Atheism

You're referring to my insistence that Mormonism is a cult, but that has nothing to do with preconceptions or stereotypes. According to the academic definition, they are. You're the one who doesn't want to accept that for personal reasons.

As for my beliefs, I'm agnostic. I was raised Christian, primarily in a Lutheran church, but don't have any sort of faith in a supernatural being. I don't have any particularly confrontational feelings toward religions or religious people.

 

"There is no God" is a derivative corollary to the assertion "god exists." Neither the base premise nor any of its corollaries are supported by reason. [REDACTED] "Logical superiority" is achieved by those who are most logical. Only that.

 

Again, I can only speak from personal experience, but most non-believers, be they atheist or agnostic, have a very strong sense of ethics. The shared human condition, the inherent worth and dignity of all people, and to a great extent the law of reciprocity.

Those are bascially Humanist philosophies that can be found in the self-identified Athiest or agnostic. Simply because someone doesn't subscribe to an external supernatural source for morality or ethics doesn't mean that the person is devoid of morality or ethics.

Of course, there are those who are simply non-believers who have no moral or ethical code. Guess what? That goes for some believers too.

A good general audience book on the subject of natural morality and ethics is Michael Shermer's "The Science of Good and Evil."

As for prayer? My family pauses before means for a moment of silence to be mindful of what we have and to be thankful for it. As our children get older and life gets more hectic, it's something we don't do as regularly as we should.

As an offshoot of this, I teach my children to respectful of others when they pray. If we share a meal with a Christian family that says grace, or listen to the invocation at a ball game, or are attending a funeral or wedding service, we all pause and turn our thoughts to the situation. If that is being hypocritical, then so be it.

My wife is not an atheist and neither are my children. While they aren't Christians in the sense used in this forum, their beliefs are their own and change as they grow.

 

Please continue your discussions, observing the R&S Forum standards of civility. Hasbeen and I make every effort to enforce this policy to keep threads on-topic; in the event that we miss something, please notify us by PM and we'll do our best to take care of it.

As you were...

 

Be sure you wield that editor evenly, moderator.

 

What is the basis for your ethical code and how you live your life?

 

Like I said, if we miss something just let us know.

 

BV,
I have been as guilty of lumping all non-believers into one group as non-believers have done with christians. I appreciate your patience in explaining some of the differences. I don't pretend to know things I don't know, but I do appreciate honesty, thank you. There are jerks of all faiths including no faith, I try to not stereotype the particular group they are associated with, even in R&R. It ain't easy though!

 

I do the same with my daughter. She often goes with her friend to church on Sundays. Sometimes she wants to discuss some ideas they teach and I am happy to discuss them. I try to be careful to leave my questions and answers less direct and more open-ended, like a suggestion or idea, so she can decide for herself. I am perfectly OK if she decides she wants beleive. I will love her just the same.

I relate to that. It is sometimes a tightrope. There is a tradition of parents passing their belief systems down to their children. The religious have no qualms about that. But the non-believers must be careful. There is less religious tolerance for non-believers in this culture than for believers of different flavors.

 

Thanks.

Some anti-religionist Atheists can be as dogmatic and obstinate as any hardcore fringe Christian group. I think there are more strong similarities between the two than differences.