RE: A challenge to Statler Waldorf
May 11, 2011 at 12:47 am
(This post was last modified: May 11, 2011 at 12:56 am by SleepingDemon.)
While I might concede that atheism is a philisophical position, I don't get the leap to religion. It is a position on a subject, not a guide for living, an explanation for the why's of existence. It has no deities, no sacred scripture, no sacred holidays, no canon of behavior, no spiritualism, and makes no claims that must be taken on faith. While there may be leaders in the political movement, there is no uniformity to atheism aside from the a and theism. We hold the position, based upon evidence, that no gods exist. We do not believe that anything has any sort of divinity or will that controls the universe. We accept reality from a scientific viewpoint, in that the universe is governed by laws and forces, none of which are sentient, much less divine. What seperates religion from atheism, is that religion makes claims that atheist do not accept. If there were no theists, we would still be atheists, but it would be a nonissue because everyone is atheist. People believe in many things, the act of denying those claims is only a position on the subject.
To further that point. Here is a list of things I also do not believe in: angels, dragons, demons, vampires, werewolves, fairies, satyrs, minotaurs, ghosts, bigfoot, nessie, magic, genies(tho sometimes I wish I had one), flying elephants, alien abductions, crop circles, ancient alien astronaut theories, orcs, ogres, trolls, superman, spiderman, ghost rider, or the thousands upon thousands of other mythological creatures and deities that people believe in or have believed in. My position on these subjects is shared by others, are these positions religions as well?
To further that point. Here is a list of things I also do not believe in: angels, dragons, demons, vampires, werewolves, fairies, satyrs, minotaurs, ghosts, bigfoot, nessie, magic, genies(tho sometimes I wish I had one), flying elephants, alien abductions, crop circles, ancient alien astronaut theories, orcs, ogres, trolls, superman, spiderman, ghost rider, or the thousands upon thousands of other mythological creatures and deities that people believe in or have believed in. My position on these subjects is shared by others, are these positions religions as well?
"In our youth, we lacked the maturity, the decency to create gods better than ourselves so that we might have something to aspire to. Instead we are left with a host of deities who were violent, narcissistic, vengeful bullies who reflected our own values. Our gods could have been anything we could imagine, and all we were capable of manifesting were gods who shared the worst of our natures."-Me
"Atheism leaves a man to sense, to philosophy, to natural piety, to laws, to reputation; all of which may be guides to an outward moral virtue, even if religion vanished; but religious superstition dismounts all these and erects an absolute monarchy in the minds of men." – Francis Bacon
"Atheism leaves a man to sense, to philosophy, to natural piety, to laws, to reputation; all of which may be guides to an outward moral virtue, even if religion vanished; but religious superstition dismounts all these and erects an absolute monarchy in the minds of men." – Francis Bacon
