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RE: Is Atheism a Religion?
August 3, 2011 at 11:31 pm
(This post was last modified: August 3, 2011 at 11:34 pm by Anymouse.)
(August 3, 2011 at 11:18 pm)Rhythm Wrote: I would love to see what passes for proof of faeries in wiccan circles nowadays. It's been a decade since I checked last, easily.
I don't claim to speak for all Wiccans, but I hold no belief in faeries. I suppose some do, as do some Christians. I don't suppose many atheists do (there is no proof), nor agnostics (we just can't know).
My atheist wife says there are: just go to a gay bar.
(Her computer is still down: she thinks someone may have slipped her an update to Ubuntu for the version optimised for Christianity known as Ubuntu CE and it sabotaged her computer since she is an atheist).
As for atheist trolls on Christian fora, I have no real response to Skeptic. I don't know the figures on that (as I am not suicidal enough to go to a Christian forum, I feel safer here). I guess that makes me agnostic on the question of atheist "preachers" on Christian fora. - James
"Be ye not lost amongst Precept of Order." - Book of Uterus, 1:5, "Principia Discordia, or How I Found Goddess and What I Did to Her When I Found Her."
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RE: Is Atheism a Religion?
August 4, 2011 at 12:04 am
Anymouse,
Shame on you! As a modern Wiccan, surely you know of the Pagan mostly-Wiccan sect that call themselves "Radical Faeries"! http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Radical_Faeries
I've met a few, and I certainly believe in the existence of faeries in this sense!
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RE: Is Atheism a Religion?
August 4, 2011 at 12:14 am
So now that skeptic has spent about a dozen messages arguing with Shell about post deletion, where does he stand on this august topic of the glorious areligion of the unbelievers?
Trying to update my sig ...
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RE: Is Atheism a Religion?
August 4, 2011 at 1:12 am
(August 4, 2011 at 12:14 am)Epimethean Wrote: So now that skeptic has spent about a dozen messages arguing with Shell about post deletion, where does he stand on this august topic of the glorious areligion of the unbelievers?
I note that while Christians here seem to show amazing zeal in attacking the positions of atheism and Islam, I have not found an instance where they attack others (such as mine).
And while I have read many posts triumphantly proclaiming that their faith is superior to atheist rationalism, I have not yet read a post as to why (hopefully with evidence, but I am not that deluded) their particular faith is superior to the thousands of others postulated by humankind over history, argument about holy war and Inquisition aside.
But I am not expecting a post about it now, either.
It was St Augustine of Hippo (arguably a Christian) who coined the Wiccan Rede (in Latin): Love, and do what thou wilt, now generally cited as "if you harm none, do what you will." But love and harming none seems to be beyond modern Christian theology to me.
- James
"Be ye not lost amongst Precept of Order." - Book of Uterus, 1:5, "Principia Discordia, or How I Found Goddess and What I Did to Her When I Found Her."
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RE: Is Atheism a Religion?
August 4, 2011 at 1:39 pm
(This post was last modified: August 4, 2011 at 1:40 pm by The Grand Nudger.)
I accept gay bars as proof of faeries on the massive weight of the evidence. Touche.
(I'm just giving you shit btw James, I like neo-paganism. It's good stuff.)
I am the Infantry. I am my country’s strength in war, her deterrent in peace. I am the heart of the fight… wherever, whenever. I carry America’s faith and honor against her enemies. I am the Queen of Battle. I am what my country expects me to be, the best trained Soldier in the world. In the race for victory, I am swift, determined, and courageous, armed with a fierce will to win. Never will I fail my country’s trust. Always I fight on…through the foe, to the objective, to triumph overall. If necessary, I will fight to my death. By my steadfast courage, I have won more than 200 years of freedom. I yield not to weakness, to hunger, to cowardice, to fatigue, to superior odds, For I am mentally tough, physically strong, and morally straight. I forsake not, my country, my mission, my comrades, my sacred duty. I am relentless. I am always there, now and forever. I AM THE INFANTRY! FOLLOW ME!
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RE: Is Atheism a Religion?
August 4, 2011 at 2:13 pm
(August 3, 2011 at 8:23 pm)Shell B Wrote: Trying to convert someone pretty much means you are invested in what they believe. Most atheists don't give a fuck if you believe in god or not, in my experience.
I so completely don't give a fuck what kind of nonsense others choose to believe - unless their belief system is interfering with my freedom to live as I choose, and not impeding human progress. IOW, keep your religion out of our legal system, and stay out of the way of scientific progress, and believe whatever fairy tale bullshit you want.
I don't have any interest in trying to convert anyone, nor does any other atheist that I know. I don't have the patience to argue a rational viewpoint with someone who is impervious to reason.
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RE: Is Atheism a Religion?
August 4, 2011 at 2:17 pm
(This post was last modified: August 4, 2011 at 2:18 pm by The Grand Nudger.)
I do. Does this make me religious? Do I make atheism a religion?
I am the Infantry. I am my country’s strength in war, her deterrent in peace. I am the heart of the fight… wherever, whenever. I carry America’s faith and honor against her enemies. I am the Queen of Battle. I am what my country expects me to be, the best trained Soldier in the world. In the race for victory, I am swift, determined, and courageous, armed with a fierce will to win. Never will I fail my country’s trust. Always I fight on…through the foe, to the objective, to triumph overall. If necessary, I will fight to my death. By my steadfast courage, I have won more than 200 years of freedom. I yield not to weakness, to hunger, to cowardice, to fatigue, to superior odds, For I am mentally tough, physically strong, and morally straight. I forsake not, my country, my mission, my comrades, my sacred duty. I am relentless. I am always there, now and forever. I AM THE INFANTRY! FOLLOW ME!
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RE: Is Atheism a Religion?
August 4, 2011 at 2:20 pm
(August 4, 2011 at 2:17 pm)Rhythm Wrote: I do. Does this make me religious? Do I make atheism a religion?
No, we don't count you. You're not a "true" atheist. 
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RE: Is Atheism a Religion?
August 4, 2011 at 2:22 pm
(This post was last modified: August 4, 2011 at 2:22 pm by The Grand Nudger.)
Maybe I should offer my services to the agnostics then. Ungrateful bastard atheists.
I am the Infantry. I am my country’s strength in war, her deterrent in peace. I am the heart of the fight… wherever, whenever. I carry America’s faith and honor against her enemies. I am the Queen of Battle. I am what my country expects me to be, the best trained Soldier in the world. In the race for victory, I am swift, determined, and courageous, armed with a fierce will to win. Never will I fail my country’s trust. Always I fight on…through the foe, to the objective, to triumph overall. If necessary, I will fight to my death. By my steadfast courage, I have won more than 200 years of freedom. I yield not to weakness, to hunger, to cowardice, to fatigue, to superior odds, For I am mentally tough, physically strong, and morally straight. I forsake not, my country, my mission, my comrades, my sacred duty. I am relentless. I am always there, now and forever. I AM THE INFANTRY! FOLLOW ME!
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RE: Is Atheism a Religion?
August 5, 2011 at 10:24 am
(This post was last modified: August 5, 2011 at 10:31 am by MinusGod.)
The all encompassing definition of atheism is a lack of belief in God. It's a negative position. A response to a claim. Nothing about atheism says you must hold the positive position of believing that no God exists. No matter what kind of atheist you are (strong/weak) you will lack belief in a God. I make this point not because I think you guys don't know this of course, but because religion necessitates some kind of belief while atheism does not.
Atheism isn't a religion anymore than someone's lack of belief in Santa or leprechauns is a religion. There's even debate within the atheist community if we should even use the word atheist, since labels aren't normally applied to positions of disbelief. There is no word for someone's disbelief in Santa or leprechauns. The same applies to belief. Notice you rarely hear a God believer refer to themself as a theist. The o.p made a great point that theism is not a religion either. Have you ever asked someone what their religion is and they answered "theism"? I haven't.
Why does this argument come up so often then? I think it's because atheism finds itself tied to religion because while theism isn't religion, religions are often theistic. So the response "I'm an atheist" is relevant to the question "are you a Christian?"in the same way it's relevant to the question "do you believe in God?" This grouping in with other religions leads the believer to reason that atheism is also one, when in fact its the negation of these religions.
If atheism is a religion then bald is a hair color. 
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