AdMan
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Explain Atheism to Justinian2
- Thread starter Foster Zygote
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- atheism
Complexity
Philosopher
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My thoughts, too, but I've decided to give him some rope to see where he'll go...
I'm at leisure today and have too much time on my hands.
Complexity
Philosopher
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By the way - I'm gay, and you'd be astonished how many there are of us.
Guaranteed you have known (and know now) many gays.
Guaranteed you have known (and know now) many gays.
I thought it was obligatory if you wanted to be a employee of the JREF.
I don’t believe you and I call - “Liar, liar pants on fire“.
You claim to be a “degreed engineer” so we can assume you’re an adult with at least some ability to observe and comprehend.
Unless of course $cientology requires that you read no newspapers or books. watch no TV, listen to no radio stations, don‘t use the internet, etc. Any one of these information media sources would have given you ample information regarding atheists, gays and other “horrible” realities of life.
Grow up and stop telling lies!
Also obvious liar.
Disclaimer - I'm only answering for me and my family, not all atheists.
Same as most other people but without the going to church bit (though when my sons were younger and were Cathedral choristers we did go, but only to hear them sing). We put up a tree and decorate it, we hang stockings up and I fill them with presents on Christmas Eve, we eat and drink a lot and play silly games, we sing carols (just because the words of many are meaningless to me doesn't mean I don't enjoy the music), we spend time together as a family, we visit relatives.
Again, same as most people, I expect. I don't do anything to hurt anyone else, I try to be the best person I can be and try to help others. I don't break the law as far as I can help (I might speed a bit on the motorway) and I try to have empathy and understanding of other people.
I can't work at the moment due to illness, but when I could I was a charity and church finance officer. I worked for a number of different charities and churches looking after their finances.
I suport several charities. I give money to disaster relief when needed as well as to Comic Relief and Children in Need and the Poppy Appeal every year. I make regular monthly donations to Crohns and Colitis UK, Arthritis Research and Help for Heroes. My daughter spent last summer volunteering for Save the Children and will spend next summer volunteering for KOPAfrica. My youngest son is only at college three days a week so the other two days he volunteers at a hospice fundraising shop. When I was well I used to teach karate, unpaid. I used to give blood (we don't get paid for doing so in the UK) but I'm not allowed to now because of my medication.
Mostly LibDem, but unless you have an understanding of UK politics that probably won't mean much to you.
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Vortigern99
Sorcerer Supreme
Atheism is the lack of belief in divine powers and/or entities. Atheists are those persons who lack that belief.
Atheism is not a monolithic creed, cohesive subculture or community. Atheists are individuals who hold many different beliefs, philosophies and interests. Each atheist has a unique perspective on religion and its uses, and each posseses a unique level of scientific understanding and knowledge.
Atheists do not typically gather to affirm their beliefs, since their opinions are so disparate and cannot be affirmed by a single creed. Conferences and meetings do occur so that atheists can intermingle with like-minded (and differently-minded) people and discuss matters pertinent to atheism, skepticism, science and critical thinking.
Atheists are human. Some are morally good. Some are morally naughty. There are approximately 150 million atheists in the world.
Hope that helps.
Atheism is not a monolithic creed, cohesive subculture or community. Atheists are individuals who hold many different beliefs, philosophies and interests. Each atheist has a unique perspective on religion and its uses, and each posseses a unique level of scientific understanding and knowledge.
Atheists do not typically gather to affirm their beliefs, since their opinions are so disparate and cannot be affirmed by a single creed. Conferences and meetings do occur so that atheists can intermingle with like-minded (and differently-minded) people and discuss matters pertinent to atheism, skepticism, science and critical thinking.
Atheists are human. Some are morally good. Some are morally naughty. There are approximately 150 million atheists in the world.
Hope that helps.
dafydd
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I second that. He's contradicted himself so many times.
Explorer
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I was brought up Christian Lite, although under the same circumstances my late sister became a Mormon soon into her married life.
I have always believed in the mantra "Do unto to others as you yourself would be done by!", and the power of forgiveness. These are two moral values that pre-date Christianity.
Later in life, I became dubious of religion and religious institutions when it became obvious to me that a high degree of cherry picking of the best bits and ignoring the bad from the Bible, was going on. I researched the history of the Bible and subsequently became satisfied that it was not the word of any supernatural god, but simply written by unenlightened and fallible human beings, living in the blissful ignorance of the Bronze and Iron Ages.
When Richard Dawkins published "The God Delusion", it reinforced my new found skepticism and eventually, although it was extremely hard to do so, gave up my version of an imaginary friend inside my head that I used before regularly for solace and guidance.
I am therefore a non-believer. I do not believe in the efficacy of any of the gods, and their religious support systems, that have so far been put to me for consideration. That does not mean to say that I shall never believe in any new gods on offer, but for me to believe, they would have to be backed up by compelling and irrefutable evidence.
If you wish to label me an atheist, that is for you to decide.
This Christmas, I shall be spending it in the same family way as I have been all my life. My charity still is the Salvation Army, but only for the good works that they do for the less fortunate. Also the local Air Ambulance, and various cancer charities from time to time.
I vote socialist, although in my younger days, have also voted Conservative, and sometimes LibDem for tactical reasons.
I am very kind to animals, and have a general altruistic and empathetic character.
Religion is now something to which I could never return. All those lies and deceptions, blind faith, wishful thinking, arrogance and pompousness. I am not afraid of hell, because like heaven, I don't believe it exists, just because some well meaning but totally misguided and ignorant individual, tells me they do.
When I die, it will be oblivion, and my afterlife will be in the minds of my friends and family when I have gone. So I live my life to the full now for what it is, and enjoy the privilege to be living here on this wondrous planet, without the constant guilt trip that burdens the deluded religious.
I have always believed in the mantra "Do unto to others as you yourself would be done by!", and the power of forgiveness. These are two moral values that pre-date Christianity.
Later in life, I became dubious of religion and religious institutions when it became obvious to me that a high degree of cherry picking of the best bits and ignoring the bad from the Bible, was going on. I researched the history of the Bible and subsequently became satisfied that it was not the word of any supernatural god, but simply written by unenlightened and fallible human beings, living in the blissful ignorance of the Bronze and Iron Ages.
When Richard Dawkins published "The God Delusion", it reinforced my new found skepticism and eventually, although it was extremely hard to do so, gave up my version of an imaginary friend inside my head that I used before regularly for solace and guidance.
I am therefore a non-believer. I do not believe in the efficacy of any of the gods, and their religious support systems, that have so far been put to me for consideration. That does not mean to say that I shall never believe in any new gods on offer, but for me to believe, they would have to be backed up by compelling and irrefutable evidence.
If you wish to label me an atheist, that is for you to decide.
This Christmas, I shall be spending it in the same family way as I have been all my life. My charity still is the Salvation Army, but only for the good works that they do for the less fortunate. Also the local Air Ambulance, and various cancer charities from time to time.
I vote socialist, although in my younger days, have also voted Conservative, and sometimes LibDem for tactical reasons.
I am very kind to animals, and have a general altruistic and empathetic character.
Religion is now something to which I could never return. All those lies and deceptions, blind faith, wishful thinking, arrogance and pompousness. I am not afraid of hell, because like heaven, I don't believe it exists, just because some well meaning but totally misguided and ignorant individual, tells me they do.
When I die, it will be oblivion, and my afterlife will be in the minds of my friends and family when I have gone. So I live my life to the full now for what it is, and enjoy the privilege to be living here on this wondrous planet, without the constant guilt trip that burdens the deluded religious.
Complexity
Philosopher
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How perfectly subversive* of you to point this out.
* Subversive is a very good thing to be
Foster Zygote
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It depends. Not all atheists live in Christian cultures. Personally, I do many of the same things that other Americans do.
Treat others as I would like them to treat me.
Small primate wrangler.
Several, including Habitat for Humanity, the International Red Cross, and a number of local charities.
According to my conscience. I am not registered with any particular party.
slingblade
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Same thing we do every night, Pinky. Roast another baby.
Graham crackers, marshmallows, chocolate bars, and dead babies.
Iron Baby Chef.
It begins at home. With an appetizer of lightly chilled baby fingers.
A write-in on a dead baby.
Wiser, yet?
Complexity
Philosopher
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Oh, I wish I'd done the baby jokes...
Curse you, red baron!
Curse you, red baron!
Foster Zygote
Dental Floss Tycoon
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Justinian2, which, if either, of these contradictory statements is true?
Complexity
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Tatyana
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I started to have my doubts about god at age eight, then it was a gradual trip to agnosticism in uni and shortly after, atheism.
It is like the Matrix, and you take the red pill to see reality instead of ancient human folk lore and superstition.
1. My other half is also atheist, we are going to have a nice meal.
2. I am a humanist.
3. I am a scientist.
4. Unicef, British Red Cross and a few mental health charities
5. It depends on the candidates and the election, but rarely Conservative.
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dafydd
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Well, Justinian? Which one was the porky?
Lukraak_Sisser
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I was brought up semi-catholic, but mainly because that school was the best in the area. I can't recall ever believing anything in the bible and the longer I live the less likely any form of god seems.
My profession didnt help either, look at life in enough detail and any hint of design quickly dissapears.
Visit family, eat nice meals
What do you do? After all, its a christian holiday, not a scientology one
My profession didnt help either, look at life in enough detail and any hint of design quickly dissapears.
Visit family, eat nice meals
What do you do? After all, its a christian holiday, not a scientology one