[Phil153]

I was expecting a typical boring sex story on opening this thread. The quotes were refreshing. I disagree with many of them though.

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Blaise Pascal:
Men never commit evil so fully and joyfuly as when they do it for religious convictions.

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I disagree with this. Some of the most brutal and barbaric races and dictatorships had atheist philosophies.

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Bertrand Russell:
And if there were a God, I think it very unlikely that He would have such an uneasy vanity as to be offended by those who doubt His existence.

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I don't think it's so much about vanity but having an open heart.

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Epicurus:
Is God willing to prevent evil, but not able? Then he is not omnipotent. Is he able, but not willing? Then he is malevolent.

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This is a bit simplistic. It's possible to create a system which, given its freedom, will create undesirable outcomes. One example is capitalism. Another example is parenting. Parents could prevent their kids from ever stealing from, killing or raping anyone by giving them a lobotomy when they're young. The fact that they don't doesn't mean that they're malevolent. In fact, any degree of freedom which an omnipotent being passes on has the potential to result in evil. Epicurus is way off base here.

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Carl Sagan:
You can't convince a believer of anything; for their belief is not based on evidence, it's based on a deep-seated need to believe.

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This is not entirely true either. Belief can come from a lack of intelligence, a lack of interest, or a misinterpretation of the evidence. Among smarter people, it's mostly the latter. Given the rigour required for clear thought and the huge number of fallacies the mind is vulnerable to, I think it's reasonable that many believers actually think their position is sound.

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Steven Weinberg:
With or without religion, you would have good people doing good things and evil people doing evil things. But for good people to do evil things, that takes religion.

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No, it takes indoctrination and tribalism. Or are you claiming that most Germans/Japanese/Americans soldiers (i.e. Vietnam) are not good people?