/atheism/ - Atheism

You don't need to spend much money, OP. Here are some free resources:

First check out this embedded video.

This book is pretty good by a biologist I really respect:
http://bayanbox.ir/view/4895178644579663320/Coyne-Why-Evolution-Is-True-True-PDF.pdf

Dawkin's book on evolution:
http://bayanbox.ir/view/5120095402588051509/the-greatest-show-on-earth.pdf

This goes over speciation and experiments that have forced speciation (a mechanism of evolution) in lab. Fruit flies are found to differentiate into distinct subspecies in over several generations observable in lab.
http://www.rochester.edu/college/BIO/professors/fry/Fry_speciation_expevol_2009.pdf


Also I grew up in a quasi-Christian home, went to Catholic school because it was the nicest school in the district. I did believe in god out of fear and loneliness. But to this day I have found no evidence for this belief and instead of comforting myself with what is likely and illusion I decided to deal with it. I don't want to die, I like the idea of immortality more than anything. But instead of deluding myself with a what I can only expect to be a nice fantasy I decided to study biology and engineering in order to try to achieve this. I probably won't but at least I'll do more than sitting and waiting. As for evolution there's so much evidence.

Here's a pretty useful website:

http://www.talkorigins.org/

>>3427
Thanks anon. Saved those pdfs to read when I have the time.

The thing about the laryngeal nerve was interesting but I'm sure there would be some objections out there. One I thought up while watching the video (which I then noticed some creationists making) was whether the nerve has other functions that necessitate it having to take a long route.

But I guess I'll start with the books you gave rather than trying to refute creationist arguments against a thing I don't really understand yet.

>>3435
It's a nerve, it goes from tip to tail in function. If it was a blood vessel that has function throughout the length, diffusing oxygen and nutrients.

>>3438
So nerves can't branch off and do multiple tasks along one route?

Forgive my ignorance but I really wasn't educated in biology at all past primary school.

>>3424
Evolution didn't play a big part in my de-conversion process. History, the liberal arts, religious study, reading about the news in the Middle East, and reading the bible all did more to persuade me.

I read some forum arguments of both sides on the internet, and I passed through High School biology deciding that maybe domestication = biology. At college I had to take another Biology class and this time I decided it was real. Plate continental drift theory explained why the fossil record was scattered, evolution explained why Australian marsupial animals are unlike pretty much any other mammals (they were isolated on a continent and evolved differently), it explained why New Zealand only has birds and no mammals (only birds could fly that far), and them we had those beautiful maps and evolution flow charts…there wasn't a single day that I decided I believed it, and I stubbornly resisted it for years, but eventually I accepted it made a lot of sense.

What learning evolution has done is make it created friction and distrust for the church that will make it much harder to ever go back. Coupled with Genesis's astronomy fail, and the Pope's bans on reading Galieo's work, the church's dislike of Darwin has given me enough ammo to know now that most people in the church were wrong about science for most of their history. This could not have happened if it were a divinely inspired or guided institution. This would not have happened if the church did not try to over-extend themselves to talking on subjects without evidence. I now know the inclination to overreach and believe in things that fly contrary to nature will always be part of the church.

You should make this thread on /sci/. Even though I'm sure 99% of us believe in evolution they probably have people who've studied it more and could give you better sources.

>>3443
Maybe I will. Though I was also interested in hearing deconversion stories that featured evolution. Just for the hell of it.

>>3441
They can but not in this instance.

>>3430
Specifically this part. If you have the time you might want to cross compare what you have heard about evolution from your peers with this: http://www.talkorigins.org/indexcc/
It's basically an index of common creationist arguments.

I'd also recommend CDK007's videos on evolution: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLF626DD5B2C1F0A87

>>3765
Retard detected.

>>3765
>trying to troll us with a horrendously bad strawman

Come on man, at least try.

>>3768

>the only significance about 'big words' is that they have more syllables

Never change Ray, never change

Here you go bro:

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL82yk73N8eoX8RpvQfjdupAKFWKjtMhTe

>>3765
I am "preaching to choir" here. (Please forgive the religious expression) but I can give proofs.

1. Bacteria becoming resistant to Antibiotics.

2. The white moths in great Britain that became black as air pollution killed the lichen on the trees the used to hide on. Then they turned white again when the lichen came back as air pollution increased.

>>3802
Yes, this is elementary school stuff.

>>3809
It is actually. Theists seem to think atheists have no sense of humor and we can't laugh at ourselves. One joke that's not funny: Fedoras, I have never understood this. And I like that stupid banana picture and ayy lmao, if only because of how angry they seem to make people. But I just don't get the fedora thing.

>>3815
Fedoras are basically "You disagree with me on the internet!" All things considered, I think the euphoric stuff can be funny.

>>3815
I have never actually met this fedora stereotype. I'm positive that they exist, but they can't be that common.

>>6921
It has more to do with Christians projecting when they meet Atheists.

>>6921
I have. There was a nerdy dude that was in my high school. He was over weight, had scruffy neck beard and often wore a fedora. Ironically he was a young earth creationist. No, I'm not making this up.

>>6922
>Atheism doesn't give humanity an inherent purpose or provides a series of moral guidelines
And? That's why no one in the right mind would base anything in society off of atheism alone.

Hell, the very description is incorrect. Atheism doesn't say shit about the afterlife. One can believe in a heaven or hell of sorts or reincarnation and still be an atheist. Most atheists don't believe in an afterlife however for the same reason they don't believe in a god: lack of evidence.