That is so good.

"Bone cancer in children? What's that about?"

Years ago I had a friend who was a physician. When I'd call him at work, he'd answer the phone by identifying his unit: "Pediatric cardiology." It always made me think -- why should there even need to be a medical specialty of pediatric cardiology?

There will be no in case.

Maybe this is the difference between the two categories -- no sophisticated epistemological analysis, just "an agnostic is a person who doesn't believe in God but who, unlike an atheist, is ready with a smartass comment in case God does show up."

One potential problem area for my theory is that Fry, who came up with this particular smartass comment, is an atheist. So I may need to do more work. Maybe I could get a grant....

on which way you'd go after you go. After all you are posting in this group, and the only reason lightening hasn't fried the server is because it's made of iron.

"Science says just give us one miracle and we will explain the rest." - Terence McKenna

I'm 68 and have pondered *the big question* for many decades now and have always come back to McKenna's abbreviated quoted above. I think religions are full of illogical contradictions and comforting fables (i.e shit).

Although I label myself an atheist, I could also consider myself pantheist. If forced to define "god," I'd say it would be something of a force rather than anything narcissistic religions describe. And, of course, there'll be no end of life reckoning and so, no in-case, smartass comment will be necessary.

Btw, I think all here agree that it doesn't take religion to be a good person-- our sense of right and wrong/ morality predates religion.

"god works in strange ways" or my other favorite, "Its not for us to presume to understand god and his reasons" or the other classic, "sometimes the child must pay for the sins of the father"...what the fuck is that about??
All in all, it is seriously sick mindset.

Ill play.
Me- What if he ,or she, is a hands off god?

[font style="font-family:'Georgia','Baskerville Old Face','Helvetica',fantasy;" size=4 color=teal]And then choosing to do nothing?

Then that makes him/her/it malevolent.[/font]

If he/she/it made a mud pie and left it in the primordial ooze to bake, I doubt it would have much interest in speaking with me at the pearly gates. "Hello little bug from the tiny planet I made, what can I do for you?" I just doubt it. And even if so, why should I bother with it?

be free

Is God willing to prevent evil, but not able? Then he is not omnipotent.
Is he able, but not willing? Then he is malevolent.
Is he both able and willing? Then whence cometh evil?
Is he neither able nor willing? Then why call him God?

~attributed to Epicurus

If he knew anything about Christian theology, he'd know it's the devil that does that stuff, and life is a struggle between good and evil. But let's not break DU's record of mouthing off about Christianity from the viewpoint of ignorance.

[font style="font-family:'Georgia','Baskerville Old Face','Helvetica',fantasy;" size=4 color=teal]Give me a break...

And he and the rest of us know plenty about Christian Theology because we grew up with it.

I'd explain why it's so lame but somehow I think it'd be something like arguing about theology with a clam.

Speaking of mouthing off, you do know you're in a protected group, right?

Until that last sentence. Conclusion: you're one of the brainwashed ignorant. This is the atheist-agnostic group, btw.

One god -- except for the lesser god who torments us and manufactures bugs and microbes and parasites and disease. So there is one god who has a three-in-one personality and his good buddy Satan, who the big cheese allows to amuse himself with us. I could go on at length about my argument with the god as revealed in the Bible. Those stories don't mention Satan, but they describe a petty and capricious deity I'd sooner have nothing to do with.

How very "christian" of him.

And I'll bet you $1,000 that the atheists at DU know FAR more about the Christian faith and the Bible than do believers.

Is a mythological answer to a mythological question. I think that's a circular argument.
I could make up that unicorns create bacteria that eats childrens eyes. Its not in your bible, but its in mine. So there is no Devil and as a matter of fact , in the original bible there was no devil.
It is we, who are the devil.

A man alleging he had been injured by what you call "that stuff" brought suit in federal court in Pittsburgh against "Satan and his staff" for having caused him misery.

Unfortunately, the case provided no theological enlightenment. Instead, it failed on procedural grounds. The complaint did not allege that Satan resided in the Western District of Pennsylvania, and the court was not satisfied that service of process could be effected.

You can see the full text of the court's decision here.

by men who would keep fear in their subjects.

I have never heard a satisfactory response to this.