I know it has been asked many times...

Originally posted by Rajk999
Not sure how mocking is defined as yet.

Currently no-one seems to know...

Originally posted by Great King Rat
It's the often outrageous mental gymnastics theists have to do to make sense of their theism. Robbie Carrobie once had to come to the conclusion that he wasn't sure anymore if he believed in Santa Clause or not all so that his theistic card house wouldn't come crumbling down.

Did you see the one where he decided that someone is only heterosexual while actually engaged in sex with someone of the opposite gender, all so that he wouldn't have to admit that his prior statements about homosexuals were ridiculous?
That one was hilarious.
Are we mocking him, or showing intellectual interest in his behaviour?

That was very funny indeed. Until he concluded that a "lesbian" being raped by a man is heterosexual during the rape. That's when it went from funny to creepy.

Mocking or intellectual interest? Both, I'd say. You could ask divegeester, although he might have trouble answering it seeing how it was an atheist vs. JW debate. Which side to choose??

Originally posted by twhitehead
The problem is you are seeing it as a dichotomy, either we are here to learn your religion and get converted, or we are here to mock. You are totally dismissing all the other reasons that have been given in great detail over the years in response to being asked many times why we come here. I fully admit I have no 'intellectual interest' in theism of the ...[text shortened]... tent of theism.
I am also interested in knowing if anything can be done about the God delusion.

You are the only person (at least in this thread I think) who seems to have a provided plausible reason to post here other than seeking opportunities for mockery. Great King Rat is the only one admitting to enjoying mocking (due respect). The rest is just opinion vs. opinion on both motive and the definition of mockery.

Originally posted by divegeester
You are the only person (at least in this thread I think) who seems to have a provided plausible reason to post here other than seeking opportunities for mockery.

I think that is because the question has been answered many times before, and the title of your thread suggests that you are aware of that and presumably have read at least some of the many detailed answered previously provided. It has been assumed in this thread that the subject is mockery and whether or not our answers in previous threads were cover for a secret desire to mock.

Originally posted by divegeester
You are the only person (at least in this thread I think) who seems to have a provided plausible reason to post here other than seeking opportunities for mockery. Great King Rat is the only one admitting to enjoying mocking (due respect). The rest is just opinion vs. opinion on both motive and the definition of mockery.

First, absolutely there are times when mockery is the most appropriate response. I see no reason why anyone should be ashamed of mockery per se. A good argument gets a serious response. A laughably bad one does not deserve it.

(And it's fun. Don't tell me you weren't laughing when you thought of that 'kook aid' dig because I won't believe it. 🙂 )

Second, I can offer some other reasons for posting here. I have learned a great deal from threads like bbarr's "general argument from evil" thread. There were other interesting discussions like one I had with jaywill on whether it was apt to compare certain Bible stories to Aesop's Fables. Galveston in another thread presented a good argument (maybe cribbed, but still was good either way) that the Bible does not support the idea of eternal torment in Hell. vistesd has offered many insightful threads on religions like Buddhism and Judaism that do not get as much coverage as the big two (Christianity and Islam).

I have been greatly entertained by some of the old "Bible yomama" threads and also vistesd's "Argumentum Spiritualensis" thread which was nothing but parodies of bad spiritual arguments (but not necessarily targeted at anyone in particular; sometimes it was even people making fun of themselves. The tone was overall light-hearted.)

Originally posted by SwissGambit
First, absolutely there are times when mockery is the most appropriate response. I see no reason why anyone should be ashamed of mockery per se. A good argument gets a serious response. A laughably bad one does not deserve it.

(And it's fun. Don't tell me you weren't laughing when you thought of that 'kook aid' dig because I won't believe it. : ...[text shortened]... lar; sometimes it was even people making fun of themselves. The tone was overall light-hearted.)

I'm fighting a losing battle here aren't I. Ok so the kook aid thing did make me grin but only because I knew he would bite on the spelling twist, not because I'm mocking someone for their beliefs. Besides I'm not actually taking a moral position on this mockery thing, I'm just poking you atheists cos you have nothing better to do with yourselves than come here and feel superior.

Edit: perhaps I should mock you for it.

Originally posted by divegeester
I'm fighting a losing battle here aren't I. Ok so the kook aid thing did make me grin but only because I knew he would bite on the spelling twist, not because I'm mocking someone for their beliefs. Besides I'm not actually taking a moral position on this mockery thing, I'm just poking you atheists cos you have nothing better to do with yourselves than come here and feel superior.

Edit: perhaps I should mock you for it.

Know this first of all, that in the last days mockers will come with their mocking, following after their own lusts...

(2 Peter 3:3 NASB)

The Instructor

Originally posted by divegeester
You are the only person (at least in this thread I think) who seems to have a provided plausible reason to post here other than seeking opportunities for mockery. Great King Rat is the only one admitting to enjoying mocking (due respect). The rest is just opinion vs. opinion on both motive and the definition of mockery.

Hey, look at that! I've been promoted!

;-)

Edit: I can't use the smileys for whatever reason. I wanted to use the smug one.

Originally posted by RJHinds
[b]Know this first of all, that in the last days mockers will come with their mocking, following after their own lusts...

(2 Peter 3:3 NASB)

The Instructor[/b]

Any idea how far we are in these last days? Do we have hours left? Days? Months? Years? Centuries? Aeons?

Originally posted by divegeester
But why do atheists spend so much time in a spirituality forum? I don't have anything against atheists whatsoever, in fact I have more in common with some than I do with most theists.

I've heard several arguments as to why they do, the most common I remember as being that many of them want to more or less, defend the freethinking world from the hatefu ...[text shortened]... playground we all grew up in. So if you are a confirmed atheist, why bother. It is interesting.

Well my understanding of what atheism means has certainly changed since arriving.

Even though many self-proclaimed atheists have shot down my spiritual ideas via so called reliable science, it seems that I may be the biggest atheist yet.

So as an atheist I believe there is no God or ruler as the true nature of the universe.
As an atheist I can still entertain an afterlife or lives or conjure a spiritual (non-physical) world which "intertwines" with the one we know.

I can proclaim that the "light is the way" and other such sayings.

I can believe in so many different spiritual views and still remain an atheist.

Originally posted by Great King Rat
Any idea how far we are in these last days? Do we have hours left? Days? Months? Years? Centuries? Aeons?

I have an idea, but I do not know if my idea is correct or not. I believe this will take place within this century.

The Instructor

On what do you base that?