20 thoughts on “What do these Americans have in common?”
Some of those are certainly not American!
Abraham Lincoln, Jefferson, Adams, Washington and Paine were apparently atheist, as were Mark Twain and Woody Allen.
Why is Thomas Edison there twice? There is no proof that Einstein was an atheist. I think this list is a bit “unchecked”
First of all,
“BM”- Thomas Edison was a widely known atheist. He brought up the topic of religion on quoted material all of the time. Here are a few of his quotes and you can decipher what you will of them:
“So far as religion of the day is concerned, it is a damned fake… Religion is all bunk.” [Thomas Edison]
“All Bibles are man-made.” [Thomas Edison]
“I have never seen the slightest scientific proof of the religious theories of heaven and hell, of future life for individuals, or of a personal God.” [Thomas Alva Edison, Columbian Magazine]
“Incurably religious, that is the best way to describe the mental condition of so many people.” [Thomas Edison]
Furthermore, It’s rude to make a blanket statement about people just because they don’t subscribe to others religious beliefs- therefore, I would like to add: There are also people who are NOT GREAT Americans who BELIEVE in God. Just look at how many people murder others over religion. The numbers are alarming.
Sorry, but I’m with Carl Sagan. (And he was neither an atheist or a believer. He was an agnostic- open minded to searching for proof, but yet accepting of others.)
I would like to add something else about this topic that bothers me-
I think the “What Do These American’s Have In Common” list IS a list of great Americans. I re-looked it over and I realized something very fascinating about this list. These are all individuals who have made some sort of contribution to our world- in one shape or another- scientifically, artistically etc. If you are making the judgement that some may “not” be considered so great- it may be because you are judging them by their personal morals, their personal views or actions on life…which I think is hypocritical if you are religious.
Just my two cents.
Einstein did say “God doesn’t play dice with the Universe”.
But he has since been proven (very) wrong on that one.
I agree, some were debatable to be atheists. Maybe at best agnostic. Einstein actually had many quotes regarding god.
plus, the term great is debatable. some of them are only known for atheistic theories.
Terry Pratchett is (very) British.
They forgot Madalyn Murray O’Hair.
And how *american* they all were? Some of them happened to live there for a while but have roots elsewhere.
Also, Terry Pratchett was British.
The correct answer (if the given answer is true) is ‘They are all separated from God’.
Einstein is actually typically believed to be a Deist.
Terry Pratchett is British
Terry Pratchett is British. Nice work fella!
Hmmm… Some on this list are very debatable. Lincoln’s atheism is doubtful- he was likely an “off and on” atheist at best, and generally a deist. Einstein actually believed in an impersonal God (a la Spinoza). Here’s a few names of great Americans who believe or believed in God:
George Washington
Thomas Jefferson
Ben Franklin
The Wright Brothers
Mortimer Adler
Ralph Waldo Emerson
Gary Cooper
John Wayne
John F Kennedy
Martin Luther King
Jonathan Chapman (Johnny Appleseed)
Ronald Reagan
Kit Carson
John Boswell
Robert E. Lee
Thomas Paine
Ernest Hemingway
Russel Kirk
Elizabeth Seton
William F. Buckley
Nonie Darwish
Wow… someone finds a list of atheists that did stuff for America and they make an excellent point?! Wow a list! Now that’s impressive! Someone made a list! I guess if I want to be a real american, i better be an atheist too!
Thanks to M. Persic who shows how irrational the argument is.
George Bernard Shaw was Irish. Terry Pratchett is British. And the author of this dubious work didn’t even bother to check his / her spelling. Makes the whole thing rather stupid, I think. There’s also a far bigger list of erudite famous people who are NOT atheists. Duh!
Jesus believed in God.
Can any of these impressive people listed hold a candle to the carpenter from Nazareth?
Thanks A Theist. I actually cut and pasted that list from some other site.
Some of those are certainly not American!
Abraham Lincoln, Jefferson, Adams, Washington and Paine were apparently atheist, as were Mark Twain and Woody Allen.
Why is Thomas Edison there twice? There is no proof that Einstein was an atheist. I think this list is a bit “unchecked”
First of all,
“BM”- Thomas Edison was a widely known atheist. He brought up the topic of religion on quoted material all of the time. Here are a few of his quotes and you can decipher what you will of them:
“So far as religion of the day is concerned, it is a damned fake… Religion is all bunk.” [Thomas Edison]
“All Bibles are man-made.” [Thomas Edison]
“I have never seen the slightest scientific proof of the religious theories of heaven and hell, of future life for individuals, or of a personal God.” [Thomas Alva Edison, Columbian Magazine]
“Incurably religious, that is the best way to describe the mental condition of so many people.” [Thomas Edison]
Furthermore, It’s rude to make a blanket statement about people just because they don’t subscribe to others religious beliefs- therefore, I would like to add: There are also people who are NOT GREAT Americans who BELIEVE in God. Just look at how many people murder others over religion. The numbers are alarming.
Sorry, but I’m with Carl Sagan. (And he was neither an atheist or a believer. He was an agnostic- open minded to searching for proof, but yet accepting of others.)
I would like to add something else about this topic that bothers me-
I think the “What Do These American’s Have In Common” list IS a list of great Americans. I re-looked it over and I realized something very fascinating about this list. These are all individuals who have made some sort of contribution to our world- in one shape or another- scientifically, artistically etc. If you are making the judgement that some may “not” be considered so great- it may be because you are judging them by their personal morals, their personal views or actions on life…which I think is hypocritical if you are religious.
Just my two cents.
Einstein did say “God doesn’t play dice with the Universe”.
But he has since been proven (very) wrong on that one.
I agree, some were debatable to be atheists. Maybe at best agnostic. Einstein actually had many quotes regarding god.
plus, the term great is debatable. some of them are only known for atheistic theories.
Terry Pratchett is (very) British.
They forgot Madalyn Murray O’Hair.
And how *american* they all were? Some of them happened to live there for a while but have roots elsewhere.
Also, Terry Pratchett was British.
The correct answer (if the given answer is true) is ‘They are all separated from God’.
Einstein is actually typically believed to be a Deist.
Terry Pratchett is British
Terry Pratchett is British. Nice work fella!
Hmmm… Some on this list are very debatable. Lincoln’s atheism is doubtful- he was likely an “off and on” atheist at best, and generally a deist. Einstein actually believed in an impersonal God (a la Spinoza). Here’s a few names of great Americans who believe or believed in God:
George Washington
Thomas Jefferson
Ben Franklin
The Wright Brothers
Mortimer Adler
Ralph Waldo Emerson
Gary Cooper
John Wayne
John F Kennedy
Martin Luther King
Jonathan Chapman (Johnny Appleseed)
Ronald Reagan
Kit Carson
John Boswell
Robert E. Lee
Thomas Paine
Ernest Hemingway
Russel Kirk
Elizabeth Seton
William F. Buckley
Nonie Darwish
Wow… someone finds a list of atheists that did stuff for America and they make an excellent point?! Wow a list! Now that’s impressive! Someone made a list! I guess if I want to be a real american, i better be an atheist too!
Thanks to M. Persic who shows how irrational the argument is.
George Bernard Shaw was Irish. Terry Pratchett is British. And the author of this dubious work didn’t even bother to check his / her spelling. Makes the whole thing rather stupid, I think. There’s also a far bigger list of erudite famous people who are NOT atheists. Duh!
Jesus believed in God.
Can any of these impressive people listed hold a candle to the carpenter from Nazareth?
Thanks A Theist. I actually cut and pasted that list from some other site.
So… are you just recycling your archive or what?