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RE: Critical thinker, skeptical about atheism.
December 19, 2014 at 8:02 am
(This post was last modified: December 19, 2014 at 8:06 am by robvalue.)
Lol  Thanks.
The other thing is, being an atheist does not require you to be rational even. You could be an atheist who thinks the universe fell out of a hat, that ghosts are real and people are not, and maths is a conspiracy. Still an atheist.
It just so happens, many atheists are also rational, critical thinkers. But it's not a requirement, or a natural result.
Maybe he's off thinking it over and will come back with a very well thought out post. I would respect that a lot.
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RE: Critical thinker, skeptical about atheism.
December 19, 2014 at 8:10 am
Yeah, this new guy probably thinks we have the same brand loyalty that he does when our atheism is simply the rejection of so many brands.
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RE: Critical thinker, skeptical about atheism.
December 19, 2014 at 8:13 am
(This post was last modified: December 19, 2014 at 8:15 am by robvalue.)
I do understand that when all you've known is religion, the idea that atheism is nothing like it, has no structure, edicts or leaders, can be a little overwhelming. It's the realization that what you see is pretty much what you get, and we humans have to sort things out ourselves.
I guess it's a lot like leaving prison after being institutionalised. Some people just don't want to leave that environment and so do everything they can to be kept inside.
Atheism is not a replacement for religion, and as such offers no insight and no promises. It's just that you have unshackled yourself and are now free to enjoy the world as it really is.
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RE: Critical thinker, skeptical about atheism.
December 19, 2014 at 8:18 am
(December 19, 2014 at 7:06 am)Antikytherian95 Wrote: I have a nagging skepticism about atheism since it leaves unexplained the most basic questions of our existence and the existence of all things. It seems as if you are saying that any explanation would be better than none, even if the explanation is just something that was made up to fill a gap in our knowledge. I suppose that makes sense to a theist, but it's not a reason to be skeptical. The honesty of admitting we don't know should be refreshing, not cause for doubt.
"Well, evolution is a theory. It is also a fact. And facts and theories are different things, not rungs in a hierarchy of increasing certainty. Facts are the world's data. Theories are structures of ideas that explain and interpret facts. Facts don't go away when scientists debate rival theories to explain them. Einstein's theory of gravitation replaced Newton's in this century, but apples didn't suspend themselves in midair, pending the outcome. And humans evolved from ape- like ancestors whether they did so by Darwin's proposed mechanism or by some other yet to be discovered."
-Stephen Jay Gould
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RE: Critical thinker, skeptical about atheism.
December 19, 2014 at 8:21 am
(This post was last modified: December 19, 2014 at 8:21 am by robvalue.)
Say it clear, say it loud!
I don't know yet, and I am proud!
Gonna keep looking, use my head!
Not make up some shit instead!
I'll work on it.
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RE: Critical thinker, skeptical about atheism.
December 19, 2014 at 9:06 am
(This post was last modified: December 19, 2014 at 9:08 am by Alex K.)
Lol, what's that, the official Jody call of the skeptical marine squad? 
Man, our Antikytherion is a strange animal, needing to insist that admitting ignorance is a form of dogmatism - the mind bending motions people have to go to justify their prejudices, it's a sight to behold. Maybe xe'll be back....
The fool hath said in his heart, There is a God. They are corrupt, they have done abominable works, there is none that doeth good.
Psalm 14, KJV revised edition
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RE: Critical thinker, skeptical about atheism.
December 19, 2014 at 9:18 am
(This post was last modified: December 19, 2014 at 9:21 am by robvalue.)
Hehe
Yeah, I hope he will give it another try. At least he's mentioning critical thinking, that's a start.
How would ignorance dogma work anyway? You must answer "I don't know" even if you do know? Hmm.
Started some interesting talking points.
Scepticism > Skepticism
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RE: Critical thinker, skeptical about atheism.
December 19, 2014 at 9:29 am
(December 19, 2014 at 9:18 am)robvalue Wrote: How would ignorance dogma work anyway?
We must not know!!!
The fool hath said in his heart, There is a God. They are corrupt, they have done abominable works, there is none that doeth good.
Psalm 14, KJV revised edition
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RE: Critical thinker, skeptical about atheism.
December 19, 2014 at 9:41 am
I made a few corrections to the OP:
Q- Where does the Universe come from?
Dogmatic atheist- We don't know, but isn't it great to try to find the answer
Theist- We don't know - it must have been some god. We can stop looking for answers now
Q Why are we here?
Dogmatic atheist- We don't know Maybe there is no 'reason.' But we can still make this like count in every way possible.
Theist- We don't know. But maybe there's a god that put us here to worship him.
Q Is there any meaning to life?
Dogmatic atheist- We don't know but as long as we're here, let's make the best of it and make it as meaningful as possible.
Theist- We don't know. Maybe there's something meaningful later after we die. [Therefore the meaning of life is... death]
Q Is there good and evil?
Dogmatic atheist (Dawkins)- There is no good and evil, we all dance to the tune of our DNA
Theist- Good and evil exist only as God tells me they exist, regardless of the good it does for people or the evils it perpetuates.
Why then do we put "evil" people in jails? ("evil" is a religious word)
A truly honest Dogmatic atheist- We don't put 'evil' people in jail. We put people who have committed crimes in jail.
Theist- The crimes committed by people in jail no longer matter if they are saved by God. [Or from the perspective of the people in jail: Friends, family and society may despise me for what I have done, but if I believe in a God, he can still love me.]
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RE: Critical thinker, skeptical about atheism.
December 19, 2014 at 9:42 am
If you're still reading antiky, don't worry that you got the definition of atheism mixed up. It's a very common mistake, especially as religion often misrepresents atheism to the point of calling it devil worship.
Have a think and get back to us
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