Dogmatic Atheism and real freethinkers

[Viconiuz]

Why chatagorically state that "it will always be around"? It differs from country to country. I live in a country where 80% of the population are non-belivers. (we have lots of immigrants, otherwise the number would have been even higher).

Giving up right from the start by arguing like that won't make anything better in America. Actively struggeling against religion will.

[jacobins3000]

Why is Christianity always going to be around forever? Nothing is eternal. No belief system will be around forever. In Europe fundamentalist Christianity is dead, no one in Europe takes the bible literally anymore, and even the influence of moderate Christianity in the form of Anglicanism and Catholicisim is seriously on the wane. Nations like Norway and Sweden are over 70% atheist and growing. Belief in the Christian God will go the way of Zeus, it may take a few centuries but it is inevitable.

[Mossasan]

I only find myself angry at religious people when they whant to controll law and people behavior according to there religious textures. If they stop that, I wuldent have a problem with them.

[adv00cate]

Thanks for expressing your viewpoint.

There are thousands if not millions of young folks that feel the same way as you do - and that's OK.

The main thing is that you are thinking about these things and well ... that's why you got a mind.

Life is a mystery and very interesting (unless you are born rich - then its very dull).

The Atheist movement, in my opinion, will work you harder than any organized religion.

Anyhow, I've said too much. Great video. Best regards.

[invadermoeyy]

your right. religion wont ever end. there are so many branches of every religion that its almost impossible to get rid of every one. atheists just dont understand what people from other religions believe. this is a great vid. :]

[clicb4]

I think Atheists understand more than what you're trying to give them credit for, honestly. If you attack one religion, you are more or less attacking them all, although there are some that are "nicer" than others. Many Atheists understand what people of religion believe. They were once believers themselves...many of them anyway. In short, can't say I completely agree, but I do agree with you and my original statement that religion will never end, just like Atheism won't.

[VodkaElit]

I agree with you here for the most part. I am Atheist, once a cathlic, for the begining of my life. ( Oh I shutter at the thought) After all I have gone to Catholic school all my life and never stepped foot into a public school. I also think that many "Atheist", the dick weed type are not really Atheist. They just think its cool and makes them a bad ass. I will also agree religion will never go away. But I will also say Atheist will be the majority in the not to distant future.

[joerules22]

I only want two things peace and progress of scientific knowledge. Religion caters to neither and never will.

[hef31]

crime will always be around, does that mean that we should not try and stop it? No atheist would say that you don't have the right to believe what you want, but they would say that you shouldn't believe it. Atheists try and stop religion because it is a dangerous vice, and has been impeding the advance of human knowledge since it was first thought up.

[Brianbays]

good points

[clicb4]

Thanks.

[helgihg]

Good points, clicb4.

[pos777]

I'd like to see a situation where secular authorities, governments, produce reports giving the evidence against religion and making the official announcement that as far as they are concerned, religions are man made systems with mythic elements and are not based on truth. It's only because no one in authority has ever said that yet that the religious meme is allowed to spread like the virus it is. Imagine if every country in the world joined a 'truth treaty' with that statement?

[pos777]

I think it's analogous in some way to the right to smoke. Only just now in Britain are smokers allowed only to smoke away from public areas. The rationale is obviously that people are free to chance death or ill health as long as it doesn't affect anyone else. With religion, the destruction is worldwide. It is passed on to innocent children. I'd be happy for religion to marginalized to a few who really need it, but it's built into the doctrines to proselytise and indoctrinate.

[indignant99]

Division? Division? It's fine by me. I want to be divided from foggy-minded tale swallowers.

[Supergodlessman]

Nothing contradictory with fighting and being rational.

When atheists speak of "fighting" it is generally by spreading information and arguing against religious misinformation.

When fighting means physical violence, then it opposes rationality, but when fighting means honest argument, it champions rationality.

[XGralgrathor]

"When fighting means physical violence, then it opposes rationality"

Negative. There may exists situations in which the necessity of violence becomes obvious. For any set of values such a situation may come to be. Value life, value freedom, value diversity, and there's always a possibility that these values may be threatened in such a way that violence in the defense of these values is the only remaining option. This is a completely rational evaluation.

[XGralgrathor]

However, acknowledging that there may be situations that cannot be resolved without violence is not the same as advocating violence for situations that 1. can be solved by other means, or 2. cannot be solved at all.

Violence against religion for instance is futile, since religion is an expression of human irrationality, and humans will always remain irrational beings at the core.

[Rhonda9]

No harm in questioning a statement that holds no evidence or truth. Take away the labels. It doesn't matter what the person's stance is. If someone makes a claim and states the other person is flawed/damned/destined for eternal punishment for not believing that claim - then they are the ones who need to back it up. People should be free to believe in fairies/gods/elves etc., but that doesn't mean others have to. Magical thinking = faith.

[Rhonda9]

"I have shown in all the foregoing parts of this work that the Bible and Testament are impositions and forgeries; and I leave the evidence I have produced in proof of it to be refuted, if any one can do it; and I leave the ideas that are suggested in the conclusion of the work to rest on the mind of the reader; certain as I am that when opinions are free, either in matters of government or religion, truth will finally and powerfully prevail."

Age of Reason - Thomas Paine

[Rhonda9]

"What is it that we have learned from this pretended thing called revealed religion? Nothing that is useful to man, and every thing that is dishonourable to his Maker. What is it the Bible teaches us?—repine, cruelty, and murder. What is it the Testament teaches us?—to believe that the Almighty committed debauchery with a woman engaged to be married; and the belief of this debauchery is called faith."

Thomas Paine

[Rhonda9]

"Is it more probable that nature should go out of her course, or that a man should tell a lie? We have never seen, in our time, nature go out of her course; but we have good reason to believe that millions of lies have been told in the same time; it is, therefore, at least millions to one, that the reporter of a miracle tells a lie."

Thomas Paine

[pos777]

The Age Of Reason is a brilliant book. A milestone in my deconversion.

[DblOSmith]

What denomination were you?

[pos777]

I was brought up in the Armstrong Era Worldwide Church of God. Fundamentalist, Saturday sabbath keeping type. Later I was a non-denominational confused Christian.

[Rhonda9]

"The day will come when the mystical generation of Jesus, by the Supreme Being as his father, in the womb of a virgin will be classed with the fable of the generation of Minerva in the brain of Jupiter."

Thomas Jefferson

[Rhonda9]

"The day will come when the mystical generation of Jesus, by the Supreme Being as his father, in the womb of a virgin will be classed with the fable of the generation of Minerva in the brain of Jupiter"

Thomas Jefferson

[Rhonda9]

"Fix Reason firmly in her seat, and call to her tribunal every fact, every opinion. Question with boldness even the existence of a God; because, if there be one, he must more approve the homage of reason than of blindfolded fear. ... Do not be frightened from this inquiry by any fear of its consequences..."

Thomas Jefferson

[Rhonda9]

"I have recently been examining all the known superstitions of the world, and do not find in our particular superstition [Christianity] one redeeming feature. They are all alike, founded upon fables and mythologies" Thomas Jefferson

[Rhonda9]

Religion preaches. The goal is to spread the gospel. Non-religious react to the preaching. A religionist says a non-believer is an infidel, heretic, doomed for a burning hell. They are the majority. Look at the extremists who have an agenda to incorporate their beliefs into government. Religionists use bible verses to say they have the right to judge. Then they may throw Matthew 7 in there to contradict what they say. Religion is a delusion. Dogma is not based on truth.

[pos777]

Yeah, the religions themselves make it impossible to marginalize them into harmlessness because of these doctrines. They were BUILT to spread like viruses and as we've found here on YouTube, the virus effectively takes over a persons thinking and they become impervious to reason. It really becomes a clinical level delusion. Particularly once indoctrinated into children. Their whole reality is formed WITHIN the delusion. I know, it's taken me five years or more to dissolve mine!

[bachgwion]

Say that a man had sex with his mother or sister or other relitive, woud it be wrong? I think that you will find that the answers will fall into three catorgories. 1) Yes, because God said so; 2) Yes, because society says so; 3) reasoned arguement based on reasoned thought. Group 1 is religious there thoughts are bound within a certain construct based in religious teachings; 2) are bound in the attitudes of the taboos and opinions of community; 3) are freethinkers in that free thought is used

[pypermarru1]

I don't totally agree. Nice thought out video.

[clicb4]

I know the video probably has some holes in the logic, but lately I've just felt kinda distant from it all. I dunno, it's weird.

[DblOSmith]

I gotta disagree with you, clic. Theism, especially biblical theism is self contradictory. If a religion adamently tought that 2+2=12 and people bought it, you'd think they were crazy and would probably want them dismissed or at least not working on anything important lest they fuck it up. The same thing is true with theists and their interpretations in congress and in the judiciary.  Along with faith comes interpretation and that's the problem. Theism is not untouchable and shouldn't be.

[clicb4]

I don't think it should be untouchable, but I don't think Atheists have the right to say "If you're not an Atheist, you're wrong because my research says so." when the same research can lead someone else to a different conclusion.

[pos777]

The thing is though in their research they usually fall victim to the professional religious apologists who have made a career in twisting the bible to make sense. They lie, misrepresent, quote out of context... The ends justify the means with these people.

It reinforce the delusion because believers feel that an authoritative person has proved to them the bible is real. They often quote verbatim from these people in debates. Now they stand behind a double wall of delusion.