Atheists, Agnostics etc, do you sometimes quote from Darwin/Dawkins etc like Xtains quote from scripture?

Question

I personally don't really see a need to quote anything, they just usually don't really get it.

However I find that even in everyday discussions, Christians tend to do a lot of quoting from scripture.

Does this mean I am a bad agnostic/atheist if I can not counter their arguments (from scripture) with a clever quote from a great atheist or scientist.

I just really don't care that much to explain myself always.

Answer 1

I like their opinions but I don't find them well suited to quoting for the most part. Mark Twain, Abraham Lincoln, Thomas Jefferson, Bertrand Russell all have much more amusing quotes on the subject of God and religion.  

Answer 2

I've been known to use a quote, occasionally, if it's especially fitting.  If you can put an argument in your own words, I'd say that's actually better, but a nice quote can add some enjoyable flavor to your statement.

Mark Twain has a wealth of entertaining quotable material, as do many other people.  Quotes shouldn't be your argument, but they can be of strong assistance.  

Occasionally, a quote is best.  I could talk to you all day about Lincoln's thoughts on Christianity but, a simple quote from the man himself would carry much more weight:  

"The Bible is not my book nor Christianity my profession."  

  or

  "My earlier views of the unsoundness of the Christian scheme of salvation and the human origin of the scriptures, have become clearer and stronger with advancing years and I see no reason for thinking I shall ever change them."

Answer 3

I read my copy of The God Delusion, and then threw it in the bin where it belongs.

Answer 4

I've never read Dawkins, so I don't quote him. I very rarely use quotes myself. If I'm countering a bad argument, I prefer to tear it down with my own words, or use Christian scripture to show up other parts of Christian scripture.

Answer 5

sometimes, but my memory isn't as impressive as the scripture peeps

Answer 6

I'm a Deist and I quote Dawkins. My favorite one is this:

"Faith is the great cop-out, the great excuse to evade the need to think and evaluate evidence. Faith is belief in spite of, even perhaps because of, the lack of evidence."

Richard Dawkins

Edit: I know how to think for myself, but I quote them for the fact that I majored in Anthropology in college.

Answer 7

No.

But I often quote from the bible, oft times to the dismay of christians.

Answer 8

I prefer to use my own reasoning and thoughts rather than make a baseless appeal to authority. If I run across something I can't readily counter, it means I need to study more.

Answer 9

Not a clue, I was more drawn to particle physics as a 'hobby' over Darwin. I never really questioned evolution, never had the need to explore it on that level.

Answer 10

No I can form my own ideas and opinions

Answer 11

No.  I don't see a reason to quote anyone.  I have my own views and opinions.

Answer 12

No..

Answer 13

Actually I tend to quote their own bible back to them to point out areas that they are ignoring in their pick and choose track through life.

Be amazed how little most of them know about their own religion.

Answer 14

ONLY the Bible is usually quoted here by Christians since this is relig..

See literature

Answer 15

I do quote from other people including those you mentioned, I also quote from the bible. I don't know what you mean by "like Xtains". I quote others to illustrate a point because others have expressed this point better than me. I might quote scripture to point out that Christians don't believe everything said the the bible either.

When Christians quote scripture, however, it is often because they feel an idea has more moral authority because it is written in the bible. Somehow, because something is from the bible it is beyond criticism or debate. If that is what you mean than I don't quote Darwin/Dawkins that way. Everything is open to question, in my view, irrespective of who said it.

Answer 16

I use my own new material.

Rev. Neil

Answer 17

Whilst The Bible (in all it's versions) it the 'word of god', and therefore, by association, the 'proof of Christians', the 'Theory of Evolution' is NOT an Atheist's Bible nor, to be FAIR, does it DISPROVE the existence of God. The two things COULD work perfectly well together...

What's to stop 'God' being a Reticulan (or another alien being) who has made a few genetic amendments in 'monkey' DNA' to create a primitive bipedal 'Neanderthal'?

AS we already 'worship' actors, rock stars and superheros', wouldn't the whole world worship a being that can 'create' life (even if it IS in a lab). Wouldn't that BE a god, by our own interpretation?

Darwin also wrote a LONG treatise on earthworms - I'm not too sure what THAT would prove, nor to whom...

Answer 18

No, just because you're an atheist/agnostic doesn't mean you have to be interested in science or history.

Answer 19

No, I can use my own brain.

Answer 20

Why would I care what Darwin said? All I care about is what he discovered. If I can find a fitting quote that sums up exactly what I want to say, from wherever, whenever, and whoever, I will use it, but that's about it.

Besides, the scripture is all they have to learn from, so they quote it. We have science and history to learn from, and we quote that. Because science and history don't use words, simply ideas, when we explain ideas, we are, essentially quoting, like they are.

Atheistically yours,

JM Gendron.

Answer 21

Nope.

I can't say I've ever seen Darwin or Dawkins quoted by any atheist _as evidence_ of evolution.

Remember, science is not about authority. It doesn't matter at all if Darwin was evil or had bad intentions, or if he ever changed his mind (of course he did not, but it's irrelevant). What matters is whether or not a claim is well-supported by the evidence.

Answer 22

Not "as Christians quote scripture". I quote a variety of books and famous thinkers. I quote Voltaire, Mother Teresa, the Bible, Shakespeare etc. None of it do I believe is the inspired word of a god.  

Answer 23

I don't quote any atheist thinkers: atheism is more about being able to think things through yourself and defend your opinions without recourse to simply cutting and pasting from other people, I find.  I do, however, quote scriptures in debate with religious folks, as many of them haven't thought it out and are only able to regurgitate someone else's thoughts in defense of their beliefs...

Fireball (above): there are actually religious writings from other religions than Christianity, you know... this IS relig (as you pointed out), and not "come on and regurgitate Biblical sky fairy droppings", you know.

Answer 24

No. The reason they quote scripture is because their arguements (and the arguements of the bible) don't make sense, have no credible or scientific proof, and are basically utter bullsh*t.

We don't need to quote Darwin etc. as the concept is scientific and we can understand it. It makes sense, it follows common sense and tangible proof.  

Answer 25

LOL no. I don't quote Darwin or any other atheist or scientist for that matter

You're not a bad agnostic/atheist.

The fact that they quote scriptures just shows how is it is to cut and paste answers instead of doing the "hard" task of thinking for yourself

Answer 26

well, whats the history of atheism anyways, you can't quote anyone with concrete evidence anyways. atheism for almost 400 years were wrong in the believe that the universe was infinite and had no beginning now they embrace the bing bang, also that everything appeared by chance when many scientists from many fields see no random chance at all. you can't quote anyone because they all been wrong. do your history homework see how wrong atheists really are.