Who's the most influential athiest of the 20th century?

What's with you two, fighting away like this? Your messing up the first poll-based popularity contest I've actually ever won in my two years in SL. Huzzah!

~Ulrika~

Just calling it like I see it.

April 2006? WTF do YOU know?

YES there are persecuted racial groups in SL, it's not an assumption, it's a matter of fact. But since you are just off the noob toad bus, you have never seen any of the racial fallout hit the forums, yet (again).

Selador is a respected member of our society and it sickens me to see some toadie going off about something he or she is completely wrong about and insulting long time members.

Sit back and learn something first, toadie.

Briana Dawson

Wow.

I had no idea the propaganda was that effective.

And you'd be dead wrong. Morality has nothing whatsoever to do with science. I can't think of one credible atheist who's ever said such a stupid thing. The nature of the universe, on the other hand, can only be discovered through science -- not religion.


Except he wasn't an atheist. Atheists don't accept the occult, don't accept Christianity (or any other religion). See, what you're really trying to do here is lump Hitler in with atheists in your silly attempt to paint atheists as bad people. It's wrong, it's simplistic, and it's stupid.

Godwin!

I am an atheist. I have high moral standards. I love my family and I raise my kids to respect other people. I pay taxes and I obey the laws. The difference between you and I is that I don't need the threat of eternal damnation to make me act morally. I do it as a conscious choice.

wow I thought that was a joke

I guess I need to update my jokesniffer toolbar

It mighta been.

Time and time again on this forum I've found evidence that my humor-o-matic is broken.

I know. I'm just using your reply as a sounding board to announce that I'm officially more popular than Hitler.

~Ulrika~

Such a lofty goal

Congratulations! I bet you're also taller than Napolean.

According to Weird US on the History Channel yesterday (yes I am a nerd and watch the History Channel in my spare time) Napolean was actually average size. The myth that he was short was started as propaganda by the Prussians.

I dunno, 5'6" sounds pretty short to me... but I'm not sure what the average for men was in the late 18th-early 19th centuries.

The average Civil War soldier was only 5'9" tall and that was 30-45 years later.

you are absolutely wrong.

1> i'm not attempting to paint atheists as bad people at all. i'm smart enough to realize that evil isn't a product of a persons cosmological beliefs, but rather from their pride and greed.

2> the difference between you and i is actually that i understand that most religious people don't act morally out of fear but out of love and as a concious choice. your position implies a lack of understanding of religion and a sense of superiority.

3> i don't know how you came up with such conclusions about my beliefs. i don't believe in god or eternal damnation.

So you hate leaders of totalitarian regimes then? I never figured you for one of those people. You, sir, are worse than, er, Hitler.

~Ulrika~

you're obviously blind.

I haven't been following your conversation with Chip but I must say that Chip is very seldom wrong. If you're finding yourself on the other side of the argument from him, perhaps you should take some time out for private reflection on the subject outside of this tit-for-tat forum argument.

~Ulrika~

if you check my profile, it clearly states that i am smarter than you.

he's your yes-man! of course you think he's smart

Yet your list of "atheist" choices included men who don't have a reputation as moral people -- what other conclusion can we draw, especially when those choices were not really practicing atheists at all? Someone else very quickly gave you a longer list of well-known atheists who have influenced history in good ways but you shrugged that one off. In fact, you've been arguing in support of your specious list of poll choices even after you've been backed in a corner and shown how wrong you were.


Hardly. One of the first arguments believers always throw at me when we discuss religion is the old sop that, without fear of their God, you can "do whatever feels good", eg, that atheism implies a lack of personal accountability. That is patently wrong and morally offensive to me, as I clearly stated. Belief in gods is not a prerequisite to personal morality.

I also react to the rhetoric commonly published by SOME religious groups (most all of whom happen to be Christian) that atheists are attacking morality in this country, that we're a problem and we're at the root of everything that is wrong. It's demonization based on fear and it has absolutely no basis in reality.


That's good.

Yes, but are you a more popular atheist than Hitler?

Actually, based on his writing, I suspect that he is a well educated professional in the field of engineering or science. Thus, I connect with him not because we share a common preexisting ideology but because we share a common logical framework. Through this rationality we arrive at similar conclusions. In fact, I'd say that he is more rational than me, as I tend to wax leftist and let my reactionary tendencies sweep me away from time to time.

~Ulrika~

i posted my top three. if i had posted the top ten most influential, i'm sure the rest would be all inspirational people. unfortunately evil people make more waves.

someone quickly gave me a list a "famous atheists" that happened to include porn stars. so far, all that has been shown is that possibly, one of my choices may or may not have been an athiest but scholars are conflicted as to how much weight to give to the words of the worlds premiere propoganda specialists whose words and actions gave a very different message.


when sober and open minded religious people are faced by vocal non-believers, it's probably always ones who give them smack about the superiority of atheism, religion being the root of societies ills, and that their morality is founded in fear of god.



according to that segment of society, everything that isn't them is wrong. EVERYTHING. it's not even about religion. its about their group. one could argue, like you do about the most influential men of the 20th century, that they are not actually practicing their beliefs. btw, you can find those kind of people in every religion. the west is christian so we get more of the christian flavour out here.

fair enough



or perhaps he's a computer technologist who read a lot of ayn rand books and is completely oblivious to development of thought that proceeds the 19th century.

unfortunately (for me), i am far more rational and logical than either of you because in the end you have faith, and i sadly, do not.

Just state the truth. You created the thread during a time of night when I was very active in several Christian threads providing atheistic counterpoints. You thought you'd have some fun with me by creating a double-whammy poll that simultaneously associated dictators with atheism and myself.

It was a textbook atheism troll combined with a personal jab. I personally enjoyed it but I can't figure out for the life of me why you're being so evasive about it now.

~Ulrika~

I would state that a computer technologist who reads a lot of Ayn Rand books qualifies as being a well educated professional in the field of engineering or science, although I'm sure that's not the extent of his reading.

You are quite rational as well as being a very intelligent and creative person. That's why you're so much fun in the forums.

~Ulrika~

That's one thing we most definitely disagree on.