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What we lack?
December 9, 2011 at 9:32 pm
Hey all...my latest blog. I know it's not a full treatise on the topic but it is something to think about. Sam Harris and Ronald Aronson do this far more service that my paltry offering. Can atheism have a spirituality?
http://www.mortalityandatheism.org/archives/196
Religion is an insult to human dignity. With or without it you would have good people doing good things and evil people doing evil things. But for good people to do evil things, that takes religion. -Steven Weinberg-
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RE: What we lack?
December 10, 2011 at 2:41 pm
No it can't.
You are currently experiencing a lucky and very brief window of awareness, sandwiched in between two periods of timeless and utter nothingness. So why not make the most of it, and stop wasting your life away trying to convince other people that there is something else? The reality is obvious.
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RE: What we lack?
December 10, 2011 at 3:02 pm
I don't really confuse spirituality with the feeling we get from emotions.
Spirituality to me means the belief in spirits, that we have spirits, which of course is bullshit. Or at best, equally as likely as god existing.
So, no it can't.
You are currently experiencing a lucky and very brief window of awareness, sandwiched in between two periods of timeless and utter nothingness. So why not make the most of it, and stop wasting your life away trying to convince other people that there is something else? The reality is obvious.
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RE: What we lack?
December 10, 2011 at 3:09 pm
Wikipedia seems to agree for the most part with the original poster.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spirituality According to Wikipedia the word "Spirituality" has a somewhat loose definition when it comes to the practice thereof.
I have studied the Bible and the theology behind Christianity for many years. I have been to many churches. I have walked the depth and the breadth of the religion and, as a result of this, I have a lot of bullshit to scrape off the bottom of my shoes. ~Ziploc Surprise
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RE: What we lack?
December 10, 2011 at 3:14 pm
My blog, if you read it, clearly states I am not implying a soul or supernatural spirituality, but a sense of connected-ness with those things and people around us. I by no means feel there is a soul or spirits and gods but rather that many feel the need for a sense of well being that can be had in something like original buddhist teachings that are lacking in any form of ghosts and goblins but instead offer a ethical code of conduct in a structured form that many find pleasing and is in no way at odds with our atheism. Harris mentioned this at length at the end of his best seller End of Faith.
Religion is an insult to human dignity. With or without it you would have good people doing good things and evil people doing evil things. But for good people to do evil things, that takes religion. -Steven Weinberg-
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RE: What we lack?
December 10, 2011 at 3:14 pm
After reading the wikipedia definition, which is just wishy washy new age meaningless waffle about inner self and belief in realms and other such unempirically testable (just for frodo) stuff, then...
No, it can't.
You are currently experiencing a lucky and very brief window of awareness, sandwiched in between two periods of timeless and utter nothingness. So why not make the most of it, and stop wasting your life away trying to convince other people that there is something else? The reality is obvious.
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RE: What we lack?
December 10, 2011 at 3:37 pm
Well personally I feel more connected to humanity than I did as a Christian. The reason for this is I no longer feel separated by my beliefs and I think we are all pretty much headed in the same direction no matter what we believe now.
That isn't spiritual but it feels a whole lot better than the Christian idea of "I am saved and most others are screwed". It feels better than being "spiritual" ever did.
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RE: What we lack?
December 10, 2011 at 3:46 pm
This is sort of my point, whether we feel connected to one another or not, it is not spirituality.
Spirituality is actually a belief system, and an ill defined one at that. It can't possibly have any evidence or be proven true, therefore it has no place standing in tandem with atheism.
I worry that some weak atheists/agnostics posit stuff like "can we be spiritual" in order to appeal more to theists. Fuck theists.
You are currently experiencing a lucky and very brief window of awareness, sandwiched in between two periods of timeless and utter nothingness. So why not make the most of it, and stop wasting your life away trying to convince other people that there is something else? The reality is obvious.
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RE: What we lack?
December 10, 2011 at 3:59 pm
(December 10, 2011 at 3:46 pm)Norfolk And Chance Wrote: This is sort of my point, whether we feel connected to one another or not, it is not spirituality.
Spirituality is actually a belief system, and an ill defined one at that. It can't possibly have any evidence or be proven true, therefore it has no place standing in tandem with atheism.
I worry that some weak atheists/agnostics posit stuff like "can we be spiritual" in order to appeal more to theists. Fuck theists.
So you think Sam Harris is a weak atheist? I by no means am a "weak atheist" nor am I uneducated or resigning myself to childish comments like "fuck theists." I am not looking to appeal to theist either. Anyone who has read my blog would most certainly know that. I would continue my argument but I feel given your lack of intellectual integrity with comments like you have posted, that it would be futile.
Religion is an insult to human dignity. With or without it you would have good people doing good things and evil people doing evil things. But for good people to do evil things, that takes religion. -Steven Weinberg-
