Atheist Celebrities

[Thumpalumpacus]

Why am I not surprised that you completely missed my "favorite team" point? It's not "team atheism." Maybe I shouldn't but, to be honest, I'll see them differently now. Not much, but a little. I'll watch a film occasionally, crucify me. I'll come at them from a different angle now.

I got your point, and I drew the analogy out in depth.  Don't like it?  Think about what you're posting before you post it.

But you took the opportunity of a lifetime - to turn a "some might be interested to know this" moment into a "this is where I make sure they know what kind of guy I am - too, too hardcore."

As far as what kind of guy I am, you're making a funny judgment colored by the fact that we disagree here, but really, you know very little about me outside that, so don't pretend you know anything about any sort of self-image I hold.  That's just you showing that you're willing to run your mouth while your brain's in neutral.  

If you want to know what kind of person I am, you could, you know, read my posts for content.  I'm a fairly open person and actually prefer being mild and gentle ... but not at the expense of voicing my opinion.

If you don't want to know me or what kind of person I am, I'd suggest learning how to use the "ignore" feature.  I'll live, don't worry.

Oh, and by the way, are you saying that there shouldn't be threads about high-profile people who surprisingly turn out to be atheists?

No.  Read what I actually wrote:  "It is a pretty pointless thing, worrying about the opinions of people you neither know nor love."  Along with: "Reason first, and whatever conclusion that brings about."  

It's really simple.  I'm surprised you missed it.

[Zatoichi]

I'd be more interested to see a list of celebrity Flat-Earthers.

I mean... so many of them are so painfully stupid beyond belief that statistically there has to be at least a few.

[Johan]

I guess I'm weird but I really don't give a shit what most celebrities think or do. And so I always have a hard time understanding why anyone else gives a shit about them. They're actors or musicians or athletes for the most part. I've known and worked with a lot of actors and musicians and a few athletes in my day and the majority of them were about as dumb as a stump. Nice enough people most of the time, although some of them wouldn't think twice about stealing anything you owned that wasn't nailed down if you gave them the chance. But I guess I've always viewed most celebrities as simply more popular and/or successful versions of the same dimwitted actors, musicians and athletes that I've known personally. So thus I usually have a hard time giving a shit about what any of them think.

[Plu]

I agree with Johan. This whole celebrity reverance thing is stupid. It's ridiculous enough to care about the personal lives and opinions of people you don't know and that don't affect you in the slightest, but it's even more ridiculous that apparently the opinions of people you don't know and that don't affect you actually change your own.

Seriously, ridiculous. (But then again, anyone calling a sports team "my team" is also in my ridiculous camp, unless he happens to own said team)

[BarkAtTheMoon]

Bruce lee is the best atheist ever . A atheist with his martial arts skills . Nobody can beat that .

Or him.

Douglas Adams, Ayaan Hirsi Ali, Woody Allen, Fred Armisen, Lance Armstrong, Darren Aronofsky, Isaac Asimov, Dan Barker, Dave Barry, Ingmar Bergman, Niels Bohr, Richard Branson, James Cameron, George Carlin, John Carmack, Adam Carolla, John Carpenter, Asia Carrera, Fidel Castro, Noam Chomsky, Jeremy Clarkson, Billy Connolly, Francis Crick, David Cronenberg, David Cross, Alan Cumming, Rodney Dangerfield, Richard Dawkins, Daniel Dennett, Ani DiFranco, Micky Dolenz, Albert Einstein, Harlan Ellison, Paul Erd?s, Richard Feynman, Harvey Fierstein, Larry Flynt, Dave Foley, Jodie Foster, Janeane Garofalo, Bill Gates, Bob Geldof, Ricky Gervais, Ira Glass, James Gleick, Robert Heinlein, Ernest Hemingway, Katharine Hepburn, Christopher Hitchens, Jamie Hyneman, Eddie Izzard, Penn Jillette, Billy Joel, Diane Keaton, Michael Kinsley, Keira Knightley, John Landis, Hugh Laurie, Artie Lange, Richard Leakey, Bruce Lee, Tom Lehrer, John Lennon, Tom Leykis, James Lipton, H.P. Lovecraft, Ernst Mach, Seth MacFarlane, Bill Maher, John Malkovich, Barry Manilow, Todd McFarlane, Sir Ian McKellen, Arthur Miller, Frank Miller, Claude Monet, Julianne Moore, Rafael Nadal, Randy Newman, Mike Nichols, Jack Nicholson, Gary Numan, Bob Odenkirk, Patton Oswalt, Camille Paglia, Trey Parker, Steven Pinker, Paula Poundstone, Terry Pratchett, Robin Quivers, James Randi, Ron Reagan Jr., Rob Reiner, Keanu Reeves, Rick Reynolds, Gene Roddenberry, Joe Rogan, Henry Rollins, Andy Rooney, Salman Rushdie, Adam Savage, Brian Sapient, Erwin Schrödinger, Bob Simon, Steven Soderbergh, Annika Sorenstam, George Soros, Richard Stallman, Howard Stern, Matt Stone, Julia Sweeney, Teller, Studs Terkel, Pat Tillman, Alan Turing, Eddie Vedder, Gore Vidal, Vincent van Gogh, Kurt Vonnegut Jr., Steven Weinberg, Joss Whedon, Ted Williams, Steve Wozniak

I almost did a spit take seeing Brian Sapient on that list.

[Farroc]

I like Bruce Lee. I've downloaded a few of his movies.(He's dead! I'm not stealing anything! :P )

[Sleeper]

Why am I not surprised that you completely missed my "favorite team" point? It's not "team atheism." Maybe I shouldn't but, to be honest, I'll see them differently now. Not much, but a little. I'll watch a film occasionally, crucify me. I'll come at them from a different angle now.

I got your point, and I drew the analogy out in depth.  Don't like it?  Think about what you're posting before you post it.

Mmm, that's more like you reading into it something that isn't there.

As far as what kind of guy I am, you're making a funny judgment colored by the fact that we disagree here, but really, you know very little about me outside that, so don't pretend you know anything about any sort of self-image I hold.  That's just you showing that you're willing to run your mouth while your brain's in neutral.

If you want to know what kind of person I am, you could, you know, read my posts for content.  I'm a fairly open person and actually prefer being mild and gentle ... but not at the expense of voicing my opinion.

If you don't want to know me or what kind of person I am, I'd suggest learning how to use the "ignore" feature.  I'll live, don't worry.

You're right, I don't know what kind of guy you are. Perhaps I'll know better in the future, and I'm sure we'll find some commonality there. But you seem to be making a mountain out of a non-issue about which you could have said "whatever" and skated. And I know what that seems like.

*sigh, don't have time to fuck with the double quotes here...

Me - Oh, and by the way, are you saying that there shouldn't be threads about high-profile people who surprisingly turn out to be atheists?

You - No.  Read what I actually wrote:  "It is a pretty pointless thing, worrying about the opinions of people you neither know nor love."  Along with: "Reason first, and whatever conclusion that brings about."

I was responding to what you actually wrote, and it wasn't the instance you quoted...

Then why start a thread about what someone you don't even know believes? Just because someone is an atheist doesn't mean that their opinion is meaningful.

That one. So no threads about the beliefs of those we don't know. I got your point, and I drew it out in depth... and you know the rest.

And I never said I cared about their opinions. Just happen to agree with that particular one.

I agree with Johan. This whole celebrity reverance thing is stupid. It's ridiculous enough to care about the personal lives and opinions of people you don't know and that don't affect you in the slightest, but it's even more ridiculous that apparently the opinions of people you don't know and that don't affect you actually change your own.

Seriously, ridiculous. (But then again, anyone calling a sports team "my team" is also in my ridiculous camp, unless he happens to own said team)

Please provide evidence that anyone here is revering celebrities or has had their opinions changed by a celebrity's opinion. I neither know nor care anything about these people, other than their lack of religious beliefs, which, actually, I am glad to know.

I give as much a shit about these folks as I do about, well – you - which is about as far as solidarity between my fellow primates counts (Go Team Primate!) There are not, however, two shits to be found about what is or is not in your "ridiculous camp," as no one has given them. Sorry I consider them "my teams." It's quicker than saying "the teams for which I cheer."

[Thumpalumpacus]

Then why start a thread about what someone you don't even know believes? Just because someone is an atheist doesn't mean that their opinion is meaningful.

That one. So no threads about the beliefs of those we don't know. I got your point, and I drew it out in depth... and you know the rest.

I asked you why you started the thread.  I didn't say "don't start a thread about the beliefs of others".  That's pretty clear from my language.

It's clear, also, that I think these sorts of threads are pretty vapid.  Then again, I've never really given much thought to whether my views are shared in the wider culture.

[Shiranu]

So vapid y'all feel the need to whine and moan about the fact that someone was simply curious about someone's religious views... and turn a non-issue into to some stupid debate...

No one is "revering celebrities", no one is asking so they can feel more justified in their beliefs... its just a matter of,"Huh... That's cool.".

Although I would argue recognized celebrities of any ideal or orientation ARE useful because it makes those positions more socially recognized and accepted (like it or not), that is not what this thread is about.

[Plu]

I agree with Johan. This whole celebrity reverance thing is stupid. It's ridiculous enough to care about the personal lives and opinions of people you don't know and that don't affect you in the slightest, but it's even more ridiculous that apparently the opinions of people you don't know and that don't affect you actually change your own.

Seriously, ridiculous. (But then again, anyone calling a sports team "my team" is also in my ridiculous camp, unless he happens to own said team)

Please provide evidence that anyone here is revering celebrities or has had their opinions changed by a celebrity's opinion. I neither know nor care anything about these people, other than their lack of religious beliefs, which, actually, I am glad to know.

I give as much a shit about these folks as I do about, well – you - which is about as far as solidarity between my fellow primates counts (Go Team Primate!) There are not, however, two shits to be found about what is or is not in your "ridiculous camp," as no one has given them. Sorry I consider them "my teams." It's quicker than saying "the teams for which I cheer."

To be honest, I don't think there's anyone here who'll have their opinions changed by a public figure without authority. The people here seem to smart for that. It was more a general comment aimed at society.

Also, regardless of whether you call it "my team" or "the team for which I cheer", if you're still rooting for a bunch of people who don't know you, it still looks silly to me.

[Sleeper]

Then why start a thread about what someone you don't even know believes? Just because someone is an atheist doesn't mean that their opinion is meaningful.

That one. So no threads about the beliefs of those we don't know. I got your point, and I drew it out in depth... and you know the rest.

I asked you why you started the thread.  I didn't say "don't start a thread about the beliefs of others".  That's pretty clear from my language.

It's clear, also, that I think these sorts of threads are pretty vapid.  Then again, I've never really given much thought to whether my views are shared in the wider culture.

You asked why I started a thread about the beliefs of  people that I don't know. But whatever, we're back where we started and I don't think this topic is worth either of our argumentative skills.

[Sleeper]

To be honest, I don't think there's anyone here who'll have their opinions changed by a public figure without authority. The people here seem to smart for that. It was more a general comment aimed at society.

Agree completely, and...

Also, regardless of whether you call it "my team" or "the team for which I cheer", if you're still rooting for a bunch of people who don't know you, it still looks silly to me.

...you're not a sports fan. Got it.

[Plu]

Not a fan of people cheering for people they don't know on a personal level, in general. Not sports, not music, not movies, not science, nothing. It doesn't just extend to sports (which, indeed, I'm not a fan of, but that's besides the point)

I don't really care for the personal lives of celebrities, no matter what their field. I can better spend that time on people that I actually know and spend time with.

[stromboli]

It isn't about reverence, but recognition. People identify with celebrities. respect and admire someone and then discover he/she is an atheist causes people to think. Not that complicated.

[Plu]

I never claimed it to be complicated, just silly. But that might just be because it's something I seem to lack entirely.