Skip to main content ↑ ↓
Topic: The Problem with Atheism (Read 205301 times)

Re: Open-mindedness as per Sam Harris

Reply #225 –
Quote from: ersi on

Quote from: Jimbro3738 on

Quote from: ersi on
All he does is yell that religion is immoral, while he does not put together a single philosophical argument to prove it.

If he said that, he goes overboard, perhaps, but a philosophical argument isn't required. Historical examples are required.
The problem here is that historical examples against atheism are at least equal, if not worse. So, to prove his point, he really has to make a different argument.

I'd really like you to show one example of Harris yelling at anybody.

Re: The Problem with Atheism

Reply #226 –
You hardly find anything related to atheism in a favela...  ???

Re: The Problem with Atheism

Reply #228 –
That's (Brazilian?) Portuguese for slum.

Re: The Problem with Atheism

Reply #231 –
The main Problem with Atheism is that I'm not an atheist. :)
One of these days I will turn atheist for a week, then atheist argumentation will be interesting for a while.

Let me practice...God doesn't exist!
Very well, this is promising. I got already a couple ideas to turn religious people speechless.
How nice it is to return to fifteen years old again...
A matter of attitude.

Re: The Problem with Atheism

Reply #232 –
Quote from: Belfrager on

The main Problem with Atheism is that I'm not an atheist. :)
One of these days I will turn atheist for a week, then atheist argumentation will be interesting for a while.

Let me practice...God doesn't exist!
Very well, this is promising. I got already a couple ideas to turn religious people speechless.
How nice it is to return to fifteen years old again...

What you're thinking of is a Hollywood Atheist. First step - don't believe in god. Second step - constantly be angry at the god you don't believe in. Shake your fist at the sky and think blasphemous thoughts, if god doesn't strike you down by lightning be more angry at him.

Re: The Problem with Atheism

Reply #233 –
Many atheists regard themselves as wonderfully intelligent and above the common herd. Maybe I in a broad and active life have been unfortunate but I have most lacking and often boring. I am sure Belfrager will cope but I am not dancing to their tune.  :P
"Quit you like men:be strong"

Re: The Problem with Atheism

Reply #234 –
Quote from: Macallan on

Quote from: Belfrager on

The main Problem with Atheism is that I'm not an atheist. :)
One of these days I will turn atheist for a week, then atheist argumentation will be interesting for a while.

Let me practice...God doesn't exist!
Very well, this is promising. I got already a couple ideas to turn religious people speechless.
How nice it is to return to fifteen years old again...

What you're thinking of is a Hollywood Atheist. First step - don't believe in god. Second step - constantly be angry at the god you don't believe in. Shake your fist at the sky and think blasphemous thoughts, if god doesn't strike you down by lightning be more angry at him.

The "Hollywood" will become a justified addition as soon as real-life atheists begin behaving differently than those described. Until then it's appropriately called mere atheism.

Of course, most people don't care to define themselves too carefully. They are whatever circumstances led them to be and now they stay the course out of sheer inertia. But this would make a boring movie.

Re: The Problem with Atheism

Reply #235 –
From the Hollywood Atheist...
Quote
Atheists only seem to have arguments against their culture's predominant religion, most often Christianity, and to a lesser extent, its brethren Judaism and Islam. They'll have nothing bad to say against Eastern religions.
Oh, yeah!

The Dalai Lama is a fraud!
[video]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uhEWTbgsMJA[/video]

Re: The Problem with Atheism

Reply #236 –
Quote from: ersi on

The "Hollywood" will become a justified addition as soon as real-life atheists begin behaving differently than those described. Until then it's appropriately called mere atheism.

So I can be sure you know well a significant amount of real-life atheists - even those that don't manifest themselves often. :rolleyes:
(I should add: even atheists that haven't developed in Stalinist environments...)
Considering just one kind of atheism is the same error as considering just one kind of Christianity.

Re: The Problem with Atheism

Reply #237 –
Quote from: Barulheira on

So I can be sure you know well a significant amount of real-life atheists - even those that don't manifest themselves often. :rolleyes:
(I should add: even atheists that haven't developed in Stalinist environments...)
Considering just one kind of atheism is the same error as considering just one kind of Christianity.

Indeed, it is. I find the list of characteristics described behind the link provided by Macallan varied enough. That's already a whole spectrum of atheists for a start, valid for you to consider. "Hollywood Atheism" may seem stereotypical, but it's not unreal. It's just that most movies are built on stereotypes. Again, not all movies do this, so even the term "Hollywood Atheism" itself is built on stereotypification - the stereotype about Hollywood.

There are real-life militant atheists, such as Leninists, Stalinists, Maoists, and neoatheists a la Dawkins and Harris. They are their own caricature. Nobody is overly happy that these examples come from real life, not from imagination.

Then there are philosophically-minded atheists (or agnostics) whom I happen to know. Among themselves, they have jokes like this:

"Sam Harris works in mysterious ways."
"Richard Dawkins was sent by God to give atheism a bad name."

Re: The Problem with Atheism

Reply #238 –
Atheists don't know any more about the nonexistence of god than religionists know about the existence of god.

Re: The Problem with Atheism

Reply #240 –
Buena broma, de hecho!

Re: The Problem with Atheism

Reply #241 –
Quote from: Jimbro3738 on

From the Hollywood Atheist...
Quote
Atheists only seem to have arguments against their culture's predominant religion, most often Christianity, and to a lesser extent, its brethren Judaism and Islam. They'll have nothing bad to say against Eastern religions.
Oh, yeah!

The Dalai Lama is a fraud!

State Shinto anyone? :right:

Re: The Problem with Atheism

Reply #242 –
Quote from: Barulheira on

Quote from: ersi on

The "Hollywood" will become a justified addition as soon as real-life atheists begin behaving differently than those described. Until then it's appropriately called mere atheism.

So I can be sure you know well a significant amount of real-life atheists - even those that don't manifest themselves often. :rolleyes:

Of course - it fits his beliefs and prejudices so it must be true. If reality disagrees then obviously reality needs to catch up with him :right:

Re: The Problem with Atheism

Reply #243 –
Quote from: Macallan on
What you're thinking of is a Hollywood Atheist.

You are wrong Macallan. Hollywood? not even closer.
I was referring to Cannes atheists... you know, where cinema exists as an art, not Hollywood.

But yes, "Atheists are materialists and probably technophiles/transhumanists/roboticists as well." I would add a lot of other pejorative qualifications.
A matter of attitude.

Re: The Problem with Atheism

Reply #244 –
Clearly the problem with Atheism is that we don't have a map.


Consider it solved.

Re: The Problem with Atheism

Reply #245 –
The problem with the map is too many grey areas. Estonia has been polled on this question several times. The result according to the latest one: 54.14% atheists + 14.36% "don't care to answer" + 2.18% "don't know" Source: http://www.eestikirik.ee/uploads/2013/09/Eesti-elanike-suhtumine-usku.pdf (a 2013 exposition of the poll conducted in 2011) To my subjective impression they found astonishingly many believers.
 

Re: The Problem with Atheism

Reply #246 –
True that, the problem isn't fully solved. Data for Estonia, Norway, Britain, and Portugal, the most important countries in the world, are missing.

Re: The Problem with Atheism

Reply #247 –
as long you do good ,

people aint ask you what's in your mind.

Re: The Problem with Atheism

Reply #248 –
Quote from: jax on

True that, the problem isn't fully solved. Data for Estonia, Norway, Britain, and Portugal, the most important countries in the world, are missing.

We don't need data for Portugal. We already have Bel :cool: