Atheist-Pilot: A Dangerous Combination!

[Eric Hunt]

Everybody should believe in something.

 

I believe I'll have another beer.

[avbug]

If a person cannot allow for even the possibility of the existence of a Creator, then I don't want them working for me. Because it displays a horrible flaw in their thinking.

 

 

Fair enough. I wouldn't want to work with you, either.

 

I've flown with Muslim pilots, Hebrew pilots, Buddhist pilots, Bahai pilots, Christian pilots (of all ilks), agnostic pilots, athiest pilots, ad infinitum. I wouldn't treat any of them any differently, other than to respect their beliefs (or lack thereof).

 

The horrible flaw in other's thinking appears to be that they don't think like you. Let everyone think for themselves, is it, so long as it's in line with you? Otherwise, it's a horrible flaw. That's a very narrow-minded view.

 

To carry your prejudices to the cockpit is no different than disrespecting someone for their political affiliation, their ethnicity, or any other point upon you might wish to obsesses. We've seen this from you before, when you ranted and ranted about a woman pilot who wasn't Christian, or something to that effect. You're at it again. That you are so prejudiced only means that you're of a narrow mind with a haughty view of your fellow man. It's no reason to distrust others.

[zippiesdrainage]

"Like birds hovering, so the Lord of hosts will protect Jerusalem; he will protect and deliver it; he will spare and rescue it.”

-Isaiah 31:5

 

God pretty much says that all helicopter pilots are angels. So I take it believe that if God let's you fly a helicopter, you're ok in his book.

 

In Exodus 13:20-22 it says that an angel flew around in a black cloud during the day and fire during the night.

 

Fire? Black Smoke? Sounds like God is a Robbie Lover.

[pilot#476398]

[MLH]

"By saying, “THERE IS NO GOD!” the atheist is announcing to the world that his/her thinking is incredibly limited, that his/her field of view quite narrow and restrictive."

 

Could have saved a lot of typing with this one simple sentence, concise and to the point!

 

[pilot#476398]

[terminal_velo]

"By saying, “THERE IS NO GOD!” the atheist is announcing to the world that his/her thinking is incredibly limited, that his/her field of view quite narrow and restrictive."

 

Could have saved a lot of typing with this one simple sentence, concise and to the point!

 

 

I agree completely. He didn't have to go on-and-on to make it clear that his accusations are baseless and nonsensical. It only took one sentence.

[superstallion6113]

I'm all for freedom of religion. It's your choice what you believe in. But in my experience, I've seemed to notice that atheists seem to talk about God more than anybody else's religion that I've come across. It was so bad with one coworker that I actually had to say, come on dude, I get it, there is no God. Please, spare us the headache of having to hear you say it every 2 hours. And he's not the only atheist I've seen that does that crap.

Edited October 4, 2013 by superstallion6113

[pilot#476398]

I'm all for freedom of religion. It's your choice what you believe in. But in my experience, I've seemed to noticed that atheists seem to talk about God more than anybody else's religion I've come across. It was so bad with one coworker that I actually had to say, come on dude, I get it there is no God. Please, spare us the headache of having to hear you say it every 2 hours. And he's not the only atheist I've seen that does that crap.

 

Was your co-worker's name Brian Griffen?

[aeroscout]

I'm all for freedom of religion. It's your choice what you believe in. But in my experience, I've seemed to noticed that atheists seem to talk about God more than anybody else's religion I've come across. It was so bad with one coworker that I actually had to say, come on dude, I get it there is no God. Please, spare us the headache of having to hear you say it every 2 hours. And he's not the only atheist I've seen that does that crap.

Well said !

[ridethisbike]

I'm all for freedom of religion. It's your choice what you believe in. But in my experience, I've seemed to notice that atheists seem to talk about God more than anybody else's religion that I've come across. It was so bad with one coworker that I actually had to say, come on dude, I get it, there is no God. Please, spare us the headache of having to hear you say it every 2 hours. And he's not the only atheist I've seen that does that crap.

 

Sounds to me like he had conflicting beliefs and was trying to convince himself that there wasn't a God...

[terminal_velo]

I'm all for freedom of religion. It's your choice what you believe in. But in my experience, I've seemed to notice that atheists seem to talk about God more than anybody else's religion that I've come across. It was so bad with one coworker that I actually had to say, come on dude, I get it, there is no God. Please, spare us the headache of having to hear you say it every 2 hours. And he's not the only atheist I've seen that does that crap.

 

I'm not asserting that this is a factor in your case necessarily, but I feel that often people unfairly perceive atheists this way. Sure, there are some obnoxious atheists, but I think that a lot of this impression people get of atheists stems from how rare open atheism is. In America, it is socially uneventful for people to speak of the Judeo-Christian god or to say things that are based on the assumption that the Judeo-Christian god is real. It goes completely unnoticed, or, at the very least, it doesn't seem peculiar. However, if someone says something that reflects an atheist worldview, or refers to the god of Islam, Krishna, or any other god(s), it's noticed.

 

It just really comes down to perception. It's hard for Christians to perceive how much Christian influence there is in our society because there is so much Christian influence in our society. It's everywhere. However, if you openly hold or refer to any other worldview, you will stand out.

 

Personally, I don't mind folks proselytizing as long as they're not harassing anyone. I think being exposed to many beliefs is a good thing. Isolation from cultures and beliefs outside of your own is, in my opinion, a contributor to many societal and international problems we have today.

[Wally]

The supernatural/spiritual in any reference is not something you can justify with any scientific process. That's why the term "belief" is always in there somewhere. You believe, have faith, or you don't, there is no demonstrable rational justification to faith. There have been many creative and scientific geniuses on both sides of that issue. I am probably never going to have to decide if a fellow aviator is smarter than Stephen Hawking to determine qualifications.

Edited October 4, 2013 by Wally

[MLH]

Like any other religion, Atheism is a belief system requiring faith to underpin it's tenants, in some ways even more so than others.

[terminal_velo]

Like any other religion,...

 

Atheism is not a religion. Clearly you've not read (or have read and not learned anything from) this thread.

 

 

Atheism is a belief system requiring faith to underpin it's tenants, in some ways even more so than others.

 

You are wrong. This fallacy is something theists have come up with as a way to feel better about holding an irrational worldview.

 

You obviously have no idea what atheism is.

[Wally]

 

Atheism is not a religion. Clearly you've not read (or have read and not learned anything from) this thread.

 

 

 

You are wrong. This fallacy is something theists have come up with as a way to feel better about holding an irrational worldview.

 

You obviously have no idea what atheism is.

 

Atheism is the opposite side of a supernatural argument. One can't prove the existence of a deity or the non-existence of any deities, therefore to argue either way is a belief system. Systems of beliefs are not identical with the definitions of religion until one equates the principles of belief with morality, like Buddhism. Most people accept Buddhism as a religion...

 

It's interesting that militant atheists are quick to imply that they are not "religious" although the argument is about the existance of the unprovable: it has a similar flavor to various religious orthodoxies condemnation of 'heretics'...

[terminal_velo]

 

Atheism is the opposite side of a supernatural argument.

 

Wrong again. As has already been said in this thread, atheism is not the opposite position of religiosity, it's the lack of religiosity. There is a difference.

 

Obviously, you can not prove evidentially the non-existence of something has been defined as undetectable and existing outside of physical reality. No atheist I know thinks that you can.

 

(For the sake of argument, I'll assume that you are a Christian and believe only in the Christian deities.) You and I have have a lot in common. In fact, we have exactly the same position towards almost all of the 10,000 gods that man has believed in. We don't hold a belief that Krishna is real, that Zeus is real, that the gods of the Native Americans are real. We don't believe in unicorns or fairies either. Neither of us would claim to have evidence that can prove those beings' non-existence, we simply lack the belief that they are real.

 

The only difference between you and I would be that I'm consistent and you are not. You and I can walk for 9,999 steps together in agreement. At the last step before crossing the line from theism to atheism, you will stop and say "no, I won't take this last step". Because I'm consistent in my rationality, I will take that step just like the other 9,999 identical steps.

 

You are 99.9% atheist, I'm 100% atheist. We're really not that different.

[pilot#476398]

,...wait, unicorns aren't real?!

[terminal_velo]

sorry.

[pilot#476398]

sorry.

 

God Dammit!,...oh' no wait,...

[Little Red 22]

Enough already. This whole discussion is nuts. I do not see this subject as being relevant to helicopter pilots, ever.

 

A good captain takes care of his crew, period.

A good crewmember makes the captain look good, period.

Edited October 5, 2013 by Little Red 22

[pilot#476398]

 

A good captain takes care of his crew, period.

A good crewmember makes the captain look good, period.

 

 

Now that's got to be the most confusing post yet in this crazy thread started by a madman,...A MAAAADMAAAAAN!

[palmfish]

 

I, obviously, do believe that a Creator exists. And I call on His help now and then, like when Im flying and find myself in situations that arent in any book. I ask Him to help me come up with a workable solution, to find a way of getting such-and-such done without crashing. Is it silly? Is it stupid? Perhaps. But Id much rather fly along in that belief than fly blindly under the mistaken (and horribly pompous) assumption that all answers are knowablethat I already know them and wont have to come up with any on my ownand that I cannot think outside the box...because Ive already demonstrated to the world that I cannot.

 

Now do you see why atheists make such dangerous pilots?

The crux of your opinion is:

 

If a person chooses to not believe in the possibility of the existence of a creator, they must be "close-minded," and therefore incapable of any "outside-the-box" thought.

 

This is a fallacy (a slippery slope).

[Airhead]

Athiest pilots are safer pilots because they have a greater incentive to survive.

 

A non-atheist pilot who thinks that he will be transferred to an alternate dimension after the crash is a dangerous combination.

[Flying Pig]

3 pages arguing about whether or not an athiest makes a better pilot than someone who believes in God? Someone revive the Fudged Logbook thread please.