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[Vigilant Walrus]

I don't like how some atheists run with the same us-versus-them mentality. It doesn't matter what anyone believes as long as they are not hurting anyone, stopping science or being a tool towards violence or oppression. I'm agnostic. To me god may as well be the big bang. It's just called something else than the big guy in the sky.

I think it doesn't matter that we think the symbols are different of what it is. That is losing sight of that we are all one- literally.

 

[Slayven]

I feel like you're describing Trump now.

I'll also go ahead and fake edit with saying beaten because people will have quoted you writing the same thing.

Yeah but trump is a con man and made a career out of selling people on some bullshit. He has personalty as abhorrent as it might be. Zuckerberg is pretty bland. If you don't have the steak you got to have the sizzle at least

 

[azyless]

That's a bad graph.

How can a person believe in something they know isn't true (like the graph states), or vice versa?

https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/atheism-agnosticism/
"Atheism' means the negation of theism, the denial of the existence of God."

Nowhere does it state what you said (though there is a reason agnostic theists are incredibly rare) and that's not the most used definition of atheism and you know it.

 

[Melkezadek]

No. Faith is believing in something you know has to be true. Typically, with faith, we have circumstantial evidence and historical recordings to validate its authenticity. We don't have the evidence we'd like to have.

https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/faith

a (1) : belief and trust in and loyalty to God (2) : belief in the traditional doctrines of a religion
b (1) : firm belief in something for which there is no proof (2) : complete trust

 

[JB1981]

Also these are the worst type of Atheists. Like why is it surprising for a non-believer to wish somebody a Merry Christmas or Happy Hanukkah?

Agree completely

 

[rjc571]

Maybe he's running for president in 2020?

 

[Alcotholic]

Im atheist and I celebrate christmas. Not for the birth of christ, but as a time to be with family.

 

[RoadHazard]

Atheist is just another word for "arrogant". How can we as inconsequential human beings say for a fact there is no God. When we don't know anything, really.

Atheism means that you don't believe there are any deities, since there is no evidence suggesting there are. It does not mean that you know none exist*. Just that you see no reason to believe in them, and so you don't.

* Yes, there are atheists who do claim to "know" this, but IMO they are almost as delusional as the people who claim to "know" that deity X does exist (although the latter is certainly even more unfounded).

Even Mr. Atheism, Richard Dawkins, doesn't claim to know there is no God. Here's his scale, on which he places himself (and I would place myself) as a 6, "de facto atheist":

1. Strong theist. 100 per cent probability of God. In the words of C.G. Jung: "I do not believe, I know."
2. De facto theist. Very high probability but short of 100 per cent. "I don't know for certain, but I strongly believe in God and live my life on the assumption that he is there."
3. Leaning towards theism. Higher than 50 per cent but not very high. "I am very uncertain, but I am inclined to believe in God."
4. Completely impartial. Exactly 50 per cent. "God's existence and non-existence are exactly equiprobable."
5. Leaning towards atheism. Lower than 50 per cent but not very low. "I do not know whether God exists but I'm inclined to be skeptical."
6. De facto atheist. Very low probability, but short of zero. "I don't know for certain but I think God is very improbable, and I live my life on the assumption that he is not there."
7. Strong atheist. "I know there is no God, with the same conviction as Jung knows there is one."

Anyone who would place themselves as a 1 or a 7 is unjustifiably sure of their thing, IMO.

 

[Melkezadek]

Im atheist and I celebrate christmas. Not for the birth of christ, but as a time to be with family.

Same. I've never met an atheist who was anti-Christmas.

 

[iceatcs]

Welcome to the last half of the life.

 

[Voyr]

This guy is planing to run for office. Calling it now.

Book it. In the face.

 

[CSJ]

What about Obama coming for gay marriage after saying he was against it originally?

This is the type of dogmatic silliness that plagues these discussions.

You don't respect his choice. That's fine. It's your opinion. But people change their heart on big things all the time. That's how progress works.

Learn to read first.
I said these specific matters.

(It also appears I edited something about the op while you responded)

 

[Sulik2]

Zuckerberg controls the single largest communication source in human history. If he wants to run for office he will have zero problems winning.

 

[entremet]

Learn to read first.
I said these specific matters.

I still don't see the controversy about people changing major views as an adult. It's incredibly common and it's not a sign of moral weakness.

Moreover, his statement is still rather vague. Yet some want to interpret it as him condoning dogmatic religious stances. But religion, in it's many flavors, is very important to many.

Sadly, that can mean outright persecution tribal religiosity has done toward minority groups. But that's not the reality for many.

However, if you want to dinged religion for its global track record. Fine with me. For many, it's an essential part of their lives and mostly constructive. I don't get the attacks, unless they're done due to a sense of skepticism and lack of authenticity from Zuck himself.

I think it's probably mostly that lol. People don't trust Zuck.

 

[mcz117chief]

Zuckerberg controls the single largest communication source in human history. If he wants to run for office he will have zero problems winning.

I don't think it would be that easy honestly. Just because people use Facebook doesn't mean they would elect him as the President.

 

[Slayven]

I don't think it would be that easy honestly. Just because people use Facebook doesn't mean they would elect him as the President.

The Right will hate him for being lefty media from California

The Left will hate him for being an "Elite" wit no real progressive stances

 

[mcz117chief]

The Right will hate him for being lefty media from California

The Left will hate him for being an "Elite" wit no real progressive stances

I'm not American so I don't understand American politics so I will have to take your word for it

 

[Air]

It's a personal choice. The man has the right to believe or not believe in whatever he wants.

Yep.

 

[HStallion]

Zuckerberg is just gearing up for that Presidential run in a few decades. He know's people won't for an avowed atheist

 

[The Kree]

I don't think it would be that easy honestly. Just because people use Facebook doesn't mean they would elect him as the President.

People gotta learn to stop assuming the impossible after rapist tax fraud with a 6th grade reading level Donald Trump got elected president. Nothing matters anymore. Mark Zuckerberg has better than even odds as far as I'm concerned.

 

[_Ryo_]

Im atheist and I celebrate christmas. Not for the birth of christ, but as a time to be with family.

Me too.

My family is religious though.

 

[y2dvd]

The questioning makes sense. Dude said he was an atheist this entire time then said a phrase that is very religious and someone asked him, "wait a minute, what are you again?"


It's like if a vegetarian I knew started eating meat. I'd be like, "Wait, I thought you didn't eat meat?"
"Oh, meat is good and is important in people's lives!"

 

[etta]

You can be an atheist and still believe religion is important...
I'm a man of science but I know how important religion is, how it can be the binding fabric of communities. It played an incredibly important role in the first Greek and Roman civilizations.

 

[Air]

I also think it's important to realize that with Zuck being a Jew, there's a different emphasis on exploring ones belief throughout their life. Maybe he's being coy and I can understand being skeptical of that, but some people saying changing beliefs is weakness, no one would go back to being religious, etc. Is about as willfully ignorant about facts as you can be.

 

[RoadHazard]

You can be an atheist and still believe religion is important...
I'm a man of science but I know how important religion is, how it can be the binding fabric of communities. It played an incredibly important role in the first Greek and Roman civilizations.

Why can't we unite over science, knowledge, progress, enlightenment, etc, instead? Religion has long since outlived its usefulness, and has been doing more harm than good for a long time (not saying it doesn't do any good, but it's my opinion that what good it does could just as well be achieved without any superstitious beliefs involved).

 

[etta]

Why can't we unite over science, knowledge, progress, enlightenment, etc, instead? Religion has long since outlived its usefulness, and has been doing more harm than good for a long time.

Because people need the choice to believe in what they want to, that's what's truly important. It'd be ideal and more efficient for sure, but we don't live in an ideal world, and we have to find ways around it.

 

[Silent Chief]

Merry Christmas and Hannukah from my Dog.

Does that sound religious to you?

 

[RareFantasy64]

He seems like he'd be a great left-center candidate

 

[RustyNails]

Why can't we unite over science, knowledge, progress, enlightenment, etc, instead? Religion has long since outlived its usefulness, and has been doing more harm than good for a long time (not saying it doesn't do any good, but it's my opinion that what good it does could just as well be achieved without any superstitious beliefs involved).

Religion provides emotional support to millions where science doesnt. You may be content with the idea that god forbid your loved one dying and turning into dust, but not others. Religion provides comfort and meaning to terrible things that befall you. False comfort maybe, maybe not. The point is that it still has a role in society.

 

[Dr.JayP]

This thread is hilarious.

A man made a personal choice about his personal spiritual outlook. That's it. No big deal.

The fact that people are disturbed about this to the point that they need to analyze and rationalize his decision is absurd.

 

[Hot Coldman]

tbf if I somehow ended up that rich and in charge of basically all the world's information I'd think god was real too

 

[The Kree]

This thread is hilarious.

A man made a personal choice about his personal spiritual outlook. That's it. No big deal.

The fact that people are disturbed about this to the point that they need to analyze and rationalize his decision is absurd.

Thanks for stopping by to let us know that you're above caring about a thing that a public figure said.

 

[Tigress]

This guy is planing to run for office. Calling it now.

I don't know.. .this kind of worries me even more than Trump being president...

 

[entremet]

Why can't we unite over science, knowledge, progress, enlightenment, etc, instead? Religion has long since outlived its usefulness, and has been doing more harm than good for a long time (not saying it doesn't do any good, but it's my opinion that what good it does could just as well be achieved without any superstitious beliefs involved).

Science is an abstract and mostly a method of thinking and inquiry. For many, religion provides community and shared values.

Science, knowledge, and progress, don't visit you when you're sick. They don't raise money when you're in need. They don't listen to you when you're comfort when grieving.

Obviously, you can get that outside of religion. I'm just staying why it is appealing to many and it doesn't seem to abating.

 

[Sunster]

why is this even a thread?

 

[DontBeThatGuy]

What about Obama coming for gay marriage after saying he was against it originally?

This is the type of dogmatic silliness that plagues these discussions.

You don't respect his choice. That's fine. It's your opinion. But people change their heart on big things all the time. That's how progress works.

Obama was never actually against gay marriage. It was purely political.

 

[Emperor_Uriel]

people usually believe in religion and gods and as they grow older they realize the "truth"..Mark, what's wrong with you!?!?!?!

This isn't the case at all.

Children are religious because of their parents.

Adolescents and young adults are not because they are interested in questioning/distancing themselves from authoritarian forces in their lives.

Middle-Adulthood is the most loose period. Some people return to religion because of their spouse/children, others remain comfortably agnostic or form their own personal beliefs based on their experiences.

Late-Adulthood sees a huge return to religion as friends and family begin to pass away more frequently, the desire for community pushes people back to the open arms of their local religious centers.

Personally, I'll never criticize anyone for their beliefs as long as they aren't actively harmful to others. The most devout Atheists are just as annoying as the most devout Christians, arguing about things that are impossible to prove or disprove.

 

[Akainu]

here

more:
http://imgur.com/a/8YyaO

I'm agnostic, btw.

Am i supposed to cringe/hates these? That healing church. Yikes.

 

[psynergylover]

Come on GAF, y'all letting this thread get out of hand, so the man believes in a higher power.

the world(or facebook) ain't about to explode, just another day in the what we call life.

 

[ant_]

I'm Atheist and believe spirituality is very important.

 

[Spartancarver]

These seem like extraordinary claims that would be nice to be backed by evidence.

Haha, good luck with that

 

[kinggroin]

Good for him. Whatever brings him spiritual fulfilment. Hopefully he doesn't become some crazy zealot.

 

[mingoguaya]

The Rock vs Kanye vs Mark Zuckerberg.





:smh:

 

[Peterpan]

I can't take anyone who changes their mind in these specific matters seriously. (although the OP post isn't really the same as I'm about to mention)
Just like people who either change religion or denounce one.

All it tells me is as an adult you believed one thing and now you don't; as much as you defended it originally it's all now bullshit apparently.
Of course it's someone's right to, however it doesn't mean I can't think they're just making stuff up.

It reeks of hypocrisy.

And I'm supposed to respect that your new faith is as real as the last one was in your own mind.

I think people who are able to change opinions on these things are the best type of people. It means they are capable of critical thinking, just because I believed in the tooth fairy as a kid does not mean I am stuck in that belief. Rather rigid people display lack of critical thinking or any type of thinking that strays outside their norm. This is how ignorance is born.

 

[Garrett 2U]

Atheist is just another word for "arrogant". How can we as inconsequential human beings say for a fact there is no God. When we don't know anything, really.

Maybe because similar "inconsequential humans" told you there was a god in literature they wrote thousands of years ago?

 

[fantomena]

Going backwards? Sounds like some PR move. I was a christian until the age of 16-17 when I started questioning things and wanted evidence.

Believing in for example is the christian god is the same thing as people who belive Gandald as a God. Both are works of fiction who someone wrote, just that one of them is older than the other.

 

[rjinaz]

Im atheist and I celebrate christmas. Not for the birth of christ, but as a time to be with family.

I couldn't tell you the last time I heard "Christ" mentioned on Christmas. My family all consider themselves Christians mind you.

My Mom used to have a little nativity figure scene she would put up at least but she stopped doing that years ago.

Christians like to think of it as their holiday but really it's not anymore, it's for everybody.

 

[Brawly Likes to Brawl]

Atheist is just another word for "arrogant". How can we as inconsequential human beings say for a fact there is no God. When we don't know anything, really.

According to this logic, that's means everybody who doesn't claim agnosticism is "arrogant".

 

[Ishida]

Ahhh yes, I expected GAF to be extremely defensive about this and you guys didn't disappoint.

Great for Mark.

 

[Sunster]

I couldn't tell you the last time I heard "Christ" mentioned on Christmas. My family all consider themselves Christians mind you.

My Mom used to have a little nativity figure scene she would put up at least but she stopped doing that years ago.

Christians like to think of it as their holiday but really it's not anymore, it's for everybody.

We stole it from pagans originally so maybe it's for the best.