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Don’t Replace Religion; End It

nytimes.com

11–14 of 14 posts

Re: Don’t Replace Religion; End It

#11

Atheism, is still a faith-based judgment call. Atheists BELIEVE that there is no god. I think agnosticism is a better goal.

"Many orthodox people speak as though it were the business of sceptics to disprove received dogmas rather than of dogmatists to prove them. This is, of course, a mistake. If I were to suggest that between the Earth and Mars there is a china teapot revolving about the sun in an elliptical orbit, nobody would be able to disprove my assertion provided I were careful to add that the teapot is too small to be revealed even by our most powerful telescopes. But if I were to go on to say that, since my assertion cannot be disproved, it is intolerable presumption on the part of human reason to doubt it, I should rightly be thought to be talking nonsense. If, however, the existence of such a teapot were affirmed in ancient books, taught as the sacred truth every Sunday, and instilled into the minds of children at school, hesitation to believe in its existence would become a mark of eccentricity and entitle the doubter to the attentions of the psychiatrist in an enlightened age or of the Inquisitor in an earlier time. [...] I ought to call myself an agnostic; but, for all practical purposes, I am an atheist. I do not think the existence of the Christian God any more probable than the existence of the Gods of Olympus or Valhalla. To take another illustration: nobody can prove that there is not between the Earth and Mars a china teapot revolving in an elliptical orbit, but nobody thinks this sufficiently likely to be taken into account in practice. I think the Christian God just as unlikely." - Bertrand Russel

Re: Don’t Replace Religion; End It

#12

London has an atheist church? Geez! Atheism is the opposite of religion. It is a LACK of belief. I'm atheist because I don't believe the claims of the church but I'm not making any claims myself. For all I know, there might be a god. The evidence just doesn't support it right now.

no, Atheism is the belief in the lack of a higher power. Agnosticism is the lack of belief (or belief in lack of capacity to choose....).

Re: Don’t Replace Religion; End It

#13
post #12

London has an atheist church? Geez! Atheism is the opposite of religion. It is a LACK of belief. I'm atheist because I don't believe the claims of the church but I'm not making any claims myself. For all I know, there might be a god. The evidence just doesn't support it right now.

no, Atheism is the belief in the lack of a higher power. Agnosticism is the lack of belief (or belief in lack of capacity to choose....).

Strong atheism is the belief in the lack of a higher power. Weak atheism is the lack of belief. Agnosticism is the lack of proclaimed knowledge, regardless of belief.

Re: Don’t Replace Religion; End It

#14

Albania was the first nation in the world to officially declare itself atheist, after World War II. Members of my family were there and they do not remember it as a happy time. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/State_atheism#Albania http://www.amazon.com/Banishing-God-Albania-Giacomo-Gardin/d... Penn Jillette has proof by assertion and snarky facial expressions to back up the Reign of Terror and the massacre of the Vende…

Well yes, it's a bad idea for governments to ban religion. Being a libertarian, Penn Jillette would agree with that.
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