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  • #16
    Re: Ask an Atheïst

    Can I play too?!?!

    [quote author=B. de Corbin link=topic=384.msg5196#msg5196 date=1287581989]
    Do you ever feel (and by "feel" what I mean is have a bodily sensation or emotion, rather than the other "feel" which means "have the opinion that&quot that there are more to some things than can be explained by a physical understanding of those things?
    [/quote]

    I think this is where I differ from a lot of atheists I know. I DO "feel" something. There's a lot out there that is awe inspiring and a lot things we don't currently understand. For me, atheism is more about the fact that there are no creator gods and no intelligent force guiding things outside my control. It doesn't mean I don't think there's other weirdo woowoo stuff going on out there (that one day, with enough understanding, could be explained by science).
    The Pagan Porch - a Pagan Homesteading forum

    Sand Holler Farm Blog - aren't you just dying to know what I do all day?

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    • #17
      Re: Ask an Atheïst

      [quote author=Caliburn link=topic=384.msg5715#msg5715 date=1287725903]
      What is your opinion on atheistic associations?
      [/quote]

      I must admit that I don't have any experience with or great amount of knowledge about such organizations. But I am guessing (and ONLY guessing) that the need of such organizations arised because of misinformation or certain people treating atheism like it is a mental disease.

      [quote author=Caliburn link=topic=384.msg5715#msg5715 date=1287725903]
      What do you like and what do you dislike about them?
      [/quote]

      As said by the question above this one, I don't have much knowledge about such associations and therefor cannot truly say what I like or dislike about atheistic assosiations.
      However if you insist on knowing my opinion about a perticular organization, feel free to reply back with the name of the organization in question and I'll look into it in order to give you my unsalted opinion. (maybe some pepper, though ;D *pa dumm tsh* )

      [quote author=Caliburn link=topic=384.msg5715#msg5715 date=1287725903]
      Do you think that organized atheism is a form of religion?
      [/quote]

      No, I do not. It does not resemble a religion, but rather an organization (duh) much involved with religion.

      A bit off topic, but that reminded me of an awesome part in the Metalocalypse episode "Religionklok":
      the band joins murderface along his quest for enlightenment at an atheist church. protesters at the end are hilarious

      (Clip contains a low amount of violence)
      And now I will express a quote in mime...

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      • #18
        Re: Ask an Atheïst

        [quote author=Caliburn link=topic=384.msg5715#msg5715 date=1287725903]
        What is your opinion on atheistic associations? What do you like and what do you dislike about them?[/quote]

        That entirely depends on the group. Some are obnoxious and others aren't. I like that certain groups give you a chance to get together with people that you can feel free to express your nonreligious opinion too, without fear of being jumped on or accused of going to hell.

        Do you think that organized atheism is a form of religion?
        There are certainly some people that treat it as such. While officially the definition of 'religion' connotes a belief in the supernatural, I think it can easily be extended to a 'disbelief' in the supernatural. The people/groups that behave as though it's a religion are usually the ones that proselytize and actively try go convert folks. They usually also have atheism as a key or central point of their lives. For me, it's more of a non-issue most of the time and I'd be a pretty poor follower of Atheism The Religion.

        Here's a question for other atheists:

        Do you feel the need to find reasons to be an atheist or defend your atheism - i.e., do you look for inconsistencies in the bible or koran, or do you revel in finding logical sequences that end in "there must be no god"? If so, why is that important to you?
        The Pagan Porch - a Pagan Homesteading forum

        Sand Holler Farm Blog - aren't you just dying to know what I do all day?

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        • #19
          Re: Ask an Atheïst

          Do you feel the need to find reasons to be an atheist or defend your atheism - i.e., do you look for inconsistencies in the bible or koran, or do you revel in finding logical sequences that end in "there must be no god"? If so, why is that important to you?
          I don't ever feel the need to defend my Atheism. Sure, people ask me, prod me, argue with me. But it's not like they are going to get anywhere with me. Thankfully I really care very little of people's opinions in such things.

          As for inconsistencies in the bible? Well I don't go actively searching. But it did sort of push me into finding another belief system. If Christian math doesn't work for me I had to find another more suitable answer. Though God does not belong squarely on the backs of Christians. So when I say I am an Atheist, I am also an Atheist to pagan gods et al. As for the Qur'an? Ah, tis the rub. I have yet to really find any inconsistencies there.
          Satan is my spirit animal

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          • #20
            Re: Ask an Atheïst

            [quote author=Madness link=topic=384.msg6736#msg6736 date=1288043756]
            Do you feel the need to find reasons to be an atheist or defend your atheism - i.e., do you look for inconsistencies in the bible or koran, or do you revel in finding logical sequences that end in "there must be no god"? If so, why is that important to you?
            [/quote]

            I don't feel the need to find reasons to be an atheïst, because I already know why I am.
            And I've never had to "defend" being an atheist, guess it's just a topic that was never brought up.
            Plus I don't feel the need to "defend" being an atheist because such discussion seems pointless to me.

            I don't actively or deliberately look for inconsistencies in religious texts nor feel a general need to prove non-theïsm.

            Although, despite all that, I think I might enjoy a good discussion on the subject with someone of whom I 100% know he/she isn't just trying to troll - and that is a rare find on the internet.
            And now I will express a quote in mime...

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            • #21
              Re: Ask an Atheïst

              [quote author=Madness link=topic=384.msg5751#msg5751 date=1287758751]
              Can I play too?!?!

              I think this is where I differ from a lot of atheists I know. I DO "feel" something. There's a lot out there that is awe inspiring and a lot things we don't currently understand. For me, atheism is more about the fact that there are no creator gods and no intelligent force guiding things outside my control. It doesn't mean I don't think there's other weirdo woowoo stuff going on out there (that one day, with enough understanding, could be explained by science).
              [/quote]

              Very much how I see things, too. No 'creator gods', no 'intelligent' force....but a force nonetheless.....science just has to catch up.
              Allow me to lend a machete to your intellectual thicket. ~ Captain Jack Sparrow

              sigpic

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              • #22
                Re: Ask an Atheïst

                ooh ooh oohh!! *jumps up and down waving my hand in the air* memememmememememememeee!!!!


                As an athiest how do you approach the subject of dualism and that of the soul? Do you have a soul? Or are you just a body?

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                • #23
                  Re: Ask an Atheïst

                  [quote author=Sin link=topic=384.msg8921#msg8921 date=1288648592]
                  As an athiest how do you approach the subject of dualism and that of the soul? Do you have a soul? Or are you just a body?
                  [/quote]

                  I had to look up dualism. You mean like yin/yang and good/evil? I guess I don't see it as a driving factor of life. It's too black and white for me. Nothing is absolute.

                  Hmmm...a soul. I think that human consciousness is simply the result of a certain configuration of material, interacting with the world at large. Is that a soul? Will "it" continue after I die? I've read arguments that our "energy" will exist forever in some form. I can understand the argument but it doesn't speak to me. I guess I just don't have interest in the afterlife really (as in, I don't think it exists and I'm not going to spend a lot of time dwelling on it).

                  But there are vast definitions of soul, so its hard to say yes or no to believing in a soul. But essentially, I do just think we are bodies.
                  The Pagan Porch - a Pagan Homesteading forum

                  Sand Holler Farm Blog - aren't you just dying to know what I do all day?

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                  • #24
                    Re: Ask an Atheïst

                    ahhh dualism as in haveing both a mind/soul and a body

                    alot of people think we have only a body

                    others believe we have a body AND a mind/soul

                    and the there are people who believe we are completely spiritual with no material body :P

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                    • #25
                      Re: Ask an Atheïst

                      Ah, ok I know read some definitions along those lines!

                      Well, I do believe we have a 'physical' form. But that could merely be a good way to describe it. There's weird research that the whole universe is a hologram (I don't recall the details...) but I think it's just semantics. I think I have a material body as I currently understand the definition of 'material'. :P

                      But I do also see that our minds are something special. Now, our minds could entirely be a result of the stuff inside our head, or they could be something all together different. I've heard an interesting argument that our brains are a holding medium for a type of energy that then manifests itself as coherent thought. As in, our minds are simply the interference pattern between matter (the brain) and the universe (the energy). I think that's cool. I don't necessarily have an opinion on whether or not its true. But I don't believe that we have an entirely separate entity (a 'soul&#039 that comes from somewhere and resides in our bodies while we live and then leaves them when we die and stays as an entity.

                      So...I guess I'm halfway between "just body" and "body + mind/soul".

                      But, like I've said before, I don't think there is anything woo-woo or supernatural about the (hypothetical) soul. Just something that we currently can't explain with science but is perfectly naturally.
                      The Pagan Porch - a Pagan Homesteading forum

                      Sand Holler Farm Blog - aren't you just dying to know what I do all day?

                      Comment


                      • #26
                        Re: Ask an Atheïst

                        As a near atheist ( ), let me jump in here -

                        What I imagine is this:

                        We do have something which could be called a "soul" (it depends on how you define "soul," of course). However, it arises out of the functioning of the body, just as the mind does. When the body goes, so does the mind and soul. Whatever "energy" it has just goes into whatever energy goes into when it stops having a source (entropy? I dunno).
                        Every moment of a life is a horrible tragedy, a slapstick comedy, dark nihilism, golden illumination, or nothing at all; depending on how we write the story we tell ourselves.

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                        • #27
                          Re: Ask an Atheïst

                          [quote author=Sin link=topic=384.msg8921#msg8921 date=1288648592]
                          As an atheist how do you approach the subject of dualism and that of the soul? Do you have a soul? Or are you just a body?
                          [/quote]

                          To say it in a kind of crude manner: I believe that the concept of a soul is one created out of the idea that our bodies are but a "container" and that whatever is inside it goes/does somewhere/something notable when we die.
                          I think that whatever "energy" in our brain that could presumably be the "soul" in question, withers away into the ground like one's body decays after death.
                          And as to the idea that that "soul" and body are seperate or seperable, I do not think so.

                          But related to atheism by definition, I'm certain there are atheists who can believe in the existance of a soul, but feel sure that there is no such thing as a god.
                          And now I will express a quote in mime...

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                          • #28
                            Re: Ask an Atheïst

                            for the athiest who believes in the soul.. what substance makes up the soul? It is there.. but we cannot see it? Or can we see it through it's acts and quirks? Does this sound like a God?

                            Could the belief in a soul through this lead to belief in a God? If one can believe in a soul that was... these properties that can reflect something of a greater being.. such as.. God..? :P

                            ok I don't believe in God... But I like to think I have a soul so yeah ;D

                            Comment


                            • #29
                              Re: Ask an Atheïst

                              [quote author=Madness link=topic=384.msg8992#msg8992 date=1288658615] But I do also see that our minds are something special. Now, our minds could entirely be a result of the stuff inside our head, or they could be something all together different. [/quote]
                              It's our brains in my view. The mind is what thinks, and when we think, areas specific to specific thoughts are fired in the brain. That and the fact that people with serious brain damage lose certain abilities, to me, is enough evidence that there is no mind seperate from the physical brain.

                              I don't believe in a soul either. We are what we are, and unless we find a way to make death obsolete, we have an expiration date. After that, we just return to being matter scattered about. If there is an immaterial soul and afterlife, there's no way of knowing, so there's no reason to worry.
                              I was Hadad2008 when I joined Feb 2008.
                              I became Abdishtar this spring.
                              Then, after the Great Crash, I was reborn as Spartacandream!

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                              • #30
                                Re: Ask an Atheïst

                                Ok atheists, put your thinking caps on!

                                Why does humanity seem to have an innate desire and need to worship something, or someone? Why is there such a universal religious sense within humanity?

                                How do you account for the many supernatural experiences that people have, such as encounters with god(s), ghosts, spirits, etc.?
                                The Pagan Porch - a Pagan Homesteading forum

                                Sand Holler Farm Blog - aren't you just dying to know what I do all day?

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