I can't see why anyone would want to stand up and say or do or be anything as far as what they believe. If you believe in god, fine, why say anything about it? And if someone asks, tell them you don't want to talk about it, ain't none of their business. . . . What people believe should be their own business, and it should remain that way.
You just don't understand evangelical monotheism: Christianity and Islam. They believe that their god has told them, in their allegedly holy books, that heaven awaits only those who believe in him (and do several other things that are also good but of slightly lesser importance). He has told them that it is their
sacred duty to help those of us who do not believe in him, to see the light. To allow us to die and go to hell, simply because we were ignorant of God's word, or were too pig-headed to accept it, would be actually
cruel and immoral. They have no choice. They have to proselytize to us or they too might go to hell for failing to perform their sacred duty. Not all modern Christians and Muslims are as diligent about this part of their religion as others, but the ones you're referring to certainly are.
As I've said before, you and I consider religion just a matter of philosophy, and we're happy to listen to religionists blather on and then say okay Joe, see ya for lunch tomorrow. But for them, their religion is part of
who they are. To avoid talking about it, to hide it from us, would be like hiding their gender or their native language or the fact that they have children.
How many is a "gazillion", Doreen?
Remember the time Cheney walked into Bush's office and said, "I was just informed that two Brazilian soldiers were killed in Iraq." The president's face turned ashen and he was overcome with grief. Then he said, "Dick, you know I was never any good at math or any of that dang edjakayshun stuff. Just exactly how many is a bazillion?"
The important question is what do we call ourselves? IMO we should call ourselves the Allied Atheist Alliance as it's the most logical choice, so sayeth the otters.
Unlike the Christians and Muslims, and even members of many non-evangelical religions like Buddhism and Rasta, we don't think of atheism--our lack of religion--as one of the key attributes of who we are. It's like our disbelief in Santa Claus and the Tooth Fairy. No big deal, why should it be? That's why we don't form clubs. Who the hell wants to sit around all night discussing the fact that there is no supernatural universe whose inhabitants capriciously meddle in our affairs? That's good for about half an hour over drinks, or maybe two hours for a couple of earnest college students. I don't even belong to an association of Lhasa Apso owners and my dogs
are a key attribute of my life. I'm hardly going to join an association whose only commonality is atheism, which is not nearly as important to me.
Reply: I appreciate your addressing the issue I brought up: atheists under attack. I guess no one else has an opinion on that. It happened just as I said it did . I did not find it all that odd myself. I sense a definate religious aggressiveness in America and I do get around a bit.
In the 1960s and early 1970s we were convinced that religion was dead in America. Then the Religious Redneck Retard Revival started, and it is still going strong.
Isn't being an Atheist really a religion?
Atheism is a religion only in the colloquial or portmanteau sense that football or rock and roll could be called a religion. You'll find that definition in the dictionary but it only applies in cases where the context makes it obvious, like at a football game or in the lyrics of an Ozzy Osbourne song. The primary definition of religion includes belief in a god or gods.
Isn't being and Atheist the belief that there is not religion?
No. Anyone with half a brain can see that religion exists. Its the existence of gods and the entire supernatural universe they represent, which contradicts the fundamental premise that defines science and has been exhaustively tested for 500 years, that we find no reason to believe in.
The above leaves room for there to be religious atheists.
Sure, but I think only a hostile religionist would try to convince anyone that atheism can ever be a religion or that atheists can ever be religious. It's merely amusing to tell a sports fan that baseball is his religion, but to say that to an atheist is an affront.
What do you imagine the difference is between "non-theist" and "atheist", lixluke? The prefix a- essentially means "non-", except in your bizarre world apparently.
* * * * NOTE FROM THE LINGUISTICS MODERATOR * * * *
No. a- or an- is a Greek prefix meaning "without."
I am declaring holy war on all atheists. Them and their little dogs too.
Hey, you can come after me, but if you hurt my dogs I will kill you and all the members of your evil religion.
Ofcourse. I am a Muslim for example. I have a Muslim friend, that lies, cheats and steals, etc. I would stay away from him after seeing those things. I have an atheist friend, that is honest, shares when he has and is respectful. I would be friends with such person. The intentions are the obejective and beliefs are subjective.
My wife and I once had a devoutly Christian friend. After she got to know us she said that we were "better Christians" than some of the self-identified churchgoing Christians she knew. She had a hard time believing that God was so vain that he would send us to Hell just for not believing in him, while accepting millions of other people whose only virtue was that they did.
What you are saying is that there is no such stance as "false until proven true".
I suppose there is, but that's not science. Science can only prove things true beyond a reasonable doubt, and in general things have to be proven false.
