I.M. Probulos > Quotes

“Philosophy is questions that may never be answered. Religion is answers that may never be questioned. – Anonymous”
― I.M. Probulos, The Big Book of Quotations for Atheists, Agnostics, and Secular Humanists

“The female is nature’s default setting (embryology). All fetuses are female at the start but at about eight-weeks, a sudden surge of male hormones comes from the brain that kills all of the female attributes.”
― I.M. Probulos, The Big Book of Lists for Atheists, Agnostics, and Secular Humanists

“The natural world provides no more evidence for the existence of a specific God (your God) than it does for the thousands of gods imagined throughout history. Technically, we are all atheists, since we deny thousands of other gods and religions.”
― I.M. Probulos, The Big Book of Lists for Atheists, Agnostics, and Secular Humanists

“We are asked to “freely love God” under threat of eternal torture? Why not remove the torture and see how much we love him? Why not remove the carrot of heaven and then see how many freely love God? Take away all the perks and you will see it’s really not love at all. The faithful have been indoctrinated by those with an interest in keeping them in an in-group, tithing, and believing exactly what they are told. Note how much of religious education is rote training and not an open inquiry. In many Muslim countries, apostasy (changing one’s religion) is forbidden–and a death sentence. In the Sudan a Muslim woman cannot marry a Christian man. Changing your faith, Christian or Muslim, would be a bold act of willful disobedience–against your God, your family, your church, your friends, and your lifelong set of beliefs. It would be considered heresy and evil. You would be accused of being infected by Satan against the one true God. Yet, that is exactly what would be required of you to escape damnation in any one of the countries where Christianity is a minority faith.”
― I. M. Probulos, Damnation by Probability: 75 Billion in Hell and Counting

“All religion is based primarily on fear. God and Jesus, for Christians, assert love me or suffer eternal damnation. I created humankind; therefore I can take you out any time I want. This type of mentality escapes me completely. I don't feel the love.”
― I.M. Probulos, The Big Book of Lists for Atheists, Agnostics, and Secular Humanists

“T- chart and analyzing our possible choices.”
― I. M. Probulos, The Illusion of Free Will

“It could be the Catholic Church asserting that the Earth revolved around the sun in Galileo’s time,”
― I.M. Probulos, The 12 Unthinkable Horrors of Human Existence: A Manual for Atheists, Agnostics and Secular Humanists

“their”
― I.M. Probulos, The 12 Unthinkable Horrors of Human Existence: A Manual for Atheists, Agnostics and Secular Humanists

“Go to Heaven for the climate, Hell for the company. –Mark Twain”
― I.M. Probulos, Damnation By Bake Sale: 75 Billion and Counting

“I don't believe in an afterlife, so I don't have to spend my whole life fearing hell, or fearing heaven even more. For whatever the tortures of hell, I think the boredom of heaven would be even worse. ― Isaac Asimov”
― I. M. Probulos, The Big Book of Quotations for Atheists, Agnostics, and Secular Humanists

“An anti-evolution stance belittles science, logic, human reason, the scientific method and could be a factor in youth not believing in or respecting science, skepticism, reason and rationality. Many countries have already passed the United States in science and technology and eventually will in GDP.”
― I.M. Probulos, The Big Book of Lists for Atheists, Agnostics, and Secular Humanists

“Most”
― I.M. Probulos, 101 Reasons for Non-Belief: For Atheists, Agnostics, and Secular Humanists

“Free Will Arguments This is a list of different approaches to the free will debate. We will discuss each one in greater detail.”
― I. M. Probulos, The Illusion of Free Will

“level. For someone who has been a lifelong atheist, agnostic or secular humanist, most of these won’t cause any anxiety at all. You’ve learned to live with them years ago. However, for those who have recently lost their faith, the Horrors could be highly disconcerting. Once the concepts are established, data is presented to support the position and additional reading is recommended when available. The ultimate goal is to provide solutions and solace to those who have lost their faith. Often, all that reason and logic gets in the way of us enjoying life. While I speak tongue-in-cheek, most would agree that the faithful have a blissful simplicity about their lives as they combine irrationality and rationality in a strange unconscious brew to cope with the 12 Unthinkable Horrors. Take”
― I.M. Probulos, The 12 Unthinkable Horrors of Human Existence: A Manual for Atheists, Agnostics and Secular Humanists

“A bastard shall not enter into the congregation of the LORD; even to his tenth generation shall he not enter into the congregation of the LORD.–Deuteronomy 23:2 (sins of the fathers)”
― I.M. Probulos, The Big Book of Lists for Atheists, Agnostics, and Secular Humanists

“Jephthah sacrificed his daughter because God helped him win a battle. (And God did not stop him.)–Judges chapter 11”
― I.M. Probulos, The Big Book of Lists for Atheists, Agnostics, and Secular Humanists

“Armageddon/Revelation: Evangelicals look forward to the destruction of the Earth and the return of Jesus Christ. To those who favor science, and want to live, this belief is immoral and dangerous to humanity and the entire planet.”
― I. M. Probulos, 101 Reasons for Non-Belief: For Atheists, Agnostics, and Secular Humanists

“While one could argue that those who engage in risky behavior are aware of the risks, perhaps we could all learn a lesson from this Horror. My goal is to strip away the “rose-colored glasses,” the euphemisms and the positive “self-talk” we use to avoid reality. Optimism Bias is real and there is a very interesting TED talk (ideas worth spreading) by Tali Sharot on this topic. Overestimating our ability or good luck is a fascinating concept and relates to all the Unthinkable Horrors as well as to Addictive Behaviors. Sometimes a little skepticism is a good thing.”
― I.M. Probulos, The 12 Unthinkable Horrors of Human Existence: A Manual for Atheists, Agnostics and Secular Humanists

“Eve and Original Sin: How could Eve understand the concept of good and evil or death or the consequences of her actions in the Garden of Eden if she was a perfect, naïve, innocent being on this earth for just one day? What reference did she have for the knowledge of good and Evil when she had no reference for death, evil, suffering, pain, want, hope or fear? Her only sin was that the snake was more persuasive than God? Then, what does that say about God? And what does that say about His creation that he loved so dearly? Maybe the design was incorrect, considering Eve’s decision would require that God redesign virtually every aspect of all life on earth. This relates to Original Sin, Free Will and the Fall of Man, evil and suffering in the world. Without the concept of Eve’s existence none of this is necessary.”
― I.M. Probulos, The Big Book of Lists for Atheists, Agnostics, and Secular Humanists

“Part Two: A Manual For Atheists, Agnostics and Secular humanists The Next Day When a man is freed of religion, he has a better chance to live a normal and wholesome life. — Sigmund Freud If you wake up this morning with the realization that there is no heaven or hell, God is not listening to your prayers, life is mere chance, religion is all made-up and that a single mistake can ruin your life, well, you have an existential problem. Why bother? Why venture out into a world where, at any moment, your best-laid plans can be thwarted by a drunk driver, one second of inattention, a lighting strike, or a suicide bomber?”
― I.M. Probulos, The 12 Unthinkable Horrors of Human Existence: A Manual for Atheists, Agnostics and Secular Humanists

“The Bible tells us to be like God, and then on page after page it describes God as a mass murderer. This may be the single most important key to the political behavior of Western Civilization. ― Robert Anton Wilson Some”
― I.M. Probulos, The Big Book of Quotations for Atheists, Agnostics, and Secular Humanists

“The universe does not have a sense of humor. While we love the thought of an all-powerful deity watching over us and protecting us like a loving parent, in actuality, like God, the universe is indifferent to our needs and wants. That is both an unsettling thought and a sobering one. The next Horror contradicts everything we have ever been told about ourselves since we were young.”
― I.M. Probulos, The 12 Unthinkable Horrors of Human Existence: A Manual for Atheists, Agnostics and Secular Humanists

“Deism is a belief that focuses on nature, science and the world as it is.”
― I.M. Probulos, The Big Book of Lists for Atheists, Agnostics, and Secular Humanists

“Most all religions prey on the gullible and the needy–especially when they need money- and on the poor the sick, the lonely, the unlucky and the uneducated. Using mind control and a “blame the victim” mentality, it is insinuated that their victim’s misfortune is that they are not in God's favor and they simply need to believe and give more. This is downright sinister!”
― I.M. Probulos, The Big Book of Lists for Atheists, Agnostics, and Secular Humanists

“and subsequent positive behaviors I recommend The Better Angels of Our Nature: Why Violence Has Declined, by Harvard psychologist Steven Pinker. [Amazon Link]. It is long (832 pages) but an extraordinary book. Perhaps it’s best to view”
― I. M. Probulos, The Illusion of Free Will

“Daniel Kahneman’s book Thinking, Fast and Slow [Amazon Link] explains things we think we understand but really don't, such as intuition. Kahneman”
― I. M. Probulos, The Illusion of Free Will

“The Bible and The Koran are so confusing and vague that thousands interpret them in many different ways, for both good and bad purposes. Does this sound the work of an omniscient, all-powerful, all good deity? How can any rational human being determine the truth when there are so many versions of it?”
― I.M. Probulos, The Big Book of Lists for Atheists, Agnostics, and Secular Humanists

“Religion gives you license to kill, not someone close to you or out of anger, but millions of people who are different from you. It allows the killing of “other tribes”, non-whites, American Indians, Muslims, Christians (another Christian faith), heretics, Communists, and “Evil Doers.”
― I.M. Probulos, The Big Book of Lists for Atheists, Agnostics, and Secular Humanists

“Ontogeny is a branch of embryology that studies how very dissimilar organisms look similar in the developmental stages (e.g., fish, frogs and people).”
― I.M. Probulos, The Big Book of Lists for Atheists, Agnostics, and Secular Humanists