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The Forum > Article Comments > The weekend of the non-believers > Comments

The weekend of the non-believers : Comments

By Ian Robinson, published 16/3/2010

In Melbourne the non-believers came and mingled, enjoying their escalating legitimacy in the community.

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Ponde,

Please don't encourage runner by responding to him. He has never bothered with reason, and attempting rational discourse with him is an exercise in futility.

Runner is a poster boy for blind fanaticism, and if I were a christian I would be embarassed by him as his vitriol does more damage to christianity than athiesm.

Twenty years ago, one did not mention one was an athiest as it was frowned on. Today it is a point of pride, runner is a reminder why.
Posted by Shadow Minister, Tuesday, 16 March 2010 11:27:06 AM
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Shadow Minister for sense and sensibility
Being "new" to this forum I was not aware of Runners blind fanaticism.
Letting him make blind fanatical comments that go unanswered goes against my grain. Other people might read it and say that "the atheists" have no answer to that comment should not be allowed.
So whenever blind fanaticism raises its head I will be there to knock it on the head.
Posted by ponde, Tuesday, 16 March 2010 11:45:43 AM
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I wonder sometimes what percentage of people who criticise atheists and their non belief in superstition, have actually read Dawkins or Hitchens from cover to cover. They make such a case for logic in these volumes that is impossible to fault. But then of course theists are blind to logic and science and it is impossible to argue with faith per se because it is not based on these tenets.
Posted by snake, Tuesday, 16 March 2010 11:53:25 AM
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Ian, I attended the conference and it was a wonderful experience. We had such a great line up of speakers. I really liked your talk and style, thanks for the dry wit. For these reasons it may be easy to feel over confident about our views and the extend of their reach in the broader community.

However as I left the conference I had a quick reality check. I was killing time before catching my plane back to Sydney and went for a stroll on the South Bank esplanade when I was confronted by a Muslim woman wearing a niqab, pushing her baby girl in a pram with her husband looking on.

I thought to myself, how is this baby going to grow with such parents. What kind of role models are they for her? Will she get a proper secular education that will teach her how to think clearly and critically?

I hope we have another one soon where this time we can put on the agenda how immigration is fueling growing demands for religious expressions by ethnic minorities and how they conflict with our secular values and goals, particularly in public schools, and what to do about it.

This is a very delicate topic that needs to be discussed rationally and openly. We know the christian well and they know us well. We've been arguing with each other for a long time. I don't think that we have developed the language and arguments in regard to Muslims. We need to do that because I think the fear of the growing influence of Islam in Australia was never far from the surface at the conference.

We don't want to have a cultural and political agenda based on fear. We have a good story to tell and we've got to reach everyone.
Posted by Bruno 57, Tuesday, 16 March 2010 12:02:59 PM
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Greetings Mr. Snake,
I agree with you whole heartedly, they are too busy reading the bible from their posterior to read anything intelligent.
I hope that the reverse is not true - Atheist should read the bible, you cannot argue against a book you have not read. (Read it twice.)
Similar arguments exist for the Evolution / Creation debate.
I once met a man that claimed to an expert in Evolution and was widely read on the subject. I ask him what he thought of the origin of the species "I have not read that yet" was his reply.
Posted by ponde, Tuesday, 16 March 2010 12:10:46 PM
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Slobodon Meshirtfront:

"...but perhaps calling him [Steve Fielding] "more stupid than an earthworm" is going too far,..."

I agree. Earthworms are not stupid and Dawkins of all people should know better.An earthworm has a brain that is excellently adapted - to being an earthworm.

The real problem is that Fielding lacks a brain that is adapted to being a legislator.

On behalf of those tireless little beasties, the earthworms of the world, I protest this slur.

Shadow Minister,

Are you sure runner is a Christian?
Posted by KinkyChristian, Tuesday, 16 March 2010 12:16:54 PM
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