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(June 21, 2015 at 6:02 pm)Catholic_Lady Wrote: Does this mean you think religion should be eradicated by the government?
(the soviet union tried that in the 90's. google did the soviet union try to eradicate religion)
lol
No, it didn't. If you even knew how to use google, you might know, that Soviet Union was formally dissolved in 1991.
But I don't suppose facts matter to you, do they?
Whoops, I meant to type 1900's. Hadn't caught that when I was typing, sorry.
"Of course, everyone will claim they respect someone who tries to speak the truth, but in reality, this is a rare quality. Most respect those who speak truths they agree with, and their respect for the speaking only extends as far as their realm of personal agreement. It is less common, almost to the point of becoming a saintly virtue, that someone truly respects and loves the truth seeker, even when their conclusions differ wildly."
Since this thread is still bouncing around I'd like to amend my earlier post. Sure, the end of theism in and of itself still would not signify any great accomplishment.
As I think about it some more, I have to add that neither would we likely be any worse off. Theists include plenty of creative and wonderful people, but I can't believe the loss of their god belief would drastically change that, at least not if the loss was their own idea.
What do you think, Catholic Lady or Randy? Do you believe that if you lost your faith you would be fundamentally different than you are? Do you suspect you'd take up a career as a serial killer or rapist?
(June 22, 2015 at 12:09 am)JuliaL Wrote: You have way too much confidence in the intelligence of the average human and way too little understanding of the creativity of the selfish.
But what would people be like in a world in which people would all become atheists?
This world is not going to give up on religion, at least not any time soon. But if people were such that they would, they would be different from the way they are now.
Also, if you think about the way people are now, very few people who are raised as atheists ever become religious.
So once we got to a point where everyone starts out as atheists, religion would have a very difficult time catching on, even if people were otherwise exactly as they are now.
Everyone does start out as atheists.
So how, exactly, does God know that She's NOT a brain in a vat?
(June 22, 2015 at 1:14 pm)Homeless Nutter Wrote: lol
No, it didn't. If you even knew how to use google, you might know, that Soviet Union was formally dissolved in 1991.
But I don't suppose facts matter to you, do they?
Whoops, I meant to type 1900's. Hadn't caught that when I was typing, sorry.
Uhm... Did you mean - 20th century? "1900's" suggests the first decade of the 20th century.
"The fact that a believer is happier than a skeptic is no more to the point than the fact that a drunken man is happier than a sober one." - George Bernard Shaw
June 22, 2015 at 9:06 pm (This post was last modified: June 22, 2015 at 9:08 pm by Catholic_Lady.)
(June 22, 2015 at 8:33 pm)whateverist Wrote: Since this thread is still bouncing around I'd like to amend my earlier post. Sure, the end of theism in and of itself still would not signify any great accomplishment.
As I think about it some more, I have to add that neither would we likely be any worse off. Theists include plenty of creative and wonderful people, but I can't believe the loss of their god belief would drastically change that, at least not if the loss was their own idea.
What do you think, Catholic Lady or Randy? Do you believe that if you lost your faith you would be fundamentally different than you are? Do you suspect you'd take up a career as a serial killer or rapist?
To answer your question, I'd like to think I'd remain the exact same way, but it's hard to know for sure what I'd be like. My faith is such a fundamental part of me, I don't know how to say how I would be if I didn't have it.
Obviously, my personality and my heart would remain the same, but I think there are some things about the world and about morality that would view differently.
(June 22, 2015 at 9:05 pm)Homeless Nutter Wrote:
(June 22, 2015 at 5:42 pm)Catholic_Lady Wrote: Whoops, I meant to type 1900's. Hadn't caught that when I was typing, sorry.
Uhm... Did you mean - 20th century? "1900's" suggests the first decade of the 20th century.
Yes, I meant the 1900's as a whole century, not just 1900-1909.
"Of course, everyone will claim they respect someone who tries to speak the truth, but in reality, this is a rare quality. Most respect those who speak truths they agree with, and their respect for the speaking only extends as far as their realm of personal agreement. It is less common, almost to the point of becoming a saintly virtue, that someone truly respects and loves the truth seeker, even when their conclusions differ wildly."
(June 22, 2015 at 8:33 pm)whateverist Wrote: Since this thread is still bouncing around I'd like to amend my earlier post. Sure, the end of theism in and of itself still would not signify any great accomplishment.
As I think about it some more, I have to add that neither would we likely be any worse off. Theists include plenty of creative and wonderful people, but I can't believe the loss of their god belief would drastically change that, at least not if the loss was their own idea.
What do you think, Catholic Lady or Randy? Do you believe that if you lost your faith you would be fundamentally different than you are? Do you suspect you'd take up a career as a serial killer or rapist?
To answer your question, I'd like to think I'd remain the exact same way, but it's hard to know for sure what I'd be like. My faith is such a fundamental part of me, I don't know how to say how I would be if I didn't have it.
Obviously, my personality and my heart would remain the same, but I think there are some things about the world and about morality that would view differently.
(June 22, 2015 at 9:05 pm)Homeless Nutter Wrote: Uhm... Did you mean - 20th century? "1900's" suggests the first decade of the 20th century.
Yes, I meant the 1900's as a whole century, not just 1900-1909.
The Soviet Union didn't try to stamp out religion during the whole century. The soviet state only tried to stamp out religion during a relatively brief period, from about late 1920s to when the Germans invaded in 1941. afterwards the Russian orthrodox church entered into cozy collaboration with the Stalin regime, and Stalin and subsequent soviet regimes richly rewarded the upper echelons of the Russian orthrodox clergy with the most prestigious baubles of the atheistic state, such as red banner order of socialist labor, for praising the achievements of the communist state and collaborating with the state's efforts to spy on its citizens.
June 22, 2015 at 10:36 pm (This post was last modified: June 22, 2015 at 10:41 pm by Pyrrho.)
(June 22, 2015 at 8:41 pm)JuliaL Wrote: []
(June 22, 2015 at 12:32 pm)Pyrrho Wrote:
But what would people be like in a world in which people would all become atheists?
This world is not going to give up on religion, at least not any time soon. But if people were such that they would, they would be different from the way they are now.
Also, if you think about the way people are now, very few people who are raised as atheists ever become religious.
So once we got to a point where everyone starts out as atheists, religion would have a very difficult time catching on, even if people were otherwise exactly as they are now.
Everyone does start out as atheists.
I mean, if everyone were raised as atheists, which is what I stated in my post:
"Also, if you think about the way people are now, very few people who are raised as atheists ever become religious."
You are willfully misrepresenting what I wrote.
"A wise man ... proportions his belief to the evidence."
— David Hume, An Enquiry Concerning Human Understanding, Section X, Part I.
We certainly wouldn't have religion to fight over but I think humans would find other reasons for conflict.
We're a predatory, conflicting species who don't seem to be able to look past our selves, our clans, our nations, to humanity and the world as a whole.
Perhaps in a few hundred years if we manage to grow out of our infancy, we will be a more peaceful people.
June 22, 2015 at 10:59 pm (This post was last modified: June 22, 2015 at 11:01 pm by Catholic_Lady.)
(June 22, 2015 at 10:05 pm)Chuck Wrote:
(June 22, 2015 at 9:06 pm)Catholic_Lady Wrote: To answer your question, I'd like to think I'd remain the exact same way, but it's hard to know for sure what I'd be like. My faith is such a fundamental part of me, I don't know how to say how I would be if I didn't have it.
Obviously, my personality and my heart would remain the same, but I think there are some things about the world and about morality that would view differently.
Yes, I meant the 1900's as a whole century, not just 1900-1909.
The Soviet Union didn't try to stamp out religion during the whole century.
You are correct, I didn't mean that it happened every year during the entire 100 years, lol.
When you say something happened in the 1970's, for example, you don't mean it literally happened for the full 10 years, just that it happened some time throughout the course of that time. That's all I meant.
"Of course, everyone will claim they respect someone who tries to speak the truth, but in reality, this is a rare quality. Most respect those who speak truths they agree with, and their respect for the speaking only extends as far as their realm of personal agreement. It is less common, almost to the point of becoming a saintly virtue, that someone truly respects and loves the truth seeker, even when their conclusions differ wildly."
