Aetheism, Do You Believe?

[DelBubs]

- Le Messor
"Atheism is the result of ignorance and pride; of strong sense and feeble reasons; of good eating and ill-living. It is the plague of society, the corrupter of manners, and the underminer of property."
- Jeremy Collier

I don't really have much to add to this, hopefully MMLjr has bought the big one anyhow and this is all moot. I just wanted to comment so I could stick a quote in, in response to Le Messor quote about Aetheist, being an aetheist myself I couldn't let it pass.

With or without religion, you would have good people doing good things and evil people doing evil things. But for good people to do evil things, that takes religion.
Steven Weinberg (1933 - )

[Mokole]

Well not being an atheist I see things differently, especially about reasons. Beyond yourself, most atheists I know have a hard time doing good works or charity off the cuff, I always have to talk them into it. But people who believe in God, I ask and they do, simply because it's 'right', they don't need more. It's tiring trying to get one of my atheists to run volunteerism or do simple nice things some days, they need reasons why 'they' have to do it, why it matters, but my religious (sort of) people just do it because it helps and helping is good because the Bible says so. But we all have different experiences, some say religious Hitler (was he??) while others point out atheist Pot and Stalin et al.

Religion doesn't make good people evil, when people do evil they'll rationalize it with any ideology/paradigm, from religion to capitalism to Americanism to Consumerism to atheism to talibanism (as if that's a religion!! If it is, then so is stalinism) to....

Why are we on this topic anyway?

[Phil]

Cos we're in the cupboard baby...

[DelBubs]

Firstly I've split off from the original topic. Secondly I hope the thread dies very quickly, you never get anywhere with Religious discussion.
As to why we're on the topic, I guess it's my sensitive nature. I've always tried to be respectful of peoples beliefs and try not to say something that could offend someone who believes in God. Now I do this because a few years back on the old Alpha Waves mailing list I said something in Jest that offended and I got a terse reminder about respecting peoples believes etc. Now I just think that as an aetheist I should be afforded the same consideration. Like I said prolly me being too sensitive, but there ya go...

[Le Messor]

First, Del, sorry.
I'm now in the sitch you described.

Second, I can't believe I just posted that about five minutes ago.

[DelBubs]

No biggy Mik. I think my hormones must be playing up. One minute I'm the next And before any one can say it, yes it's prolly my age.

[Le Messor]

Maybe you're pregnant?

[Effexxor]

Sorry, but since when do religious people volunteer more than atheists? My atheist friends are generally a lot more worried in the state of things and volunteer more than my christian friends.

[Transmetropolitan]

Bah, as an agnostic, I can truthfully say that I know some atheists who are just as preachy and annoying as their religious counterparts.

[Canucklehead]

I think we can all agree that the human race is full of great, selfless people and also complete nutcases. Personally I know many people of different religions that do dispicable things. I know a few priests that should never have been given care of younger boys. I myself was born a Catholic, baptised, got my first communion, went to Catechism for 8 years and am still an Atheist. I volunteer and help others in daily life because it makes me feel good, not because I'm scared of going to hell if I don't. Religous people, like any people, when forced to act in a way not in their nature, will eventually crack and do something stupid. Nice people, religous or not, will do good things because that's who they are. Again, the human race has all kinds. I believe in Big Bangs, others believe in miracles. Some people are good some people are George W. Bush. The only problem I have with religion are those people who kill others because they don't believe the same thing. I guess it's just hard for me to believe people can meet other cultures and not be facinated by them and want to learn more, instead of the blood baths that are all too common on this planet.

[syvalois]

I think we can all agree that the human race is full of great, selfless people and also complete nutcases. Personally I know many people of different religions that do dispicable things. I know a few priests that should never have been given care of younger boys. I myself was born a Catholic, baptised, got my first communion, went to Catechism for 8 years and am still an Atheist. I volunteer and help others in daily life because it makes me feel good, not because I'm scared of going to hell if I don't. Religous people, like any people, when forced to act in a way not in their nature, will eventually crack and do something stupid. Nice people, religous or not, will do good things because that's who they are. Again, the human race has all kinds. I believe in Big Bangs, others believe in miracles. Some people are good some people are George W. Bush. The only problem I have with religion are those people who kill others because they don't believe the same thing. I guess it's just hard for me to believe people can meet other cultures and not be facinated by them and want to learn more, instead of the blood baths that are all too common on this planet.

=D> =D> =D> Bravo ! =D> =D> =D>

No biggy Mik. I think my hormones must be playing up. One minute I'm Laughing the next Crying or Very sad And before any one can say it, yes it's prolly my age.

It's called andropause for you mister.

As for the rest, I just believe everyone is catholic but don't practice much anymore...euh, wait, ah... That's my case. Anyway, I don't really think it's important as long as everyone respect everyone.[/url]

[Mokole]

No big deal anyway. This is what I think: people do bad things not out of beliefs, but out of wanting to do bad things or letting themselves get out of control. No matter how you look at it, when people do evil they rationalize it so that it isn't their fault.

Blame the victim, society, Jews, Catholics, Blacks, atheists, Leaf fans, liberals, communists, aliens, science fiction, tv, whatever.

Justify by saying it's God's will, it needed doing, it helps the economy, I was 'saving' future lives, I was defending my team, I was defending my religion, I was in need of money, I deserve more, I was defending my country...

I have no beef with anyone over their beliefs as long as they don't hurt anyone. Beliefs don't kill, people do. They just look for support by espousing a belief or two, like Christianity, Islam, consumerism, individualism, whatever.

But I have no need to preach or rant really, just tired. If MML jr is dead, as I expect, and Shaman is dead, and so on, I don't see how religion or atheism matters, or anything else. It is, after all, a comic.

I figure they'll deal with the deaths in Omega Flight very early, since there's no reason to think now that they'll deal with it in Civil War.

[Le Messor]

But I have no need to preach or rant really, just tired. If MML jr is dead, as I expect, and Shaman is dead, and so on, I don't see how religion or atheism matters, or anything else. It is, after all, a comic.

I figure they'll deal with the deaths in Omega Flight very early, since there's no reason to think now that they'll deal with it in Civil War.

Despite where it started, I think that's now a different thread.

Unless you're saying you've got an Alpha Nihilist belief system: "If Alpha Flight is dead, nothing really matters. Anyone can see nothing really matters to me."

[Guardian]

I was never a church goin' kind of person but I was always a bit interested in goin'. I have faith and I believe in certain things but I don't associate it with one type of organized religion or another. Is there a God? Sure why not. Did he create us? Maybe but we didn't just come out of nowhere. Evolution.

An old sayin' goes- Faith was a good idea until man put religion behind it. I truly believe that. I don't know if that has a certain term or not.

But I certainly have no problem with anyones beliefs or religion. As long as they don't push it upon anyone else.

[Mokole]

Despite where it started, I think that's now a different thread.

Unless you're saying you've got an Alpha Nihilist belief system: "If Alpha Flight is dead, nothing really matters. Anyone can see nothing really matters to me."

Ah, to be a Nihilist... been a long time since I've even heard that term. Maybe since university

I can really say about 10 'issues' really matter to me, and 4 live in my house

If I were to really point out all my beliefs, I'd probably get flamed awfully fast. Not that any are evil or anything, but I'm sure a few of our lurkers wouldn't like my views on health, consumerism, and happiness. Aren't I a stinker :P