Your Day

The Batlord · 12-21-2019, 04:49 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jwb

Usually takes the form of something like

"I only have one life to live so I need to make this one count! Religious people are the ones who lack meaning cause they think if you die you just go to heaven so why try on earth?"

Yeah that's an annoying one. Plenty of groupthink in atheism but again a bunch of people who agree on things do not constitute a religion. There are atheists who push the boundary though, but those tend to be people who converted from some religion they were really into.

Anteater · 12-21-2019, 04:49 PM

I like Deism personally.

**Frownland** · 12-21-2019, 04:50 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jwb

I already addressed the pedantic dictionary argument

Yes the word technically refers to just not believing in God. But a whole range of typical inferences generally will follow from that position. So the vast majority of people who hold that one position tend to also end up holding largely predictable stances on other issues.

Yet to hear a decent counter argument from anyone

So you understand what the concept of atheism is but have decided to define it by a vocal minority. That's some fancy logick.

The Batlord · 12-21-2019, 04:55 PM

He joined a cult whaddaya expect?

~~jwb~~ · 12-21-2019, 04:59 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by The Batlord

You could call any group of people who agree on many things a religion then.

nah... I think religions typically address certain types of questions... And atheism mixed with naturalism/secular humanism addresses practically all of them.

You can't say the same for other ideologies... Say communism. That's what differentiates an ideology from a religion. A religion is a specific kind of ideology that addresses but questions like what is existence, how did we get here, why, what should we do etc. It's more all encompassing.

The Batlord · 12-21-2019, 05:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jwb

nah... I think religions typically address certain types of questions... And atheism mixed with naturalism/secular humanism addresses practically all of them.

You can't say the same for other ideologies... Say communism. That's what differentiates an ideology from a religion. A religion is a specific kind of ideology that addresses but questions like what is existence, how did we get here, why, what should we do etc. It's more all encompassing.

Yeah atheism doesn't do that, it's just a space where the contrast with religion begs those questions to be asked. And who the **** has ever even met a secular humanist? They statistically don't exist.

~~jwb~~ · 12-21-2019, 05:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Frownland

So you understand what the concept of atheism is but have decided to define it by a vocal minority. That's some fancy logick.

what I'm referring to isn't a vocal minority of atheists. Like I said there are two basic varieties. Scientific materialists and new age mystics. And if the two, scientific naturalism is the prolonger variety.

The Batlord · 12-21-2019, 05:03 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jwb

what I'm referring to isn't a vocal minority of atheists. Like I said there are two basic varieties. Scientific materialists and new age mystics. And if the two, scientific naturalism is the prolonger variety.

Ah so having an opinion on the nature of existence is being in a religion. Gotcha.

~~jwb~~ · 12-21-2019, 05:04 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by elphenor

naturalism isn't answering anything

it's again the default position

what you see is what you get

funny how it has only grown in prominence in the last 500 years or so.. being the "default" position.

~~jwb~~ · 12-21-2019, 05:05 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by The Batlord

Ah so having an opinion on the nature of existence is being in a religion. Gotcha.

yea if the opinion is cohesive and maps onto a lot of other people influenced by the same literature, ideas etc

If it's not a religion it functions in the place of religion