(September 19, 2014 at 12:14 pm)Celestine Wrote: Abstinence doesn't mean refraining from just sex, it simply means to refrain from indulging in something, it could be smoking, alcohol, drugs, overeating, etc.
What about abstaining from charity? Would that be a virtue? What about abstaining from self-sacrifice? What about abstaining from playing with your kids? Or are you saying that abstinence is only a virtue when people abstain from things you don't value?
And why should you abstain from sex, or alcohol, or drugs, or overeating? Why not, instead, extol the virtue of moderation?
After all, alcohol has known positive health effects when used in moderation (it can help acidify urine for those afflicted with certain types of kidney stone), in addition to the known negative effects of overuse. Sex has known positive effects on mental health, physical health, and the health of relationships, as well as the known negatives effects of STD transmission. The psychologically negative effects associated with sex are just that: psychological. Overeating is perfectly fine when you do it infrequently (Thanksgiving dinner, Superbowl parties, pie eating contests, etc.) but, yes, is unhealthy if one persists in the activity regularly.
Why is abstinence (which, after all, means restraining oneself from doing or enjoying something) better than teaching people to have healthy attitudes about these activities or, when frequent indulgence is indeed harmful, advocate for moderation?
Quote:Yes I agree that these virtues existed long before religion, however, religion for quite a lot of people was the only source where they might observe and discuss these virtues.
If they existed long before religion, then why are you bootstrapping them to religion in your defense of them? Why not advocate for them for their own sake?
Quote:As atheists shall we not herald these virtues of humanity separating them from religion to make them more noticeable?
Well, first you're going to have to demonstrate that ALL of your listed virtues are, indeed, virtues.
Teenaged X-Files obsession + Bermuda Triangle episode + Self-led school research project = Atheist.
