Thread: Athiest vs religion? sorta

Atheism is just a word which describes the lack of belief a god(s). It just describes a stance on relegion, it is not itself a relegion.

A relegion is a strong belief in a supernatural power or powers that control human destiny

Well plus, there's a name for everything, no matter how abstract it is, if it's known of. And if it isn't yet, when they discover it, it will get named.

Originally Posted by Soros

relegion

I hate to be a grammar nazi, but the name of the forum we're in should have given you a hint.


In respect to the OP, Atheism is only such a common phrase because of it's significance at the moment. We're all A-afucktonofthings but those aren't common topics of debate.


It's not really important, for me. Just saying what you think about an issue usually suffices. If someone asks me my religious beliefs I try to explain what I think, without using blanket terms which can easily be misread. An example of this is some people assume atheism is a claim that god does not exist certainly, rather than merely a lack of belief. Confusions like this, I do not enjoy.

Originally Posted by Carôusoul

I hate to be a grammar nazi, but the name of the forum we're in should have given you a hint.

lol one measly misplaced letter....I can't get anything past you Carôusoul, can't i now?

Atheism is just a label, sort of like one might label that leafy chunk of plant matter in your fridge as "lettuce." It comes from the greek prefix "a-" meaning "without," and the root "theism," meaning religion. It literally translates to "without religion." That's...basically it. I'm an atheist...I only say that for two reasons: 1. it's shorter than saying, "I don't believe in God," and 2. it carries that sort of smug bastard connotation with it, which I kind of like.

Originally Posted by SkA_DaRk_Che

.I can't get anything past you Carôusoul, can't i now?

It is hard.

Originally Posted by marlie

why isnt the word athiest simply stated as "none"

That's what I usually answer when asked about my religion. I really don't like to use the word 'atheist', it sounds like some sort of religion or ideal, even though it isn't.

The reason why atheists have a title at all is because many people are religious, and because religion is generally considered important to many.

Similarly, many people drink alcohol, which is why those who don't earn the title of teetotallers, instead of there being a name for people who consume alcohol.

Atheists sometimes seem to treat their belief as more of a religion than some Christians do.. At least on here..

They spend a lot of time trying to find reasons why other belief systems are wrong, because if they aren't wrong, it means bad things for them. It's like studying a holy book, but instead of taking advice/wisdom from a god they're taking it from scientists.

Gotta agree with Tarsier here. There are Atheists out there who have turned the lack of belief in God/gods into a crusade of sorts; the kind of atheists who find it admirable to destroy faith of all sorts. I wouldn't be surprised if soon that kind of atheist starts preaching door-to-door right alongside the Jehovah's Witnesses. We already have a Church of Atheism.

Yep, I strongly believe there's no floating man in the sky, how militant of me.

There are some atheists out there . . .

Note that this was not directed at all atheists. I'm an agnostic atheist myself. I've just observed this trend of militant atheism around. There are some hardcore atheists who seek to convert others to their point of view with the same zeal as some Christians. It's a minority, as I believe it to be in Christianity, that does this, but it's the vocal minority.

EDIT: Just realised I didn't even put "some" in my original post, but the point still holds true: I did assert in there that was not referring to all atheists.

Kiza, I"d like to respond to your point. I've been guilty at times of posting atheist rants. But I only do it in response to religious rants posted by others. I used to feel like "to each their own" and "let sleeping dogs lie" etc, and not feel any need to respond when people post religious ideas.

But after a while it became clear to me... if we (atheists) just sit back and turn the other cheek and let religious posts go up all over the place without posting an alternative viewpoint, then we're letting religious views dominate. Young people who haven't formed a viewpoint yet could see all these religious posts without any balancing alternatives, and just simply accept the populist religious viewpoint. It's not that I think that would be the worst thing that could happen... I have nothing against religion or religious people unless they're extremists or fundies... I just think it's important for voices to be heard on both sides.

Originally Posted by Tarsier

It's like studying a holy book, but instead of taking advice/wisdom from a god they're taking it from scientists.

Yes, it's exactly like that.

Like those people that take medical advice from doctors instead of seeking a reiki guy.

Originally Posted by Scatterbrain

Yes, it's exactly like that.

Like those people that take medical advice from doctors instead of seeking a reiki guy.

Pure ownage. Two perfect analogies.

Nice difference between faith and science: science adjusts its views based on what's observed. Faith is the denial of truth to preserve belief. If you could show to me that, say, there really is a floating man in the sky, I'll be happy beyond all reason, I'll spin on a dime. I'd be embarrassed as hell, but I'd run through the streets shouting, "Take physics and bin it! God is real!" As an atheist, I'm fully willing to shift my stance if enough evidence for a different argument comes to light. Interestingly enough, though, the amount of evidence available for such a divine being has refused to grow at all; in fact, the further along we go, the less likely it is seeming that any sort of higher power (at least in the Judeo-Christian sense) exists. I don't care if people study Christianity and believe it, but if they're going to spread it around and voice their opinions on the matter, I'm going to voice my opinions on the matter.

Come on, plagiarism isn't cool.

Really Mario? At least quote it.

Lots of that taken from Tim Minchin's 9-minute beat poem "Storm"

Originally Posted by Darkmatters

Kiza, I"d like to respond to your point. I've been guilty at times of posting atheist rants. But I only do it in response to religious rants posted by others. I used to feel like "to each their own" and "let sleeping dogs lie" etc, and not feel any need to respond when people post religious ideas.

But after a while it became clear to me... if we (atheists) just sit back and turn the other cheek and let religious posts go up all over the place without posting an alternative viewpoint, then we're letting religious views dominate. Young people who haven't formed a viewpoint yet could see all these religious posts without any balancing alternatives, and just simply accept the populist religious viewpoint. It's not that I think that would be the worst thing that could happen... I have nothing against religion or religious people unless they're extremists or fundies... I just think it's important for voices to be heard on both sides.

Trust me, there is no danger of kids in public schools becoming religious, except maybe in elementary school. It's looked down upon to believe in God, and all the teachers and students scoff at anyone who does.. at least where I am.. might be different over there in the US.

But even so, what IS the danger? People find a purpose to their life and start living by a moral code, oh no! It's not like they're going to go on a crusade man.

Originally Posted by Tarsier

Trust me, there is no danger of kids in public schools becoming religious, except maybe in elementary school. It's looked down upon to believe in God, and all the teachers and students scoff at anyone who does.. at least where I am.. might be different over there in the US.

But even so, what IS the danger? People find a purpose to their life and start living by a moral code, oh no! It's not like they're going to go on a crusade man.

And that is why I believe religion is a positive thing AT THIS TIME PERIOD.

It keeps people moral and does other good, though I don't believe in it.

Originally Posted by Darkmatters

Kiza, I"d like to respond to your point. I've been guilty at times of posting atheist rants. But I only do it in response to religious rants posted by others. I used to feel like "to each their own" and "let sleeping dogs lie" etc, and not feel any need to respond when people post religious ideas.

But after a while it became clear to me... if we (atheists) just sit back and turn the other cheek and let religious posts go up all over the place without posting an alternative viewpoint, then we're letting religious views dominate. Young people who haven't formed a viewpoint yet could see all these religious posts without any balancing alternatives, and just simply accept the populist religious viewpoint. It's not that I think that would be the worst thing that could happen... I have nothing against religion or religious people unless they're extremists or fundies... I just think it's important for voices to be heard on both sides.

I personally have no problem with that. Religious debate is fine by me, even if I do find it incredibly futile. I only object to those militants that actively seek to destroy Christian belief in God: they are the same as any other extremist. A man who attempts ardently to convert someone else to his way of thinking is just as bad as any others that do so, whether he is Christian or atheist or Buddhist or Hindu.

A majority of the 'militant atheist rants' you see are people who care about scientific truth explaining to a believer why their understanding of evolution/the big bang/any other scientific theory you care to point to is either incomplete or flat out wrong, which is why they are drawing their false conclusion from it.

It's just rather unfortunate that a lot of theists 'think' they understand what science can tell us about the big truths such as human and/or cosmological origins because they are projecting onto those theories the same doubts they ought to have about their own framework of the world.

Also the idea of a constantly updating world view is quite scary to some people, who prefer their lives to be static and unchanging. "First it was Newtons Laws then it was Einstein with Relativity and now they're trying to find a QUANTUM gravity?! Science doesn't know what it's on about, it keeps changing the story, making it up as they go along!"

Originally Posted by Alextanium

A majority of the 'militant atheist rants' you see are people who care about scientific truth explaining to a believer why their understanding of evolution/the big bang/any other scientific theory you care to point to is either incomplete or flat out wrong, which is why they are drawing their false conclusion from it.

Why do you assume that? A lot of the militant atheist rants I see are militant atheists actively seeking to destroy religious belief. Believe it or not, there are some religious believers out there who both believe in God and the scientific method. What's the difference between a non-believer trying to destroy a Christian belief in God, and a believer aggressively trying to convert an atheist into his way of thinking?

Originally Posted by Tarsier

Trust me, there is no danger of kids in public schools becoming religious, except maybe in elementary school. It's looked down upon to believe in God, and all the teachers and students scoff at anyone who does.. at least where I am.. might be different over there in the US.

But even so, what IS the danger? People find a purpose to their life and start living by a moral code, oh no! It's not like they're going to go on a crusade man.

Start living by a moral code? So then you assume that atheists are immoral people. Purpose? I asked in another thread (or maybe it was thins one?)... what is this purpose that only christians apparently have? I make my own purpose in life. I give my life meaning through art and animation... to entertain people and grow as an artist and human being in the process. I ask once again, what is the purpose christians are always speaking of?