So you're an atheist. Ok, what next?

[qayak]

Well, you could say some of us are good, or our similar incidents could show that we are just impatient bastards.

Exactly! I paid for someone's purchase after they had searched high and low for their money. The cashiers said, "That was very nice of you!"

And I said, "Yeah, well $8.00 is a small price to pay to allow me to get on with my life!"

 

[ThatSoundAgain]

On the secular charity bit, I can't believe noone's mentioned Amnesty International, Doctors Without Borders, PEN?

 

[Hokulele]

Since I have been so rude to participate in this thread without referring to the OP, let me remedy that now.

Let's say you've lived at least a couple of decades, you've examined the options, and you've arrived at atheism.

I am not so sure I "arrived at atheism" as much as I was always there, and none of the options I examined were compelling enough to change my mind.

Well.
Here you are.

Yup. Fortunately, Maui isn't all that bad a place to find myself.

What do you do now?

Right now? Finish my glass of Sauvignon Blanc, take a bath with a good book, and climb into bed satisfied that another day has been spent with me around to appreciate it.

Let's say you then spend a few years trying to rescue other humans from what you (not they) regard as stupidity.

Nope. If someone truly wants to be stupid (your words, not mine), it is not up to me to "rescue" them, but up to them. However, if they choose to use their stupidity (again, your words) to cause others to suffer, or to deliberately annoy me, then yes, I will react strongly.

Ok. Then what?

Booze, bath, book. See above.

What can you do that is positive?

Positive for whom? Me? My husband? My neighbors? The world? I do recycle and bought solar panels for our house. Does that count as a contribution to world health and peace? I am afraid you will have to be more specific here.

Are there any specifically atheist 'values'?

Nope.

Are there any specifically atheist charities that endeavour to improve the plight of individuals?

That has been addressed, but I do have a list of charities I sponsor, and I am always happy to buy the next round, particularly when I know that the others in my group may not be as fortunate.

Well, it's up to you. What next?
Preferably positive.

Slathering my husband (also an atheist) with love, affection, and foot and backrubs as I know full well this is my one and only chance to be with him. When one of us dies, I do not want the survivor to have any regrets, only wonderful memories. Once both of us are dead, it will no longer matter in any meaningful sense, so carpe diem!

 

[bokonon]

I'll have to remember that the next time I'm in line behind a theist who's brought their penny jar to the store instead of a wallet. If it turns out that I'm the answer to their prayers, am I entitled to a simple "God doesn't exist, but I do" in response to "God bless you"?

 

[Tricky]

Slathering my husband (also an atheist) with love, affection, and foot and backrubs as I know full well this is my one and only chance to be with him.

If they don't have foot and backrubs in heaven, then it's hardly worth going.

 

[CapelDodger]

Dammit, I've got to stop going to supermarkets. The other atheists are starting to make fun of me.

IMO you're a mensch, and nothing will persuade me otherwise short of a follow-up begging-letter. I also like that you have cash in your pocket and don't rely on plastic.

 

[joobz]

IMO you're a mensch, and nothing will persuade me otherwise short of a follow-up begging-letter. I also like that you have cash in your pocket and don't rely on plastic.

I hear Tricky also carries a buggywhip arround with him.

 

[CapelDodger]

Since I have been so rude to participate in this thread without referring to the OP, let me remedy that now.




I am not so sure I "arrived at atheism" as much as I was always there, and none of the options I examined were compelling enough to change my mind.




Yup. Fortunately, Maui isn't all that bad a place to find myself.




Right now? Finish my glass of Sauvignon Blanc, take a bath with a good book, and climb into bed satisfied that another day has been spent with me around to appreciate it.




Nope. If someone truly wants to be stupid (your words, not mine), it is not up to me to "rescue" them, but up to them. However, if they choose to use their stupidity (again, your words) to cause others to suffer, or to deliberately annoy me, then yes, I will react strongly.




Booze, bath, book. See above.




Positive for whom? Me? My husband? My neighbors? The world? I do recycle and bought solar panels for our house. Does that count as a contribution to world health and peace? I am afraid you will have to be more specific here.




Nope.




That has been addressed, but I do have a list of charities I sponsor, and I am always happy to buy the next round, particularly when I know that the others in my group may not be as fortunate.




Slathering my husband (also an atheist) with love, affection, and foot and backrubs as I know full well this is my one and only chance to be with him. When one of us dies, I do not want the survivor to have any regrets, only wonderful memories. Once both of us are dead, it will no longer matter in any meaningful sense, so carpe diem!

There's not a word of that I don't like, and I'm not even your husband .

 

[CapelDodger]

I hear Tricky also carries a buggywhip arround with him.

We hear so many things these days, don't we? That said, it's an interesting tactical option. "I've got a knife/gun/warrant" on the one hand, "Ive just laid your face open from over here, do you want to go away or what?" on the other. Never underestimate the shock of the new and unexpected.

 

[joobz]

We hear so many things these days, don't we?

Yes we do. Especially within my own head.

 

[zooterkin]

On the secular charity bit, I can't believe noone's mentioned Amnesty International, Doctors Without Borders, PEN?

Good examples (though the middle one was mentioned on page 4 of the thread, though under its French name).

Plumjam would probably quibble that he was asking for an atheist charity. Since atheism is not an organisation, it's a bit like demanding a charity espousing non-stamp-collecting.

 

[H'ethetheth]

As you already know, and as I recall from my ethics class, right or wrong conduct in relation to human relations is based on our human condition. It was summarized in the following way:

We are mortal
We suffer both physically and mentally
We are able to reason
We are social creatures.

Each one of these creates a duty.

Our ability to reason creates the duty of respecting freedom of choice if that choice indeed is within a person's ability to make and doesn't infringe on the rights of others.

Which in turn creates the duty of truthfulness in order not to deprive others of their right make informed decisions is created.

Our ability to suffer both mentally and physically creates the duty of compassion via not inflicting unnecessary pain, and rendering assistance to alleviate suffering.

Our social dependence on one another for survival creates the duty of cooperation in order to increase survival chances.

So if indeed are humans identical to us on Persii-8 or even creatures who are not physically human but who share our faculties, then the same moral duties apply.

So basically, we shouldn't hurt anything that can suffer unless it's necessary, and this universal moral code only goes for beings that can both reason and suffer?
First of all, who gets to decide what is unnecessary? Secondly, you don't think that this is a somewhat limited kind of universal-ness?

The Christian answer to the question would be that there has been a corruption or deviation of nature which created the predator prey situation.

My copy of Splarty Wibble and his merry horde of gnomes, on the other hand, says it's probably something else that created the predator prey situation.
Does this Christian answer also specify what lice, leeches and tapeworms used to live off of, or were they created solely for torture after the corruption, and by the same God who is the source of this moral code for suffering, reasoning folk?

Species - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia[
In biology, a species is one of the basic units of biological classification and a taxonomic rank. ... Each species is placed within a single genus. ...
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Species

That looks like a clear and concise definition, but perhaps you could look up 'ring species'?
Of course it doesn't really matter, because you've already stated that it's only reasoning, suffering beings that have to worry about the universal moral code, but still, you might get more insight into my argument.

Funny how I don't see many Christers preaching veganism. After all, if eating meat is supposed to be due to some sort of spiritual corruption, why compound the corruption?

And that's another thing: why does nobody worry about eating plants, just because they don't run away? Bananas share about 60% of our genes (if I recall correctly). It's all man-o-centric human-ocracy, if you ask me.

 

[DOC]

The Holy Spirit is still teaching? Wouldn't that imply that some of the things you thought were true haven't actually been taught yet?

Give an example

 

[DOC]

You forget that the Bible is a Human Book with Human Characteristics. Yes, the Bible is divinely inspired but it goes through 40 different human authors with 40 different personalities and literary styles to get to us. If all the Old Testaments authors had complete revelation of God, Christ would have never needed to come.
And we still only have partial revelation from God. Christ said in the Gospel of John 16:8 and John 16:13 that after He was gone he would send the Holy Spirit who would teach all truth. That process of the Holy Spirit taught Mohammed and Joseph Smith

At that time many will turn away from the faith and will betray and hate each other, and many false prophets will appear and deceive many people. Because of the increase of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold, but he who stands firm to the end will be saved. And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come. [Matthew 24:4-14]

 

[JoeEllison]

At that time many will turn away from the faith and will betray and hate each other, and many false prophets will appear and deceive many people. Because of the increase of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold, but he who stands firm to the end will be saved. And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come. [Matthew 24:4-14]

Yeah, well, a human being wrote that, and every cult has made that claim. Why is you cult's claim more legitimate than any other?

 

[Tricky]

Give an example

I gave you an example. What if the vetarians are right and God doesn't want us to eat animals, but simply hasn't taught that lesson yet. (Some Christians already believe this.) Have those of us who eat meat been sinning all these millenia?

Or suppose God made it clear in subsequent teachings that the soul of a human enters the body at birth, not at conception. Wouldn't that mean that all those anti-abortionists were laboring under a misconception of God's true meaning?

Or suppose for example, it seemed like God allowed and even endorsed slavery, but then, sometime in the 19th century, God taught us that slavery was against His wishes?

Or imagine that God had not clearly made clear his position on when it was okay to go to war, but was saving it for a future lesson. You might have Christians arguing both for and against the invasion of Iraq.

How many examples do you want?

 

[ThatSoundAgain]

Good examples (though the middle one was mentioned on page 4 of the thread, though under its French name).

Ah, missed that.

Plumjam would probably quibble that he was asking for an atheist charity. Since atheism is not an organisation, it's a bit like demanding a charity espousing non-stamp-collecting.

Yes, and not only that, a theist so inclined could up the ante and demand that to qualify, the charity must dish out a heavy dose of "atheist proselytizing" along with the bowl of soup.

 

[Tricky]

Yes, and not only that, a theist so inclined could up the ante and demand that to qualify, the charity must dish out a heavy dose of "atheist proselytizing" along with the bowl of soup.

...and skim enough profits from the "charity" that they could build and staff an atheist temple, strictly for the charitable work of continuing to spread their word.

 

[Furi]

...and skim enough profits from the "charity" that they could build and staff an atheist temple, strictly for the charitable work of continuing to spread their word.

And use any left over funds to prop up Athiest "priests" Legal defense funds,, after all, us athiests are well known for fiddling with choirsters.

 

[bokonon]

At that time many will turn away from the faith and will betray and hate each other, and many false prophets will appear and deceive many people. Because of the increase of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold, but he who stands firm to the end will be saved. And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come. [Matthew 24:4-14]

Nice to know that the missionaries who are preaching around the globe are doing their little bit to bring about the end of the world. Kudos!