Why Atheism Is A Religion

Can you see how your comments can be confusing when you reveal that what you are talking about is actually love, and not god?

I think we need to be extremely careful in our public discourse not to easily replace things like "beauty", "love", "truth", "ultimate meaning", with the word "God". Because non-believers have no issue with the former bunch of words at all; in fact that is what they find most meaningful and interesting.

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ryYETmi9lNA

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7ULvKtcmWgo

I won't be taking away anyone's free speech or right to insult me or any idea they please. But others are not so lenient with views that may be offensive, you know? You should decide which side of this conversation you are on. Which side actually cares more about human values, intellectual honestly, and a liberal society.

You're going to Politically Correct yourself right into a Caliphate asmo.

 

We're in an atheist forum, please don't accuse me of going out of my way to harass religious people. Do you see me over in the christian forum diss-ing people? No, they came here to put me down for non-belief..

Reality bites huh?

 

That's not what you said. You said atheism is the lack of belief. And you're saying, "well yeah, that's what I said, I believe there is no God"

It means that you know nothing about other dimensions and what happens when you die but you're basing all of your decision on the third dimension alone.

 

To anyone defending Atheism...you don't need to be putting up billboards encouraging people to not go to Church

THAT'S MISSIONARY WORK. If you're not a religion then stop acting like one. Mind your own damn business in regards to whether people go to Church or not, especially on Christmas of all days. It's not like people are forced to go to Church on Christmas, and the holiday does in fact have to do with Jesus afterall.

 

And I think you need to be careful to not be such a dictator in the matter. You shouldn't be having any problem with people equating God to Love just because you don't believe in one of the words.

 

You're much more matter of fact in your dictatorial nature than you realize. Such is the nature of Taurus afterall. You've already encouraged someone considering being a Christian to stay with Atheism, you've tried to "help" me in my misguidance before, and you pretty much see anything that's not in line with your views as "hokum", and ensue to present "the way it really is" in such a way that you therefore expect the others to now convert to your Atheist-Hipster-Buddhism view of reality.

 

And I don't need to be proselytized at when I'm at work or out in public, but it happens. It's called talking. And guess what; I'm polite about it. I tell people straight up I'm an atheist, and if I have the time or I'm curious as to what angle they are going to try, I let them say their piece. My last encounter with a born again ended with him telling me he loves me, and me saying that I love him too. I told him I like his angle, he was legit. If he wasn't, I would have no qualms with saying "I think what you're saying is ridiculous and I think it's amazing that you actually believe the words you are saying", and walking away. Call the Hague!

Now any conversation that attempts to sway people through arguments is "missionary work" lol . . . that means this entire forum is basically a giant church. I guess we're all Hip Forumites. I guess commercials on television are also missionary works for the religions of Colgate and Geico, and scientific papers arguing new models are really holy scriptures of the Many Worlds Church!

 

Well then I guess that all of Christianity isn't Missionary work then and that Atheists should have no problem with Christians trying to sway them in society.

And I thought you were ignoring me now, Writer. I figured you would cave soon enough.

 

I can see how it might be confusing, but when you're conceptualizing "God", aren't you just conceptualizing the greatest thing? I don't see why religions should own God, in this sense, the conceptualization of the greatest thing imaginable. In fact, their conceptualization of what the greatest thing is is usually pretty pathetic, in my opinion. Their idea of greatness is very shallow. So much of it is for the vain glory of men.

It seems like it puts a limit on your own imagination to say that "God" belongs to religion and you shouldn't conceptualize it. Who are they to say what the greatest, most important thing is? Who are they to give it the title "God"?

 

Call it whatever... if it bothers you, you must not be strong enough in your faith.

 

The term "God" does not mean "the greatest most important thing". However it just so happens that religions argue that their God is equal to the greatest most important thing.

God is not a title. It is not a shorthand for that which we revere the most; rather, that which we revere the most may be whatever "God" idea we've been indoctrinated into, or it may be sex, or science, or compassion, or chocolate.

Much clarity is lost when using God as a shorthand for "that which I care about the most", because then that term becomes meaningless. Then we are talking past each other, since everyone cares about something a little different in general.

It's better to not replace the list of what you think is most important in life with the word "god"; rather, spell out that list. Say "Love, truth, and meaning". That is much clearer than saying "God". The former is a list of ideas. The latter is a mythical being, and in todays world, usually refers to the god of judaism, christianity, and islam. "god" within those religions is not an idea; it is a kind of ultimate creature, a father supreme of the universe, a moral judge.

Language is so incredibly important here SO much misunderstanding on this forum and in real life because people don't think about what the words they use actually mean to other people.

 

Well of course they do, because if something was greater or more important than God, God wouldn't be God. God is necessarily the greatest, most important thing. I don't get what you mean when you say that's not what God means.

Why not? Why can't I use it as a shorthand for what I revere the most? God had to start somewhere, and I think it began with someone imagining what the greatest thing would be like. He entitled his creation "God". Are you saying that whatever that man imagined was technically the only God because he titled it first?

But everyone cares, which is why I just call God "love". I don't think anything anyone cares about can be extrapolated from that. But even if we were to say that God is simply whatever you think is the greatest thing ever, what's wrong with that? Seems like a fun question to me: What is God? Some people might say sex. Some people might say giraffes. Anything. It would be a fun God.

I guess I am claiming ownership of God, just like all other theists. I don't care what the religions say God is. And though this may be confusing for everyone else, it makes perfect sense to me to take love and label it God. To me God is a title that grants a thing power. It's saying "This is the most important thing, above all others."

God means so many things to so many different people, I think the term is basically up for grabs to anyone who cares to use it. I don't personally care what you believe God is. I think it would be cool if there were a form of universal theism where everyone believed in God, but that such beliefs were ridiculously varied. I think that would be hilarious and would bring people a lot of joy, and I don't know what's more important than that. We need to stop taking ourselves so seriously. God is a peanut butter and jelly sandwich.

 

I don't think god should mean many different things to so many different people. No matter what religion, there is a core meaning to this concept. That there is something more, and that this something somehow created/creates our world, and effects our daily life.

For all practical purposes I am an atheist, which for me means I don't ascribe to any past or present 'theism'.
But I have been known to say on occasion;

"Marijuana is a gift from god!"

I don't mean the god of the bible or any other theistic deity, but god in the abstract.
I could just as easily say marijuana is a gift from the universe, or a gift from mother nature and I would mean exactly the same thing.
To be clear, I don't consider this 'abstract force' completely benevolent by any means though, mother nature can also be a bitch!
LOL Naw, I feel like it's an impersonal force if anything... but there are gifts! :-D

I think it's a good thing for people to have this notion of "god" in the abstract, that there is something more... but the anthropomorphizing, all the myths, the blood rituals, all this silly stuff thats been built up around the concept of god has tainted the water. Nobody knows what anyone really means when they utter the word. They could be a seething jihadist or Mother Teresa. If you strip away all the history, all the fractioning of religion, they're both talking about the same core concept.

I think all religions began with good intentions, but power hungry people corrupted the scriptures.... and we're reeling now, on the brink of world war, due basically to a clash of religions.

The world desperately needs to drop religion and take up an abstract spirituality that everyone can groove with.

Back to the garden, man.

 

Interesting how a thread about atheism has degenerated into an argument about god...



Just an observation.

 

You can't fight the ocean. The way shits going, not believing in (christian) god will be deemed un-American.
Someone hears you talking like an Atheist, you'll be reported and WHOOSH!

Off to Gitmo

 

Goddess wouldn't like that...

 

No she would not. And she might sic her cats on you!

 

I will accept your terms, but from a pantheist point of view. In which God is everything, so God is still a peanut butter and jelly sandwich.