Atheism: An Empty Shell of a Life

[A Vestigial Mote]

Laugh all you want. I'll continue to express my innermost feelings freely without regret.

Go for it. Who am I to stop you? Entertain me all you want. Dance! Dance I say!

 

[Polymath257]

Laugh all you want. I'll continue to express my innermost feelings freely without regret.

And yet, you seem to not want to allow others to do the same (namely, atheists). Do you contradiction there?

 

[Cooky]

And I know other people who miserable as theists and became much happier people when they decided to give up the race for religion.

Another aspect is whether self-honesty is a value or not. The person you quoted was thinking through their beliefs and decided that atheism was the only acceptable answer, but wished for some emotional aspect of theism. Again, that seems to be simply growing up and realizing that the real world isn't all you wish it was.

Your posts seem to suggest that it is childish to hold religious beliefs. Is that your position?

 

[Cooky]

If that's so, then you've made a thread about nobody and nothing. You don't really think that, do you? Clearly you do think atheists are a group, as you keep referencing them.

For me personally, it was painful to lose faith, in the short-term. So I don't begrudge people of faith who adhere to their beliefs because it gives them a sense of hope or peace, so long as their beliefs don't harm others and they don't spread misinformation.

But long-term, I'm glad my worldview changed. I learned to find meaning, joy, fulfillment, etc. in other things besides my former faith, and I realized how much it actually held me back in a variety of ways.

I appreciate many of the insights and practices in Buddhism because it's a philosophy that requires no belief in a deity or anything supernatural.

Aaah, an honest person. Thank you.

...But no, it would be shallow if this thread were actually me insulting a group such as Atheists. Because I know no such group exists, which is why this is not that. This is an enlightenment session, on what not to do, and why -because urging the religious to dump their faith does much harm to many.

 

[A Vestigial Mote]

There are certain people who proselytize Atheism here. This thread is in defiance of them.

Unfortunately for your claim here, "proselytization of atheism" would, in no way, mean attempting to get you to actively believe or join anything. You've been on this site for a while, and so you must realize this. What you are calling "proselytization" is merely an attempt to get you to explain your ideas, provide the rationalizations and evidence for your position, and if you can't do that, to let YOU think about whether or not that should de-seat you from your (apparently) indefensible position. There is no alternative offered. I don't care what you believe... I care what you can evidence about what you want to proffer as truth.

 

[Cooky]

And yet, you seem to not want to allow others to do the same (namely, atheists). Do you contradiction there?

Where are we? Is this not called Religious Forums?

 

[Polymath257]

Your posts seem to suggest that it is childish to hold religious beliefs. Is that your position?

My honest opinion? Yes, usually it is childish. I see it as equivalent to still believing in Santa Claus as a 20 year old. Some people are able to be adults in other aspects of their lives while being theists, but I do see it (usually) as a sort of arrested development when it occurs.

 

[Polymath257]

Where are we? Is this not called Religious Forums?

And, in this context, atheism is included. It doesn't say the *theist forums* and there are many non-theistic religions.

 

[Cooky]

Unfortunately for your claim here, "proselytization of atheism" would, in no way, mean attempting to get you to actively believe or join anything. You've been on this site for a while, and so you must realize this. What you are calling "proselytization" is merely an attempt to get you to explain your ideas, provide the rationalizations and evidence for your position, and if you can't do that, to let YOU think about whether or not that should de-seat you from your (apparently) indefensible position. There is no alternative offered. I don't care what you believe... I care what you can evidence about what you want to proffer as truth.

You can speak for yourself, but other Atheists take it a step further.

 

[A Vestigial Mote]

Aaah, an honest person. Thank you.

This is you, implying that the rest of us are not being honest. Just figured I'd point that out because:

But no, it would be shallow if this thread were actually me insulting a group such as Atheists.

 

[A Vestigial Mote]

You can speak for yourself, but other Atheists take it a step further.

And I am not them. But when you use the term "atheist," or "atheism," without any such qualifier, you are invoking me - as I consider myself atheist. Do you understand that?

 

[Father Heathen]

There are certain people who proselytize Atheism here. This thread is in defiance of them.

So you "defy" these supposed few by insulting all atheists by claiming their lives are meaningless? Does this defiance help you heal or grow? What have we achieved?
Do you suppose Jesus is looking down, arms crossed, nodding his head, smiling smugly, and thinking to himself "My boy Landon just owned those atheists!"?

 

[Vinayaka]

Most atheists are good people. I could even make the case that them adding value to my life, means they make a difference. You start with the simplest argument, then go from there. I mean sure we have our differences. They will tell me I'm trusting too much in spiritual matters, I will tell them they are taking science at face value. But in the grand scheme of things, that's a pretty meaningless thing for the two of us to debate about.

I've never been able to observe any correlation between good people versus bad people (selfish, unselfish ... dharmic, adharmic ... giver, taker, however one wants to frame it) with faith. Atheism and theism both have their saints and their beasts. But all in all, if I had to walk a mile with someone, and all I knew about that was that they were atheist or theist, and nothing else like gender or age, I'd choose the atheist. I think that choice would be safer in terms of not getting a total nut case.

 

[Left Coast]

Aaah, an honest person. Thank you.

People feeling differently than me does not make them dishonest, Landon. I think particularly for people who were raised without a faith, there is no "loss" to them involved in not having a faith, because they never had something to lose. Also, I think different people have different needs in terms of religion - some people seem to really "need" a religion, psychologically, or to be very drawn to it. Other people just aren't wired that way. And there's nothing dishonest or problematic about that.

...But no, it would be shallow if this thread were actually me insulting a group such as Atheists. Because I know no such group exists, which is why this is not that. This is an enlightenment session, on what not to do, and why -because urging the religious to dump their faith does much harm to many.

Atheists don't exist? I don't follow.

 

[Cooky]

And I am not them. But when you use the term "atheist," or "atheism," without any such qualifier, you are invoking me - as I consider myself atheist. Do you understand that?

Do you really think you can get off scot free here? I never do, in fact people mock me whenever I express my religious feelings. Some refer to my faith as childish.

 

[Cooky]

People feeling differently than me does not make them dishonest, Landon. I think particularly for people who were raised without a faith, there is no "loss" to them involved in not having a faith, because they never had something to lose. Also, I think different people have different needs in terms of religion - some people seem to really "need" a religion, psychologically, or to be very drawn to it. Other people just aren't wired that way. And there's nothing dishonest or problematic about that.

You've just made my point.

Atheists don't exist? I don't follow.

I'm not following either. Who said that?

 

[A Vestigial Mote]

Do you really think you can get off scot free here? I never do, in fact people mock me whenever I express my religious feelings. Some refer to my faith as childish.

Meaning you believe that I proselytize to people and inform them that they should join "Team Atheism?" I ask them to consider their positions through the eyes of someone who is not predisposed to believe them. That's what I ask. If that is too much for you, then you are free to complain about it all you want. Just know that it will be for that very reason that I laugh at you. Not because of what you choose to believe, but because you cannot face scrutiny without going into hysterics.

 

[Left Coast]

You've just made my point.

Do explain? I disagreed with your point that atheists telling you their lives aren't empty are somehow being dishonest.

I'm not following either. Who said that?

You said, "it would be shallow if this thread were actually me insulting a group such as Atheists. Because I know no such group exists, which is why this is not that."

Atheists do exist. So I'm not sure what this statement means?

 

[Cooky]

Meaning you believe that I proselytize to people and inform them that they should join "Team Atheism?" I ask them to consider their positions through the eyes of someone who is not predisposed to believe them. That's what I ask. If that is too much for you, then you are free to complain about it all you want. Just know that it will be for that very reason that I laugh at you. Not because of what you choose to believe, but because you cannot face scrutiny without going into hysterics.

No, I just think your Atheism should be ridiculed as regularly as my religiosity is. Or is that not fair here on Religious Forums.

...Do you think Atheism is above critique?

 

[Saint Frankenstein]

You're not really accomplishing anything except to make yourself look foolish though. At least to me. I am sure you have a nice, strong cheer-section among the theists on this site - but I have to guess that's mostly because they don't really think very deeply about these sorts of things either.

Oh, he doesn't.