In the several discussions we have had here regarding belief in God, I have very simply described my position as that of being an atheist, without any in-depth explanation of just what that means. Unfortunately, the word 'atheist' carries a host of connotations with it. It means different things to different people, atheists and believers alike.
Vjack, over at Atheist Revolution, has just posted an entry addressing this situation. Reclaiming "Atheism" for Atheists outlines the concept of atheism in plain and understandable language, and expresses my feelings very accurately. Give it a read.
tags: Skepticism
Sunday, August 13, 2006
You're a what?
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12 comments:
Great reading as well as a clear and concise definition. Thank you for the link Paul.
be well,
Dawn
Excellent read Paul and I put him in my favorites knowing full well he will get lost there because I've abused that space.
My bad.
He also states we were all born atheists, which is true. I wonder how many Christians stop to think about the fact that had they been born in Iraq or Iran they would have been raised Muslim? They would have embraced the belief of Allah rather than Yahweh or Jesus?
It's really a matter of where you were born, isn't it?
We really don't get to choose our religion; we are born into it and sadly each individual seems to think that his/her religion is the TRUE religion. Well, fact is, the fighting in N. Ireland between Catholics and Protestants has been going on since before I was born and they both claim to be Christian; a good example showing not all of Christendom is united in worship.
Dianna
Thanks for the link.
Dianna
Funny story, Dianna. I once had that exact discussion with someone. When I suggested that if they had been born in another part of the world, they would be practising a different religion, they denied it. They claimed, very strenuously, that, having never been exposed to Christianity, they would still have embraced it, and rejected the religion they were raised in, as if the tenets of Christianity were somehow universally obvious to all.
And they wonder why atheists get frustrated talking to the devoutly religious. The intellectual dishonesty they spout is infuriating.
-Paul
insightful entry; helped me understand atheism more; thanks for the link
betty
Very informative Paul and I agree with Dianna also. We do tend to "inherit" our parents beliefs without questioning them at all. I was at one time in my life "religion shopping" so to speak and realized how little I knew about religions other than I was bought up in. You often say you don't know enough about some religions to comment on them. So happens someone wrote a book called "So, What's The Difference?" Which is exactly what I was asking myself. This book is a quick easy read. Here's a link to it...http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0830718982/ref=si3_rdr_bb_product/002-8377098-9932863?ie=UTF8
While being an atheist isn't for everyone, certainly free-thinking is.
I gave it a read, and I enjoyed it. As a child, my parents used to dump me off at Sunday school and I participated in various church-directed youth groups and I went on to be "Confirmed" in the Lutheran church. But, all the while, I couldn't believe the stuff they were dishin' out. It wasn't that I was bucking the system, I just wasn't capable of believing -- I wasn't "wired" for believing in God and the bible. (And, the bible scared the CRAP out of me!) I felt like such a misfit and, at times, felt cheated. I'd ask myself: "What's wrong with me? Why can't I grasp this concept? Why do some grasp it seemingly naturally and others, like myself, struggle?"
At any rate, I eventually labelled myself as an atheist and I learned first hand about the looks people give and the judgement they cast upon people of my kind (and nice people at that) incapable of believing. It wasn't a choice for me. It's just the way it was. Christians would tip their heads and sag their eyes in pitty for the poor little atheist girl. Their pitty on me caused me to become an atheist extremist, which is equally as ignorant a position as the Christian extremist.
I have a huge long story about eventually becoming a luke warm believer and then having to shake myself of it because it was messin' with my sense of reality, but I'll spare you. I, for one, feel a little more mentally stable and take ownership of my life as an agnostic. Smack-dab in the middle of both extremes. As my very dear friend says, "I don't know, and neither does anyone else."
Do we choose our religion? The answer to that question is fundamentally ignorant. Its another ALL statement. ALL blacks are stupid. ALL whites are racists. ALL woman are emotional basket cases. ALL men are domineering...ALL...ALLL...ALL...Many of the comments I read are ALL statements. Not ALL people born into a religion go brain dead and cant choose. As a matter a fact, all of our thoughts come from the influence of others. Wisdom isnt a birthright, we learn it. Stupidity isnt a birthrite we learn it. I think if we consider ourselves intelligent we wont say that ALL people dont choose their religion. I, being a rebel, sought explortaion of religion. I was raised with a Chrisitan beleif but my parents didnt goto church or teach me about God. I found God on my own but influenced by wisdom from some and ignorance from others. If your an atheist, you werent born an atheist. You were influenced through life by wisdom or foolishness. I only wanted to add that because I'm really sensitive to ALL statements about anyting.
Again, Raven, you are putting words into my mouth. Be careful that you do not read into my comments opinions that are not there.
-Paul
All people are born with no knowledge whatsoever of God or religion of any sort. I can say that with absolute certainty. Religion is a cultural phenomenon and not anything instinctive.
I think Paul's trying to point out that if you were born into a culture which had absolutely no access to any of the mainstream religions, what do you think the odds are that you'd be worshiping Jesus on Sundays?
For some reason, this discussion kind of reminds of the weird American I met in Geneva years ago who couldn't wrap her mind around the fact that the Swiss don't celebrate Thanksgiving. I mean, she was honestly perplexed.
-Dan
http://journals.aol.com/dpoem/TheWisdomofaDistractedMind/
Dan.
I have met people like that... it is strange. I always thought every one had that 'doh' moment as a kid when you realized the 4th of July is just in the US, but apparently some people can go an entire lifetime with out 'getting it'.
be well,
Dawn
I know, Dawn. I mean, it's one thing to have our traditions, but it's a whole 'nother kettle of fish to lose the inability to realize that not everyone out there shares those same traditions. And, like that woman who was utterly perplexed about the Swiss not celebrating Thanksgiving, I've met a myriad of religious people who are simply baffled that I can be amazingly happy in my life without any religion whatsoever.
So, in light of that, would it have made any sense or been a good idea for this American woman to demand that the Swiss celebrate Thanksgiving?
-Dan
I've never met a more religious person than an atheist, yet I do think that if He didn't exist, man would have invented "god" out of fear of the unknown. Crouching in caves, afriad of thunderbolts outside gave our forebears a good enough reason to invent all manner of gods.
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