North Korea - smear on atheism?

[Dawud]

I agree with Rhythm - I don't think atheism is an ideology that is defined by the rejection. Of all claims that are discerned to be religious..

---

I think atheism is generally less restrictive...

[Cato]

Exactly - they are misrepresenting atheism as something that allows a title such as 'Heavenly Leader'

This is obviously not atheism then despite the claim...

That's all I meant as a smear now - misrepresenting atheism in public discourse as something that allows such titles.

I think I understand your argument. It's the same as Mauritania smearing the idea of human rights by being elected a member of the U.N. Human Rights Council.

[CapnAwesome]

I think it's important to note the difference between Atheism and non-religion. I'd take a secular Deist over an Atheist who believes their leader is the reincarnate of an advisor to Kublai Khan and thus qualified to sit in a huge palace and rule the country. Religion really is the important factor not Atheism.

[The Grand Nudger]

I'd take a secular theist over that particular atheist. But only because I've been given the option of a steaming turd or a steaming turd sandwich.

[Dawud]

So it is the religion which is bad.

So everything religious is bad?

[Minimalist]

So they are not 'true' atheists - they say they are but they are not?

If you say you're an atheist, but you believe in a God: you're not an atheist.

Possibly.....you might simply be a total fucking failure at it.

[Dawud]

In Islam there is guidance from God to seek knowledge.

Would this advice be considered 'religious' and therefore bad?

---

I doubt it so what do you mean by religious?

[The Grand Nudger]

Depends, where is this knowledge to be sought, and what are the taboos or boundaries to the seeking?

(also, drop god from it and is it any less "good" or "bad"..IOW, god is at least superfluous, but possibly detrimental to the very advice it supposedly offers - depending on the above)

[Tonus]

I meant a dirtying of the term by a state that is obviously not atheist but uses the word 'atheist' to refer to the atrocities done by them - had North Korea really been atheist they couldn't use the term 'heavenly leader' (that's what you implied?)

I think that they use "atheist" as a stand-in for "Kim is god." Modern day tyrants seem to want to make worship of the state and its leaders the only religion. What better way to remove the competition than by making atheism a state policy? Now the citizens are free to venerate the leaders of the country with no Jesus or Mohammed or C'thulhu to compete against.

It's not as if they're up at night worrying that they might be "sullying the good name of atheism."

[Dawud]

So Rhythm - could there be such a thing as good advice in a religion?