RE: Atheism is a religion.
July 18, 2014 at 11:36 am
(This post was last modified: July 18, 2014 at 11:48 am by ManMachine.)
(July 18, 2014 at 10:21 am)Pickup_shonuff Wrote:(July 18, 2014 at 10:16 am)ManMachine Wrote: Who said we are hardwired for faith in faeries? You lost me.(July 18, 2014 at 10:16 am)ManMachine Wrote: I don't think religious devotion is retarded. The need to have systems of belief is hardwired into our brains.Did you mean to imply something else?
I still don't understand why you specifically mentioned faeries, anyway, being hardwired for systems of belief could be faeries, there are people who believe in faeries, and UFOs and Vampires, and gods with elephant heads, etc. I still don't see the point your making.
(July 18, 2014 at 10:21 am)Pickup_shonuff Wrote:(July 18, 2014 at 10:16 am)ManMachine Wrote: You are quite right, science and a belief in human progress does not flow from a lack of belief in a god, nor am I suggesting they do. I am putting forward the idea that they both serve the same human needs as their religious counterparts.Putting grass in a bowl of water and calling it soup also serves the universal human need to consume food but clearly it is not as nutritional as an actual meal. And I think that's a fair comparison.
If you prefer the taste of grass then you will eat grass. That's entirely up to you. I'm not commenting on what you choose.
MM
(July 18, 2014 at 11:19 am)Thumpalumpacus Wrote: I don't have time for zealots or preachers of any stripe.
(July 18, 2014 at 10:16 am)ManMachine Wrote: You are quite right, science and a belief in human progress does not flow from a lack of belief in a god, nor am I suggesting they do. I am putting forward the idea that they both serve the same human needs as their religious counterparts.
I disagree. The purpose of science is interrogating the Universe. The purpose of religion is assuaging man's angst at the fact of mortality. That some people make science the central point of their epistemology doesn't mean that they use science to feel spiritual.
The universe doesn't need interrogating by humans. We are only serving our own needs.
MM
(July 18, 2014 at 11:24 am)buddabobblehead Wrote: I certainly do NOT understand atheism as a religion. Not even close. No more than chemistry is a religion. Religions have to do with the FAITH in the supernatural. Those things are are believed to 'exist' outside of nature. 'Faith' belongs to religion. We dont need faith to understand math or science. A true atheist understands faith or belief as an intermediate point of knowledge along the continuum of speculation and hypothesis to fact and truth. We know that 2 + 2=4. No faith required. Does string theory explain what is not explained by general relativity and quantum mechanics? One may have faith (believe) that it does, and others may not. Science is in the process of finding out. A true atheist does not believe in 'faith' as having any real meaning except for a lack of knowledge. Without faith there can be no religion.
Then you also understand that science does not have any evidence proving gods do not exist. Atheism is a rejection of a belief in deities. It is saying 'I do not believe in deities'. Which, if you accept science does not disprove them, is not a scientific position. You are saying although science has not disproved deities you are prepared to take a leap of faith and say you do not believe in them.
MM
"The greatest deception men suffer is from their own opinions" - Leonardo da Vinci
"I think I use the term “radical” rather loosely, just for emphasis. If you describe yourself as “atheist,” some people will say, “Don’t you mean ‘agnostic’?” I have to reply that I really do mean atheist, I really do not believe that there is a god; in fact, I am convinced that there is not a god (a subtle difference). I see not a shred of evidence to suggest that there is one ... etc., etc. It’s easier to say that I am a radical atheist, just to signal that I really mean it, have thought about it a great deal, and that it’s an opinion I hold seriously." - Douglas Adams (and I echo the sentiment)
"I think I use the term “radical” rather loosely, just for emphasis. If you describe yourself as “atheist,” some people will say, “Don’t you mean ‘agnostic’?” I have to reply that I really do mean atheist, I really do not believe that there is a god; in fact, I am convinced that there is not a god (a subtle difference). I see not a shred of evidence to suggest that there is one ... etc., etc. It’s easier to say that I am a radical atheist, just to signal that I really mean it, have thought about it a great deal, and that it’s an opinion I hold seriously." - Douglas Adams (and I echo the sentiment)
