What's wrong with what flies eat? It doesn't cause them any problems that I know of. If humans had evolved to be adapted to consuming faeces, we wouldn't think anything of it.

It was "human judgement" many centuries ago that the Sun revolved around the Earth. Science has gradually allowed to see past our inbuilt biases and prejudices, and gain a more objective view of reality. "Faeces are disgusting" is not an objective statement, rather the result of our own evolution: we are not adapted to be able to consume them, and indeed, doing so would cause significant health problems, hence we have evolved a strong repulsion to them.

It need not only be genetic - even between cultures and historical eras the degrees to which people are repulsed by certain concepts varies considerably. I'm repulsed by the thought of cannibalism, or watching men being torn apart by lions. Clearly many others in the past were not.

Jack, I didn't bring it up, the post you quoted was responding to your question (to another poster): "As for your denial of man as the "highest creature", what would you put in his place?"

By saying saying it seemed it important to you "to win this one", I meant that it seemed you were keen to rate humanity as higher than the other animals. If I got that wrong, many apologies.

In this forum we talk about God and religion far more than any other subject.
Maybe more than every other subject combined, I believe in no God, yet I never stop researching why we need a God?
And why do we believe in so many, why too do the 3 most quoted Gods have roots in the middle east and just maybe the same God.
I however wounder do we need in your face non believers to preach to us?
Little doubt given the true number attending Church's world wide can be shown to support other than Christianity is shrinking.
While Islam is finding many leaving it is growing in numbers.
If only we could debate the very start of the 3 religions based on the middle east, look closely at what was believed before they arrived.
And find the true roots of all, just take Christmas, surely no church truly claims that is Christs true birthday? evidence exists that it was not.
And how many of us do not see the father Christmas story is becoming the true meaning of Christmas to most?
Maybe we should all be good little consumers sit down and eat our meal made for a cold English winter and consume, after all that is why we have Christmas isn't it?

Yes, Opinionate2, Atheism has had bad press and no press for a long time. Consequently, the name has suffered considerably. The interesting thing we are finding at head office is that since the recent spate of anti-religious books, and even before that time, many people have taken to wearing the word, Atheist, as a badge of honour.

To me, it definitively demonstrates my position. It leaves no doubt, that I do not accept as being valid, the unsubstantiated claim of religion, that the existence of a supernatural sphere is real.

David

David, my omission of "..by way of evading pertinent questions.." was considered.

Your response is interesting. Seems to me an understanding of the(your) post hinges on understanding of the idiom 'by way of'. To suggest Philo maintains his belief for the purpose of evading questions is one thing; to suggest that he maintains and protects his beliefs by way of evading questions is another.

Curious too that you "consider religion in the same way as the Dawkins book- a delusion". Is Dawkins a psychotic or just in it for the money? Words can be funny things.

Think you do protest too much- the scientific hypothesis for life(awareness, cognizance,will} is as unproven as any other idea.

Your beliefs' and finally you admit to having some, after repeatedly denying that Atheists have any; are of course self evident given the parameters you have chosen.

ybgirp- your response earlier to a post of mine gave me a good chuckle.

palimpsest,

You have missed the most important part of my post. “I expect a rational response about this.”

David