What do the atheists get right?

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What do the atheists get right? - 4/28/2014 5:47:31 PM

BenevolentM

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I am not an atheist, but I agree with some of their claims. I agree that according to objective measures religion performs poorly.

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RE: What do the atheists get right? - 4/28/2014 5:49:33 PM

wittynamehere

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quote:

ORIGINAL: BenevolentM
I am not an atheist, but I agree with some of their claims.

Please try and make sense if you're going to bother starting a thread. What an idiotic non-point to make. Wow.

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RE: What do the atheists get right? - 4/28/2014 5:51:02 PM

DomKen

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As an atheist I'd argue that one of the most important things atheists get right is divorcing the concept of moral behavior from religious doctrine.

Respecting life is moral. Having an arbitrary day of the week when people can't work isn't.

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RE: What do the atheists get right? - 4/28/2014 6:05:22 PM

BenevolentM

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The point I am making is that some agreement is possible. Since atheists do not believe in an after life there is naturally a greater emphasis on making progress.

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RE: What do the atheists get right? - 4/28/2014 6:13:23 PM

BenevolentM

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According to atheism the intrinsic character of man is immaterial. It is pointless to improve man because man has an architecture set in stone, namely his genetic inheritance. Assuming an inability or unwillingness to modify his genetics what you can improve upon is his environment. According to atheism man is a machine, albeit a machine that suffers and for some unknown reason it is important to lessen its suffering. Since man is a machine that cannot be fixed what you are left with is tailoring the environment to the man-machine.

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RE: What do the atheists get right? - 4/28/2014 6:16:48 PM

BenevolentM

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I do not feel that this is altogether not sensible. This does not mean I am willing to go along with it hook line and sinker, however.

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RE: What do the atheists get right? - 4/28/2014 6:38:25 PM

BenevolentM

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quote:

ORIGINAL: BenevolentM

I am not an atheist, but I agree with some of their claims. I agree that according to objective measures religion performs poorly.

Why might this be the case? As I have pointed out elsewhere there is an emphasis in religion on personal responsibility. Religion is there to ignite a spark in you. So that one day it dawns on you that the world needs you. With atheism personal responsibility is de-emphasized. With atheism you are a victim of your circumstances.

How often does this awakening occur? Not often. With religion you get hero worship where the weight of the world rests on the shoulders of a few exceptional human beings.

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RE: What do the atheists get right? - 4/28/2014 6:40:56 PM

PeonForHer

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quote:

ORIGINAL: BenevolentM

According to atheism the intrinsic character of man is immaterial. It is pointless to improve man because man has an architecture set in stone, namely his genetic inheritance. Assuming an inability or unwillingness to modify his genetics what you can improve upon is his environment. According to atheism man is a machine, albeit a machine that suffers and for some unknown reason it is important to lessen its suffering. Since man is a machine that cannot be fixed what you are left with is tailoring the environment to the man-machine.

BM, where did you pick up all this stuff about atheism? It's nutty!

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RE: What do the atheists get right? - 4/28/2014 6:58:40 PM

GotSteel

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quote:

ORIGINAL: BenevolentM
According to atheism the intrinsic character of man is immaterial.

Atheism is a label for those who don't hold a belief in any gods. It is not a belief system. As such the only "according to" statement that can validly be made about atheism (and even this is on shaky ground) is According to atheism belief in god(s) is not currently justified.

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RE: What do the atheists get right? - 4/28/2014 8:03:40 PM

Kirata

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Atheists are strictly non-prophet.

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RE: What do the atheists get right? - 4/28/2014 9:07:31 PM

RottenJohnny

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quote:

ORIGINAL: Kirata

Atheists are strictly non-prophet.

K.

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RE: What do the atheists get right? - 4/28/2014 9:58:54 PM

TheHeretic

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I identify as a casual Deist, and am comfortable using the word "God" to describe a divinity we cannot comprehend.

For a lot of vocal atheists, I think the source of their anger comes much more from unresolved childhood issues with their parents, than it does from a more impersonal source. In that sense, I think they have it completely wrong.

I appreciate any mind which is open to spiritual inquiry, and a desire to better grasp the ineffable relationship between our kind, and the Divine, aka God. I have as much contempt for a closed minded atheist as I do for the dumbass fundies who had me incarcerated in one of their schools for a time.

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RE: What do the atheists get right? - 4/28/2014 10:59:43 PM

Zonie63

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quote:

ORIGINAL: BenevolentM

quote:

ORIGINAL: BenevolentM

I am not an atheist, but I agree with some of their claims. I agree that according to objective measures religion performs poorly.

Why might this be the case? As I have pointed out elsewhere there is an emphasis in religion on personal responsibility. Religion is there to ignite a spark in you. So that one day it dawns on you that the world needs you. With atheism personal responsibility is de-emphasized. With atheism you are a victim of your circumstances.

How often does this awakening occur? Not often. With religion you get hero worship where the weight of the world rests on the shoulders of a few exceptional human beings.

I'm not sure that religion ignites any spark; sometimes, it seems to do just the opposite. Practically from birth, religion is instilled into us. They want to make sure that they put the fear of God into you at an early age, to keep people in line and obedient. They don't want any "sparks."

I don't know that atheism de-emphasizes personal responsibility or says that one is a victim of one's circumstances. Perhaps there are some atheists who might say that, but perhaps from a certain political viewpoint which wouldn't have anything to do with their atheism. Atheists can have a wide variety of political, cultural, social, and philosophical views.

There are many religionists who claim that everything is due to "God's will," which pretty much takes responsibility away from individual humans and places it somewhere else. Some religions might also say that our responsibility is to God, not to "the world."

One thing that I would criticize religion for is that they seem to believe that, based on their scriptures and belief system, they have found the "final" and "ultimate" answer to life's mysteries. They're satisfied with that answer, and they go no further. They stop searching and merely "settle" for whatever belief they feel comfortable with. I don't think atheists or agnostics really see things in that way. They don't claim to know anything that they can't prove, but that doesn't mean they stop searching for knowledge.

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RE: What do the atheists get right? - 4/29/2014 12:25:06 AM

BenevolentM

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It is evident that many here do not understand what the implications of postulating the non-existence of God are. In a universe of discourse where no god exists, all relationships are superficial.

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RE: What do the atheists get right? - 4/29/2014 12:29:06 AM

freedomdwarf1

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BenM just wants to spout religion and you'll notice he frequently answers his own posts; ie, talks to himself.

He doesn't care what the topic is, he'll soon start spouting his own doctrine ad-nauseum.

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RE: What do the atheists get right? - 4/29/2014 12:45:44 AM

BenevolentM

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Ironically, atheism makes you vulnerable to manipulation since it denies the existence of free will. It allows for a puppeteer that instead of being God plays God. In Christianity we call this puppeteer Satan.

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RE: What do the atheists get right? - 4/29/2014 12:51:33 AM

freedomdwarf1

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quote:

ORIGINAL: BenevolentM

Ironically, atheism makes you vulnerable to manipulation since it denies the existence of free will. It allows for a puppeteer that instead of being God plays God. In Christianity we call this puppeteer Satan.

What a load of crap BM!!
Atheism gives you freedom to choose what the fuck you want, not be ruled by some ethereal being that doesn't exist.

FFS BM, stop fucking trolling again!!

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RE: What do the atheists get right? - 4/29/2014 1:28:09 AM

MrBukani

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Says the man with a pic of a dragontroll.

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RE: What do the atheists get right? - 4/29/2014 1:29:20 AM

freedomdwarf1

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quote:

ORIGINAL: MrBukani

Says the man with a pic of a dragontroll.

It's a Rockzilla actually

Google it - you'll find it.

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RE: What do the atheists get right? - 4/29/2014 1:35:11 AM

MrBukani

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quote:

ORIGINAL: freedomdwarf1

quote:

ORIGINAL: MrBukani

Says the man with a pic of a dragontroll.

It's a Rockzilla actually
Google it - you'll find it.