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RE: Is atheism a liberating and good experience?
December 10, 2012 at 7:26 am
(This post was last modified: December 10, 2012 at 7:27 am by Kirbmarc.)
Quote:That's a great question! It's not just Dawkins, a lot of atheists like to tell Christians and other religious people what to believe about their beliefs (with no expertise to do so). It'd be like a musician giving history lessons to seasoned anthropologists.
I suppose that there's a huge crowd of atheists knocking on your door, or ringing bells in your backyard, or spewing hate speech on national TV, or influencing politics to punish minorities. And Dawkins in person came in person to your home to force you to read his book and watch his videos.
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RE: Is atheism a liberating and good experience?
December 10, 2012 at 7:50 am
Not just that, but it must be so infuriating to hear someone steeped in science and reality tell you what he thinks about your imaginary friend and arbitrary beliefs.
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RE: Is atheism a liberating and good experience?
December 10, 2012 at 9:08 am
(December 9, 2012 at 11:50 pm)naimless Wrote: In order to have a philosophy that does not believe in "force to limit thinking", you also need a philosophy that does, and a lot of other philosophies in-between.
Well, there are all of these.
(December 9, 2012 at 11:50 pm)naimless Wrote: I don't see how you can depict a difference between those who are free thinkers and those who are not.
A good way of depicting the difference, those that make others adhere to their doctrine by force and threat, and those that don't
(December 9, 2012 at 11:50 pm)naimless Wrote: The freedom is always relative to the non-freedom in the time and environment. No doubt in 1000 years "free thinkers" will look at definitions of free thinking in this time period as delusional.
Times change as do prospectives, so should we not report what we see?
Your argument seems to be nothing more than lets give up as we do not have all the answers. I say lets look for answers.
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RE: Is atheism a liberating and good experience?
December 10, 2012 at 9:11 am
He seems pretty set on being depressed. That's why I gave up.
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RE: Is atheism a liberating and good experience?
December 10, 2012 at 9:21 am
^ So?
He's still intelligent an interesting to discuss with. It's little use hoping to change someone on an internet forum!
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RE: Is atheism a liberating and good experience?
December 10, 2012 at 9:22 am
I didn't say he wasn't intelligent or interesting. Please don't make assumptions.
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RE: Is atheism a liberating and good experience?
December 10, 2012 at 9:23 am
I don't know if he's set on being depressed as much as he wants someone to give him the answers to living happy without god. Unfortunately for him, being an atheist doesn't work that way.
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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RE: Is atheism a liberating and good experience?
December 10, 2012 at 9:32 am
It has nothing to do with atheists. "Happiness" doesn't have a formula or a general panacea that miraculously works. Its rather subjective.
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RE: Is atheism a liberating and good experience?
December 10, 2012 at 9:41 am
(December 10, 2012 at 9:23 am)Faith No More Wrote: I don't know if he's set on being depressed as much as he wants someone to give him the answers to living happy without god. Unfortunately for him, being an atheist doesn't work that way.
I only said so, Faith, because he didn't seem terribly impressed with the suggestions that were given to him.
And Daniel, I don't expect to "change" people, but when an opportunity for advice or support presents itself (in real life or the internet) and is given and is summarily dismissed, I accept that someone wants to remain as they are, at least at that moment.
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RE: Is atheism a liberating and good experience?
December 10, 2012 at 9:43 am
(This post was last modified: December 10, 2012 at 9:46 am by Faith No More.)
LastPoet Wrote:It has nothing to do with atheists. "Happiness" doesn't have a formula or a general panacea that miraculously works. Its rather subjective.
True, but as an atheist, I cannot give him any guidance beyond telling him to figure it out for himself. As a Christian, I could tell him to seek god, because that is what my beliefs dictate. That was my point.
thesummerqueen Wrote:I only said so, Faith, because he didn't seem terribly impressed with the suggestions that were given to him.
I understand, and believe me, I am just as frustrated with his dismissals of every idea put forth. My point was that he seems to me to be unrealistically intent on receiving a magic recipe for living happily without god, rather than being intent on staying depressed.
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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