RE: If you're an Atheist, what comforts you?
December 4, 2018 at 8:22 am
(This post was last modified: December 4, 2018 at 8:27 am by Crossless2.0.)
(December 4, 2018 at 8:06 am)Cherub786 Wrote:(December 4, 2018 at 7:59 am)Crossless2.0 Wrote: How about your own interests, achievements, and the loves you forge with others? No "isms" involved. No gods, either.
No matter how great an individual I become I will always seek something greater than myself.
I'm a weak, fallen human being with few achievements. There is nothing to atheism but loss and more loss. Loss of identity and any sense of community too.
That's why young non-religious people are turning to toxic ideologies like the "Alt-Right". They need it to fill the void.
I see. So the world as it is doesn't meet your requirements for significance or transcendence. Too bad for you -- not that the world gives a damn about your existential crisis.
You say atheism is nothing but 'loss and more loss' and will result in a loss of identity and community? Yeah, religious communities are good at guilting others for 'unacceptable' thoughts and legitimate doubts. Fear of losing family and friends is a driver for the sort of conformity they require. For my part, I've never considered those who would shun me for not sharing their ideological commitments or their favorite character from an old book to be worth keeping in the first place.
I say atheism is 'nothing but' a willingness to face reality and the limits of what we can know and reasonably believe. You want to seek something greater than yourself? Great. Just understand that whatever you eventually find will oddly mirror what you bring to the table.
As for the Alt-Right, I'd wager that a majority of them self-identify as theists. But go ahead and ride that hobby horse if it makes you feel better. You're a member of this community. Do you seriously think most of us atheists here subscribe to the Alt-Right, or communism, or fascism? Pay attention.