Why are atheists disliked in America?

[KanadaHye]

Re: Why are atheists disliked in America?

Yes, not living in filth is an important first step. Had they largely eradicated polio, tuberculosis, etc? Had they discovered that adding fluoride to their water would help prevent cavities? Had they discovered fluoride at all? How about germ theory?
Perhaps it would be easier if you tell us what it is they were so good at preventing?

When a particular measure isn't going to show things in favor of your argument you toss it aside. Oh life expectancy measures are flawed and can't be trusted... let's rely on Kanada's flapping gums instead. Perfect!
Let's look at the survival of newborns then... What % of babies were delivered alive? What % survived to see their 1st birthdays? Perhaps this is a cleaner health index for you since babies don't go to war or drive?

It wasn't too long ago that babies whose necks were wrapped around umbilical cords never survived either. Mind you if and when there is a WW3, you'll see just how quick the standards of life drop so to compare the last 50 years of peace which north americans and europeans have enjoyed can't really be attributed to the general knowledge of every citizen. Take away the hospitals and computers and see how quickly society deteriorates.

In reference to the fluoride, there are cities whose citizens are demanding that fluoride be removed from drinking water.

http://www.fluoridealert.org/50-reasons.htm

[Siggie]

Re: Why are atheists disliked in America?

It wasn't too long ago that babies whose necks were wrapped around umbilical cords never survived either. Mind you if and when there is a WW3, you'll see just how quick the standards of life drop so to compare the last 50 years of peace which north americans and europeans have enjoyed can't really be attributed to the general knowledge of every citizen. Take away the hospitals and computers and see how quickly society deteriorates.

What's your point with the umbilical cords? You are the one who made the comparison group thousands of years old... If you're arguing that we don't know much more today than people living 2000 years ago, then you're also saying that we don't know more today than any group in the time between. So, it doesn't matter if lobotomies were 50-60 years ago or that obstetrics has made advances more recently.

You do this a lot... you argue pointless, irrelevant things.
Do you really not know what's relevant, do you enjoy arguing about anything and so grab at any opportunity, or are you intentionally trying to distract from the point being argued when you feel it's going unfavorably to you? It's gotta be one of these, no?

Let's refocus...
Do we know more about neonatal care and obstetrics today than 200 years ago? Is your answer no?

You do realize that technology is also knowledge gained. You didn't mention libraries being 'cheating' (e.g. the one in Alexandria).
Even if we look at it your way and forget the general knowledge of the citizen... You're saying doctors and surgeons then and now had equivalent knowledge?

[KanadaHye]

Re: Why are atheists disliked in America?

What do Indians have to do with anything...? No distractions.

I'm asking if you can find the life expectancy of American Indians prior to European settlers invading North America. If you can find reliable sources on Ancient Rome, you must surely be able to find facts about more recent people like the American Indians.

[KanadaHye]

Re: Why are atheists disliked in America?

You do realize that technology is also knowledge gained. You didn't mention libraries being 'cheating' (e.g. the one in Alexandria).
Even if we look at it your way and forget the general knowledge of the citizen... You're saying doctors and surgeons then and now had equivalent knowledge?

My whole point is general knowledge was taught in grade school. By the time you were 11 or 12 you knew enough about general medicine, biology, chemistry, etc. The standards of education have dropped since WW2 because all the information has been privatized. The reason for this is so the private industries can profit from ignorant citizens who have the need to see a doctor every time they sneeze.

Good convo.... has nothing to do with Atheism but it's been a real slice.

[Siggie]

Re: Why are atheists disliked in America?

I'm asking if you can find the life expectancy of American Indians prior to European settlers invading North America. If you can find reliable sources on Ancient Rome, you must surely be able to find facts about more recent people like the American Indians.

Woah! Hang on there one sec darlin'... This be another distraction. Methods of estimating age from remains aren't different depending on whose remains they are...
Don't ask me a question to avoid addressing the 100000 criticisms of your arguments that have been raised.

[KanadaHye]

Re: Why are atheists disliked in America?

Woah! Hang on there one sec darlin'... This be another distraction. Methods of estimating age from remains aren't different depending on whose remains they are...
Don't ask me a question to avoid addressing the 100000 criticisms of your arguments that have been raised.

So you want me to dig through the internet and post "valid" information on Ancient Rome without years of research?

[Siggie]

Re: Why are atheists disliked in America?

So you want me to dig through the internet and post "valid" information on Ancient Rome without years of research?

http://www.utexas.edu/depts/classics/documents/Life.html

It took me 10 seconds and the very first google hit to find something other than your best guess.
Life expectancy at birth = 25 years

Edit:

Here's the product of another 30 seconds...

http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/...3100/mortality ~28 years for Greece and Rome.

[Sip]

Re: Why are atheists disliked in America?

Let me just put a slight reality check in play here .. before the 1600s we didn't even know what a "cell" was ... it wasn't way until closer to the 19th century that we started to discover there is such a thing that we can call "virus".

You want to talk about how much they knew 2000 years ago? Try just 400 years ago

[Siggie]

Re: Why are atheists disliked in America?

Let me just put a slight reality check in play here .. before the 1600s we didn't even know what a "cell" was ... it wasn't way until closer to the 19th century that we started to discover there is such a thing that we can call "virus".

You want to talk about how much they knew 2000 years ago? Try just 400 years ago

Definitely noteworthy. I thought it would just be ignored. See below. I guess without technology they understood enough to prevent disease?

They may have not had the ability to treat or the technology to diagnose but they sure as hell knew how to prevent.

[KanadaHye]

Re: Why are atheists disliked in America?

http://www.utexas.edu/depts/classics...ents/Life.html
It took me 10 seconds and the very first google hit to find something other than your best guess.
Life expectancy at birth = 25 years

Edit:

Here's the product of another 30 seconds...

http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/...3100/mortality ~28 years for Greece and Rome.

The Greeks were more advanced in what we refer to as Western medicine.

That's fine but this study which uses dates on tombstones has different results. According to this, the people in Rome lived less (15 yrs old?) than the outlying ruled territories like Africa where the average age was said to be 40. http://www.jstor.org/pss/2774113

I'm sure I can find different studies which show different results but none of them will represent the true figures. They are guestimates.

Definitely noteworthy. I thought it would just be ignored. See below. I guess without technology they understood enough to prevent disease?

Technology in medicine has become like car insurance. In the same way people drive carelessly because they are insured, a lot of people live carelessly because they believe any illness can be cured. People didn't have the luxury to leave their lives in the hands of professionals so they took it upon themselves to make sure they didn't develop disease and that was done through networking with locals and passing down knowledge from generation to generation. Preventative medicine is what's lacking in our society.