(April 9, 2015 at 11:07 pm)datc Wrote: The dignity of a life enlightened by religion is higher than that of an atheist life; however, attaining that dignity indeed takes time and effort, and an atheist is unable even to recognize that his life is subpar. His higher faculties are dulled by the very self-contempt that you have amply demonstrated here in the discussion of differences between man and animals above. His incentives toward "making the real world a better place both for him and others" are negated by his own understanding of the "world," "himself," and "others" as hopelessly transient.
There is no dignity in believing in nonsense just because you find reality harsh. Dignity lies in accepting that reality is not ideal. Nearly every statement you've made here has been an appeal to consequence, which has no bearing on what truly is. Just because you find the idea of this life being the one and only abhorrent, doesn't mean there is a magical paradise awaiting you after you die. It's time to admit to yourself that you need the belief of an afterlife to cope with your fear of reality and that there is no dignity in clinging to an invisible security blanket as an adult.
Even if the open windows of science at first make us shiver after the cozy indoor warmth of traditional humanizing myths, in the end the fresh air brings vigor, and the great spaces have a splendor of their own - Bertrand Russell
