Atheism: The Ultimate Guide (COMPLETED)

11. Answers Part 2

@IslandApricot : What do you think about the LGBT community? 

Considering I'm part of it, I think it's wonderful. I love how this day and age is so much more accepting of queer people, unlike previous generations and time periods were. Even though there are still bigoted homophobes, hate crimes, and still a general dislike from many people around the world, in some first world countries at least it's being easier to be gay ;) I'm bisexual myself, and I love that I can openly state that here and not get a bunch of shit for it. 

@Ava2222 : How do you feel about homophobia? 

I hate it. It's one of the things I despise most on this planet. The actual definition of homophobia is, "the dislike of or prejudice against homosexual people", however I include homphobes as people who think being gay is wrong. I want to get something straight first: I don't hate homophobes. I only hate (or at least strongly dislike) homophobes if they commit a hate crime or insult queer people/a queer person. If someone simply thinks being gay is wrong, I won't hate them for it. Unfortunately, one of my closest friends is a Mormon who is vehemently against gay rights. Being queer myself, it really hurts when people claim it's a choice, or it's against their religion, or if it's simply wrong, or gross. It's not like I can choose to be gay. I think that's something a lot of religious people or homophobes (usually both) don't understand. I didn't choose to be attracted to both men and women. It's just who I am. In my opinion, it's just like racism. You can't choose to be black, or Asian, or Native American, or Pacific Islander, or white, you just are. And when/if people ridicule you for it and say you're beneath them or you're gross simply because of it is horrendous and wrong. Homophobia isn't any different. 

@SkyKnight7 : Any more funny atheist jokes? 

Here are some good ones :D

@rapflow : How did you approach atheism after being a theist, and what research did you acquire? 

As a young child, I didn't really do any research to solidify my beliefs (or in my case non-beliefs). I wasn't advanced enough to do so. However, my approach to atheism was simply "religion is overrated and is just a kid's story, no religion is better." See one of my first chapters for my full atheist story.

@Carzeybooknerd : How do apes add info as evolution states, where other creatures' evolved by losing information? 

The chimp-human distinction is 1.2%. Even though humans share genes with all living organisms, the chimp-human distinction is significantly higher. Our human evolutionary tree is embedded within that of the apes. Also, the countless amount of fossils found on our common ancestor's continent, Africa, is astounding. The fossils show creatures unlike anything that exists today, like some sort of a human-ape hybrid. If evolution is in fact not plausible, I wonder how such fossils came to be in existence. Some form of evolution must've taken place, and that form is human evolution by natural selection. 

@SkyKnight7 : Do you think being bisexual is better than being straight? 

I don't think one sexuality is objectively "better" than the other. Being bi, I can say it's nice being attracted to both genders. It makes it handy when looking for potential romantic partners. I'd say, in the scheme of things, the only reason being heterosexual is better than being homosexual is because of our society. Religion has corrupted people into thinking being gay is wrong, which is severely depressing to see. If a person is heterosexual, they don't have to deal with people looking down on their relationship or committing hate crimes against them, and they don't have to worry about their right to marry who they love. They also never have to hear "why did you choose to be straight?" or "you know, God says being straight is wrong." 

@Carefree_Kid7 : Is Satanism okay with you? LeVayan Satanism specifically. 

I just did some research on LeVayan Satanism, and I'll paraphrase what I found. LeVayan Satanism originated in 1966 from Anton Szandor LaVey. The religion doesn't believe in supernatural beings, life after death, or body-soul dualism. Their bible is called The Satanic Bible. LeVayan Satanists don't believe Satan is a real being and they don't worship him. Rather, they believe Satan is a positive archetype showcasing pride and enlightenment. They also were a defiance against Abrahamic religions (Judaism, Christianity, and Islam) as they saw them as oppressive and encouraging irrationality. LaVeyan Satanism has a natural worldview, seeing humans as animals in an amoral universe. As well as it's belief in two forms of magic. Hearing this, I really, really, really fucking enjoy this belief system. It's the most plausible set of beliefs I've heard in a long-ass time. 

@yeet : How do you feel about the YouTube skeptic community? 

The only atheist YouTubers I know are Jaclyn Glenn and The Amazing Atheist. I don't like some of Jaclyn Glenn's videos though, because she is pretty rude to religious people and is plain hateful sometimes. However, I like the skeptic community! It's a great place to learn, watch debates, and get to know fellow non-believers.

@A_Challenger_Arrives : If a lion eats a young child, is it a negative act? 

That depends what standpoint from which you're looking. If you're a lion or a fellow animal, then no. The lion simply did what it's supposed to do - eat. For the lion, it didn't do anything wrong because it simply did it's natural process. However, for a human, yes, it's a negative act. Why? Because we're (as humans) not accustomed to seeing lions devouring young children. It's sad and devastating when it happens, and people get mad at the lion for doing so because lions usually stick to their normal prey on the savanna in Africa. I might sound crazy, but it's just the circle of life.