Ahh...safe!
Big Idiot Man Child
Join Date: May 2004
Location: La
Posts: 5,664
Spirituality is not for [email protected] like me. 
I have to get this out after I read something that upset me:
It does not take any amount of "faith" to be agnostic or atheist. Agnostics and atheists rely upon concrete proof for their beliefs or lack of belief in fill-in-the-blank.
Extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence. Thinking that invisible unicorns and little leprechauns in the 3rd dimension do not exist and that Elvis is dead is not predicated upon faith, but instead upon the presence or absence of observable and testable evidence.
Why are we so misunderstood?
There....maybe I can feel better now and move on. Peace.
It does not take any amount of "faith" to be agnostic or atheist. Agnostics and atheists rely upon concrete proof for their beliefs or lack of belief in fill-in-the-blank.
Extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence. Thinking that invisible unicorns and little leprechauns in the 3rd dimension do not exist and that Elvis is dead is not predicated upon faith, but instead upon the presence or absence of observable and testable evidence.
Why are we so misunderstood?
There....maybe I can feel better now and move on. Peace.
sentient puddle
Join Date: Jan 2009
Location: Essex, UK
Posts: 180
"calling atheism a religion is like calling bald a hair colour." - don hirschberg
"to say that atheism requires faith is as dim-witted as saying that disbelief in fairies or leprechauns takes faith. Even if einstein himself told me there was an elf on my shoulder, i would still ask for proof, and i wouldn't be wrong to ask." - geoff mather
"he that will not reason is a bigot; he that cannot reason is a fool; he that dare not reason is a slave." - william drummond
"atheism is nothing more than the noises reasonable people make when in the presence of religious dogma." - sam harris
"to say that atheism requires faith is as dim-witted as saying that disbelief in fairies or leprechauns takes faith. Even if einstein himself told me there was an elf on my shoulder, i would still ask for proof, and i wouldn't be wrong to ask." - geoff mather
"he that will not reason is a bigot; he that cannot reason is a fool; he that dare not reason is a slave." - william drummond
"atheism is nothing more than the noises reasonable people make when in the presence of religious dogma." - sam harris
Originally Posted by Dee74 
Hope it was nothing I wrote elsewhere that upset you Bam.
My journey is my own - but I try very hard not to impede anyone else's, whatever that may be
D
My journey is my own - but I try very hard not to impede anyone else's, whatever that may be
D
Oh, no, Dee. Not you....not even close.
I'm trying to let it go now.
Resident
Join Date: Jan 2009
Location: Toronto, Ontario
Posts: 4,150
Originally Posted by Bamboozle
I have to get this out after I read something that upset me:
It does not take any amount of "faith" to be agnostic or atheist. Agnostics and atheists rely upon concrete proof for their beliefs or lack of belief in fill-in-the-blank.
Extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence. Thinking that invisible unicorns and little leprechauns in the 3rd dimension do not exist and that Elvis is dead is not predicated upon faith, but instead upon the presence or absence of observable and testable evidence.
Why are we so misunderstood?
There....maybe I can feel better now and move on. Peace.
It does not take any amount of "faith" to be agnostic or atheist. Agnostics and atheists rely upon concrete proof for their beliefs or lack of belief in fill-in-the-blank.
Extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence. Thinking that invisible unicorns and little leprechauns in the 3rd dimension do not exist and that Elvis is dead is not predicated upon faith, but instead upon the presence or absence of observable and testable evidence.
Why are we so misunderstood?
There....maybe I can feel better now and move on. Peace.
sentient puddle
Join Date: Jan 2009
Location: Essex, UK
Posts: 180
I've noticed that any mention of atheism gets people directed here quite often - does that happen a lot? There seems to be a bit of religious self-defence that kicks in any time someone mentions that they don't believe in god...
I really am glad this sub-forum is here anyway!
I do find it odd that atheists are accused by the religious of not having an open mind... The scientific position of scepticism is truly open minded. I'm open to the possibility that my view of the universe is wrong, and if evidence contradicted it i'd concede i was wrong.
The religious however will not change their beliefs no matter how much evidence contradicts them - surely that's not very open minded?
Evidence and reason help us get to the truth - religious dogma and faith are contrary to that imho...
Not believing in god isn't a faith position. It's not that i "believe" there is no god. It's just that i "don't believe" there is one. It's a lack of a belief. If that makes sense! No faith required!
I really am glad this sub-forum is here anyway!
I do find it odd that atheists are accused by the religious of not having an open mind... The scientific position of scepticism is truly open minded. I'm open to the possibility that my view of the universe is wrong, and if evidence contradicted it i'd concede i was wrong.
The religious however will not change their beliefs no matter how much evidence contradicts them - surely that's not very open minded?
Evidence and reason help us get to the truth - religious dogma and faith are contrary to that imho...
Not believing in god isn't a faith position. It's not that i "believe" there is no god. It's just that i "don't believe" there is one. It's a lack of a belief. If that makes sense! No faith required!
Knucklehead
Join Date: Mar 2005
Location: Davenport, WA
Posts: 4,005
Originally Posted by windysan
Shame on you, Bamboozle !! Instead of living life on your own terms you should be living life on the Lucky Charms Leprechaun's terms.
They're magically delicious !!
They're magically delicious !!
What are his terms?
Member
OK sparkey..you asked for it :P
I have to say that my religion doesn't require I believe in anything but my own reason and expereince. Religion doesn't HAVE to be the way people often portray it...and words are just words ...the expereince is what maters and we each have to have our own experiences and logic our own way through it.
Not to throw a wrench in the works here, but just cause i have always felt i am welcome in secular despite my "religious" beliefs
:ghug
I have to say that my religion doesn't require I believe in anything but my own reason and expereince. Religion doesn't HAVE to be the way people often portray it...and words are just words ...the expereince is what maters and we each have to have our own experiences and logic our own way through it.
Not to throw a wrench in the works here, but just cause i have always felt i am welcome in secular despite my "religious" beliefs
:ghug
Member
aw dk...i think we have disucssed this before haven't we...i don't care what the "dictiionary" definition is...its what we mean that matters.
If I call X an apple and you call X a bannana....it's still X
(I hate bananas by the way)
If I call X an apple and you call X a bannana....it's still X
(I hate bananas by the way)
sentient puddle
Join Date: Jan 2009
Location: Essex, UK
Posts: 180
Ah yes but if i criticise X, and i mean bananas, that doesn't mean i'm criticising apples...
So when i speak of religion and faith i specifically mean belief without evidence in the supernatural...
A rational secular approach to spirituality is a different thing imho... If you choose to call that religion then you must know that when people criticise religion they are talking about something else...
So when i speak of religion and faith i specifically mean belief without evidence in the supernatural...
A rational secular approach to spirituality is a different thing imho... If you choose to call that religion then you must know that when people criticise religion they are talking about something else...
Member
my point is that you are all very intelictual and many people don't use these words correctly....
still...if X IS an apple, you are, your perception is just out of wack
My point....this of course helps me to understand how you use the word...but dictinaries don't mean crp...."they" is a big group with a lot of differnt udnerstandings of words....
:ghug2
Ah yes but if i criticise X, and i mean bananas, that doesn't mean i'm criticising apples...
So when i speak of religion and faith i specifically mean belief without evidence in the supernatural...
A rational secular approach to spirituality is a different thing imho... If you choose to call that religion then you must know that when people criticise religion they are talking about something else
A rational secular approach to spirituality is a different thing imho... If you choose to call that religion then you must know that when people criticise religion they are talking about something else
:ghug2
Currently Active Users Viewing this Thread: 1 (0 members and 1 guests)
