Comments on: Definition of an Atheist

By: Fred

Fred — Mon, 16 Jun 2008 07:05:36 +0000

People like Ray Comfort scare me……..

Please don’t let comedians scare you, there are worse things to be frightened of on this planet.

By: Friendly Atheist » Ray Comfort Lies Again

Friendly Atheist » Ray Comfort Lies Again — Fri, 28 Dec 2007 22:35:01 +0000

[...] Bananaman Ray Comfort is not just lying about the definition of an atheist; he’s lying about my [...]

By: Karen

Karen — Thu, 27 Dec 2007 17:43:08 +0000

remember, as a teenager in the 70s, throwing rotten fruit at this crazed idiot back in Christchurch, New Zealand until he disappeared for tax evasion.

Another one of these idiots who doesn’t pay taxes? It’s like an epidemic or something. What don’t they get about “render unto Caesar” ?

By: miller

miller — Wed, 26 Dec 2007 21:21:16 +0000

Well, dictionaries are supposed to be descriptive, not prescriptive. They shouldn’t be stifling the evolution of words. I’ve seen lots of atheists dispute dictionaries when they say an atheist is “a person who believes there is no god” (they want it to say “a person who doesn’t believe there is a god”). I think it is entirely legitimate to redefine the word, especially if you are part of a group identifying by the term. If you want a nuanced term, and “atheist” is the closest word, why can’t you use it?

However, Comfort’s definition is not legitimate for precisely the reasons Munjaros brought up.

By: Munjaros

Munjaros — Wed, 26 Dec 2007 18:54:58 +0000

I actually did comment on Ray’s definition. Mine is the first comment starting out “Lol…”

By: Maria

Maria — Wed, 26 Dec 2007 17:48:32 +0000

People like Ray Comfort scare me……..

By: Homo economicus

Homo economicus — Wed, 26 Dec 2007 17:17:03 +0000

In one of my blogs a believer actually said that we had to separate truth from facts. When I pointed out that truth is based on facts that have been verified he said the onus was on me to prove that definition. Presumably the English language does not count ….

By: Marty

Marty — Wed, 26 Dec 2007 16:56:28 +0000

“You PRETEND that God’s there for you,” she said. It doesn’t spare you from tragedy, “but eventually you know it’s going to be OK.”

By: Marty

Marty — Wed, 26 Dec 2007 16:55:04 +0000

It’s interesting that Comfort used the word “pretend.”

I’ve found that one can substitute the word “pretend” for “believe” or the phrase “have faith” in nearly every instance without changing the meaning of the sentence.

From the Dec. 25 San Diego Union-Tribune (but could be from anywhere):
“You have faith that God’s there for you,” she said. It doesn’t spare you from tragedy, “but eventually you know it’s going to be OK.”

By: Anatoly

Anatoly — Wed, 26 Dec 2007 16:06:34 +0000

I’m surprised that you even read his blog, Hemant, I tried doing that until my brain crashed due to lack of activity.

Anyway, since there are no verbal absolutes, I wonder how Ray Comfort can comprehend (or not) his Bible – after all, maybe they’re talking about a great recipe for fish and chips and not a plan for salvation from an omniscient, omnipotent being.