(January 27, 2016 at 1:15 am)scoobysnack Wrote: Hi everyone,
Just joined, and I'm interested in learning about all cultures and belief systems. I'm curious what atheism means to you personally. Also why you don't believe in religion, and what you have to say about it.
I wish even atheists would not call it an "ism". It is a mere position on one claim only. "Off" on god claims. Just like your light switch being off is not a political party or economic view.
Atheists are just as diverse in positions of politics and economics. I know Ayn Rand type atheists who think "fuck you I got mine" who vote either republican or libertarian. I also know other atheists who stupidly think Che who lead the revolution that lead to Cuba is a hero. Neither of which I agree with.
I know other atheists who worship guns on par with tea party nuts. I am not unrealistic about guns in that you wont get rid of all of them by force. But I do hate paranoid assholes who think any attempt to regulate them is a call for a fascist state.
"atheist" does not even address education level, though it could be argued that on average we do tend to value reality based facts over old books of myth.
I have run into atheists who have their own bullshit conspiracies like 9/11 and JFK, and others who simply replace old claims of sky wizards with si fi woo, which is simply to me, replacing old bullshit with new bullshit.
"atheist" merely means "off" on god claims, nothing more. It is not a political party, it is not an economic view. It is not a call to be lawless or commit crimes. It simply means the individual does not hold any belief in a god or gods.
Atheists come from all over the world and have left every religion you can think of. There are former Muslims, former Christians, former Jews, former Hindus former Buddhists. There are Iranian atheists, Syrian atheists, Mexican atheists, Korean atheists and black atheists. There are poor atheists and rich atheists.
It is NOT a belief system although one could argue some atheists are trying to compete with theism by creating their own moral code lists, which to me is stupid. Our species ability to be cruel or compassionate is in our evolution, not our labels.
