Any Downside to Atheism?

[Alceste]

Just wanted to point out I've never once been "ridiculed" for my beliefs. There's nothing to ridicule - atheism is not a belief. To open yourself and / or your children to ridicule you have to believe something ridiculous.

If anything, I get more ridicule among my family and friends for the occasional reference to Tarot or I Ching readings and the flow of Qi than lacking belief in god/s.

We don't all live in your home town, mickiel.

 

[mickiel]

So where do you come off telling me I should intervene on my kid's behalf to protect them from Mormons or for suggesting that I am not doing right in teaching my children to think for themselves?

I believe in teaching children to think for themselves, but I also believe in the parent intervening at times. If my child were thinking about being a Mormon, I would disagree. My son and his mother are baptist, I have never disagreed with her raising him in that church, although I totally disagree with their doctrine.

Peace.

 

[mickiel]

Just wanted to point out I've never once been "ridiculed" for my beliefs. There's nothing to ridicule - atheism is not a belief. To open yourself and / or your children to ridicule you have to believe something ridiculous.

If anything, I get more ridicule among my family and friends for the occasional reference to Tarot or I Ching readings and the flow of Qi than lacking belief in god/s.

We don't all live in your home town, mickiel.

I live alone in my town.

Peace.

 

[mickiel]

That makes no sense. Avoid it so you don't run the risk of being hurt? How do you survive in a free society?

I am already hurt, I live being hurt. So thats not the reason I avoid churchs.

Peace.

 

[Alceste]

I live alone in my town.

Peace.

So you don't even have any atheists to ridicule? Why would you suggest that atheists are ridiculed then?

 

[mickiel]

So you don't even have any atheists to ridicule? Why would you suggest that atheists are ridiculed then?

Because I know they are, are you suggesting they are not?

Peace.

 

[Alceste]

Because I know they are, are you suggesting they are not?

Peace.

They are not. Not where I live, anyway. I've never heard of it happening. It doesn't happen to me or to anyone else. The Mormons and Jehovah's witnesses get ridiculed though, on account of their irritating habit of banging on doors. If they didn't do that, they probably wouldn't be ridiculed either.

 

[Cobblestones]

They are not. Not where I live, anyway.

Not where I live either.

 

[mickiel]

They are not. Not where I live, anyway. I've never heard of it happening. It doesn't happen to me or to anyone else. The Mormons and Jehovah's witnesses get ridiculed though, on account of their irritating habit of banging on doors. If they didn't do that, they probably wouldn't be ridiculed either.

Well be glad you don't live in rual North Carolina. Or in so many biblebelt citys, I don't care to list.

Peace

 

[Liam Anderson]

Ah, I see. So, judging from the number of responses, who gets ridiculed for their beliefs is a more valid argument than what I presented. I see... Well, have fun

 

[Liam Anderson]

It's like this, Liam. Statements are either true or false. (or unknown.) If they're true, then they're true. They're not true for me but not for you. So before you throw a stone at someone else, you might want to take a look and check what your house is made of. If atheists are missing out on religion, then religionists are missing out on atheism. Further more, unlike most religionists, probably including yourself, most of us atheists have experienced religion and rejected it. Have you experienced atheism and rejected it? If not, the only person in this scenario who has failed to experience something is you, whether you enjoy talking about that or not.

Hm... Since you insist, actually I have. I was brought up in an atheistic family, my parents are atheists, I've lived many years without religion and then rejected it, true.

But this is a purely eristic stratagem: shifting the focus of the debate, nothing more. If you're really interested in my personal experiences, you're welcome to start a thread about it. I guess I am done with this one.

Be well.

 

[Alceste]

Ah, I see. So, judging from the number of responses, who gets ridiculed for their beliefs is a more valid argument than what I presented. I see... Well, have fun

Others have already responded to your comments, Liam, and said everything I would have said, but here's a recap of the main points:

1) I was raised a Christian, so I know exactly what I'm "missing", and I don't miss any of it - except maybe the coffee and cakes.
2) You yourself are "missing" a life of freedom from emotional dependence on an imaginary father figure. We are all "missing" whatever we do not happen to be actively engaged in at any given time.
3) Spirituality does not require theistic belief.

I'll add one of my own, since this is a bit of a pet peeve of mine: the tao of taoism has nothing at all to do with the god of the Christians, Muslims and Jews. Not one little thing. Abrahamic religion and Taoism are utterly different, non-overlapping cosmologies. To claim the tao is "of god" demonstrates your profound ignorance of Eastern culture and history in general and Taoism in particular.

 

[Alceste]

Well be glad you don't live in rual North Carolina. Or in so many biblebelt citys, I don't care to list.

Peace

The Bible Belt is a pretty insignificant part of the world in general, but I am indeed glad I don't live there. If I lived there I'd move.

 

[Vile Atheist]

Is it just me who finds odd that, from at least what I've seen in this thread, atheists find no downside to atheism...but people who actually aren't atheist raise the objections?

 

[Alceste]

Is it just me who finds odd that, from at least what I've seen in this thread, atheists find no downside to atheism...but people who actually aren't atheist raise the objections?

Yes, I do find that rather odd, but I wouldn't be surprised if the results were similar if the question had been "any down side to theism" - atheists would have come up with a big long list. People tend to root for the home team.

It's a moot point anyway. I could not believe in a god or gods if I tried, and I suspect most theists would have a hard time letting go of their beliefs if they tried, too.

 

[Vile Atheist]

Yes, I do find that rather odd, but I wouldn't be surprised if the results were similar if the question had been "any down side to theism" - atheists would have come up with a big long list. People tend to root for the home team.

It's a moot point anyway. I could not believe in a god or gods if I tried, and I suspect most theists would have a hard time letting go of their beliefs if they tried, too.

True enough. But I do think there are more theists who become atheist than atheists who become theists. Thus, I generally think more atheists have experienced both sides of the equation than theists. Maybe I'm wrong.

 

[Alceste]

True enough. But I do think there are more theists who become atheist than atheists who become theists. Thus, I generally think more atheists have experienced both sides of the equation than theists. Maybe I'm wrong.

Judging by the declining statistics for theism, you must be right - at least in Canada.

 

[Thief]

Is it just me who finds odd that, from at least what I've seen in this thread, atheists find no downside to atheism...but people who actually aren't atheist raise the objections?

It's just you.
I would expect the discussion to proceed as it did.
From the topic title onward, how could it go any other way?

You didn't really expect the participants to change their minds did you?
And of course I don't expect an atheist to reconsider.

Besides, all of the nay saying will end.

I believe in life after death. I will go on.

 

[Vile Atheist]

It's just you.

Obviously not if Alceste just agreed with me.

 

[Thief]

Obviously not if Alceste just agreed with me.

Okay...let's get lumpy.
But you did ask if it was just you.