Ask Me Anything About Atheism

[linwood]

In what ways would you say you are misunderstood as an Atheist?

Morality.
Many theists cannot comprehend a person having a valid system of morality that was not handed to them by a religious group or holy text.

Millions of atheists worldwide are evidence that this notion is falacy.

Have you ever done any kind of mediation?

I don`t too much anymore as my time is pretty scarce with three kids a job and life to take care of.
My meditation pretty much consisted of sitting on an old rock pier about a 100 yards out into the Guf of Mexico late at night just pondering the world around me while watching the the stars in the sky and the sharks circling at my feet.
It was only 100 yards from shore but late at night it seemed as if I were sitting alone in the midst of the sea.
Haven`t been able to get there in awhile.

Have you ever done any form of martial arts training?

Not since I was a kid, when I was 12-13 I was into Tae Kwan Do

If there was one thing you could change in your life, what would it be?

I`d make more time, there never seems to be enough time.

Now back to the actual topic of the post! Who did you vote for in the US presidential elections? Kerry or Bush? And (yes, this is sort of about Linwood's atheism), was your decision influenced by Bushes comment about "god telling him to invade Iraq"?

I voted for Kerry but I really felt like I had no real choices at all.
I don`t like Kerry, he was simply the least of two evils.

Honestly I don`t see any "real" choices for me in either party at this time.
It`s depressing.

Yes, George Bushes repeated statements about how his faith guides his decisions is one of a plethora of reasons I voted against him.
I think the past 6 years is a good example of how wrong a leader can go when he`s led by his faith and not his own thoughts, whether that is faith in god or a faith in those around him.

 

[Buttercup]

Morality.
Many theists cannot comprehend a person having a valid system of morality that was not handed to them by a religious group or holy text.

Millions of atheists worldwide are evidence that this notion is falacy.

I guessed you would say this. There are many Theists out there who do not yardstick people by religious beliefs, myself included. I assess people almost exclusively on their social virtues, social actions and moral decency. None of those attributes has a whit to do with God in most cases. It's not fair to assign a decent moral character only to those who hold a belief in God. But, I understand it happens and it's unfortunate.

 

[linwood]

I guessed you would say this. There are many Theists out there who do not yardstick people by religious beliefs, myself included. I assess people almost exclusively on their social virtues, social actions and moral decency. None of those attributes has a whit to do with God in most cases. It's not fair to assign a decent moral character only to those who hold a belief in God. But, I understand it happens and it's unfortunate.

I`m well aware most theists don`t do this Buttercup.
Considering my surroundings most of my friends are theistic to one degree or another.

It`s just troublesome that many do.

 

[Boat]

Theoretical question here...

4 brainless clones are grown in a lab
your brain is cloned 3 times, memories and all
your brain and the 3 cloned ones are put in the grown clones' bodies
which person are you and why?

 

[Buttercup]

Theoretical question here...

4 brainless clones are grown in a lab
your brain is cloned 3 times, memories and all
your brain and the 3 cloned ones are put in the grown clones' bodies
which person are you and why?

You sure you want to post this in this thread?

 

[Boat]

Is there any reason I shouldn't?

 

[Buttercup]

Ok, I'll bite...they are all me. So what's this have to do with Atheism?

 

[Boat]

It has everything to do with atheism. Or nothing. I can't decide which.

 

[Buttercup]

And......????

 

[nutshell]

None of them are you because all four brains were put into the four cloned bodies.

 

[linwood]

Theoretical question here...

4 brainless clones are grown in a lab
your brain is cloned 3 times, memories and all
your brain and the 3 cloned ones are put in the grown clones' bodies
which person are you and why?

None are me physically but the one with my original brain would be "me".

The other three are cloned brains that wouldn`t have any of my knowledge or memories.
They wouldn`t have any knowledge or memories at all.

 

[Boat]

your brain is cloned 3 times, memories and all
- This is not a realistic situation. However, just assume it was the case.

Why would the original be you if everything about the others is the same? Is there something attached to your brain that makes you "you" per say. A soul perhaps?

If you think about it, all humans and, arguably, all animals are the same. We all go about our days looking through our eyes. Why are you who you are and not someone else? Is everyone and everything just some tragic accident?

 

[Hacker]

I hope that nobody asked this question already but, even though we can't actually SEE God, how could you base your assumptions of atheism as a belief? If your looking for sceintific evidence, which many people do, then how could you rationalize evolution in regards to matter being created from a big bang out of nothing? Me, I never seen a glass of water appear out of the clear blue sky out of nowhere and that's ultimately what scientists try to postulate in regards to evolution. By this big bang out of nowhere. Well, I'd like to see proof of that. If a sceintist or whoever could demonstrate matter being made from nothing then I may change my mind. But there is too many unanswered questions that even scientists(again) don't know how to answer which defines a higher intelligence or some energy source that may not be God as a person with human attributes which does seem to be a very confusing concept. Do you have an explaination for this? What about the story of Jesus? Was that story MADE up? Maybe some of it was not intended to be interpreted the way it WAS revealed but there has to be SOME truth to it?

 

[jazzalta]

Linwood, do you have any answers to documented cases of psychic phenomenon re afterlife visions, ghosts, hauntings, etc., or do you think it is all in the mind of the participant?

 

[Mr Spinkles]

If a sceintist or whoever could demonstrate matter being made from nothing then I may change my mind.

Matter comes into existence from nothing all the time....if it didn't, we wouldn't have things like positrons, the antimatter particle of the electron.

 

[Hacker]

Matter comes into existence from nothing all the time....if it didn't, we wouldn't have things like positrons, the antimatter particle of the electron.

Yeah, but how did it originate, where did it come from? Do you see it appear out of nowhere? For instance, do you think a book could just appear out of nowhere? No, it has to be made, but the particles that it's composed of(matter), elements, etc, are actually created from some source, not man. Could man manipulate a human being on his own(without reproduction and cloning because cloning is just resorting from a life source). So where is the scientific evidence that we were "evolved" from the clear blue sky? It's DOCUMENTED, just like the bibe but I believe in a higher being BECAUSE of the intelligence behind what humans can't even comprehend or manipulate without question AND withoug scientific experiments. But I've never seen anything created out of mid air like revolutists try to prove.:sarcastic Evolution may sound convincing, but not convincing ENOUGH for me anyway, to prove that there isn't some kind of power of intelligence behind it. Just like most athiests want to acutally SEE God for proof, I want to SEEan example of this big bang with my own eyes!:banghead3 So it's either you want to SEE God for your own belief or one may want to SEE something being created out of nothing which is essentially what scientists try to prove. Sorry I didn't make enough sense before and If I'm still not, let me know!

 

[Mr Spinkles]

Yeah, but how did it originate, where did it come from?

It doesn't come from anywhere, it just randomly comes into existence.

Do you see it appear out of nowhere?

Yes, many particles appear out of nowhere.

For instance, do you think a book could just appear out of nowhere?

In principle it technically can't be ruled out as a possibility, but the odds of that happening are essentially zero.

No, it has to be made, but the particles that it's composed of(matter), elements, etc, are actually created from some source, not man. Could man manipulate a human being on his own(without reproduction and cloning because cloning is just resorting from a life source). So where is the scientific evidence that we were "evolved" from the clear blue sky? It's DOCUMENTED, but I've never seen anything created out of mid air.

I don't understand the question.

Just like most athiests want to acutally SEE God for proof, I want to see an example of this big bang with my own eyes!

You can't see it with your own eyes per se, but you can see it with the "eyes" of a radio telescope. Just point it at the cosmic background radiation raining down on us from all directions in space...the spectrum of this radiation is exactly what one would expect to see if the entire universe had been extremely dense and hot about 14 billion years ago. The general proportions of the elements in the universe (mostly hydrogen and helium) also fit very well with what one would expect if the universe had expanded and cooled from a hot, dense state.

 

[Hacker]

It doesn't come from anywhere, it just randomly comes into existence.

Yes, many particles appear out of nowhere.

In principle it technically can't be ruled out as a possibility, but the odds of that happening are essentially zero.

I don't understand the question.

Ummm, to my logical thinking and of course we are all unique which makes debating fun and a great learning experience, I just don't see any LOGIC in how there isn't an intelligent force behind creation since man can't create many things like humans, and an atom. Could man create an atom? No, man NEVER created an atom. How about a desk? No, the particles that it's composed of was made from SOMETHING and I never seen something be made out of nothing except by man and where did the stuff that it's composed FROM come from? I just don't see it as, OKAY, i'm here and this is it and this is nothing and this earth and man is just it and there is NO other higher being. I don't know, it just doesnt' seem logical. But to some, the concept of God isn't logical so I do keep an open mind to everyone's opions or their own logical perspecitves. If i'm still not clear, let me know, but I don't think I could explain it any better.

 

[Hacker]

And you said that matter just randomly comes into exhistenc, hmmmm, from where? Did you actually SEE the earth being created out of nowhere, or did you acutally see the END of an atom which is infinity? WHY couldn't anyone answer those questions specifically? That's why I think, that many people believe in higher percentages than non believers. SOme athiests claim we believe in God out of fear, well it could be part of it but without a higher POWER there is no Logic in anything if you ask me.

 

[Mr Spinkles]

Ummm, to my logical thinking and of course we are all unique which makes debating fun and a great learning experience,

I just don't see any LOGIC in how there isn't an intelligent force behind creation since man can't create many things like humans, and an atom.

I wasn't even arguing that there isn't an intelligent force behind creation...you wondered about matter coming from nothing, and I was simply pointing out that matter can, in fact, come from nothing. (Or, if you like, matter comes from a bubbling bath of virtual particles popping into and out of existence, and it is impossible for there to *be* "nothing".)