You bring a puppy home.

She’s adorable!

You can see the love in her eyes.

But she chews things.

And she pees on the floor.

You’ll tolerate that for a while.

Because you can see the love in her eyes.

A year later, she still pees on the floor and eats your shoes.

She flunked out of obedience school three months ago.

And her eyes are so full of love.

So what’s the problem?

If you believe that animals have emotions, just like people, then the problem is…

…your puppy is a sinner.

The dog is intentionally rebelling against the rules.

The dog is deliberately being thoughtless and selfish.

No! That sweet puppy isn’t sinning! She doesn’t know any better!

Oh.

Well, if you’re going to say that, I agree with you.

So you bring home another puppy.

You can see the love in her eyes too.

She is housebroken immediately.

She doesn’t chew or bark.

She nuzzles you while you watch T.V.

So what’s the problem?

There is no problem!  She loves me! 

There’s the problem!

You believe animals have emotions, just like people…

…but only when the animal is behaving itself.

When the house catches fire and the dog barks to wake the family…

…you’ll say the animal is driven by devotion and affection.

When the house catches fire and the dog dashes outside, leaving you to burn…

…you’ll say the animal is driven by survival instincts.

Nobody would scold the dog for saving itself over the family.

But what would you say when…

…the house catches fire and Dad leaves the family sleeping inside while he crawls out a window?

No! That sweet man isn’t sinning! He just doesn’t know any better!

Oh.

Well, if you’re going to say that, I disagree.

And I hope you stick to raising dogs, not children.

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48 Responses

  1. Does the puppy begin to bark and require a lot of soothing to calm down? This might be an indication that the dog will become aggressive when it is startled. These dogs require constant vigilance and are usually not good for families or owners who have never had a dog before. Does the puppy pee or cower in a corner? This is a dog that has fear issues and will require an owner who is very understanding and patient. As a last test sit the puppy in front of you. Now stroke it all over while keeping your head low enough and close enough for the puppy to lick you. Does the puppy allow you to pet it and try to lick your face? This is a normal puppy that is well-balanced and social. Does the puppy struggle and try to get away or growl at you? This puppy is independent and assertive. It could also mean that the puppy is fearful.

    1. …a perfectly valid question, actually.

      I once theorized that Ark is a piece of software, developed by another Atheist to use a handful of keywords and spout angry nonsense back at the unfortunate person he’s “talking” to.

      But I couldn’t figure out which of the Atheists would be smart enough to create such a program…

      1. I thought we reasoned that the software evolved slowly over time.

        And since there are so many different atheist programmers, the software wasn’t designed at all.

    1. I believe one of the first signs is to start asking questions that give the reader the impression you are suffering a mental health issue.
      This comes across in the form of projecting. Very much as you have been doing recently, Amanda.

      Should’t you be feeding your kid or something?

        1. Well at least you are acknowledging that, as a Christian, you are indeed a hypocrite, Jasmine.,
          One of the few times I have ever read you tell the truth.
          Good for you!

      1. A-Theism means without Theism…
        That is, without belief in the Cosmic Mind.

        Literally: Mindlessness.

        So…yes? It has been worth it to you?

          1. Yep…
            As someone who has a mind and recognizes order and meaning–I can appreciate the humor found in mindlessness in ways I couldn’t if I also forfeited my own mind.
            (I think the conversation is funny, whereas the Mind-Deniers completely miss the joke. Lol.)

          2. I’m trying to remember if he’s ever asked these questions before on other posts… If he has, can you recall whether or not we answered him?

          3. Oh, no, these are all brand new, super-interesting questions, which we haven’t answered in a dozen ways already.

            Ark is a great interviewer who really knows how to get to the heart of a discussion with thoughtful probing. He doesn’t just have four or five standard questions that he asks in exactly the same way, over and over, no matter what the topic of the thread is…

          4. Yeah–you only THINK Ark repeats himself over and over and over because you’ve been indoctrinated.

        1. If I am the product of your creator god then my apparent mindlessness is all due to him.

          My nature is simply a reflection of his creative skills… or lack thereof.

          If indeed you consider me in some way ”faulty”, (mindless?) then you should be wondering why your god messed up.

          1. Yep, ANOTHER mindless comment.

            Clearly, you have rejected the mind that was offered to you.

          2. See, a truly mindless comment.
            Is this what becomes of someone who is so disappointed with their life they have to fill that gap by trying to justify their existence by ridiculing one of their god’s creatures?

            Why aren’t you with your kid?

          3. So much evidence for God… Every single time you say something… 🙂

            Thanks for taking me to Church, Ark. I’m very encouraged.

          4. If this is the case then Yahweh doesn’t seem to have done/ be doing a very good job, now does he?
            I mean,look at the pair of us, for example?

            A new mother and former Gunslinger who would rather spend her time trying to wind up the resident atheist insomniac than be with her new kid?
            And you and your old man try to convince each other that I am crazy?

            Even if the kid is sleeping, you could be with your husband or if not simply sit and watch the nipper.
            What is so fascinating about me that you would rather sit and make a twit of yourself arguing /defending a god who could not give a shit about you … or me?

            Go read to your baby Amanda.

            I am sure your god can take care of itself. Sure as hell your baby can’t.

  2. ”Sinning” is a theological term it does no apply to those who are not religious/ do not believe in divine law.

      1. Not in the least. It only has any meaning or significance if one is indoctrinated, as you are, to accept some form of divinity behind the term.

          1. Well if all you are going to do is write still wrong without demonstrating the veracity of your point then all you are going to do is come across like a petulant child.

            A sin is considered a transgression of your god’s law, as written in the bible.
            Thus, unless you can demonstrate the veracity of you god and the bible where it appears then all you are doing is blowing smoke.

          2. You don’t have to believe in God to commit sins. Just like you don’t have to believe in gravity to fall down stairs.

          3. Once again.
            The terms sin and sinning are theological in their etymology and apply to transgressions against your god .
            Thus, they only have relevance for those who, like you, are indoctrinated into believing in a divine law-giver.
            In your case, Yahweh, who is only found in the bible.

            And we are still waiting for you to demonstrate the veracity of such claims ….

          4. Then please, offer some evidence to demonstrate this belief regarding the divine and gravity..

            So, aside from death anxiety, and perhaps some sort of guilt complex, what exactly was the evidence that convinced you to become a Christian, JB?

          5. So, aside from some sort of arrogant bias that prevents you from admitting that order always comes from intelligence, what exactly was the evidence that convinced you to become an atheist, Doug?

          6. I didn’t become an atheist. I have always been.

            I am just waiting for evidence to convince me otherwise.

            Which is why I ask people like you to tell me what was the evidence that convinced you to become a Christian.
            You did see this I hope?
            You had to become a Christian. You accepted Jesus as your saviour. It was a conscious choice .

            This means that, logically, at some point you were not a Christian.
            Then, for some reason, you believed you needed saving, accepted the promise of eternal life and accepted Jesus as the means/answer for you to achieve this end.

            And you made this decision based on evidence.

            This is the evidence I want you to reveal. Just tell me what it was.

          7. <blockquote< So you have no evidence that atheism is true?

            I was not aware that atheism contained any specific content to state that it was ”true” about anything?

            Atheism is simply the lack of belief in gods.
            Thus,for all intent and purpose, it is content free.
            If you actually do have evidence for theism, which most certainly does have an awful lot of content, and specifically the evidence that convinced you to become a Christian, then please present it.

            However, based on your responses to date, one can probably take it as a given that you have no evidence whatsoever to demonstrate that there is any veracity for your particular brand of theism.

            In fact, it is more than likely true that you became a Christian because of serious emotional problems, possibly related to death-anxiety, which involved issues surrounding drugs, alcohol and sex. You did mention you had issues with these things if memory serves?

            The neutral observer would have grounds to conclude that, based on you continual trolling of certain blogs hosted by deconverted Christians, religion does not seem to be serving you well at all with regards emotional stability.

            One would think that, anyone who had found genuine solace, peace of mind, and fulfillment in religion would not behave in the manner of someone who comes across as almost manic at times.

            But you seem hell-bent(sic) on some sort of self-destruction. There are echoes of the behavior exhibited by the late Robin Williams in your writing, and when one considers the history of mental health problems in you immediate family I would have thought you would be extra cautious in this regard.
            Then again, perhaps it is because you are suffering mental health issues that you are unaware there even IS an issue.

          8. “I was not aware that atheism contained any specific content to state that it was ”true” about anything?
            Atheism is simply the lack of belief in gods.”

            I’ve no interest in discussing your point of view until you decide to grow up and admit that atheism is a set of beliefs.

            You can’t form a worldview from a “lack of content”. That is irrational.

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