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Lack of "Connection" to something higher - is this holding atheism back?
February 25, 2012 at 12:36 pm
Hey all,
Like most atheists, I would love for people to stop believing in the unfounded and superstitious beliefs of religion. However, debating people and propagating the irrationality of religion obviously isn't enough- to quote Dr. House, "if you could reason with religious people there would be no religious people." The reason people stick with religion is because it fulfills an emotional need So, why haven't we created a secular alternative to religion which fulfills those needs?
Most people desire a sense of purpose, community, and "connection" to something higher than themselves. Religion conveniently provides all of those things in one package, which is why people will join them. I mean, why do kids of secularists become religious? Instilling free thinking isn't enough for some people.
Since atheism is simply the lack of belief in God/Gods, we shouldn't try to make something like an "atheist church" - the term atheism shouldn't become associated with an institution or dogma. Yet at the same time feel-good "believe whatever you want" secular-type alternatives for atheists like the Unitarian Universalist church are unappealing because they lack conviction and a unified purpose.
So, basically, I'm wondering if there are secular organizations that people could join which could fulfill the emotional needs many people have that keeps them stuck in religion. If not, why do you think we haven't created such an alternative to religion?
I'm trying to refine my thoughts on this issue, so any constructive critiques you have on possible holes in my thinking is definitely welcome.
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RE: Lack of "Connection" to something higher - is this holding atheism back?
February 25, 2012 at 12:39 pm
(This post was last modified: February 25, 2012 at 1:00 pm by The Grand Nudger.)
You mean like book clubs and hobby workshops? hehehehe.
I'd be willing to wager that I have mystical experiences and the sense of the numinous as often in frequency, and at as great a "level" the most die hard theist. There's no monopoly on that.
I am the Infantry. I am my country’s strength in war, her deterrent in peace. I am the heart of the fight… wherever, whenever. I carry America’s faith and honor against her enemies. I am the Queen of Battle. I am what my country expects me to be, the best trained Soldier in the world. In the race for victory, I am swift, determined, and courageous, armed with a fierce will to win. Never will I fail my country’s trust. Always I fight on…through the foe, to the objective, to triumph overall. If necessary, I will fight to my death. By my steadfast courage, I have won more than 200 years of freedom. I yield not to weakness, to hunger, to cowardice, to fatigue, to superior odds, For I am mentally tough, physically strong, and morally straight. I forsake not, my country, my mission, my comrades, my sacred duty. I am relentless. I am always there, now and forever. I AM THE INFANTRY! FOLLOW ME!
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RE: Lack of "Connection" to something higher - is this holding atheism back?
February 25, 2012 at 12:42 pm
I just want to be held-not held back.
Trying to update my sig ...
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RE: Lack of "Connection" to something higher - is this holding atheism back?
February 25, 2012 at 12:58 pm
Most atheists seem too independent to pin down into a "Church." I think that Religion creates its own emotional needs as an illusion to give themselves more power.
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RE: Lack of "Connection" to something higher - is this holding atheism back?
February 25, 2012 at 1:01 pm
(This post was last modified: February 25, 2012 at 1:02 pm by The Grand Nudger.)
You must first be convinced that you are a degenerate sinner, before you can begin to feel a desire for redemption from the god who judged you as such. Talk about bootstrapping yourself into a con eh?
I am the Infantry. I am my country’s strength in war, her deterrent in peace. I am the heart of the fight… wherever, whenever. I carry America’s faith and honor against her enemies. I am the Queen of Battle. I am what my country expects me to be, the best trained Soldier in the world. In the race for victory, I am swift, determined, and courageous, armed with a fierce will to win. Never will I fail my country’s trust. Always I fight on…through the foe, to the objective, to triumph overall. If necessary, I will fight to my death. By my steadfast courage, I have won more than 200 years of freedom. I yield not to weakness, to hunger, to cowardice, to fatigue, to superior odds, For I am mentally tough, physically strong, and morally straight. I forsake not, my country, my mission, my comrades, my sacred duty. I am relentless. I am always there, now and forever. I AM THE INFANTRY! FOLLOW ME!
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RE: Lack of "Connection" to something higher - is this holding atheism back?
February 25, 2012 at 1:02 pm
I just joined a few forums to shoot the breeze with other atheists, that's enough for me.
Best regards,
Leo van Miert
Horsepower is how hard you hit the wall --Torque is how far you take the wall with you
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RE: Lack of "Connection" to something higher - is this holding atheism back?
February 25, 2012 at 1:19 pm
(This post was last modified: February 25, 2012 at 1:20 pm by Welsh cake.)
Ultimately I don't care what people believe or don't believe in.
I'd be happy if just for one moment if everyone on the planet, every capable mind that is, could simply question their core-beliefs and care whether or not they are true. I would like to see the general public care if their beliefs are justified, and investigate if they're supported by verifiable evidence, logic and sound reasoning...
Wait!
I'm not done riding the winged marshmallow! Don't skip to the next post! I haven't even reached the Sherbet Kingdom yet! ;_;
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RE: Lack of "Connection" to something higher - is this holding atheism back?
February 25, 2012 at 4:32 pm
I've definitely wished there was something, a congregation if you will, that was church-like in that it provided the same outlet that a church does, but minus the religious part. I get most of my socializing done on various internet forums, but they're not a replacement for real-life socializing, at least not for me.
I think I've always assumed there might be something like this in large cities. Perhaps that's a wrong assumption?
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RE: Lack of "Connection" to something higher - is this holding atheism back?
February 25, 2012 at 4:41 pm
It may be a little simplistic of me, but to my mind creating an alternative to religion in the sense the op is suggesting is rather like curing someone of some disease then wondering what other disease to inject them with. Of course, it may be that some organised form of religious deprogramming, akin to a halfway house or drug rehab clinic, could be worth consideration but I'm not sure if this is in line with what was being asked. Food for thought at least.
At the age of five, Skagra decided emphatically that God did not exist. This revelation tends to make most people in the universe who have it react in one of two ways - with relief or with despair. Only Skagra responded to it by thinking, 'Wait a second. That means there's a situation vacant.'
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RE: Lack of "Connection" to something higher - is this holding atheism back?
February 25, 2012 at 4:45 pm
I always hated church and never felt I was any part of it, so I have no emotioinal void leftoever from deciding not to be a christian. And vI find that the greatest emotional support comes from within, by understanding and controlling your emotion.
Even if the open windows of science at first make us shiver after the cozy indoor warmth of traditional humanizing myths, in the end the fresh air brings vigor, and the great spaces have a splendor of their own - Bertrand Russell
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