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You will see it here...and almost anywhere else you find Atheists. They quickly grasp opportunities to pound their ungodly drums...singing "Hail to the Chief!" while firing volleys designed to spank the religious mind.


Well now Steve, I generally strive to maintain my distance from this particular forum, as I am one who does tend to have a knee-jerk reaction to religious babble, one that tends to be rather hostile. My reasons for this are a whole 'nother topic however.

But when you come in here slinging opening statements like the above, I feel compelled to respond.
I have no "ungodly" drums to pound, nor do I sing songs whilst failing to do so. However, were I so inclined to engage in such activity, I would probably pick "Stairway to Heaven," just for the irony of it.

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It does not matter that only man can show genuine love on this earth...as well as hate, and to a degree that surpasses any other earthly creature. It does not matter that only man uses reward and punishment...for good and bad.

I've heard such statements from those of a religious bent in one form or another so often its become rather amusing.
Mammals, of which Humans belong to that particular class, are far from unique in showing the ability to love, hate, war, murder, rape, protect the weak of it's species, seek revenge, build defensive structures, ect, ect.
Single male Chimps are known to form hunting groups, where they will hunt down, chase, murder, and eat bits of another Chimp from a rival group.
Young Male Dolphins have been seen to form groups where they will chase down a single female and gang rape her.
Elephants have been seen paying homage to the skeletal remains of a member who had died the previous season, touching the bones, and keening. They do this only with Elephant remains, other bones are ignored.
A mother of whichever species you care to name will defend to the death her offspring, touch them tenderly to reassure them when they are frightened, punish them when they get out of line, and generally look to their well-being.
You could argue that such is merely animal instinct, and deny that any true emotion is felt. Such arguments, I feel are rather silly, as anyone who has ever seen a dog bouncing off the walls when their owner comes home can reasonably say that dog is happy. Yet religionists will have one belive that such things are unique to humans. What arrogance.

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It does not matter, that mankind marks time...from the era that Jesus Christ walked this earth


Only in the western world my friend. Other nations will use this form of dating merely to synchronize events that are to take place, many other forms of dating exist, and are in current use in many parts of the world.

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Nope. Instead, look for excuses, as to why he cannot exist, simply because he does not measure up to what an unqualified, biased, disagreeable few feel he should


I've never looked for "excuses" why he should not exist, on the other hand, I've never seen any evidence, of any stripe, that shows he does. On the flip side of that, I see much that says he does not. Nor do I expect a deity, assuming one exists, should measure up to any expectations of mine. I leave that for the fundies.

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Usually, Atheists/skeptics...whatever you want to call them, point to God as being cruel, not giving a second thought to the fact that every trouble man has ever been dealt...he has brought on himself in one way or another


First off, I intensely dislike being labeled an atheist, while in may be an accurate description based on the definition of the word, it has other connotations to people I personally find repugnant. Skeptic also, I am not skeptical of everything and anything that comes down the pike. If something piques my interest, I'll look into it, if what I find is unsatisfactory, then I may become skeptical of the subject in the manner presented.
As for every trouble man has he brought on himself, well...duh.
Where else would it come from?

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Take for instance the way we live inside our own value systems.


Yes, lets do.

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Is it not true, that evil when it goes so far as to break the law, ideally...is always dealt with in a manner that protects the law-abiding citizen, even in areas where the "law abiding citizen" is a minority.


If I'm following that correctly, that is an accurate statement, as far as it goes, with the exception of your reference to evil, which is a value judgement that I'm rather leery of, as evil can be defined by those who experience the negative effects of an action. I'm sure the Japanese of WWII defined evil as two thermonuclear explosions over major population centers.
Those in the U.S. during WWII defined it as a god send, as it saved the lives of thousands of American service men.
In all reality, it was a horrible thing, but evil? No, I would not term it evil.

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Who in their right mind feels that everything should be handed to them on a silver platter? Is it not true...that violators of the peace...have their privileges of freedom removed, maybe on a permanent basis...depending?


Only the terminally lazy expect the silver platter I suppose, but I agree with the body of that statement.

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You see, we can afford ourselves that right, but when it comes to God? Nope...can't happen


*blink*
What? Which right are you speaking of? And how does crime and punishment as dispensed by the state have anything to do with a deity? And what can't happen?

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Further, we will find our skeptics laughing at believers in what can't be seen, yet, what skeptic does not believe there is not an Antarctica or some other place they have never seen? What skeptic does not believe their was an Alexander the Great? How do they know for sure? Have they seen him?


I laugh at noone for their belies, I have a few very odd superstitions I stick to, well...religiously. However, the difference there may be that I realize that if I do drink the last of that cup of coffee, no supernatural being is going to curse me for ripping it off of its fair share. The rest of that paragraph is just ridiculous. Those are all things that are verifiable by anyone with the will, the time, and the cash.

I apologize for the length of this post, which is, I'm sure you can tell, one of the reasons I refrain from getting involved in these discussions. I just don't know when to stop.
I suppose now would be good.

Fiery Red