Atheist Contributions to the World

Theoryofrelativity said:
So you do acknowledge that B Singh was an athesit who affected a significant change in India

then we are in agreement.
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Sorry won't wash.

There were several men who were similar to Bhagat Singh. In fact he was hanged with two other men who were involved with him both in the bombings and in the murder. He was however the only one who left written reports on his ideologies.

There was only one Gandhi. Anyone who believes that Bhagat Singh could have done much without Gandhi is fooling themselves. No one can dispute however that Gandhi would have done as well with or without Bhagat Singh.
 
samcdkey said:
Sorry won't wash.

There were several men who were similar to Bhagat Singh. In fact he was hanged with two other men who were involved with him both in the bombings and in the murder. He was however the only one who left written reports on his ideologies.

There was only one Gandhi. Anyone who believes that Bhagat Singh could have done much without Gandhi is fooling themselves. No one can dispute however that Gandhi would have done as well with or without Bhagat Singh.
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so you deny B Singh made a significant contribution to India's independance then?

A straight yes or no would suffice ;)

Meanwhile we are back at the beginning Sam, this is not about methods or Ghandi or who did the same as B Singh. It is a simple question. Who and what have atheists contributed to our culture etc.

I found and named two, that is all there is to it. If you wish to deny they made a contribution that is different.
 
Prince_James said:
So, quite simply, what have proponents of Atheism given to us in this world of ours?
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a voice of reason for one,
all atheism does is it offers you REALITY,nothing more.

from www.thewaronfaith.com

"When I became convinced that the Universe is natural that all the ghosts and gods are myths, there entered into my brain, into my soul, into every drop of my blood, the sense, the feeling, the joy of freedom. The walls of my prison crumbled and fell, the dungeon was flooded with light and all the bolts, and bars, and manacles became dust. I was no longer a servant, a serf, or a slave. There was for me no master in all the wide world, not even in infinite space. I was free.

free to think, to express my thoughts
free to live to my own ideal
free to live for myself and those I loved
free to use all my faculties, all my senses
free to spread imagination's wings
free to investigate, to guess and dream and hope
free to judge and determine for myself
free to reject all ignorant and cruel creeds, all the "inspired" books that savages have produced, and all the barbarous legends of the past
free from popes and priests
free from all the "called" and "set apart"
free from sanctified mistakes and holy lies
free from the fear of eternal pain
free from the winged monsters of night
free from devils, ghosts, and gods
For the first time I was free. There were no prohibited places in all the realms of my thought, no air, no space, where fancy could not spread her painted wings
no chains for my limbs
no lashes for my back
no fires for my flesh
no master's frown or threat
no following another's steps
no need to bow, or cringe, or crawl, or utter lying words.

I was free. I stood erect and fearlessly, joyously, faced all worlds. And then my heart was filled with gratitude, with thankfulness, and went out in love to all the heroes, the thinkers who gave their lives for the liberty of hand and brain for the freedom of labor and thought

to those who fell on the fierce fields of war
to those who died in dungeons bound with chains
to those who proudly mounted scaffold's stairs
to those whose bones were crushed, whose flesh was scarred and torn
to those by fire consumed
to all the wise, the good, the brave of every land, whose thoughts and deeds have given freedom to the sons of men.
And I vowed to grasp the torch that they had held, and hold it high, that light might conquer darkness still."

..........Robert G. Ingersoll (1833-1899), "Why Am I An Agnostic?", 1896
 
Scorpius:

I am asking for contributions of Atheist people, not of Atheism to specific people. Basically, what have Atheist people done for the world?
 
I'd argue that prince Siddartha Gautama was not an Atheist, but ambivalent to theism. The Buddha never discreditted the existence of the deities, just made them irrelevant. IN fact, orthodox Buddhist doctrine is that there exists a possibility of becoming a Demon, a HUngry Ghost, an Animal, a Human, a Demi-God, and a God.
 
Prince_James said:
I'd argue that prince Siddartha Gautama was not an Atheist, but ambivalent to theism. The Buddha never discreditted the existence of the deities, just made them irrelevant. IN fact, orthodox Buddhist doctrine is that there exists a possibility of becoming a Demon, a HUngry Ghost, an Animal, a Human, a Demi-God, and a God.
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Did he preach that though? I believe his own teachings were atheistic in nature.
 
I have helped develop a new type of ventilator for premature infants with underdeveloped lungs. Probably my best work.
 
Perhaps I can appreciate this as a poetic expression of newfound delight, but as a logical treatise on the nature of freedom that is supposed to inspire renounciation of theisitic values, it is a pipe dream.

free to think, to express my thoughts
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Obviously not Burma, China or other similar countries
free to live to my own ideal
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Obviosuly they don't watch MTV then
free to live for myself and those I loved
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Obviously not a woman in a third world country who balances a sledgehammer on her head so she can carry her baby in her arms on her way to work
free to use all my faculties, all my senses
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Until the result of such inappropriate living results in premature dementure
free to spread imagination's wings
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like imagining one is free?
free to investigate, to guess and dream and hope
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as long as one doesn't investigate theism right?
free to judge and determine for myself
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until one has to make a court appearance or the boss tells one to fetch a coffee
free to reject all ignorant and cruel creeds, all the "inspired" books that savages have produced, and all the barbarous legends of the past
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they shouldn't worry - there is a plethora of contemporary cruel deeds and barbarians to absorb one's interest - pick up the newspaper and you can read about it every day
free from popes and priests
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now all one has to deal with are the unlimited desires of the body in a limited world
free from all the "called" and "set apart"
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unless they ran away to the wasteleands of Alaska, Siberia or central Australia there is a good chance they are still ensnared by social norms of culture or sub culture
free from sanctified mistakes and holy lies
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So now there are just run of the mill mistakes and lies to bewilder one
free from the fear of eternal pain
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whats the difference between constant anxiety and eternal pain?
free from the winged monsters of night
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Did they give up satan worship?
free from devils, ghosts, and gods
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Did their religion innvolve close ties with a permissive pharmacist?
For the first time I was free. There were no prohibited places in all the realms of my thought, no air, no space, where fancy could not spread her painted wings
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try telling that to the narcotic squad after they have kicked down the back door.
 
superluminal said:
I have helped develop a new type of ventilator for premature infants with underdeveloped lungs. Probably my best work.
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I applaude and bow to your most greatness.

applause.gif
 
Fascinating multiple discussion, although I would love to find out more on Prince James' original point/

A few comments:

Buddhism believes in transmigration of the soul - surely one aspect of divinity? Meaning the ability to self-create. Surely the issue with theism/atheism continues to be one of definition?

Re original Indians, my mother (a Tamil) believes they were the Dravidians.

Hawking: some 'god', if his soon-to-be ex-wife did indeed regularly abuse him.
 
spidergoat said:
Not so, Buddhism doesn't acknowledge the existence of a soul.
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Nomenclature surely? They do believe in rebirth and they do believe they could come back as a rock or a horse.

I should add that I think of the 'soul' as the receiving/transmitting intelligence within every particle that makes us what we are whether a human, horse or rock.
 
Not really, since they don't believe there is any "they". There is rebirth, but nothing that gets reborn.
 
Not sure I totally understand the semantics of that.... and I am not a Buddhist scholar, so I'll check out further and reply later.

PS Isn't the Dalai Lama a 'reborn' Buddhist?
 
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