STRIDENT Atheist Pre-Final Round

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I was wondering why my name wasn't included on the poll. I figured the poll was going to be done in two rounds

While I am pleased to have made it this far, I must withdraw from the contest, as I am not an Atheist.

Thank you all for your support!

Yes. You can check by clicking the link in my signature, and finding the last list(which is usually going to be in the last page, if not a page or two before it)

I would have to dig it out again, and I am not sure where exactly the information was. However, I do know that MENSA used to accept standardized college entrance exams for admission into their club, but ended that policy since they found SAT/ACT scores did not correlate with results from IQ tests well enough. Some of the graduate admission tests are still accepted, if I'm not mistaken.


That actually seems fairly reasonable. Some people do score exactly n standard deviations away from the norm. I did not hit an exact increment of 15 away from 100 when I took it. This test is a fairly good proxy, but since it only tests one thing, it is not exactly comparable to a traditional IQ test. At least one study has found that autistics, on average, do significantly better on the Raven's test than on traditional IQ tests. However, this study was done with "low-functioning" autistics, so I am not sure if the results generalize to "high-functioning" autistics.

You aren't? Are you not the one always demanding "Evidence, please?" And your sigline certainly is not that of a convinced theist.

But, as with HerrGrimm, if a candidate wishes to withdraw from the race, we will accept that.

Don't mistake intelligence for atheism... or vice versa, for that matter.

Trust me, I have been on the wrong side of that misunderstanding too frequently already (hence my parody run in this election). But Fnord has very consistently argued against religion. I don't think you were here before Fnord's ban, but he certainly was very STRIDENT about it.

I am stridently against what religion has done to Theism, which is to ruin and pervert it to the self-interests of religious leaders.

That it harms none, believe or not believe as you will.

I am a Theist, and I support Ruveyn in this poll.

This is news to me. Would you care to elaborate? Do you mean you are some sort of Deist, believing in an impersonal God?

Well... I haven't been here long, you're right. But there seems to be a tendency on this board to define atheism in the broadest possible sense. Such that it excludes a lot of thinking that most would consider atheistic. Kind of a paradox. Most people would consider me quite an atheistic. But here, I'm considered a theist.

But Ruveyn also protests his inclusion in this poll on the grounds that he is not an atheist. If you can support him, I will continue to support you on the grounds that your anti-religious position is close enough.

I believe in a Divine Creator, who may or may not take personal interest in Creation. I believe in the teachings of Jesus of Nazareth, who was framed by the local religious authorities for crimes he did not commit, and who was executed by an occupying military force.

I do not believe in any human "interpretations" of what is written in the Bible, as there is no clear consensus as to which parts are literal and which parts are not. Also, humans tend to interpret any religious writings to their own purposes, and maybe even alter those writings from their original form for the same reasons.

And while it is nice to attend church in order to socialize with friends and family, most of what is said or done as part of the regular service seems contrived - meaningless rituals, arbitrary dogma, and false prophesies are the norm.

As for my own religion - my own personal religion - it is based on the Pagan ideal of "That it harms none, do what you will". The trouble with that one is that if I provoke others to examine and question their own beliefs, they perceive it as an attack, and thus harmful.

So there is this continuous examination of what "harm" really is - a deliberate effort to cause pain and trauma, or a side effect of encouraging spiritual growth in others? And which is more harmful - to encourage others to grow, or to let them wallow in ignorance, self-pity, and pain?

Is it 4:30 yet? I really need a beer...

Then choose whom you think is most worthy of your vote, and vote accordingly.

This is starting to get interesting.

I may not be the most strident but I'll argue the best of 'em.

And I'm not voting for Fnord. His stance is far too ambiguous. I keep thinking he is, then he's arguing against or for...

Know that he is a theist and look at his signature.

Last edited by MasterJedi on 21 May 2011, 2:12 pm, edited 1 time in total.

Very well then, ruveyn will not be included in the next poll. Shame, since he looked like a favorite to win it all.