there is a widespread and disturbing tendency for people discussing atheism to use religious frameworks to define the concept (thereby setting a quasi-religious tone and creating a group mentality just like religion)
Where have you seen this?
I worded that poorly. I meant to say: Atheism is completely unrelated to religion and shouldn't be argued against religion. Atheism cannot be learned or taught, because it is a state of ignorance. Religion is a primitive science now debunked and best forgotten. Arguing against religion and trying to spread atheism is counterproductive, because religion is not the opposite of atheism. Religion is a product of humanity's early attempts to understand the world, and can only be combated through better education.
I contemplate my mortality everytime I look at the list of games/movies/anime/TV/books/travel/stuff I want to do. It definitely adds a little bit of drama to the choice of what to do next :-p
I think the issue was (and I am guilty of this) ever thinking that a rational argument could be had on the subject.
I have a unicorn, and she's more than willing to rationally debate the topic with me at home.
I will accept all the flak for my past self I have to. I was dumb. Granted, I still hold irrational beliefs. Just don't try to discuss them rationally with people.
I think the issue was (and I am guilty of this) ever thinking that a rational argument could be had on the subject.
I have a unicorn, and she's more than willing to rationally debate the topic with me at home.
I will accept all the flak for my past self I have to. I was dumb. Granted, I still hold irrational beliefs. Just don't try to discuss them rationally with people.
Dude, even admitting that a belief is irrational and trying to debate it is a huge step above most people. That's why we only give you so much shit. ;^) You're still a sharp person.
I think the issue was (and I am guilty of this) ever thinking that a rational argument could be had on the subject.
I have a unicorn, and she's more than willing to rationally debate the topic with me at home.
I will accept all the flak for my past self I have to. I was dumb. Granted, I still hold irrational beliefs. Just don't try to discuss them rationally with people.
Dude, even admitting that a belief is irrational and trying to debate it is a huge step above most people. That's why we only give you so much shit. ;^) You're still a sharp person.
Appreciated. I do my best not to let my irrationality affect other people, which is the most important change.
I don't think all of my beliefs as irrational, but I don't really care if other people think they are. That's something that I was never able to accept as an atheist. I tolerated very little before my conversion, but with scripture to guide me I was able to focus on the important things -- which religion is not.
That's why I've always like the Unitarian Universalism, they pretty much just toss all the BS out of all the worlds religions and take all the good parts and mix them together.
(though they are never the best at defeating New age bs though which tends to sneak in with their tolerance view points.)
I have certainly fallen out of organized religion, because while morals are great, organized groups of humans are real bad at upholding morals.
I never fell into organized religion. I always thought you ought to be as close to the word of God as you can get. There's already so many layers between an English language religious text and what was originally said. You don't want a clergy that further obfuscates or manipulates that text.
It's different when you're born into being taken to a church rather than discovering it on your own. Something I intend to never do with my theoretical children.
I always thought you ought to be as close to the word of God as you can get. There's already so many layers between an English language religious text and what was originally said.
Yeah. Marduk was probably quite clear in the original texts, and it's been all perversions and translations since.
I've always said I'm more worried about the way I die than death itself. I'd rather not go in some horrific Final Destination-esque way. Other than that I'm banking on transhumanism to give me my Ghost in the Shell cyborg body so I don't die of a heart attack when I'm 50.
On a side note, it can be pretty messed up seeing someone's Facebook page after they die. I remember seeing a story about one girl that died in my hometown, and it was so sad when I saw her Facebook page because her last status was about how she saw such a bright future ahead of her and that she wanted to make a difference and that was only a couple of days before she died. Another time a girl from my old high school died in a snowboarding accident, and I swear her last status was something like "Having fun snowboarding, hope I don't die LOL" and that was just really fucked up to me.
It is why I don't care about global warming. Why sell my house and buy beach front property when I can just enjoy the sea level rise? By the time I retire I should be living on the beach without the annoyance of having to move.
Scientology is a whole subject unto itself. Only the rubes believe it. The rest are just profiting and building themselves an army.
I literally feel the same way about the Catholic Church.
I would agree, but I can also see it as being that way to begin with, but then as those in the know got old and died off for various reasons, the rubes took over, and now it's rubes all the way down.
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(though they are never the best at defeating New age bs though which tends to sneak in with their tolerance view points.)
On a side note, it can be pretty messed up seeing someone's Facebook page after they die. I remember seeing a story about one girl that died in my hometown, and it was so sad when I saw her Facebook page because her last status was about how she saw such a bright future ahead of her and that she wanted to make a difference and that was only a couple of days before she died. Another time a girl from my old high school died in a snowboarding accident, and I swear her last status was something like "Having fun snowboarding, hope I don't die LOL" and that was just really fucked up to me.