How atheistic are you?

[FM Arouet666]

There are all types of atheists, those which refuse the Judeo-Christian belief, but hold some other belief system. Reincarnation, a nebulous supreme being, a living universe etc etc.

Another question, if I may, atheists; what is your world view?

My personal view is that all the world's religions are nonsense, attempts to explain the world before science demonstrated the most rational means to explore the natural world. The universe began with the big bang; first bang, multiple bangs, concomitant bangs? Who knows. The universe is neither designed nor directed by some unseen force.

However, a principal of the universe seems to be that matter tends to organize into more complex structures given a local excess of available energy. Or, life tends to organize if given the opportunity. And life evolves. The cold reality is that the universe does not function with concern for life. Humankind may be swept away by an asteroid just as humans were swept away by hurricane Katrina. Life may continue, as it did after the demise of the dinosaur, but there is no universal concern.

So what is the purpose or meaning of life. It is for each individual to explore. We come from nothing and return to nothing. No heaven, no judgment, no hell, no reincarnation, no super natural. Where were you 100 years, a thousand, a million years ago? Non-existence. Where do you go when you die, the same. I doubt that anyone recalls an eternity of pain and suffering before they were born, so why would anyone fear this after death?

This world view is what makes me a democrat, a doctor, someone who tries to help out his fellow man. I am selfish, egotistical and given to hedonism. I am human.

Again, I am curious, what are your feelings on your own atheism? :evilgrin:

[Modem Butterfly]

1. That's a lot of questions...

Every person has to come to their own conclusions about the meaning of life, the meaning of THEIR life, their view of the world and their place in it. Atheists are no different, just a bit more intellectually honest about it, or, more accurately, with a bit less impetus to lie to themselves about it.

Again, I am curious, what are your feelings on your own atheism

I feel pretty much the same way about being an atheist as a do being a woman, or being a person of color; it is an essential part of my identity, one that other folks often have a problem with and one that brings with it some burdens. But I have to be who I am.

[trotsky]

2. Militantly.

I wear fatigues and subscribe to Guns & Ammo and... ah, just kidding. I just get a kick out of the phrase "militant atheist."

But when I think about what most theists MEAN when they say "militant," I realize that it's basically someone who refuses to shut up about their non-belief and won't allow their rights to be free from religion to be infringed. And so yeah, from their perspective, I guess I am militant about it. Their faith can be the most important thing in the world to them, and that's fine, but that doesn't mean I need to respect it in the public sphere any more than I do tales of leprechauns and flying reindeer.

I agree pretty much with your view of the universe - I like to think of my philosophy as summed up by: "It's great to be here." I want to focus on problems here & now rather than let some cosmic grandaddy sort it out later.

[onager]

3. And I'm getting more militant all the time...

:hi:

As far as the Meaning of Life, I agree with what FM said: there is none. Or at least not a built-in meaning--each one of us has to decide that for ourselves.

Our place in the Universe? We come from oblivion and we go back to it. I've wasted hours poring over Learned Works from some of the most long-winded philosophers imaginable, and never come away with anything more profound than that.

As T.S. Eliot said, I think:

Birth, copulation and death
And that's the facts
When you get down to brass tacks

[FM Arouet666]

11. Cosmic grand daddy. ROTF

Or is he a Sky Pixie? I agree with your assessment of militant, I respect everyone's faith, as long as your faith ends where my life is concerned. I especially love the crazy preachers in NYC or Vegas condemning us for our sins. A few F bombs about their deity really gets them going. Good thing they can't run fast with their signs. :evilgrin:

[defiant1]

4. I started doubting the existence of gawd when I....

found out there was no Santa Claus.

I wasn't ready to call myself a full fledged atheist until high school when a friend of mine was killed in a car accident. As I sat through his funeral, and listened to the preacher drone on about how gawd needed my friend by his side, I couldn't stop wondering:

If gawd loved Rob so much, why did he let Rob fall asleep at the wheel and crash through that fence, why did he allow that 2 x 4 to be driven through his head, and why did he let him suffer for 6 hours before "bringing him home"? I mean, surely there was a better way to do it.

I'd never had any deep religious connections, I had simply accepted gawd because everyone I knew was so goddamned sure of it.

So after applying critical thinking and logic, I came to the conclusion that there was no god, faith was merely a crutch for the weak to get around with, and religion is another word for prison.

That drastically altered my world view, as now, at 25 years old, I sit here a cynical, skeptical, atheist whose only real concern is that I enojy what little time I have here.

And I don't even recognize the person I was before.

[Tafiti]

5. I'm a little softer, I think.

Basically my position is this:

However the universe was formed, and whatever happens after death, nobody knows. Until science can fill in the gaps, it's still a question mark. Maybe we'll never figure it out, but I'm perfectly OK with that.

That being said, I have no belief in any higher power, so I'm an atheist. I don't really get into "disproving" the existence of a god, I only insist that nobody tells me they know there's a god. Fuck that, not true. I don't know, and you don't know either. Period.

Religion has fucked up humanity, and I hope for a time when we can evolve beyond superstition and mental/emotional crutches, and relate to the rest of the world on a purely human level. I'm cool with "people of faith" as long as they don't talk about it. Keep it to yourself, and we're cool. Let's relate as two people, and not bring up some invisible force or being that somehow has had a profound effect on your life. I'm a perfectly happy person without having to believe in something greater than I. Been there, done that, no longer interested, no longer necessary. Like Tom Paine said, "My own mind is my church."

[toddaa]

6. Secular Daoist

Dao is a tricky word. It's not a life source. More like the complete absence of force. I think of it as Einstein's elusive Grand Unification Theory. He never found it, today's String Theorist's keep folding space in hopes of discovering, but I suspect old Zhuangzi was right in thinking that trying to find one singular basis for it all is pointless, because ultimately it's Nothing. Call it materialistic apathy, or Lovecraft's blind idiot god Azagoth.

I don't know, you don't know, let's go get drunk. Now, that's a philosophy.

[geniph]

7. I'm a member of the Church of the Militant Agnostic

We Don't Know, and You Don't Either!

;-)

[phantom power]

8. I am a better atheist than you!

Can I get a bumper sticker with that?

[FM Arouet666]

9. I 'll send you one if you pray for it?

:evilgrin:

[progressoid]

10. I gotta say, reading this forum (and other sources)

has helped me accept my lack of mysterious-sky-being-worship. It took a while to embrace the wonders of the world without mysticism. Turns out, reality is more interesting than any religion.

A weird side effect of this inner struggle is that I had given up on art and music (not just enjoying it, but doing it). For a long time I was still trying to find god (or whatever) somewhere. I was expecting a religious experience from the arts. When I finally gave up on god, a whole new outlook on life opened up - Reality. Now I can go back to the arts without all of that extra baggage and enjoy it again.

That goes for a lot of things. Life without religion is more stimulating and interesting. I feel like a huge weight has been lifted. I don't fear death, although I'd like to put it off for a while. Nor am I depressed that I won't meet my family or my pets in heaven. Losing religion has forced me to find me.

HOWEVER....I do have a bit of a chip on my shoulder toward xians. This, of course, poses some internal conflicts since most of my family (and Amurika) happily embraces the nailed one. But the upside is that I get to count myself as part of a select elite that has seen the light...errr...I mean, not seen the light.

[Hello_Kitty]

13. "Life without religion is more stimulating and interesting."

Not to mention more challenging. There's no one Up There determining the minutiae of my or others' existence. It's all on me. That causes me to give a lot more consideration to my actions than I think most believers do. What I do, and what you do, has ramifications. Every action has a reaction and as an atheist, I don't get do-overs and mulligans because I went to confession or made Jeebus my personal savior. The end result for me is that I'm far more ethical, compassionate, and responsible than I think I would be if I depended on some Sky Daddy to keep me in line with rewards and punishment.

Plus I don't get to indulge in the "why meeeeee" bullshit you hear from believers when something bad happens. Why not me? Shit happens.

[progressoid]

19. Yes!

I bugs me how personal responsibility is so nebulous for xians. Murder? Rape? Pillage? Adultery? Sure!! Just as long as you accept Jeebus as your lord and savior!

[CarbonDate]

12. Isn't being an atheist like being pregnant?

You either are or you aren't. You either have no religious beliefs or you have some. If you have some, you are by defintion not an atheist.

[muriel_volestrangler]

14. The existence of any gods that religions have put forward is ridiculous

in my opinion. They are either attempts to control people, for altruistic or selfish purposes, or to explain away ignorance, or comfort blankets to hold on to.

Ideas that some being created the universe are supremely irrelevant to our lives. Science tells us how the world works - and it's not some recent conspiracy against religion or 'spirituality' (aarrghh! the most annoying word there is. Anyone who uses it seriously needs to be asked "what the flying fuck does that mean?"); science is the cumulation of hundreds of thousands of years of human thought, giving us everything from how to start a fire to keeping 6 billion people alive. If there is another universe which 'created' this one, then it's cut off from it, by definition. There isn't a single scrap of evidence that there's another part of this universe where the physical laws we know don't apply, either. There's nothing about morality, or life before or after death, implied by a separate universe. Anyone who tells you otherwise is stupid, or lying.

Down with gullibility. Down with brainwashing. Down with religion.

[Zenlitened]

16. Sorry, but your post violates the mission statement of the A&A group:

... In this forum it is inappropriate to belittle those with religious beliefs...

Not to mention the rules of DU as a whole:

... Members should avoid highly provocative postings, such as comparing religion to fairy tales or mental illness, or arguing that religion (or the lack thereof) is the source of most of the world's problems.

Do you sincerely believe that "The existence of any gods that religions have put forward is ridiculous"?

So do I.

But it appears that DU is not the place to say so.

[muriel_volestrangler]

18. I'm not belitting those with religious beliefs, I'm belittling the beliefs

Just as I might belittle the belief that 'Joey' is a fine sitcom. DU exists to belittle some religious beliefs, such as the homophobic beliefs various religions put forward.

I hope the moderators and administrators can see the difference - they have in the past.

[Zenlitened]

15. Increasingly so, as each day goes by.

:D

[salvorhardin]

17. How atheist?

Apparently too much so.

[arwalden]

20. Fearfully. Don't Want To Be Too UPPITY Anymore?

There's a certain element that's out for BLOOD if they could get it.