The Atheist’s Quiz
by Five powerful atheist quotes against religion. Can you answer these accusations?
1. “I like your Christ, I do not like your Christians. Your Christians are so unlike your Christ.”
Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi (1869-1948), Spiritual/Political Leader of India, as well as humanitarian. Better known as Mahatma Gandhi.
Although Jesus was said to have lived a sinless life, many Christians today yet continue to hold their religion as perfect while they continue to do many of the mistakes, and are yet nothing like their Christ. While since around 2 milleniums ago was Christianity born, their followers have always committed the mistakes they once did and continue to do so, even with the long history of their religion.
2. “Facts do not cease to exist because they are ignored”
Aldous Huxley (1864-1963), English Writer and Critic. Published various types of works, including (but not limited to) novels, poems, and published essays on philosophy, arts, and religion.
Theists often refuses to respond to the facts and figures that contradict it, and yield answers cannot be justified. Such an example would be why God created imperfect beings, himself knowing everything or why God took 7 days to create the planets while being omnipotent. These facts are often dismissed by arguments with little support from the theists themselves.
3. “Religion is regarded by the common people as true, by the wise as false, and by the rulers as useful”
Lucius Annaeus Seneca (4 B.C. – AD 65), Roman Philosopher, Dramatist, Statesman. His works were well known for their nobility in Roman literature.
Religion is widely accepted all across the world by the majority of the world’s population. In 1927, a study of 461 students performed by Thomas Howells showed religious students “are, in general, relatively inferior in intellectual ability.” Religion was once and still is a powerful tool for political leaders and politicians alike.
4. “Men never commit evil so fully and joyfully as when they do it for religious convictions”
Blaise Pascal (1623-1662), French Mathematician and Philosopher. A very influential figure who worked mainly on probability and geometry.
Since historic times, religion has caused wars, assassinations, and many conflicts due to its existence and beliefs, such as the Crusades, the Wars of Religion, the Thirty Years War, Jihad, Shinto, and the Saxon Wars.
5. “When one person suffers from a delusion, it is called insanity. When many people suffer from a delusion it is called Religion.”
Robert M. Pirsig (1954-1978), American Writer and Philosopher. Well known for his book “Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance: An Inquiry into Values”.
Of today’s world population, the majority believe in religion and follow it without questioning . They are deluded into their beliefs since a young age and continue to do so and pass the effect on throughout future generations.
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Post CommentScottAlmighty
On May 31, 2009 at 7:06 pm
Much like a previous article on which I commented, I will offer here that just because you can’t understand something, doesn’t mean that it isn’t true. Human beings do not, and cannot, have infinite wisdom. For a full dissection as to why this is impossible, see the comments section in “50 Questions Christians Cannot Answer”. As such, dismissing religion as wrong because it seems to not make sense to you is more irrational than believing it. You would be trusting an intellect you know to be flawed to guide you to a perfect end.
I am not (in any real sense) a Christian, but a former atheist who realized that dismissing something as absolutely irrational is not possible for a human being, and therefore is, itself, irrational.
That being said, I agree in general with the premise that much of what any majority religion has produced in its followers is not admirable, but this has less to do with religion and more to do with people. The definition of exceptional is a quality or trait not shared by a majority of people. It would be very hard then for a majority of people to do anything exceptional, wouldn’t it? The majority will always be mediocre, and therefore it is unfair to judge a cause championed by the majority solely on the merits of it’s followers instead of it’s premise.
There are certainly things that are unbelievable about Christianity…but realize that there are crazy theories unproven and postulated by science that are accepted by people all the time without even a shred of proof. Have you ever SEEN a big bang? You trust that it exists because your trusted leaders told you it happened. And it may very well have. But the fact is that you don’t trust it because you’ve seen proof, you trust it because someone you WANT to trust told you that they had. In this regard, you are NO DIFFERENT from a religious follower.
Picking on religion is childish and to a person who really examines things logically, makes you sound uneducated.
Robert Kaufman
On June 8, 2009 at 2:09 am
@ScottAlmighty
“Picking on religion is childish and to a person who really examines things logically, makes you sound.”
In this view, picking on anything is childish, including politics. Why debate at all? If picking on things is childish that is. Also I would like to add that the majority of people who “pick on” religion are very well educated scientific/socialpolitical elites. For example, Dawkins, Einstein, Jefferson, Franklin, etc. I would say, using the phrase “picking on” is childish in rebuttal.
“I am not (in any real sense) a Christian, but a former atheist who realized that dismissing something as absolutely irrational is not possible for a human being, and therefore is, itself, irrational.”
Entirely too common. You see, what he was trying to do here was relate himself to you so that you will take the mindless babble that you see above this more seriously. Also, the thing about dismissal not being possible and is irrational or whatever that stuff he was saying is a very irrational statement. That is similar to the invisible pink unicorn or flying spaghetti monster argument, or even indeed the celestial teacup. Should I be called irrational for dismissing the idea of the invisible pink unicorn? I think not. It is because, when you weigh the facts and argument for both sides of the table, it is more than likely that the FSM or the unicorn or the teacup does not exist. And! Even indeed the gods of man (including the Christian god which he apparently has a biased towards because of his birth).
“dismissing religion as wrong because it seems to not make sense to you is more irrational than believing it”
So, are you saying that you dismiss no religion? Do you leave open the possibility of Zeus? Thor? Woton? Krishna? “God”? If you do not, or if you accept one over the other than you are irrational.
“but this has less to do with religion and more to do with people.”
Oh, so it is not about the bible saying, you know, things like
Leviticus 20:13 If a man also lie with mankind, as he lie with a woman, both of them have committed an abomination: they shall surely be put to death; their blood shall be upon them. Or “thou shalt no suffer a witch to live” or Luke 19:17 Jesus says, “But those mine enemies, which would not that I should reign over them, bring hither, and slay them before me.”
No No No, people kill not because of these passages, they kill because they are people that just feel like killing. The man that killed the abortion doctor just wanted to kill somebody and it just so happened to be an abortion doctor (that was against his religion). Give me a break.
“but realize that there are crazy theories unproven and postulated by science that are accepted by people all the time without even a shred of proof.”
Well, sir, for us people that don’t feel like blindly accepting things like I see you do, we look at evidence. Maybe there are a few people who just like taking people words for what they are, but, if you had the will to look up the evidence, you will see that these theories are backed by mounds of scientific evidence and research. Science sets up hypotheses and tries its hardest to disprove them. The moment a shred of evidence contradicts the theory, it is tossed away without a second glance, like a writer tosses a failed page in a story book.
“Have you ever SEEN a big bang?”
No, you are right. I have not. However, I see evidence that it happened everywhere I look. From the background radiation, the expansion of our universe, and all of the properties that our universe displays that we would expect to see if there was a “big bang” at the beginning of our universe. And of course he has never seen a big bang because by its very definition it has and can only happen once in a universe at its beginning. That is childish to even ask. About as childish as saying “oh, well, you believe we came from monkeys?”. Give me a break and go to school. Do some research. Fight your cognitive dissonance.
Please reply to this. I love how easy it is to “pick on” a zealot.
Makhios
On August 18, 2009 at 12:19 pm
Gandhi was Hindu, not an atheist. Pascal was definitely not an atheist; ever hear of Pascal’s Wager? I’m unsure of Huxley’s beliefs, but his quote is hardly against any religion, regardless of how the author wishes to spin it.
This is a very ignorant blog post full of unwarranted insults, quote mining and the very irrationality the author accuses of religious people. I have one quote for all five of yours:
“A witty saying proves nothing.” Voltaire, atheist.