watch?v=T69TOuqaqXI

[Gtrplyr1]

1 Research Dean Radin, and telepathy...

2 Well you have never seen aliens, so let me guess you dont' believe? Your scientists do.

3 Dr Michio Kaku, a highly accredited Theatrical physicist cofounder of "String Theory" has stated with the backup of other scientists that time travel is possible. He hasn't proven it yet hence the fact no one has accomplished it. But you say that since there is no evidence, it isn't possible or you don't believe*no different then God*

[Gtrplyr1]

"Extraterrestrial life is likely in the big universe" so you say...

Obviously the fact you say that suggest you have an open mind, just not about god..Well in fact your quote is no different them mine.

"And God is likely but there is no evidence".... So religious say.

[CallMeMrNameless]

@Gtrplyr1

"Obviously the fact you say that suggest you have an open mind, just not about god.. god..Well in fact your quote is no different them mine."

Well, actually it is different.

Of course I would believe therere gods, if there was sufficent evidence presented.

But where and how are you gonna find evidence? Russell's teapot.

There are enough galaxies for possible life to be found, but they're at least millions of lightyrs away. So it's possible to make progress in this field.

[CallMeMrNameless]

And the problem is with religious people denying that their believe is faith base, but claiming they have hard on evidence when they in fact don't.

[Hardysamnin]

@CallMeMrNameless - "I have proof of God" /runs away without revealing it...

[village1diot]

Feeling the presence of god does not mean that they actually felt god. These types of things are usually a misinterpretation of the situation. They can not ever produce any evidence that it was god. People have these types of feelings in other religions, and guess what...the feeling matches their religion.

I will laugh at beliefs that are based on no evidence because they are ignorant beliefs. So until someone can actually produce evidence for god, I will continue to laugh at believers and you.

[village1diot]

I give religioun as much respect as it deserves.

None.

[Gtrplyr1]

Laugh all you want, i find it humors you care more about this topic then the loss of our human rights with the possibility of the N.W.O. But as silly as you are, your more worried about disproving "God". Your name fits the mold nicely.

[village1diot]

Exactly how do you know what I care about?

You can just tell by my comments on youtube who I am, what I care about, and my background.

Just slightly presumptuous.

[robertwc82]

@Gtrplyr1 define N.W.O.

is it an organization of reptilian aliens?

[lavigne943]

@village1diot Hey ! I got an idea........Why dont you go kill yourself ....come back and present us with that Data! Im sure you can scientifically prove that the Burning sensation in your BUNG hOLE dosnt exist Either...... Hail SAtan.....HUm HUM... i mean hail Dawkins and that guy in the UHMMMM ....W >>>W>>> C H A I R...Well ,you....you know who i Mean! HUM HUM...???.....................­ATHEISM RULES !!!

[highwind8124]

Who doesn't like Jeff Dee?

[village1diot]

Christians

[highwind8124]

I like every body on this show, though not equally. But he's one of my more favorite.

The concept of this show is so cool. I hope it keeps growing into something bigger, because it's witty and entertaining. Even if you're not interested in religion, or you feel you're as informed as you need to be on it, the show is just fun.

[hellhammerz666]

Jeff Dee is a game designer!! He just went up on my favorite people list :D.

[drche420]

@hellhammerz666

He also helped design the artwork for the first dungeons and dragons game