"You guys are the most preachy atheists I've ever met!" (page 7)

LittleToe

You're right about the use of the word "faith" as opposed to "belief". I was here using the word "faith" in the context in which it was being used in this thread. "Belief" would be far more accurate, from my personal perspective, but I had decided to let it slide.

But here's a thought: If an individual (atheist or otherwise) hopes and believes in the ultimate success of the scientific method, and trusts in it to answer his/her deepest questions, doesn't it start to take on all the symptoms of those professed by a "believer" of a "faith-group"?

Theology used to be classed as the "Queen of the Sciences", donchaknow?

stevenyc

I think it would be diffecult to deny that Richard Dawkins is not an evanglist.

steve

doogie

LT:

If an individual (atheist or otherwise) hopes and believes in the ultimate success of the scientific method, and trusts in it to answer his/her deepest questions, doesn't it start to take on all the symptoms of those professed by a "believer" of a "faith-group"?

i think you're right. someone that believes that science will answer his deepest of deep questions is definitely exhibiting symptoms of religiosity. but they're also displaying a gross misunderstanding of science.

(barring some new measurable phenomena) science will never be able to tell us whether there is or isn't a god. it will not be able to answer our most profound questions about an afterlife. to believe that someday it will answer these questions is to put faith (in the "wait on ~~jehovah~~ science" sense) in something that the scientific process can't deliver (based on its history and definition). you'd be putting faith in something for which there is no evidence (in this case, there is no evidence that science can answer questions using solely immeasurable phenomena), which IMO makes it indiscernible from a religious faith.

however, at least this "science believer" (in the "based on what i understand about physics, i believe that gravity is a plausible explanation for why i don't float away" sense) need to see objective proof and understand the repeatable, falsifiable mechanics of a theory before he will put his "faith" in it.

googlemagoogle

If an individual (atheist or otherwise) hopes and believes in the ultimate success of the scientific method and trusts in it to answer his/her deepest questions, doesn't it start to take on all the symptoms of those professed by a "believer" of a "faith-group"?

that's true. every "ultimate" success/cause/whatever is somehow religious. see my thread on randomness.

rebel8

rebel8 - I consider myself a Mystic Agnostic. I leave room open for proof of a "god" entity, but I believe that "god" entity does not wish to be nor deserves our worship. I do believe in the mystical. The stuff we have no other explanation for. I believe in Christ as much as I believe in Buddha.

Labels are hard because people don't necessarily fit square into them, like me. Humanist is the most accurate label for me, better than athiest or agnostic. I use athiest usually because many people do not realize what a Humanist is. I simply do not concern myself over the age old question of whether or not the supernatural exists. It may or may not exist; there is no evidence that convinces me one way or the other.

If at some point in time the supernatural realm makes its existence and wishes known, then I may need to alter my behavior (for example, if it requests worship). I acknowledge that may happen some day. Until then, my primary concerns in life involve being a good human and realizing my full potential. I believe life is a wonderful gift--who it came from, I don't know--and I intend to use it to the fullest.

tetrapod.sapien

ha ha, LOL.

class and LT, i know you two are closet dawkins fans.

why don't you do as i did, and just trade jehovah for dawkins?

here's another scripture quote that i just KNOW you'll love (he he, it's like being an ignorant fundy quoting scripture over and over again, whilst avoiding the debate. FUN!) so, please continue on without me.

P.S.: LT, sorry for lumping you in with classicist, but to my narrow perspective, you're all a bunch of religous heathens. LOL

now, for some more scriptures:

By all means let's be open-minded, but not so open-minded that our brains drop out.
-- Richard Dawkins, in "Science, Delusion and the Appetite for Wonder," The Richard Dimbleby Lecture, BBC1 Television (12 November 1996)
I am against religion because it teaches us to be satisfied with not understanding the world.
-- Richard Dawkins (attributed: source unknown)
Religion teaches the dangerous nonsense that death is not the end.
-- Richard Dawkins, "Religion's Misguided Missiles" (September 15, 2001)
Faith is the great cop-out, the great excuse to evade the need to think and evaluate evidence. Faith is belief in spite of, even perhaps because of, the lack of evidence.
-- Richard Dawkins (attributed: source unknown)

TS (of the dangerous/marxist/murderous/immoral/cantankerous/blind/unreasoning/militant/ignorant/arrogant/crussading/misspelling/poorly-educated/fundamentalist Church of Atheist of Later Day Heathens class)

RunningMan

I love those scriptures, but I don't believe that we need to belong to a specific Atheist church. I am a non-denominational fundamentalist Atheist (technically born again, since I was once a Christian). I believe that it is enough that we simply believe in Dawkins - we do not have to subscribe to a particular religion. By the way, I would appreciate it if you would capitalize Atheist from now on.

tetrapod.sapien

LOL.

if dawkins wrote the Atheist bible(s), then you are an inspired prophet for your Atheist's Book of Bible Stories.

pray to Fred! i feel him in my heart...

TS

Big Dog

As the Classicist pointed out, the old Soviet Union was a huge experiment in atheism and it didn't seem to deter aggression, killing, devaluing human life and so on in the way Mr. Dawkins seems to think it would.

RunningMan

Ah, yes, but the Soviet Union was not made up of TRUE atheists. They were heretical atheists who twisted the words of Dawkins for their own nefarious purposes.

And, Tetra, my aim was not to reach the heart, but rather, the wallet

"You guys are the most preachy atheists I've ever met!"

Share this