All religions ARE fairy tales, unless someone can prove them to be true.

you said:
“Well, simply because you believe there is no God does that make it true?”

No, but the fact that there is no evidence whatsoever of God’s existence, does.

Michael’s comment did over-generalize. That certainly was not legitimate. But his underlying point is that there are at least some religionists that couldn’t even stomach publicly displayed dissent. Those sorts are too intellectually weak to stand up to criticisms of their beliefs. They even railed against the unfounded, blanket ‘criticism’ of that billboard. If they are so afraid of even such a shabby critic, what’s that say about their beliefs?

This intellectual cowardice is not representative of all believers (to all indications, yourself included). I know many, thoughtful believers who welcome criticism and use it as a tool to refine their beliefs and interpretations and as a tool to educate nonbelievers about their beliefs.

“don’t atheists berate Christians (or Muslims, or Jews) for their arrogance in believing that theirs is the only true faith?”

Yes, quite frequently. One fine point I’d make is that atheists don’t berate Christians or Muslims etc., but Christians, and Muslims, and Jews, and Hindus, and Baha’is, and Nordic Pantheists, etc. I also think that it’s a fair criticism.

“All religions are fairy tales” is a definitive statement which cannot be proven”

Certainly, but “all celestial teapots are fairy tales” (Google ‘celestial teapot’ if you are unfamiliar with what this means) is equally a definitive statement that cannot be proven. As is “all species of dragons are fairy tales”. Yet, I doubt that you disagree with either of these statements for that reason.

It is not up to a-religionists to disprove every religion. It is up to one of the religions to prove itself true (if possible), which hasn’t happened yet.

Whether one is an atheist or believes in God, one’s actions and decisions should be advertisement enough. If one’s belief system has any merit at all, it will be evident to others.

The behavior of it’s adherents does not relate at all with the truth of the the belief system. Even if it were the case that one belief system had followers who were demonstrably superior in their behavior, by any metric, doesn’t make that belief system true. That system may be useful in engineering a good society, but the system need not be true. Heck, Aesop’s Fables are morally instructive and are untrue.

First: Michael says, “To me it just validates my belief that god botherers are weak, weak individuals. So weak, in fact, that they require a bearded old dude holding a lightening bolt over their head to make them do the right thing.”

I’m not in the habit of attacking people specifically, but in this case I had to make an exception. Are you serious? Michael, one has to be seriously dense to simplify and stereotype in this way and think it is a legitimate point of view. If I made an equivalently dense statement about atheists, I would expect a talking to from my peers. Moreover, your logic is flawed.

“If someone believes they have been molested by little green men, does that make it true?”

Well, simply because you believe there is no God does that make it true? So at the very least, we are at an impass. Believe it or not some of we “God botherers” base our beliefs in something more than blind faith or fear of “a bearded old dude holding a lightening bolt over [our heads].” I would hope you do the same. There are Christians out there with their heads in the dirt who make me ill, but we are not all like that.

Second: I believe fervently that God exists, and it pisses me off that someone put up a billboard like this, but not for the reasons one might think. It pisses me off every bit as much when Christians do the same. Throwing religion, or the lack thereof, in people’s faces with an impersonal and callous billboard ad is cowardly and deplorable, not to mention ineffective. Whether one is an atheist or believes in God, one’s actions and decisions should be advertisement enough. If one’s belief system has any merit at all, it will be evident to others.

Finally: Please correct me if I’m wrong, as I don’t frequent atheist circles, but don’t atheists berate Christians (or Muslims, or Jews) for their arrogance in believing that theirs is the only true faith? That billboard ad is every bit as arrogant. “All religions are fairy tales” is a definitive statement which cannot be proven, and for one to say it is to tell me that one knows absolutely everything there is to know about everything.

I look forward to some well-thought-out replies, I want to hear what you all have to say.

peace,
Daniel

I choose to believe fairytales. They might be the only way to see beyond the physical. Well, besides faith

Note: I am not 100% certain I understand your point of view from your post, but I got the impression you believe in god of some sort and were sort of sarcastically referring to fairytales from the original story. If I am wrong, please correct me.

The problem is, you believing fairytales does not allow you to see anything. Its a fairytale. You may believe you see something as a result of your belief in god, but that hardly makes it so. If someone believes they have been molested by little green men, does that make it true?