Thursday, April 14, 2011

Ask an Atheist Project: Venomous

And here we have the latest entry into the illustrious Ask an Atheist Project, an ongoing project of mine which is kept going by the contributions of fellow atheists who submit their responses to a series of questions. This latest entry is by a friend of mine who goes by the moniker "Venomous" here in the crazy online world of the internet. (HERE is a link to Venomous' Gamepad on Gametrailers, where you can find his blogs and his fantastic game reviews (he's a professional (magazine) game reviewer).

So, here is his submission. Read, enjoy, laugh, cry, recoil in horror, whatever and then feel free to comment, and let him know what you think, where you agree/disagree, etc. And thanks very much to Venomous  for taking the time to do this. Btw, if anyone reading this wants to see the other entries, and/or enter their own submission, please click the link above. Thanks. (For now, though, you can have a link to my (magx01's) entry (hey, I started the damn thing!)


1) What is an atheist?/What do atheists believe?/Don't atheists worship Satan?/Can you prove that god does not exist?

I think atheists simply don't believe in deities ( to sum it all up ). In what do they believe i personally have no idea because once we remove faith as a factor i think we are entering subjective waters. And no they don't worship Satan that's hilarious - they don't even believe he exists. And no i can't prove that God doesn't exist nor that he exists but i do believe there are some things that are better left without explanation.

2) Aren't there some things that science can't explain? Also, how can you trust science since it's always changing?

As i've said i think some things are better off without explanations. Can science explain everything? On some level probably but there will always be mysteries that are unsolvable. Can i trust science? To the point where it doesn't clash with business which means not that much in this day and age.

3) What evidence would convince you that god exists?

 I suppose we are talking about The God here. In that case if he came down right in front of me ( visual effects and all ) i would believe. Currently i don't really. Either that or he is a very bad manager ( and definitely not a woman because no woman can fuck this up so bad ;) ).

4) Why is there something rather than nothing?

Because even when you are sitting down and staring at a wall you are still doing something rather than nothing.

5) Where do atheists think the universe came from?

 I think it's subjective but perhaps certain sexy atheist can answer this for me ;)

6) If you met god, what would you say to him?

 Dude you fucked up. Allow me to be your manager ( here i even have a diploma ) so we can fix the world.

7) Everyone believes in god, why don't atheists believe too?

 People believe in all kinds of things - it's why they are called beliefs rather than belief so with that being said it's their personal choice.

8) Where do morals come from, if not from god?

They come from society which is why we have different morals in different countries and parts of the world.

9) What's the point of living if you don't believe in god?

Pleasure? Knowledge? Power? Inventing? Being known? There are plenty but each of us have our own goals, god or not.

10) If we came from monkeys, why are there still monkeys alive today?

I am not really familiar with evolution but if i may throw a theory - different surroundings force different types of evolution.

11) Don't you atheists wish there was a heaven?

Do you? :)

12) Why blog, debate on forums, make videos, etc?

On the subject or in general? I guess either way it's to spread out your opinions but also information.

13) Pascal's Wager basically states that even though the existence of God cannot be determined through reason, a person should wager as though God exists, because living life accordingly has everything to gain, and nothing to lose, whereas living as an atheist can possibly cost you everything but you gain nothing. Essentially, why don't you just believe, what do you have to lose?

magx01's note: Participant failed to answer this question.

14. *Custom Question of the Participant's Choosing*

magx01's note: Participant failed to create and then answer a 14th question.

6 comments:

  1. "there will always be mysteries that are unsolvable."

    We don't have the knowledge of the future required to make such a proclamation. We know not what the future holds in terms of technology and scientific ability, the state of the field in terms of theoretical and practical advancement, etc.

    Of course, I cannot say that you're wrong. Again, we're lacking the knowledge necessary to make such a proclamation. It does seem more likely that there will always be mysteries than it does that we will solve every one though. I just wanted to point out the folly of certainty in this matter.

    "Can i trust science? To the point where it doesn't clash with business which means not that much in this day and age."

    What exactly do you mean by this? What does 'clashing with business' have to do with trusting in the scientific method and the things it uncovers?

    " I think it's subjective but perhaps certain sexy atheist can answer this for me ;)"

    See my response in my entry as well as my comments to PaladinSkye on his entry, you sexy thang, you XD

    "I am not really familiar with evolution but if i may throw a theory - different surroundings force different types of evolution."

    The answer is that we did not "come from monkeys." We share a common ancestry. The second half of your answer, the different surroundings forcing differing types of evolution, is, semantics aside (technically it's not differing types of evolution, it's differing evolution), true :)

    Selective pressures are a consequence of the environment; the environment in which an organism finds itself, and the differing aspects of that environment which put pressures on the organism, force it to either adapt or die off.

    The most common example is probably giraffes and neck length. In an environment with very tall trees, the giraffes that can reach the tops of said trees will survive, and procreate, passing on the genetic mapping for longer necks. The shorter necked ones (the poor things) don't make it and don't get to pass on their genes. After x amount of generations, it's all long necked mofos in that area XD.

    Why did you dodge questions 11 and 13, and why didn't you create a 14th question? Just curious, is all :)

    Well, anyways, thanks a ton for contributing, and being the latest participant in this project, Dusan. It's very much appreciated, and I hope this nets you some interesting discussions with GT friends who read it (or perhaps a stranger who stumbles upon this, coming from the wilderness in the GREAT BEYOND (the internet outside of GT and here lol).

    Thanks man and I hope you enjoyed yourself!

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  2. I feel that, even though this is very lacking, it shows the variance in atheists all around, as far as knowledge and perspectives go. Good job. :)

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  3. Not everyone focuses on these issues to the extent that we do, bro. And of course, some are much more obsessed lol. My interest has waned, in fact, as of late. Well...no, not interest per se, more like time and focus.

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  4. Yeah, that's what I'm saying. Its good to show all the various responses. It "disproves" the "stereotype atheist". We're all different. :)

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  5. That was one of the goals of this project to begin with. Dispel the idea that we are some uniform symbiotic hybrid life form that seeks to destroy society and replace it with a new from of existence.

    Or maybe we are doing just that....muahaha. *must report to leader*

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  6. ( and definitely not a woman because no woman can fuck this up so bad ;) )

    That sounded familiar. :P

    Anyway, as has usually been the case with these, I agreed with various answers. They might be how I'd answer them if I took this.

    BTW, when did you start including the option of a custom 14th question? I swear I don't remember seeing that in previous entries. :S

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