I like that phrase. Most people think of atheism as refusal to believe, but I think of it as a realization of a mistake, a misplacement of ideas.
My journey to Atheism
- Thread starter aaqucnaona
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I like that phrase. Most people think of atheism as refusal to believe, but I think of it as a realization of a mistake, a misplacement of ideas.
aaqucnaona...
...I think you were always truly atheist, as nothing you say convinces me you
were anything else. You just needed something to coax you out into the open, to stake your claim (character/personality). Like Dawkins has said on at least one occasion.. because of Charles Darwin, he (and others) can now become ''intellectually fulfilled atheists''.
It's all about belonging to a group, feeling a part of something, and finding ways to express that thing.
jan.
...I think you were always truly atheist, as nothing you say convinces me you
were anything else. You just needed something to coax you out into the open, to stake your claim (character/personality). Like Dawkins has said on at least one occasion.. because of Charles Darwin, he (and others) can now become ''intellectually fulfilled atheists''.
It's all about belonging to a group, feeling a part of something, and finding ways to express that thing.
jan.
Huh?
Atheism is the absence of what you describe. No God, no God-group, no Godless-group, no strings attached whatsoever.
Where, among the steeples of your locale, have you found a single meeting place for atheists?
Where, among the private schools have you seen even one atheist academy?
Have you ever heard of an atheist bake sale? Or fundraiser of any kind?
How about a Young Women's Atheist Assoc. sports facility?
Any atheist broadcasters, news outlets, publishers, distributors or shops?
Societies? Foundations? Touring Clubs? Community Centers? Day Care? Unions?
Do atheist groups sponsor hayrides, picnics, cook-outs, camp-outs, canoe trips, ball games, marathons, retreats, dances, sing-alongs, trips, concerts, tent revivals, award ceremonies, meetings, parties, bingos, cakewalks, pot-lucks, luncheons, dinners, brunches, fairs...
I mean this list goes on and on.
Why do you say such things?
Dude! You're kidding right?
:roflmao:
http://atheists.meetup.com/
http://www.meetup.com/London-Atheists/
http://atheism.about.com/od/atheist...ion_of_Recipes_from_the_Atheist_Community.htm
http://atheistempire.com/reference/brain/index.php
I think you're in some serious denial regarding your REAL position
as opposed to the bullshit you keep telling yourselves.
jan.
Dude! You're kidding right?
:roflmao:
http://atheists.meetup.com/
http://www.meetup.com/London-Atheists/
http://atheism.about.com/od/atheist...ion_of_Recipes_from_the_Atheist_Community.htm
http://atheistempire.com/reference/brain/index.php
I think you're in some serious denial regarding your REAL position
as opposed to the bullshit you keep telling yourselves.
jan.
Well we know the Internet has helped atheist start connecting with each other. That hasn't been very long in the scheme of things.
But the one thing we do know for sure is that atheist the world over are the same in their belief regardless of which religions predominate in the region.
I can't remember where I read it, but the Internet is doing more to promote atheism than anything ever has before.
KilljoyKlown,
In the context of ...''atheist the world over''.., please explain what is meant by ''atheist''?
jan.
In the context of ...''atheist the world over''.., please explain what is meant by ''atheist''?
jan.
I'm at a loss here, I thought 'atheist' is well defined. If you don't believe in a God or Gods, you are an atheist. However that doesn't mean you won't fake being a theist if you think revealing your true belief will be hazardous to your health or financial condition.
My position is that there is no God, never was, it's an invention that was needed when there was no science to explain nature.
So: what I am I allegedly in denial of?
There's just one of me. I got rid of my other self, it was always talking back. :argue:Dude! You're kidding right?
as opposed to the bullshit you keep telling yourselves.
Besides, if I were going to talk to myself, it wouldn't have anything to do with religion. That's the deal with an atheist. No summoning of the god or the Non-god. Just a non-summoning.
Be careful on the roads, I just heard your neighborhood is crawling with atheists. Besides being notoriously bad drivers, they don't give a damn if they die, since there's no punishment in it. Happy New Year.
nature is so complex to have come by itself, that doesn't get solved when we know how it came about, in actuality, it becomes more complicated.
atheist scientists' fallacy, that once they know enough biology then the human body isn't any more awesome, or when you understand eclipses or forecast weather it loses its complexity.
God is "who", or "why". science offers "how". you among many others are mixing the two.
gods are too complex to apply that logic to, they're simply and literally on a different level of existence.
we're besides ourselves with awe at their creations, let alone their own origin or conception. that's simply beyond what we can even try to grasp.
science rationalizes and studies god's creations and methods, to care only about the "how" things happen all your life and not care once about the "why" they happen is what's truly silly.
we're besides ourselves with awe at their creations, let alone their own origin or conception. that's simply beyond what we can even try to grasp.
science rationalizes and studies god's creations and methods, to care only about the "how" things happen all your life and not care once about the "why" they happen is what's truly silly.
Aqueous Id,
Great! So now you're saying ''science'' came into being.
Everything outside of your cocoon.
Humour! The great diffuser. Not.
I was refering to the other folk who have this blinkered view of God, religion, and, stuff.
Happy New Year to you as well.
Are you assuming theists fear death because of punishment?
Care to share links?
jan.
Great! So now you're saying ''science'' came into being.
Everything outside of your cocoon.
Humour! The great diffuser. Not.
I was refering to the other folk who have this blinkered view of God, religion, and, stuff.
Happy New Year to you as well.
Are you assuming theists fear death because of punishment?
Care to share links?
jan.
aaqucnaona,
I read your journey; however, it's not clear why you chose atheism over theism. Can you add some details on that?
I read your journey; however, it's not clear why you chose atheism over theism. Can you add some details on that?
I really hate this sort of false argument. I mean, sure Dawkins and the other so-called new Atheists say God is too complex and also needs an explanation whilst Atheists say they don't proselytise or have groups, but we all know that Atheists do have clubs. Heck, the National Secular Society in the UK was founded in the 19th Century, and the Counsel For Secular Humanism, the Freedom From Religion Foundation, American Atheists, and other groups have existed for years and years now.
I don't think you became an Atheist because you now lack belief in a god, nor do I think Atheism is properly defined as "Lack of belief in a god"; it's actually impossible to talk about something you lack belief in. To truly lack belief you have to have no actual concept of the object. If you know what God is suppose to be, then you can choose to believe God exists or not, but you can no longer lack belief in God.
The whole of it is daft wordplay and that’s one of the biggest problems I have with the whole of the modern Atheist movement.
It gets even worse when they insist “We think for ourselves” then parrot idiot catch phrases or ridiculous pseudo-Arguments from others…
I am not saying its impossible to be an Atheist and think for yourself but al too often people think they think for themselves only because they are Atheists.
I don't think you became an Atheist because you now lack belief in a god, nor do I think Atheism is properly defined as "Lack of belief in a god"; it's actually impossible to talk about something you lack belief in. To truly lack belief you have to have no actual concept of the object. If you know what God is suppose to be, then you can choose to believe God exists or not, but you can no longer lack belief in God.
The whole of it is daft wordplay and that’s one of the biggest problems I have with the whole of the modern Atheist movement.
It gets even worse when they insist “We think for ourselves” then parrot idiot catch phrases or ridiculous pseudo-Arguments from others…
I am not saying its impossible to be an Atheist and think for yourself but al too often people think they think for themselves only because they are Atheists.
When you grow up in a mixed theist society with very little or no contact with atheist or atheist ideas, how can you not have a very broad concept of what God is supposed to be. When I was growing up I put a lot of time into looking for a way to believe in God and a way to decide which religion might be the right one, until I realized it was a lost cause. No God ever asked me to believe in him and no human has ever shown me proof that a God of any kind has ever existed.
jan,
History tells us there was one ideology that split into Science and Religion. For example, we have Aristotle's work, leading to the division of Physics and Metaphysics. Regardless, your question is begging the question of divine intervention. But in science we discover that human reason is systematically rooted in all the other brain functions that we inherited through evolution. So this explanation renders (for us) that the question is moot.
History tells us there was one ideology that split into Science and Religion. For example, we have Aristotle's work, leading to the division of Physics and Metaphysics. Regardless, your question is begging the question of divine intervention. But in science we discover that human reason is systematically rooted in all the other brain functions that we inherited through evolution. So this explanation renders (for us) that the question is moot.
This cocoon is made of evidence from the most reliable sources in academia available to us. It's a cocoon of sanity. Who wants to walk in a world of myth, fable, superstition, phobia and (sometimes) violent and catastrophic ideation? Living outside the cocoon--wow, how is that not the precursor to insanity?
Well you put me in the plural. I don't know anything about any atheist organizations so I fly solo. While there are some sites like you cleverly mentioned (giving credit where credit due), these seem to me to be folks who are showing up with frustration over the culture clash (esp. in the US) which has a lot of people excited (shooting out windows of political leaders for opposing fundamentalist platforms, for one). These bloggers are writing proofs against Noah or Adam, for example. And I suppose they are speaking out against the weird laws that are coming up for vote (pro-fundamentalist). It's far from the club mentality of America or Europe in its historic acculturation under Christianized societies that today still have extensive and elaborate networks that would better be characterized as clubs.
If that's a sidewise compliment, thank you. I tend to get blinkered from the extremist position of your camp, which I now understand you youself do not espouse.
Oh no I'll cede to your superlative link gathering expertise. No, not fear of punishment, fear of an afterlife, even though the fear on the surface is one of calm preparedness. Underlying that, in the subconscious, is where the terror lives.
kILLJOY-
That’s not really an address to what I’ve said though. Atheism is not defined as a lack of belief in a god or gods. The definition of Atheism is that one is without gods, and more specifically the epytomology, and the way it is used, actually is that one rejects belief in gods, or to put it another way, one does not believe gods exist.
I am not, before its stated, confusing Strong and Weak Atheism, I’m, rejecting the distinction all together. All Atheists believe that gods do not exist. The degree in which this is a conviction will vary, but it is still a belief, not a lack of belief.
You cannot lack belief in something you know about, and Atheism is not really understood Historically as mere lack of belief either.
Also, Religion is not Theism.
That’s not really an address to what I’ve said though. Atheism is not defined as a lack of belief in a god or gods. The definition of Atheism is that one is without gods, and more specifically the epytomology, and the way it is used, actually is that one rejects belief in gods, or to put it another way, one does not believe gods exist.
I am not, before its stated, confusing Strong and Weak Atheism, I’m, rejecting the distinction all together. All Atheists believe that gods do not exist. The degree in which this is a conviction will vary, but it is still a belief, not a lack of belief.
You cannot lack belief in something you know about, and Atheism is not really understood Historically as mere lack of belief either.
Also, Religion is not Theism.
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Yes, you can have Religion without Theism. In fact, many already exist which I think you would regard as Religions.
Many forms of Buddhism, for example, Raelianism, some forms of Christianity even. Of course where you will, at least for now disagree with me is when I say, you have a Religion, and not Theism.
I know you will say you are not Religious, and have no Religion at all, but part of why I came here is to tell why I say everyone has a Religion. I won'
t here if you don't mind, as I did an essay on it to present as a Thread in a couple of weeks.
Still, Religion is nothing more than our beliefs about our existence, and everyone has that.
I won't elaborate for now though.
Many forms of Buddhism, for example, Raelianism, some forms of Christianity even. Of course where you will, at least for now disagree with me is when I say, you have a Religion, and not Theism.
I know you will say you are not Religious, and have no Religion at all, but part of why I came here is to tell why I say everyone has a Religion. I won'
t here if you don't mind, as I did an essay on it to present as a Thread in a couple of weeks.
Still, Religion is nothing more than our beliefs about our existence, and everyone has that.
I won't elaborate for now though.