Protestant Family and my search for truth.

[vashti]

This is a life-long journey of discovery. There is no sudden enlightenment.
______________________________________

Cha-ching!

Quoted for truth.

[Tiay]

wow, all this sounds pretty complicated. At least you don't have the regular "punishment beatings" we had in the north.

I like Buddhism, but I don't really know very much about it. Atheism works pretty well for me.

[Tiay]

Atheism is a religion, believe it or not. Accept it or not.

oh, well, that settles that age-old debate. We can tell the philosophers and professors to stop debating; Lilwing has solved it in one fell swoop.

If you define "religion" as a set of beliefs (that are even seen as facts by the believers) about where the world/life/etc comes from, why stuff happens, and so forth, then science is a religion too.

If you define "religion" as an institution to express belief in a divine power, then lack of belief in a divine power is NOT a religion.

I don't claim to have the answer. I'm just saying, you have a lot of thinking and debating to do before coming to a conclusion like that, and even then it is only an opinion. You say you don't like how other people are hypocritical and force their beliefs down other peopel's throats.. and you tell us that you've solved this debate and you're right, if we want to believe you or not?

DUDE! that's not how debate works. There is such a thing as the burden of proof. The crossfire of debate. This is how we validate theories. Coming along and saying "this is how it is if you believe it or not", that's .. that's kinda religious of you.

[DoesntMatter]

Debates, philosophy, and so-called abstract thought or free thinking is bullshit

This thread is killing me

[Tiay]

Debates, philosophy, and so-called abstract thought or free thinking is bullshit

Yes I agree, debate on whether or not the chair i'm sitting on exists only because we call it a chair, etc, etc, seems kinda pointless. But philosophy has value to society, it's not bullshit.

This thread is killing me

then don't read it, if you value your life.

[anachronistic]

Debates, philosophy, and so-called abstract thought or free thinking is bullshit

This thread is killing me

Like a brainless child reaching to touch the hot stove coil again and again, despite being burned. If this thread is having a negative impact on you, stop reading.

On another note, I don't think that any of that stuff is bullshit. I think that the personal level that religion escalates to, is bullshit. Everyone is too busy trying to shove their religion up another person's ass to find any truth in anything.

Calling something bullshit will not make it magically disappear. Saying someone is stupid will not make them smart. That's why these things exist; to uncover the truth.

[Charlie Boy II]

but reading a few books on Buddhism might just might turn someone into an even greater wanker.

[anachronistic]

but reading a few books on Buddhism might just might turn someone into an even greater wanker.

... I'm starting to wonder why you're not famous yet, Mr. Comedian.

[Junket]

Oh, who cares?

It's religion, what's your family got to do with any of it?

So they all get to go to heaven, and condemn you to hell, while you're looking to achieve enlightenment.

Your life, bro.

[IndiReloaded]

yes, atheism is a religion.

No, it isn't. Its a belief system. Not at all the same thing.

[Tiay]

yes, atheism is a religion.

the assertion that atheism is a religion disturbs me less than the fact that you're not backing it up with anything.

oh yeah? well, dinosaurs bones were planted on earth by aliens, and it's true whether you accept it or not. ta-da! NOT! burdon of proof, people.

also, if atheism is a religion.. then, i'm certainly quite religious! Oh yes, I get up every morning and pray to-- oh wait, no I don't. Every sunday morning I go to ch--- oh wait, no, there is no atheist church. Odd huh? every other religion tends to have buildings.. churches, synagogues, mosques, etc. *shrug* oh, well, win some, loose some, I guess. When I die I hope that I will go to-.. er..

get my point? it doesn't fit.

[vashti]

the assertion that atheism is a religion disturbs me less than the fact that you're not backing it up with anything.

oh yeah? well, dinosaurs bones were planted on earth by aliens, and it's true whether you accept it or not. ta-da! NOT! burdon of proof, people.

also, if atheism is a religion.. then, i'm certainly quite religious! Oh yes, I get up every morning and pray to-- oh wait, no I don't. Every sunday morning I go to ch--- oh wait, no, there is no atheist church. Odd huh? every other religion tends to have buildings.. churches, synagogues, mosques, etc. *shrug* oh, well, win some, loose some, I guess. When I die I hope that I will go to-.. er..

get my point? it doesn't fit.

Well, by your measure, I'm an atheist, too. I don't wake up every morning and pray. I don't go to church (or synagogue) weekly for services. Funny thing is, I don't consider myself to be an atheist.

Really, I think what alidile was trying to say is that there is a lot of similarity between atheists and true believers. They all think they know with absolute certainty about God's reality. In my opinion, that makes them all wankers.

[DoesntMatter]

then don't read it, if you value your life.

In case there isn't any sarcasm in your post, let me point out there was in mine

Like a brainless child reaching to touch the hot stove coil again and again, despite being burned. If this thread is having a negative impact on you, stop reading.

That's a really crappy analogy lilwing, suggesting that I'm a brainless child because of my thread-reading habits. I can't see what would correlate to my "being burned" from reading this thread, saying it was killing me is just another way of saying this thread is starting to suck. I'm interested in seeing what people have to say, but this thread has turned into an "is atheism a religion" debate.

See, what is the point in debating not just this, but most philosophy in general? On sciencemadness forums someone will post wanting help on a synthesis, but unable to procure some chemicals or equipment that one would usually follow. So people argue on the best alternative solvents or catalysts or whatever and guess what? You take it into the lab and find out what works best. Any preferential solvent or possible transition states or intermediates can be argued with some merit just like any philosophical view, but some are so wacked out yet people still argue them. And this is with stuff that is a lot more straight forward than philosophy!

[anachronistic]

Through the definition of the dictionary:

re·li·gion /rɪˈlɪdʒən/ Pronunciation Key - Show Spelled Pronunciation[ri-lij-uhn] Pronunciation Key - Show IPA Pronunciation
–noun
1. a set of beliefs concerning the cause, nature, and purpose of the universe, esp. when considered as the creation of a superhuman agency or agencies, usually involving devotional and ritual observances, and often containing a moral code governing the conduct of human affairs.

We can conclude that atheism is a religion. While Christianity is indefinitely a religion, Atheism is a religion in a less obvious way, because it focuses on the belief that there are no gods, there is no afterlife, there is no reincarnation, but rather that the earth and its inhabitants have come into existence by natural means. Still a religion.

[Charlie Boy II]

I want and visited one of London's most famous graveyards today, home to none other than Karl Marx. It was everything a graveyard should be: old, dark, overgrown, spooky. And full of mournful old statues with missing limbs and fading features; graves and tombstones so warn with neglect or so covered in weeds you could no longer maker out the engravings. The woods had reclaimed whole areas of the cemetery.

It was rather sad to think of so many people who were once obviously well loved respected now condemned to eternal obscurity. In the face of such a prospect it's not hard to see why religion would spring forth as some kind of defense. I found myself hoping very much for some kind of afterlife.