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RE: Does atheism inspire people?
May 31, 2012 at 10:32 am
(May 31, 2012 at 10:29 am)StatCrux Wrote: (May 31, 2012 at 10:13 am)Epimethean Wrote: Stat, religion has never "inspired" people. What has inspired people is imagination,
By the by, what great works has your theism inspired you to create?
Your imagination is what is inspired, imagination doesn't inspire. Your imagination needs inspiration. Ever heard the term "Inspires the imagination"
inspiration is not limited to works of art, we can be inspired to be altruistic good people through religion, or inspired to become better people, because ultimately our lives and actions do have meaning and purpose.
Your religion is born of imagination.
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RE: Does atheism inspire people?
May 31, 2012 at 10:33 am
(May 31, 2012 at 10:21 am)NoMoreFaith Wrote: (May 31, 2012 at 9:56 am)StatCrux Wrote: God has implanted knowledge of himself within every person, each individual has this knowledge, becoming aware of it is what differs from each individual. Some people deny it but are still aware of it. Some people don't relate it to what they understand from the term "God" this is because the term itself is misunderstood. But that awareness of something transcendent and numinous exists in all of us and is self evident to anyone who seeks it.
You're asserting this fact but it is not axiomatic, you are simply asserting it is, and almost certainly convinced it is.
As one of my favourite sayings goes, private subjective evidence is useless because it is indistinguishable from the illusion of it.
Yet we all live our lives based on private subjective evidence.
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RE: Does atheism inspire people?
May 31, 2012 at 10:34 am
(May 31, 2012 at 10:29 am)StatCrux Wrote: inspiration is not limited to works of art, we can be inspired to be altruistic good people through religion, or inspired to become better people, because ultimately our lives and actions do have meaning and purpose.
People can also be inspired to immoral actions through religion also don't forget.
I agree that religion can in some circumstance be what someone needs to better themselves.
Placebo drugs can do the same thing. It does not however mean the placebo is a real drug.
I think you are confused between the placebo effects of religion, and measurable truth of the religion.
As I demonstrated earlier however, great artists draw their inspiration from many things. I would argue that if you can only be inspired by imaginary friends, then you are inadequate as a source of artistic imagination, merely deranged.
Self-authenticating private evidence is useless, because it is indistinguishable from the illusion of it. ― Kel, Kelosophy Blog
If you’re going to watch tele, you should watch Scooby Doo. That show was so cool because every time there’s a church with a ghoul, or a ghost in a school. They looked beneath the mask and what was inside?
The f**king janitor or the dude who runs the waterslide. Throughout history every mystery. Ever solved has turned out to be. Not Magic. ― Tim Minchin, Storm
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RE: Does atheism inspire people?
May 31, 2012 at 10:35 am
(May 31, 2012 at 10:33 am)StatCrux Wrote: Yet we all live our lives based on private subjective evidence.
Air, water, food, shelter, and finances are privately subjective?
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RE: Does atheism inspire people?
May 31, 2012 at 10:35 am
(This post was last modified: May 31, 2012 at 10:36 am by NoMoreFaith.)
(May 31, 2012 at 10:33 am)StatCrux Wrote: (May 31, 2012 at 10:21 am)NoMoreFaith Wrote: As one of my favourite sayings goes, private subjective evidence is useless because it is indistinguishable from the illusion of it. Yet we all live our lives based on private subjective evidence. Doesn't mean its true thou does it. I'm afraid of spiders because internally I'm convinced they are all poisonous and will bite and kill me. Its nothing more than a phobia thou.
Self-authenticating private evidence is useless, because it is indistinguishable from the illusion of it. ― Kel, Kelosophy Blog
If you’re going to watch tele, you should watch Scooby Doo. That show was so cool because every time there’s a church with a ghoul, or a ghost in a school. They looked beneath the mask and what was inside?
The f**king janitor or the dude who runs the waterslide. Throughout history every mystery. Ever solved has turned out to be. Not Magic. ― Tim Minchin, Storm
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RE: Does atheism inspire people?
May 31, 2012 at 10:41 am
(May 31, 2012 at 8:34 am)StatCrux Wrote: Wow they're really racking up, these words I've never said "incapability" nope never said that...
So, you are acknowledging that atheists do get inspired and do make art. What on earth are we in that case arguing about?!
As so many have tried to explain to you, atheism is not a philosophy. Being an atheist only rejects gods. Inspiration comes to me because I have cultivated those traits in me, I write a lot, a draw a lot and I play a lot of music. A person, who doesn't do this won't have any inspiration. The more you do, the better you become at making. My inspiration is the world around me, (day)dreams, and sometimes I just have an image/picture in my head and I get it easily on paper. Why is it so hard for you to understand that inspiration isn't anything divine, it's just opening certain paths in your brain, making you more likely to be creative? Being religious does not equal being inspired and creative.
When I was young, there was a god with infinite power protecting me. Is there anyone else who felt that way? And was sure about it? but the first time I fell in love, I was thrown down - or maybe I broke free - and I bade farewell to God and became human. Now I don't have God's protection, and I walk on the ground without wings, but I don't regret this hardship. I want to live as a person. -Arina Tanemura
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RE: Does atheism inspire people?
May 31, 2012 at 10:41 am
(May 31, 2012 at 10:15 am)Mister Agenda Wrote: (May 31, 2012 at 8:15 am)StatCrux Wrote: Really? You think that evolution is a creative process? Please explain to me how evolution created life? I'm all ears, coz I'm dense as you say...
When being sarcastic about how dense you are, you should be careful you don't demonstrate it. Evolution isn't the explanation for the origin of life, it's an explanation for the mad and wonderful diversity of life.
If you read the posts that is exactly my point. Mosrhun claimed evolution was an alternative to creation, I asked him therefore to explain how evolution created life, in order to show that it didn't, therefore is not an alternative to creation. He then changed his line to abiogenesis with no explanation of how that process works.
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RE: Does atheism inspire people?
May 31, 2012 at 10:44 am
(May 31, 2012 at 10:35 am)NoMoreFaith Wrote: Doesn't mean its true thou does it. I'm afraid of spiders because internally I'm convinced they are all poisonous and will bite and kill me. Its nothing more than a phobia thou.
In Australia this "phobia" may save life and limb.... most of our spiders ARE deadly to humans. 
Don't even START on intelligent design Stat!! 
"The Universe is run by the complex interweaving of three elements: energy, matter, and enlightened self-interest." G'Kar-B5
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RE: Does atheism inspire people?
May 31, 2012 at 10:45 am
Disclaimer: I haven't read most of this thread, so sorry if somebody's already said this.
Religion in itself doesn't inspire art; it is the values that are represented in the portion of religion the artist is depicting that give the inspiration. The religion just adds familiarity to the theme.
I'm not really aware of the numbers regarding proportion of atheist artists compared to proportion of atheists in the population as a whole, but I wouldn't be surprised if the proportion of atheist artists were lower, because studies have shown that atheists tend to think more analytically, which implies more "right brain thinking" , whereas art comes from "left brain thinking".
If more of us valued food and cheer and song above hoarded gold, it would be a merrier world. - J.R.R Tolkien
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RE: Does atheism inspire people?
May 31, 2012 at 10:49 am
(May 31, 2012 at 10:41 am)Kayenneh Wrote: (May 31, 2012 at 8:34 am)StatCrux Wrote: Wow they're really racking up, these words I've never said "incapability" nope never said that...
So, you are acknowledging that atheists do get inspired and do make art. What on earth are we in that case arguing about?!
I am saying that belief in a transcendent reality (God, Gods whatever term you choose) is inspirational and more conducive to creating art, poetry, music etc than materialism or atheism. There seems to be a correlation between artistic thinking and belief in the transcendent. Atheism seems to attract people of a less artistic nature, more attracted to logic and science etc.
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