Morality is optional to atheists.
A godless person is one who doesn't believe in gods.
God is relevant as one of the many gods to be feared by believers.
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What godless means
- Thread starter Estro Felino
- Start date
God is relevant as one of the many gods to be feared by believers.
So finally you will understand the expression"to have a tail of straw".
Do you have the tail of straw, by chance?
Because I was speaking of people who do harm, not of you.
If it's optional it means they are unruly and godless.
I keep forgetting the strange definition
of a phrase that simply isn't used here.
Atheism is the non-belief in gods.
It says nothing about morality, ethics, economics, food preferences, etc.
But we do have tendencies, eg, not murdering abortion doctors,
not waging religious wars, no honor killings of disgraced daughters.
*shrugs*
I read the article linked by the OP. It is what it is. I have no issue with being called godless, because I am both without a god, and do not recognise or obey god.
I have issues when the term godless is being used as a value judgement against anyone who is not a True Christian, denoting them as wicked.
It is trash to call a pagan (for example) godless - they are not. And it is trash to call both a pagan and an atheist godless, and then link that term to wicked behaviours. It is not novel, by any means...but it's trash. And tiring.
Ok...I'll give you an example.
Let's say a Pagan religion revolves around causing chaos and turmoil in a society.
Do I have the right to call them wicked and profane...or not?
The American intelligence agencies might argue that they're fighting "godless commies," as they have been for nearly a century. They believe they have been blessed by God, with a sacred mission which is their Manifest Destiny, to oppose the "godless" evil wherever they see fit. They see themselves on the side of God, and on that basis, they believe they have license to do whatever is necessary to fight the "godless."
Exactly.
I don't get why this concept is so hard for people to grasp.
Whatever you want to say about atheists writ large, whether it is positive OR negative is wrong. Unless it's 'they don't believe in God'.
Much the same as saying something about 'theists' as a whole.
I am saddened.
I am saddened by the fact that you haven't noted how much I praised atheists in the OP.
I am saddened by the fact that it just needed to be read thoroughly in order not to misinterpreted.
I am saddened by the fact that despite all that, you think this thread is against atheists.
I am sad.
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The Bible also says "try to understand what the other has to say before judging and condemning them".
PoetPhilosopher
Veteran Member
Honestly, if they're doing terrible things, you can, but for their deeds. I wouldn't factor in Paganism unless their beliefs are doing things like causing them to torture people or otherwise be bigoted.
Maybe we atheists have a sacred
book, but no one ever told us?
The funny thing is that there must be hundreds of threads against theists and I haven't prevented any atheist from expressing their views.
I have never contradicted them. Not even once.
This is just telling, isn't it?
PoetPhilosopher
Veteran Member
I honestly see where you tried to talk about how atheists believe in things, and may have meant well, however I think "believe" is the wrong word and implies the wrong things.
I think it's actually hard in general at times to see things from an atheist perspective, for theists. I actually had that problem myself when I was theist.
PoetPhilosopher
Veteran Member
The funny thing is that there must be hundreds of threads against theists and I haven't prevented any atheist from expressing their views.
I have never contradicted them. Not even once.
This is just telling, isn't it?
I do actually believe you're a better person than the things the OP may have come off as implying, so yes.
Here we all express opinions. They are not truths. They are opinions.
Atheists are free (and I defend their right to do that) say that we theists are fanciful, fantasist, gullible...etc...etc...
I think theists are much more used to self-criticism.
PoetPhilosopher
Veteran Member
I like theists. All I'll say is that they at times struggle with the concept of atheist / atheism. And like I said, I have too in the past.
I suspect that’s a large part of the response to your OP.
When I read it all I could think was, umm no, that’s nihilism and hedonism.
In English that makes more sense because English is very intense as a language and it can be very specific. So casually redefining words is confusing and not readily accepted.
Words are instead redefined over a long period of time.
And do not forget that religious communities have long tried to paint so called “godless heathens” (including folks of other religions) as hedonistic ne’er do wells. It’s probably better to use another word, because the word “godless” has way too sordid a history lol
PoetPhilosopher
Veteran Member
@Estro Felino - I would also say that some internet sources, particularly Christian ones, may have vague ways of sneaking in inaccurate or Straw Man things about atheists at times. For example, this source and the quoted material slanders atheists by saying that they (saying "everyone" includes "atheists") have gods: