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RE: Atheists= intelligent?
October 30, 2008 at 2:07 pm
(October 29, 2008 at 1:07 pm)EvidenceVsFaith Wrote: (October 29, 2008 at 12:58 pm)leo-rcc Wrote: Well I think the human brain is very capable of compartmentalizing. Some true believers can be sublimely intelligent in all sorts of subjects, but incapable of critical thinking when it comes to matters of their faith. Yes, I think faith is bigger than religion. And I agree its often compartmentalized. I think religion is a huge part of faith. I don't think you can have religion without faith (unless you're faking it) but I think you can have faith without a religion. You can have faith in superstitions/pseudoscience etc. Astrology for example, or in my previous case, 'The Law of Attraction' utter bullshit.
Also, from what I've heard atleast, it seems as though Stalin, for example, had a kind of a dogmatic, anti-faith sort of faith.
I am afraid that we are mixing up different notions.
When RD speaks about Faith I understand that he just presents it as another expression of the belief in supranatural phenomena and particulary in God.
Now, superstitions,Destiny,astrology,prophecizing of future,and so on are all various faces of the same coin based on Faith.
So in my opinion as an atheist you can say that you believe that this or other rational thinking (scientific) theory is right or wrong but you can not say that you have faith without religion because they are one and the same thing.
What belongs to Stalin he thought of himself as a Genius of humanity ,and was in fact hailed as such in the Soviet Union and by commies abroad ,he was in fact a smart guy who outbrained his colleagues but his faith or anti-faith believes are by long thrown to the dustbin of history.
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RE: Atheists= intelligent?
October 30, 2008 at 3:10 pm
Well if it wasn't for the fact that I know some dowsers that don't believe in gods I'd agree with you.
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RE: Atheists= intelligent?
October 30, 2008 at 6:42 pm
(This post was last modified: October 30, 2008 at 6:49 pm by Edwardo Piet.)
(October 30, 2008 at 2:07 pm)josef rosenkranz Wrote: (October 29, 2008 at 1:07 pm)EvidenceVsFaith Wrote: (October 29, 2008 at 12:58 pm)leo-rcc Wrote: Well I think the human brain is very capable of compartmentalizing. Some true believers can be sublimely intelligent in all sorts of subjects, but incapable of critical thinking when it comes to matters of their faith. Yes, I think faith is bigger than religion. And I agree its often compartmentalized. I think religion is a huge part of faith. I don't think you can have religion without faith (unless you're faking it) but I think you can have faith without a religion. You can have faith in superstitions/pseudoscience etc. Astrology for example, or in my previous case, 'The Law of Attraction' utter bullshit.
Also, from what I've heard atleast, it seems as though Stalin, for example, had a kind of a dogmatic, anti-faith sort of faith.
I am afraid that we are mixing up different notions.
When RD speaks about Faith I understand that he just presents it as another expression of the belief in supranatural phenomena and particulary in God.
Now, superstitions,Destiny,astrology,prophecizing of future,and so on are all various faces of the same coin based on Faith.
So in my opinion as an atheist you can say that you believe that this or other rational thinking (scientific) theory is right or wrong but you can not say that you have faith without religion because they are one and the same thing.
What belongs to Stalin he thought of himself as a Genius of humanity ,and was in fact hailed as such in the Soviet Union and by commies abroad ,he was in fact a smart guy who outbrained his colleagues but his faith or anti-faith believes are by long thrown to the dustbin of history. Well, I think this is indeed a semantic thing, if you are using 'religion' as a synonym for 'faith' But I don't think they're identical. I agree that it is hard to mark the difference. But I think its just a case of degree perhaps. Hard to clarify maybe. Or maybe just some very slight difference.
(October 30, 2008 at 3:10 pm)leo-rcc Wrote: Well if it wasn't for the fact that I know some dowsers that don't believe in gods I'd agree with you. Perhaps surprisingly, leo could have a fairly good point here.
I think unless you (I'm still talking to you josef) want to call dowsing a religion, and atheist dowsers religious believers. Then this could be called atheists who have faith. Unless you don't want to call it faith either. In which case what would you suggest it should be called?
But this is just one example of the probably very rare exceptions of a atheist who has "faith", if you actually agree it could be called that.
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RE: Atheists= intelligent?
October 31, 2008 at 11:50 am
I have a question for an atheist.
What is the end goal of an atheist who lives a good moral life?
This question has been bugging me for a long time, can someone answer this question.
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RE: Atheists= intelligent?
October 31, 2008 at 11:51 am
(This post was last modified: October 31, 2008 at 4:31 pm by leo-rcc.)
Me? Either 6 foot under or like me in the oven. Why?
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RE: Atheists= intelligent?
October 31, 2008 at 11:55 am
(This post was last modified: October 31, 2008 at 11:56 am by Edwardo Piet.)
(October 31, 2008 at 11:50 am)S_Truth Wrote: I have a question for an atheist.
What is the end goal of an atheist who lives a good moral life?
This question has been bugging me for a long time, can someone answer this question. End Goal? Well I can't speak for all atheists, but I'm an atheist and I don't believe in an afterlife. So there isn't particularly an "end goal" I just try and make the most of a good moral difference that I can until the day I die, I play my part, while still looking after myself so I don't go nuts because I feel a slave or something  I have my own needs to of course, and I should be good and moral to myself too, so long as I deserve it of course.
Also, if I may ask you a question, I'm wondering what does the 'S' in your name stand for?
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RE: Atheists= intelligent?
October 31, 2008 at 11:56 am
Thanks for such of a quick reply Leo rcc
So really there is no end goal for an atheist. hmmmmm, so, what about death then, how come we cannot control it? Like its so unexpecting and this energy just takes over you and kills you. I am finding a hard time understand all of this.
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RE: Atheists= intelligent?
October 31, 2008 at 11:58 am
(This post was last modified: October 31, 2008 at 11:59 am by Edwardo Piet.)
(October 31, 2008 at 11:56 am)S_Truth Wrote: Thanks for such of a quick reply Leo rcc
So really there is no end goal for an atheist. hmmmmm, so, what about death then, how come we cannot control it? Like its so unexpecting and this energy just takes over you and kills you. I am finding a hard time understand all of this. Because there are so so SO many ways to die and such a vast degree of how quickly one can die.
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RE: Atheists= intelligent?
October 31, 2008 at 12:00 pm
What makes you think we need to control death? We control death by eating food, drinking fluids, proper sleep, medicine, etc. When the time comes, the time comes.
What part is so hard to understand?
And there is no energy taking you over when you die, more the energy to sustain the organism is depleted. Hopefully of old age, or sometimes through sickness, sometimes through irreparable damage.
If you are asking why we don't seek comfort in an afterlife,the simple and honest answer is: There is no evidence there is one.
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RE: Atheists= intelligent?
October 31, 2008 at 12:01 pm
(October 31, 2008 at 11:55 am)EvidenceVsFaith Wrote: (October 31, 2008 at 11:50 am)S_Truth Wrote: I have a question for an atheist.
What is the end goal of an atheist who lives a good moral life?
This question has been bugging me for a long time, can someone answer this question. End Goal? Well I can't speak for all atheists, but I'm an atheist and I don't believe in an afterlife. So there isn't particularly an "end goal" I just try and make the most of a good moral difference that I can until the day I die, I play my part, while still looking after myself so I don't go nuts because I feel a slave or something I have my own needs to of course, and I should be good and moral to myself too, so long as I deserve it of course.
Also, if I may ask you a question, I'm wondering what does the 'S' in your name stand for?
The S stands for searching then for Truth
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