If everyone was atheist...

[Eriny]

On a side note, to all those who defend Atheism as having the higher moral ground over all religion, lets not forget that Atheist ideology was directly responsible (in the guise of Communism) for hundreds of millions of deaths. From Stalin's great purges to Mao's starvation marches and everything in between.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Militant_atheism

So don't give us that sanctimonious holier-than-thou (pun intended) bullshit about Atheism being the key to world peace.

Neither religion nor atheism is morally corrupt in any fundamental way. People are.

[MuggedByReality]

On a side note, to all those who defend Atheism as having the higher moral ground over all religion, lets not forget that Atheist ideology was directly responsible (in the guise of Communism) for hundreds of millions of deaths. From Stalin's great purges to Mao's starvation marches and everything in between.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Militant_atheism

So don't give us that sanctimonious holier-than-thou (pun intended) bullshit about Atheism being the key to world peace.

Neither religion nor atheism is morally corrupt in any fundamental way. People are.

That said, you'd rather a morally corrupt person had a peashooter than had access to a nuclear button.

[Eriny]

^ True.

[letsride]

where'd Chavi go?

[QuantumJG]

where'd Chavi go?

No idea. I hope he never comes back.

[Chavi]

where'd Chavi go?

No idea. I hope he never comes back.

hahahahahahaha/ fag.

[Chavi]

On a side note, to all those who defend Atheism as having the higher moral ground over all religion, lets not forget that Atheist ideology was directly responsible (in the guise of Communism) for hundreds of millions of deaths. From Stalin's great purges to Mao's starvation marches and everything in between.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Militant_atheism

So don't give us that sanctimonious holier-than-thou (pun intended) bullshit about Atheism being the key to world peace.

Neither religion nor atheism is morally corrupt in any fundamental way. People are.

That said, you'd rather a morally corrupt person had a peashooter than had access to a nuclear button.

or perhaps the morally corrupt person was the one to theorize a weapon that has the power to destroy humanity. (and no, Einstein wasn't an Atheist per se)

[Spreadbury]

Well I don't think you can really credit religion with too many innovations... *cough* dark ages

[Chavi]

I would just like to produce a snippet from a blog:

Atheists and atheist political regimes have committed horrible crimes against humanity. Josef Stalin, Chairman Mao, Pol Pot, perhaps Hitler, and their atheistic tyrannies tortured and murdered millions.

Given that atheists make up a tiny proportion of the world’s population, and that religious governments and ideals have held sway globally for thousands of years, believers will certainly lose in a contest over “who has done more harm,” or “which ideology has caused more human suffering.” It has not been atheism because atheists have been widely persecuted, tortured, and killed for centuries nearly to the point of extinction.

Sam Harris has argued that the problem with these regimes has been that they became too much like religions. “Such regimes are dogmatic to the core and generally give rise to personality cults that are indistinguishable from cults of religious hero worship. Auschwitz, the gulag, and the killing fields were not examples of what happens when human beings reject religious dogma; they are examples of political, racial and nationalistic dogma run amok. There is no society in human history that ever suffered because its people became too reasonable.”

I'm lucky that I'm an atheist now and not 500-1000 years ago because I would probably be killed for my disbelief.

I hate this concept that atheism is a religion itself because we are saying that we dont believe in a god. Each religion fights with other religions about who's the most superior. Religions then constantly try to force this notion of atheists (disbelievers) being against everyone.

Perfect example:

Chavi calling atheists communists.

That's enough to turn any American away from Atheism. 'Communism' was actually the tactic used to keep HMO's in business.

ok. I stand corrected. However I ask, why is the belief in the non-existence of God not considered an organized religion? The burden of proof lies as much with the skeptics as it does with the believers (that said, I'm not out to prove anything to you. I absolutely detest proselytism of all kinds)
Some religions have synagogues, Mosques and Churches, others have Atheist conventions. . . Agnosticism - now there's a set of beliefs (or lack thereof) that are inherently incompatible with organized religion.

On a side note, a question to our Atheist members - do you feel spiritual? Do you believe in mother nature, or some natural guiding laws of the universe?

[Spreadbury]

I do not feel spritual myself. While I lack a comprehensive understanding of the world of physics, I can still accept them as true, and that (to me) is what logically determines the outcomes of events in the Universe.

[Chavi]

I do not feel spritual myself. While I lack a comprehensive understanding of the world of physics, I can still accept them as true, and that (to me) is what logically determines the outcomes of events in the Universe.

I just find it interesting that many non-believers (not necessarily atheists, just non-religious) believe in the supernatural, abstract concepts such as destiny and fate, and 'spirits' and 'ghosts'.

[stonecold]

I do not feel spritual myself. While I lack a comprehensive understanding of the world of physics, I can still accept them as true, and that (to me) is what logically determines the outcomes of events in the Universe.

I just find it interesting that many non-believers (not necessarily atheists, just non-religious) believe in the supernatural, abstract concepts such as destiny and fate, and 'spirits' and 'ghosts'.

+1

Very true.

[QuantumJG]

I would just like to produce a snippet from a blog:

Atheists and atheist political regimes have committed horrible crimes against humanity. Josef Stalin, Chairman Mao, Pol Pot, perhaps Hitler, and their atheistic tyrannies tortured and murdered millions.

Given that atheists make up a tiny proportion of the world’s population, and that religious governments and ideals have held sway globally for thousands of years, believers will certainly lose in a contest over “who has done more harm,” or “which ideology has caused more human suffering.” It has not been atheism because atheists have been widely persecuted, tortured, and killed for centuries nearly to the point of extinction.

Sam Harris has argued that the problem with these regimes has been that they became too much like religions. “Such regimes are dogmatic to the core and generally give rise to personality cults that are indistinguishable from cults of religious hero worship. Auschwitz, the gulag, and the killing fields were not examples of what happens when human beings reject religious dogma; they are examples of political, racial and nationalistic dogma run amok. There is no society in human history that ever suffered because its people became too reasonable.”

I'm lucky that I'm an atheist now and not 500-1000 years ago because I would probably be killed for my disbelief.

I hate this concept that atheism is a religion itself because we are saying that we dont believe in a god. Each religion fights with other religions about who's the most superior. Religions then constantly try to force this notion of atheists (disbelievers) being against everyone.

Perfect example:

Chavi calling atheists communists.

That's enough to turn any American away from Atheism. 'Communism' was actually the tactic used to keep HMO's in business.

ok. I stand corrected. However I ask, why is the belief in the non-existence of God not considered an organized religion? The burden of proof lies as much with the skeptics as it does with the believers (that said, I'm not out to prove anything to you. I absolutely detest proselytism of all kinds)
Some religions have synagogues, Mosques and Churches, others have Atheist conventions. . . Agnosticism - now there's a set of beliefs (or lack thereof) that are inherently incompatible with organized religion.

On a side note, a question to our Atheist members - do you feel spiritual? Do you believe in mother nature, or some natural guiding laws of the universe?

Looking at the first bolded section.

I attended a Maths colloqium by your logic Maths is a "religion".

Now for the next.

I am not a spiritual person.

One hypothesis suggesting why some people see ghosts in 'haunted' houses is that there may be a high level of carbon monoxide that is causing hallucinations. As for the soul, a perfectly normal person can get brain damage and never be the same person again.

If it is any consolation I do believe that life exists in other parts of the universe and I wouldn't be surprised if they also believed in some god. More to the point, how could there not be anything else than us? It would be an awful waste of space (contact).

[Chavi]

Looking at the first bolded section.

I attended a Maths colloqium by your logic Maths is a "religion".

You are very, very smart. That's precisely my definition

Now for the next.

I am not a spiritual person.

One hypothesis suggesting why some people see ghosts in 'haunted' houses is that there may be a high level of carbon monoxide that is causing hallucinations. As for the soul, a perfectly normal person can get brain damage and never be the same person again.

If it is any consolation I do believe that life exists in other parts of the universe and I wouldn't be surprised if they also believed in some god. More to the point, how could there not be anything else than us? It would be an awful waste of space (contact).

If the atheist is prepared to believe in supernatural agents that can't be proven, rationally discerned or that don't comply with the scientific method - why is the belief in an omnipotent, all-knowing force any less of a taboo is the his mind?

If you are truly in a quest to find the absolute truth on God's existence, why being with presumption that He doesn't exist? That would place the onus on you to prove his non-existence (in the same way that someone attempting to convert you must first prove His existence). If you admire the scientific method as a means of developing a logical model for the origin of the universe, the natural place to start would be from an agnostic position, rather than an atheist one. Or a religious one for that matter. AS the French model states - guilty until proven innocnet, or to paraphrase and keep in with the religious status quo - God exists until proof is found otherwise.

[schmalex]

Looking at the first bolded section.

I attended a Maths colloqium by your logic Maths is a "religion".

You are very, very smart. That's precisely my definition

Now for the next.

I am not a spiritual person.

One hypothesis suggesting why some people see ghosts in 'haunted' houses is that there may be a high level of carbon monoxide that is causing hallucinations. As for the soul, a perfectly normal person can get brain damage and never be the same person again.

If it is any consolation I do believe that life exists in other parts of the universe and I wouldn't be surprised if they also believed in some god. More to the point, how could there not be anything else than us? It would be an awful waste of space (contact).

If the atheist is prepared to believe in supernatural agents that can't be proven, rationally discerned or that don't comply with the scientific method - why is the belief in an omnipotent, all-knowing force any less of a taboo is the his mind?

If you are truly in a quest to find the absolute truth on God's existence, why being with presumption that He doesn't exist? That would place the onus on you to prove his non-existence (in the same way that someone attempting to convert you must first prove His existence). If you admire the scientific method as a means of developing a logical model for the origin of the universe, the natural place to start would be from an agnostic position, rather than an atheist one. Or a religious one for that matter. AS the French model states - guilty until proven innocnet, or to paraphrase and keep in with the religious status quo - God exists until proof is found otherwise.

I actually agree. I think that atheism is essentially a religious belief and can't really be backed up that well. Atheism isn't a lack of belief, it is a strong belief that no god exists. That being said, I really do find it grating when people say religion is stupid and then have really irrational superstitions and the like. Most people believe in something, and atheists can be as spiritual and irrational as religious people.