Atheism Is Not A Religion!!!

[Hollie]

It is NOT a religion, and if you keep saying it is, I'm going to start my own tax exempt church, and start pounding on your door at dinner time.

Seriously, it sounds ridiculous when you say it.

Religion involves both doctrine and practice.

Surely you have ethics which are not derived from logical machine language.

Surely you have practices, exercises and disciplines for self-improvement.

"Shirley" you have a middling familiarity with the bibles and the behavior of the christian gawds? Those behaviors are hardly disciplines or examples for self-improvement.

Using various gawds as a model for value systems regarding morality seems a bit skewed to me. If you told me that you have “felt” the presence of the gods and their moral compass, well, that’s fine but to me, that has relatively little impact… unless of course you knew for certain that another of those “god of love” humanity wiping floods or virgin slaughters, or one of those long nights accompanied with the sacrificial lamb’s blood being painted on the door thingys was to be visited upon us. If that’s about to happen… umm… call me, (it didn’t work out so well for the lambs).

 

[Hollie]

After all, it is completely logical to lie, steal and murder if there is material gain to be had.

There are times when I will concede that religion is a "....good with the bad" appropriation in that it may suppress the more base elements of portions of humanity.

If fear of a cosmic spanking is what keeps you lying, stealing and murdering, your religion serves some purpose.

 

[jillian]

Tax exempt churches have been started for crazier reasons than what you said.

So get to it chop chop!

what does that even mean?

 

[jillian]

It is NOT a religion, and if you keep saying it is, I'm going to start my own tax exempt church, and start pounding on your door at dinner time.

Seriously, it sounds ridiculous when you say it.

Religion involves both doctrine and practice.

Surely you have ethics which are not derived from logical machine language.

Surely you have practices, exercises and disciplines for self-improvement.

some of the most moral people i've ever met are atheists. their moral code exists for doing what they believe is right, not for acting out of fear.

some of the slimiest people i have ever met, both on this board and in real life, profess a deep belief in religion.

but just to get back to the topic, atheism is an absence of believe. it is not a religion.

 

[PostmodernProph]

Religion is any belief structure that says, "What I am, what I do, what I say, what I know, what I believe ----- makes me important." In this Atheism is decidedly a religious belief.

No it's not. There is no doctrine...no set of beliefs for atheists.

??????....so you have no beliefs in common with other atheists.....not even a little one like "there are no gods"?.......

 

[Carla_Danger]

Sure, but that has nothing to do with faith/religion. People don't need religion to evolve ethics and morality.

If you have a set of ethics and morality, and you have a practice that helps to attune you with those ideals, then you have a religion.

And from what I can tell from your other posts, you feel that your religion is quite superior.

That's because you're a ding-dong.

You can read all of the above for inspiration, and a lesson in ethics and morality.

 

[Carla_Danger]

It is NOT a religion, and if you keep saying it is, I'm going to start my own tax exempt church, and start pounding on your door at dinner time.

Seriously, it sounds ridiculous when you say it.

Religion involves both doctrine and practice.

Surely you have ethics which are not derived from logical machine language.

Surely you have practices, exercises and disciplines for self-improvement.

some of the most moral people i've ever met are atheists. their moral code exists for doing what they believe is right, not for acting out of fear.

some of the slimiest people i have ever met, both on this board and in real life, profess a deep belief in religion.

but just to get back to the topic, atheism is an absence of believe. it is not a religion.

 

[Treeshepherd]

some of the most moral people i've ever met are atheists. their moral code exists for doing what they believe is right, not for acting out of fear.

Most of my friends and family are atheists. I'm not questioning their level of morality or character. I ask questions about the source of their values. I've never claimed to be a person of high moral character myself.

Some atheist posters here write as if morality just evolved within our DNA information coding. I do recognize that we all have a conscience. But, what I'm saying is that there's a cultural layer to morality. If you don't want to call that 'religion' because you think you're set apart in some way from dumb religious people, so be it. But, the source of your ethics is not logic.

 

[Treeshepherd]

Sure, but that has nothing to do with faith/religion. People don't need religion to evolve ethics and morality.

If you have a set of ethics and morality, and you have a practice that helps to attune you with those ideals, then you have a religion.

And from what I can tell from your other posts, you feel that your religion is quite superior.

That's because you're a ding-dong.

You can read all of the above for inspiration, and a lesson in ethics and morality.

You can't learn anything from those books because toys don't become conscious and begin to talk, and elephants can't actually be concerned with microscopic kingdoms. Show me evidence that these things are real! I'm being facetious, of course.

"When Horton Hears a Who, is there a sermon to be heard?

What about The Cat in the Hat and The Lorax ? Are those characters metaphors for Christ? And Oh, the Places You'll Go!— if you'll only follow the Great Commission.
No one has ever doubted the layers of meaning in the stories of Dr. Seuss....
So when Horton's world of Who-ville was "saved by the Smallest of All," Robert Short saw the savior of the Whos as a symbol for the Savior of all people. From Green Eggs and Ham to How the Grinch Stole Christmas , Short has reinterpreted many of Theodor Seuss Geisel's stories as subtle messages of Christian doctrine in the new book, The Parables of Dr. Seuss.
"I was amazed at what I found when I started looking at it — all this Christian imagery was very carefully factored into his stories," Short said...""
Christian doctrine disguised in Dr. Seuss stories - USATODAY.com

Suess was the product of a Christian upbringing. Biblical imagery was the source material of his spiritual education. Whether intentionally or unintentionally, his books have many similarities with the form of the Christian parable. You'll completely reject the idea as unpalatable, but the 3 books you listed echo the religious values of our religious heritage.

In fact, The Little Engine That Could is a common teaching tool in Christian Sunday schools and in sermons.

 

[Carla_Danger]

Sure, but that has nothing to do with faith/religion. People don't need religion to evolve ethics and morality.

If you have a set of ethics and morality, and you have a practice that helps to attune you with those ideals, then you have a religion.

And from what I can tell from your other posts, you feel that your religion is quite superior.

That's because you're a ding-dong.

You can read all of the above for inspiration, and a lesson in ethics and morality.

You can't learn anything from those books because toys don't become conscious and begin to talk, and elephants can't actually be concerned with microscopic kingdoms. Show me evidence that these things are real! I'm being facetious, of course.

"When Horton Hears a Who, is there a sermon to be heard?

What about The Cat in the Hat and The Lorax ? Are those characters metaphors for Christ? And Oh, the Places You'll Go!— if you'll only follow the Great Commission.
No one has ever doubted the layers of meaning in the stories of Dr. Seuss....
So when Horton's world of Who-ville was "saved by the Smallest of All," Robert Short saw the savior of the Whos as a symbol for the Savior of all people. From Green Eggs and Ham to How the Grinch Stole Christmas , Short has reinterpreted many of Theodor Seuss Geisel's stories as subtle messages of Christian doctrine in the new book, The Parables of Dr. Seuss.
"I was amazed at what I found when I started looking at it — all this Christian imagery was very carefully factored into his stories," Short said...""
Christian doctrine disguised in Dr. Seuss stories - USATODAY.com

Suess was the product of a Christian upbringing. Biblical imagery was the source material of his spiritual education. Whether intentionally or unintentionally, his books have many similarities with the form of the Christian parable. You'll completely reject the idea as unpalatable, but the 3 books you listed echo the religious values of our religious heritage.

In fact, The Little Engine That Could is a common teaching tool in Christian Sunday schools and in sermons.

Sigh. Religious wackos also tried to tie Dr. Seuss's book to the anti-abortion cause.

wikipedia

The line "A person's a person, no matter how small!!" from Horton Hears a Who! has been used widely as a slogan by the pro-life movement in the U.S., despite the objections of Geisel's widow. In 1986, when the line was first used in such a way, he demanded a retraction and received one

and..

In Horton Movie Abortion Foes Hear an Ally NPR

 

[Treeshepherd]

Sigh. Religious wackos also tried to tie Dr. Seuss's book to the anti-abortion cause.

That's interesting. A person is a person no matter how small. I'm not interested in debating abortion online, but that's something to think about.

 

[Carla_Danger]

Sigh. Religious wackos also tried to tie Dr. Seuss's book to the anti-abortion cause.

That's interesting. A person is a person no matter how small. I'm not interested in debating abortion online, but that's something to think about.

And Religious wackos are still trying to misrepresent his work.

 

[Treeshepherd]

Think about the concept of decaffeinated coffee. The substance is removed that made the drink popular in the first place.

That’s analogous to the 5,000 year evolution of western thought as it relates to humanism. Scripture and debate over scripture has been the primary driver which has brought us to contemporary thought. The atheist removes the original driving force and retains the leftover values and ideals.

What is the fallout of modern atheism, or secular humanism? You only live once, so the importance of this life is paramount. Humanism tends to feed the ego, while traditional religious practices foster an extra-personal identity. It would be a natural progression for the secular humanist to move toward transhumanism. Transhumanism - Wikipedia the free encyclopedia
Without a concept of having faith/trust in a cosmic plan, or a sense of Providence, our future is entirely based on blind random chance. Therefore, it’s entirely up to us to shape the future. Salvation through technology could include dicking with human DNA, geo-engineering, medical fountains of youth, pharmaceutical solutions, bio-machinery, etc..

Transhumanism is the child of secular humanism. That’s one of many consequences of the common themes we find in atheist religions.

 

[Hollie]

Think about the concept of decaffeinated coffee. The substance is removed that made the drink popular in the first place.

That’s analogous to the 5,000 year evolution of western thought as it relates to humanism. Scripture and debate over scripture has been the primary driver which has brought us to contemporary thought. The atheist removes the original driving force and retains the leftover values and ideals.

What is the fallout of modern atheism, or secular humanism? You only live once, so the importance of this life is paramount. Humanism tends to feed the ego, while traditional religious practices foster an extra-personal identity. It would be a natural progression for the secular humanist to move toward transhumanism. Transhumanism - Wikipedia the free encyclopedia
Without a concept of having faith/trust in a cosmic plan, or a sense of Providence, our future is entirely based on blind random chance. Therefore, it’s entirely up to us to shape the future. Salvation through technology could include dicking with human DNA, geo-engineering, medical fountains of youth, pharmaceutical solutions, bio-machinery, etc..

Transhumanism is the child of secular humanism. That’s one of many consequences of the common themes we find in atheist religions.

The above may find an audience at your local chapter of the Jerry Falwell madrassah, but why would you think anyone else would take it seriously?

 

[Hollie]

some of the most moral people i've ever met are atheists. their moral code exists for doing what they believe is right, not for acting out of fear.

Most of my friends and family are atheists. I'm not questioning their level of morality or character. I ask questions about the source of their values. I've never claimed to be a person of high moral character myself.

Some atheist posters here write as if morality just evolved within our DNA information coding. I do recognize that we all have a conscience. But, what I'm saying is that there's a cultural layer to morality. If you don't want to call that 'religion' because you think you're set apart in some way from dumb religious people, so be it. But, the source of your ethics is not logic.

In my personal experience, fundamentalist Christians are among the last people on the plane who should be lecturing anyone regarding ethics or morality.

Additionally, I find your attitudes about morality and it's derivation to be stereotypical in that you seem to believe your religion is somehow an arbiter of morality and ethics when in a historical sense, Christianity has been a wellspring of hate, derision and the source of divisions.

You can be a good person without giving two hoots about the jeebus, as billions of non-Christians prove every day. Christians think this world was nothing but barbarians before Jeebus-- when in actuality true barbarism sprung up rampantly after Jeebus and his devoted fanatics started hacking at anyone who slightly disagreed with them (even the atrocities of the old testament pale in comparison to the holocausts, pogroms, wars and genocides that the teachings of Jeebus has inspired). You think the Greeks burned old women because they were witches? The greatest library of all time-- the Library at Alexandria --was created by the Greek Ionians-- men who believed in Zeus. It took a Christian to destroy their works and literally set us back 2,000 years. For god. Who, according to the bible, hates knowledge so much he made it the one thing forbidden in Eden-- "ye shall eat of all things but not of the fruit of the Tree of Knowledge -- for on that day, ye shall die" (they didn't die, as the serpent pointed out, they lived; God lied, Satan told the truth-- how ironic)

The most basic rule of human sociality is non-zero-sum: no free lunch, scratch my back and I'll scratch yours, reciprocity. This is because a society made up of cheaters will (obviously) become fraught with suspicion, distrust, and peril, and will eventually fall apart. So we come to a consensus, a social contract that we all agree to live by under threat of punishment (also agreed upon by the group), and voilà—law, order, and stability. This is the template upon which all patterns of human society are formed. Here in the West, we've progressed through theocratic totalitarianism to liberal democracy. Thank goodness.

This template for writing this social contract is found throughout the world and can be highly effective in stabilizing the sometimes unpredictable dynamics of man and is often furthering to each respective society. It wasn't until the agricultural revolution, between eight and ten thousand years ago, that we began to group together in numbers beyond 100-200, and before then we were always on the move looking for food, resources, and clement weather. In other words, there wasn't much potential for large-scale clashes of cultures and societies. Of course, all that has changed now.

 

[CynthiaZ]

Think about the concept of decaffeinated coffee. The substance is removed that made the drink popular in the first place.

That’s analogous to the 5,000 year evolution of western thought as it relates to humanism. Scripture and debate over scripture has been the primary driver which has brought us to contemporary thought. The atheist removes the original driving force and retains the leftover values and ideals.

What is the fallout of modern atheism, or secular humanism? You only live once, so the importance of this life is paramount. Humanism tends to feed the ego, while traditional religious practices foster an extra-personal identity. It would be a natural progression for the secular humanist to move toward transhumanism. Transhumanism - Wikipedia the free encyclopedia
Without a concept of having faith/trust in a cosmic plan, or a sense of Providence, our future is entirely based on blind random chance. Therefore, it’s entirely up to us to shape the future. Salvation through technology could include dicking with human DNA, geo-engineering, medical fountains of youth, pharmaceutical solutions, bio-machinery, etc..

Transhumanism is the child of secular humanism. That’s one of many consequences of the common themes we find in atheist religions.

The above may find an audience at your local chapter of the Jerry Falwell madrassah, but why would you think anyone else would take it seriously?

Have you ever read Nietzsche? I doubt you have but what Nietzsche told us is that if God is indeed dead then that has some very serious consequences on society that could ultimately lead us into nihilism.

 

[CynthiaZ]

The greatest library of all time-- the Library at Alexandria --was created by the Greek Ionians-- men who believed in Zeus. It took a Christian to destroy their works and literally set us back 2,000 years.

It was Caesar who burnt down the Library of Alexandria and I don't think he was a Christian because Jesus wasn't even born yet. Anymore historical revisionism you want to gift us with. Oh yes the Greek and the Romans would at times persecute people they felt were practicing sorcery. The Romans were particularly nasty when it came to persecuting the Druids for practicing sorcery.

 

[asaratis]

This thread proves beyond all doubt that Atheists depend on mockery, ridicule and adolescent quips more often than not to rebut the opposition. How silly can one get?

 

[Hollie]

Think about the concept of decaffeinated coffee. The substance is removed that made the drink popular in the first place.

That’s analogous to the 5,000 year evolution of western thought as it relates to humanism. Scripture and debate over scripture has been the primary driver which has brought us to contemporary thought. The atheist removes the original driving force and retains the leftover values and ideals.

What is the fallout of modern atheism, or secular humanism? You only live once, so the importance of this life is paramount. Humanism tends to feed the ego, while traditional religious practices foster an extra-personal identity. It would be a natural progression for the secular humanist to move toward transhumanism. Transhumanism - Wikipedia the free encyclopedia
Without a concept of having faith/trust in a cosmic plan, or a sense of Providence, our future is entirely based on blind random chance. Therefore, it’s entirely up to us to shape the future. Salvation through technology could include dicking with human DNA, geo-engineering, medical fountains of youth, pharmaceutical solutions, bio-machinery, etc..

Transhumanism is the child of secular humanism. That’s one of many consequences of the common themes we find in atheist religions.

The above may find an audience at your local chapter of the Jerry Falwell madrassah, but why would you think anyone else would take it seriously?

Have you ever read Nietzsche? I doubt you have but what Nietzsche told us is that if God is indeed dead then that has some very serious consequences on society that could ultimately lead us into nihilism.

Have you considered that Nietzsche is not a gawd? I doubt you have but consider that most of humanity has somehow managed to survive without any assistance from your gawds.

 

[Hollie]

This thread proves beyond all doubt that Atheists depend on mockery, ridicule and adolescent quips more often than not to rebut the opposition. How silly can one get?

Actually, this thread proves that fundie zealots must rely on deflection, mis-representation and obfuscation regarding questions to their dogma that are irresolvable.