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Structure
Interesting Questions, Facts and Information
- There are a total of 25 general entries.
Special Topics
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 Interesting Questions, Facts, and Information
 Atheism and Agnosticism
Boy Scouts of America. The BSA also prohibits gays. The BSA's official resolution which can be viewed at http://www.scouting.org/media/press/020206/resolution.html, has such comments as:
"The national officers agree with the report that 'duty to God is not a mere ideal for those choosing to associate with the Boy Scouts of America; it is an obligation.'"
"The Boy Scouts of America has made a commitment 'to provide faith-based values to its constituency in a respectful manner.'"
| Who said, in response to a question on his religious beliefs, "I find enough mystery in mathematics to satisfy my spiritual needs."? | Atheism and Agnosticism
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Tom Lehrer. Many people do not realize that Lehrer, more widely known for his satirical and comical songs such as "Be Prepared" and "Poisoning Pigeons in the Park," was a mathematics professor. In the interview, he went on to state, "I think, for example, that pi is mysterious enough (don't get me started!) without having to worry about God. Or if pi isn't enough, how about fractals? Or quantum mechanics?"
| Who stated, "I do not believe in a personal God and I have never denied this but have expressed it clearly. If something is in me which can be called religious then it is the unbounded admiration for the structure of the world so far as our science can reveal it."? | Atheism and Agnosticism
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Albert Einstein. Einstein wrote this in a letter in 1954. http://jeromekahn123.tripod.com/thinkersonreligion/id8.html has a good discussion of the misconception that Einstein was a religious man.
| Which American president, in an interview with the press, stated, "No, I don't know that atheists should be considered as citizens, nor should they be considered patriots. This is one nation under God"? | Atheism and Agnosticism
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George H. W. Bush. Bush Sr. made this comment in 1987, in Chicago, Illinois, while on the campaign trail, to reporter Robert Sherman of American Atheists.
No. As written on a web page at the "Ebon Musings" site, http://www.ebonmusings.org/atheism/intro.html- "I'm not an atheist because I hate God. To hate God I would first have to believe in him, and then I wouldn't be an atheist anymore." In short, you cannot hate something that you don't believe in. Atheists may deplore the damage that organized religion has done to the world, but they do not hate God.
The atheist does not believe in gods; the agnostic believes that we do not or cannot know if God exists.. The meanings can be determined by looking at the derivations of the words. The prefix "a" means "not," or "without." "theist" refers to belief in God. "gnostic" comes from a Greek root meaning "to know." Therefore, the atheist is without God; the agnostic is without knowledge.
De facto atheist. Dawkins quashed claims that he was an explicit atheist by pronouncing himself a de facto atheist. He defies any belief that God exists but does not consider himself an explicit atheist, but rather in between explicit and implicit atheism. He is the author of 'The God Delusion', 'The Selfish Gene', 'Climbing Mount Improbable', and 'The Blind Watchmaker' among others.
George Smith. An implicit atheist does not have the belief in him that God exists, but is not conscious of it, whereas an explicit atheist consciously defies theistic beliefs.
France. Atheism is derived from the word 'athéisme' which originated in France in the 16th Century. It is a belief that God does not exist.
Hrafnkell. Hrafnkell was a famous Icelandic chieftain. The medieval Icelandic tale, Hrafnkell's Saga, says how Hrafnkell became an atheist, after his being captured by Þorgeirr, a powerful chieftain. As his temple burned, he stated 'I think it is folly to have faith in the Gods'.
865 AD. Abu Bakr (also know as Rasia) often criticized religion harshly. In his work, 'The Prophets' Fraudulent Tricks', he stated 'On what ground do you deem it necessary that God should single out certain individuals [by giving them prophecy], that he should set them up above other people, that he should appoint them to be the people's guides, and make people dependent upon them?'.
He often considered Prophets devious and tortuous, who had psychological problems. He went as far as commenting on the Koran, the Muslim's holy book, by saying 'You claim that the evidentiary miracle is present and available, namely, the Koran. You say: "Whoever denies it, let him produce a similar one." Indeed, we shall produce a thousand similar, from the works of rhetoricians, eloquent speakers and valiant poets, which are more appropriately phrased and state the issues more succinctly. They convey the meaning better and their rhymed prose is in better meter. ... By God what you say astonishes us! You are talking about a work which recounts ancient myths, and which at the same time is full of contradictions and does not contain any useful information or explanation. Then you say: "Produce something like it"?!'.
(These quotes are taken from 'http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Muhammad_ibn_Zakariya_al-Razi#On_Religion')
Diagoras. Diagoras was born in the 5th Century BC in Melos. He criticized religion and the Eleusinian Mysteries, which were based on religion. He was then forced to flee from Athens, and ultimately died in Corinth. The Eleusinian mysteries were held every year in Eleusis, ancient Greece, for the worshipers of Demeter.
528 BC. Gautama Buddha was once known as the Prince Siddhartha. He was banned from going out of the palace by his father, so he never knew anything about the world outside. However one day, when his father was out, he summoned his charioteer and rode into the world where he saw four different sights-an old man, a sick man, a corpse and an ascetic. Then, he vowed to live as an ascetic, so as to escape disease, old age and death. He sat under a Bodhi (pipal) tree for 49 days, meditating, and then attained Enlightenment. From then on, he became known as Gautama Buddha.
Atheos. The word 'atheism' originates from the Greek word Atheos. Atheos means 'without gods'.
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