[LooseCaller]

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agreed, i'm not trying to argue the value of "the church" or anything like that. I'm not even saying they are right to believe in god. What I am saying is that those people were most likely smarter than everyone in this thread and they believed in god, which refutes the *uppity* atheist argument that anyone who believes in god is just a brainwashed idiot who worships an invisible man in the sky.

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shrug, I don't see it as much. I think a lot of Christians consider any criticisms of Christanity persecution / douchebaggery.

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A lot of christians do think this for sure. But what you and others are doing is calling anyone who believes in god an idiot, which is simply not true. your criticism of christianity sounds like a republican's criticism of gay people despite the fact you should have a much better argument than the gay bashing republican.

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this comparison is not at all a legitimate one. because being gay is a genetic trait whereas religious belief is a social construction. confronting people for developing flawed and ridiculous ideas (Christianity) is entirely fair game since they have a choice in the matter. persecuting someone for sexual orientation is akin to racism and sexism, not religious intolerance.


i think a very important point one can realize from this list of names is not that a lot of smart people believe in God, but that the societies they lived in were church-centric enough to indoctrinate geniuses like the people you listed into believing in invisible people in the sky. That's why it's a very dangerous thing to allow your children to be brought to church if you're an atheist. childhood indoctrination is an incredibly potent weapon.