[Sailor Steve]

Originally Posted by August

Steve, Steve, Steve.

Condescension much?

You could have looked this up yourself but you seem to have entered that nanny moderator mode where you want to chastise me so you pick apart everything I say into tiny little bits believing that the sheer volume of responses required will shut me up.

Dave, Dave, Dave (such an easy game to play - and it is a game)

Yes, I could have looked it up, but, I couldn't be sure that any definition I found would be the one you meant by it. I had a little bit of understanding, being slightly familiar with the SJW pejorative. Enough of an idea to ask whether the term didn't also apply to yourself. I notice you sidestepped it quite nicely - along with all my other questions. It seems like an easy way out, just calling people names.

And no, I don't want to shut you up, or chastise you. I want to have this conversation.

Remember how you explained that tactic to me awhile back? Did you think I forgot?

No, I don't remember. Please enlighten me.

Well sorry but I won't play your game.

But you continue to play your own, which is to avoid what people say, put your own words in their mouths and attack that straw man repeatedly.

What I did do is try to address every one of the points you've made. You reply by coming back with this curious attack, but not actually addressing anything I really said.

1. When you complained about people arguing over the existence of God rather than give solutions, I asked who, in this thread, has argued over the existence of God? You didn't answer.

2.

To everyone else like I have repeatedly said I believe that the removal of religion, the way of life since the beginning of recorded history billions and billions of people, will leave an enormous hole in their lives that could and has been filled in the past by things far worse than the mainstream religions that the God haters want so much to destroy.

Yes, you did say that repeatedly. The last time I pointed out that you seemed to be ignoring the part where Skybird agrees with you on that. As I said, ignoring what people actually say and making it into a strawman.

Rockstar mentions the Commies, the most well known athiests in human history for one example but i'd also add the radical "religious" cults that are springing up in more profusion as the mainstreams loose power.

As I pointed out, the "mainstreams" have been just as much a part of the problem as anyone else. As for "The Commies", yes, some of them have been some of the worst. That said, people like Stalin may not have believed in any God, but none of them ever said they were committing their atrocities in the name of Atheism. I would say Stalin did worship something, that thing being his own lust for power. This is the same malady suffered by a great many kings and dictators, many of whom called themselves "Godly Men".

On the other hand the Scandinavian countries boast some of the best standards of living in the world, and they are predominantly non-believers.

People have got to believe in something,,,

Do they really? Why?

There is one thing you seemingly don't understand about me at all. The questions I just asked are not because I like to be contrary, or because I necessarily believe that. I ask questions like that to try to open up a dialogue, to really discuss the concepts. As I've said many times, I don't claim to have any answers. I also tend not to trust people who claim they do. There always seems to be a hidden agenda.

...and when those beliefs are taken away or substituted with antiseptic state replacements violence and alienation is the result.

And yet there are so many examples of violence and alienation caused by the very organizations we have now.

Maybe if the perpetrators of these school shootings in recent years had a dose of religion they may not have committed their terrible crimes. Our society has created this spiritual wasteland that allows these monsters to thrive.

Maybe. On the other hand that leads directly to one of the main pro-gun arguments, which I'll bet you have used at one time or the other. I know I have. That is the simple question "How many Atheists didn't kill anybody yesterday?"