What is Atheism?

[theyounghistorian77]

Re: Why is atheism?

So Atheists are inherently uncultured eh? Is that right? Well im pretty sure "Frederick Delius", "Hector Berlioz" , "Béla Bartà³k", "LeoÅ¡ Janà¡Ã„ek" , "Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov", "Richard Strauss", "Johannes Brahms" and" Ralph Vaughn Williams" would have some interesting things to say about that, seeing as all of them were either atheist or agnostic. And yet are you planning to dismiss them all as "Uncultured"?

What a Joke! :lol: :lol:

No sorry, Not buying your silly sweeping generalization. The average everyday Atheist, esp today in the west are no more Uncultured than your average everyday christian [Something that you are clearly NOT!].

Now getting to the definition of Atheism. Theism and Atheism are just stances on the question of the existance of God or Gods. Atheism takes the negative stance on his existance, Theism takes the positive. if you like atheism is a belief in the nonbelief in God. Happy? And merely being an atheist or for that matter a religious person is in and of itself not a determiner for how "Cultured" one must be, nor is it a determiner for the place one takes on the political compass. Regardless of whether you see that or not :!:

 

[sgrunterundt]

Re: Why is atheism?

Sigh. I really should know better than to start discussions on youtube.

From the comments page of the OP video:

I've seen the culture and artwork of the Atheist cultures. Statues of Mary or Jesus pulled to the ground and a photo of Mao, put in the empty rubble. Same photo nailed to the outside of The Forbidden City.

Atheism produces death in culture. Ugly bricks with the same hammer and sickle or Mao portrait.

A Brave New World indeed.

I think you are confusing despotism, with atheism here.

The former the inevitable consequence of the, latter.

Hardly. How would lack of belief in deities automatically lead to one person being in charge? On the contrary many despots have claimed divine authority.

Or, look at Scandinavia where I am from. Happy democracies with the least religion in the world.

At best we can agree that these things are uncorrelated, and agree to fight the true evils of the world - like the regime of China.

One follows the other. We know this. A significant portion of human population was just (and still is) murdered and dead and destitute in every Marxist 'great atheist new world' experiment. Just happened.

I'm from Scandinavia too. It is entrenched in Christianity. Your flag is a Christian Cross. Everything is 'entrenched' in Christianity.

Even AntiChristians Dennett and Dawkins will admit, this explains democracy in scandinavia which is still mostly Christian or theist.

That last post is just so wrong I don't know where to begin.

 

[televator]

Re: Why is atheism?

I drew a mustache on a picture of the pope....does that define my culture? This discussion is strange. It's a strange proposition to claim that belief or non-belief inherently equals culture or non-culture.

Why is this thread?

The question is... How do I shot thread?

Why is life? Why is anything? :?

 

[Mafiaaffe]

Re: Why is atheism?

Atheist say it is a "lack of faith"
I say that it is a "lack of culture"

Theist say it is "faith"
I say that it is "gullibility"

 

[Laurens]

Re: Why is atheism?

Because it makes you an illiterate barbarian, an illiterate barbarian who wants to destroy what he does not understand!

I found actually that as I increased my literacy, my belief in the supernatural decreased...

The more I read the more I realized what a load of rubbish it is...

 

[CosmicJoghurt]

Re: Why is atheism?

Why is this thread?

The question is... How do I shot thread?

Atheism = "Lack of Culture" LoL!

Yoghurt = "Added Culture" LoL!

Yay, I'm an exception to the rule!

 

[Laurens]

Re: Why is atheism?

Its amusing that you claim atheists to be illiterate barbarians, in a topic called 'Why is atheism?' (what does that even mean?)

 

[Squawk]

Re: Why is atheism?

I is illaterate, not illiterate.

 

[Prolescum]

Re: Why is atheism?

I drew a mustache on a picture of the pope....does that define my culture? This discussion is strange. It's a strange proposition to claim that belief or non-belief inherently equals culture or non-culture.

The question is... How do I shot thread?

Why is life? Why is anything? :?

Subservience, lustration, microlamberts, naupathia, groynes, lollipops, kazoos, packaging, mint-green, gudgeons, hedges, japes and turdiforms all exist because some God (created by an earlier God, itself the creation of another God) created a God who created a God who created a God [...] who created a God who created a God who created a God [...] who created a God who created a God [...] who created a group of Gods, one of whom created the known universe because it was a bit of a sausage-fest in heaven, I think.

Yay, I'm an exception to the rule!

That proves it then, atheists have no culture. I mean, I play 7 musical instruments and even write bits and bobs, often released freely under CC licensing; thank the holy father I don't add my little expressive piffle to the vast wonder that is human culture (copyright 3BCE, Christ, J. H.).

edited due to numb-brain

 

[Master_Ghost_Knight]

Re: Why is atheism?

The funy thing is, the most christian conservative you are, the most likely you are less educated. The more educated you are, the more likely you are an atheist. You want to talk about culture? Just look at the modern civilization and look at the enourmous gap of prespective. This is just laughable, it is like someone without limbs saying that a centipeede has no legs.

 

[VyckRo]

Re: Why is atheism?

Quantify culture in a non-subjective manner.

For starter I can say what culture is not, culture is not civilization, culture is not scientific progress!

While you're at it, explain why christian culture is superior to buddhist culture, or shinto culture, or voodoo culture

That is a Impossible Question, ther are no superior and inferior cultures I just say that atheism is a lack of culture. However, we can speak of cultural models viable, and not-viable

just an example.
The britisher egyptologist, John Romer, a man who do not declares himself "a believer"
in his book Testament, The bible and History., he state:
"In the course of its journey, the Bible provided the West whit a unique sense of universal order and its undestending of God. It also gave the West its particular ambition, its sense of progress and tension, and something, too, of its discontents.
We also find a book summary on the book cover:
"The Bible has more influence upon western civilization than any other book. So splendid are its phrases that many have taken them to be the unmediated word of God. Since its texts were gathere together the book has been venerated and enshrined, execrate and burned. But wherher we are belivers or not the Bible still remains our heritage, the linchpin of modern civilization. It has provided the West whit a sense of the sacred and our sense of historical destiny."

What has had more impact on the world's culture, a few pieces of christian-inspired art, or the slaughter of hundreds of millions of people and the systemic oppression of free thought and innovation?

FacePlam Fallacy of composition and a false generalization! Western culture is Christian, European culture is Christian, without christianity the current scientific progress would not have been possible, because there is no other viable model to allow this!
So this is way when the christians began colonizing Americas and Australia, natives have not responded with atomic bombs, even if by some atheistic assumptions, without a "dark age" humanity should have colonized the universe (It seems that the australian aborigines, do not rushed to do it, as well the buddhist shinto, or voodoo believers!)

Guess your book is blank because there's not enough blood to write in it

Believe me, you do not want to play numbers with me!

or the slaughter of hundreds of millions of people

hundreds of what? :ugeek: :roll:

 

[VyckRo]

Re: Why is atheism?

Umm quite obviously we're NOT illiterate and well barbarism is kind of the religious stitch: Female circumcisions, witch burnings, other forms of sadistic public execution, inquisition, genocide, torture, child abuse, slavery, exploitation, book burnings, censorship, thought crimes... hmmmm

Gosateizm

for you bibliography!
http://www.jstor.org/pss/128810
http://wiki.answers.com/Q/Why_was_Christmas_banned_in_Russia

 

[VyckRo]

Re: Why is atheism?

Wait... how is culture dependent on theism? Or am I just misunderstanding the barely functioning English the OP is using

No! you just do a normal confusion for an Atheist the one between culture and civilization
But I have a question? To what culture you subscribe too?
European Culture = Christianity
Indian Culture = Hindu, Muslim, Christian, Sikh, Buddhist!
China Culture = Chinese Ethnic Religion, Taoism, Buddhism
Or to
... the Atheist Martian Culture?

If you are a Christian, is that your only culture? Meaning you take no part in Romanian culture?

Romanian culture is Christianity!


One of the largest Romanian philosophers is Constantin Noica "his preoccupations were throughout all philosophy, from epistemology, philosophy of culture, axiology and philosophic anthropology to ontology and logics, from the history of philosophy to systematic philosophy, from ancient to contemporary philosophy, from translating and interpretation to criticism and creation".

let's see what he says on this:
Nu stiu daca si in alte parti Psalmii Vechiului Testament s-au citit la fel de mult ca la noi. In orice caz, eternitatea romaneasca despre care vorbesc este de acest tip. Nu o plenitudine istorica, nu realizari majore,pe care neamul nostru nici n-ar fi avut cand sa le infaptuiasca, dau garantie durate ; ci sentimentul ca, in fond exista un plan fata de care toata framantarea istorica este irosire si pierdere.
Dar,si aci e aspectul nou fata de tanguirea biblica- neamul romanesc e si el, intr-un fel, solidar cu acel plan neschimbator. I se intampla si lui multe se framanta ceva in marginea lui, in inima lui, peste trupul lui chiar, dar el ramane neschimbat.
,« Trece si asta ,»
e una din cele mai curente vorbe romanesti.
Neamul nostru ramane pentru ca si el participa, in felul lui, la eternitatea fiintei.
|"¦ |
"Istoria gandiri romanesti nu va fi putea fi niciodata facuta dupa tipare obisnuite al istoriei, cu atat mai putin dupa modelul unei istori agandiri apusene \"¦\ iar cei care au vazut morala acolo unde era spiritualitate n-au inteles nici ce este, nici ce poate fi inlauntru lumi romanesti

translation...
"I do not know if the Psalms of the Old Testament have been so thoroughly read in other places as they have been in our lands. In any case, the "Romanian eternity" that I am talking about is of this kind. Not a historical plenitude, not major military or economic achievements (which would have been impossible in our geographic and historical circumstances), these are not things that guarantee our eternity; what makes us eternal is our feeling that, in the end, there is a higher plane, from which all this historical struggle for power is nothing but waste of time and inevitable loss.
However, and this aspect is new in comparison to the Old Testament, our nation has solidarity with this unchanging, higher plane. Many things happen to us, or around us, or even in our hearts or bodies, but in the end we remain unchanged.
"This will also pass" is one of the most recurrent Romanian phrases. Our nation remains on this Earth because we also participate, in our own way, to the eternity of being. ("¦)
A history of Romanian thought could never be made according to common patterns of historical thinking, much less according to Western patterns of it ("¦) and those who have seen ethics where we should actually see spirituality, those people have not understood what is within the Romanian world, nor what could be in it in the future."


You eat only Christian food, only read Christian books, only drink Christian beverages, only look at Christian art?
as Romanian this is largely our culture!

If you come to a Swedish persons house to visit, they will require you to remove your shoes. It is a part of Swedish culture.
They may offer you some traditional Swedish food, such as "Pà¶lsa". That is a part of Swedish culture.
They might take you to the midsummer celebrations. That is a part of Swedish culture.
You may listen to some Abba, which is a part of Swedish music culture.
You may watch some movies from the director Ingemar Bergman. That is a part of Swedish culture.
You may read the books of Jan Guillou or watched the movies based on his books. A part of Swedish culture.

That's popular culture, LOL

 

[VyckRo]

Re: Why is atheism?

Its amusing that you claim atheists to be illiterate barbarians, in a topic called 'Why is atheism?' (what does that even mean?)

I was undecided whether to call it ...

what is Atheism?
why Atheism?

...and this came out!

 

[Independent Vision]

Re: Why is atheism?

Western culture is Christian, European culture is Christian, without christianity the current scientific progress would not have been possible, because there is no other viable model to allow this!
So this is way when the christians began colonizing Americas and Australia, natives have not responded with atomic bombs, even if by some atheistic assumptions, without a "dark age" humanity should have colonized the universe (It seems that the australian aborigines, do not rushed to do it, as well the buddhist shinto, or voodoo believers!)

Are you sure you don't mean... something, anything but the word culture here? Because I'm looking over several dictionary definitions, and no matter how I twist and turn, or which colloquial use of the word culture I can think of... it still, doesn't make sense to me.

http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/culture

 

[VyckRo]

Re: Why is atheism?

NOTHING stand in the way

LoL

ME !!!

 

[VyckRo]

Re: Why is atheism?

Are you sure you don't mean... something, anything but the word culture here? Because I'm looking over several dictionary definitions, and no matter how I twist and turn, or which colloquial use of the word culture I can think of... it still, doesn't make sense to me.

http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/culture[/quote]


because you're an atheist :facepalm:

 

[Independent Vision]

Re: Why is atheism?

because you're an atheist :facepalm:

I can't read a dictionary because I am an atheist?
Or I don't understand the concept of culture because I am an atheist?
How about... maybe theistic people don't understand the concept of culture because they are theists?

5a : the integrated pattern of human knowledge, belief, and behavior that depends upon the capacity for learning and transmitting knowledge to succeeding generations

While this might very well include religion to some, it is not dependent on it.

b : the customary beliefs, social forms, and material traits of a racial, religious, or social group; also : the characteristic features of everyday existence (as diversions or a way of life} shared by people in a place or time <popular culture> <southern culture>

Same thing here. Christian culture is just one version of culture.

c: the set of shared attitudes, values, goals, and practices that characterizes an institution or organization <a corporate culture focused on the bottom line>

d : the set of values, conventions, or social practices associated with a particular field, activity, or societal characteristic <studying the effect of computers on print culture> <changing the culture of materialism will take time , Peggy O'Mara>

IF Christianity was so important in the cultural development of the Western world as we are today we would all have the same culture, would we not? If all culture in the Western world is Christian culture there would not be a cultural difference between Romanians and Swedes, or Swedes and Italians.
There would also not be any significant difference between the culture of Australia and America, or Sweden and America. Or Sweden and Australia for that matter. And there is.

Science has a culture of it's own. Sweden has a culture of it's own. The part of Sweden where I grew up has a culture of it's own. Culture can differ from house to house when you walk down the street. While Christianity might have INFLUENCED most cultures in the western world, it does not make the Western world's culture a Christian one, nor does it make atheism mean "without culture".

There's a gap here that you don't seem to grasp. Just because culture has been influenced by a religion with a deity doesn't mean that there would be no culture without deity and it does not make every culture that was ever even a little influenced by Christianity a Christian culture. Sweden kept a lot of it's Norse culture as well. Does that make Swedish culture a Norse/Christian culture or just a Norse culture?

What you are basically saying is that without belief in God there is no culture, without culture there wouldn't be science and therefor there has to be a God because without a God we wouldn't have what we have today. That's essentially what you are trying to say, isn't it? And we don't understand it because we have no culture at all, since we lack a belief in God?

I don't know... maybe you're trying to say something else. Maybe you're a troll. Maybe you don't understand the language you're arguing in. Maybe I need a cup of coffee. Since all I can effect now is that cup of coffee I will go and drink it, take a few breaths and then come back and see if this post even makes sense.

 

[AdmiralPeacock]

Re: Why is atheism?

NOTHING stand in the way

LoL

ME !!!

Heh, if you were the principle opposition to the Enlightenment we wouldn't have to suffer through Easter Specials right now.

 

[borrofburi]

Re: Why is atheism?

But it's a good topic to meditate if you are an atheist.

Why?

Because it makes you an illiterate barbarian, an illiterate barbarian who wants to destroy what he does not understand!

How do you get from "lack of culture" to "illiterate"? How to get from "lack of culture" to "barbarian"? Please define the following terms: culture, illiterate, and barbarian.

Especially since we already agree that even if true "lack of culture" has no effect on whether or not theistic claims are correct.