are you an out of the closet atheist?

[afleitch]

Yes. I can never ever 100% know that there isn't a god, Thor or Cthulhu out there but I'm not fond of the agnostic label. I would consider myself an atheist. I am open about to everyone and will defend my position.

[afleitch]

When I was an atheist, I didn't hide it.

You were nicer then. You made sense.

[afleitch]

Atheists tend to be impossible to talk to regarding everything I'm interested in and passionate about. I love to debate theology, but (afleitch and Dibble are good examples) tend to always go "that never happened," which is totally a nonstarter and besides the point of what I'm trying to talk about (I always approach works from an in-universe analytical point of view, and "God doesn't exist" is frustrating in the same way as "Raskolnikov doesn't exist"). 

Do we though? I mean is it unreasonable as someone who doesn't believe something happened to say so at the start of a debate? I think that's intellectually honest. If you think that 'that didn't happen' is all that me or Dibble contribute to the Religion and Philosophy Board then I suggest you go back and visit it!

On the recent subject of the soul of course my answer was

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Except it wasn't;

It seems to me that if any essense of one's being exists after death, then presumably it is under your command. My mind can already acheive things that my body cannot. My mind can 'play' every leap of Beethovens 9th, but my hands couldn't play it. It can deal with me doing what my body cannot especially in the dream state. Given how weak relatively, the physical body is it seems very strange in the Christian tradition that the soul can remain under your command as it will, in the confines of your body, but when it escapes that physical burden it suddenly becomes the plaything of another entity.

Surely the soul should be more free and less hindered and by extension more 'mobile' outside of the body? Surely it should be more vulnerable encased in flesh; yet it appears that it is out of reach of other god like entities while encased and is therefore more protected. Should that be the case however then would it not make more sense for the soul to be imparted onto another body to keep it both protected and independent? If that is what you seek of course.

Absolutely no philosophical discussion there. No. We just bark out 'it doesn't exist' at each turn while you impress us with regurgitated Foucault

[afleitch]

No, I'm not an atheist. I see value in religion and theology, learning about different religions, wrestling with one's faith, and living out the values of my own religion(Christianity, specifically Methodism). I don't dismiss it all out of hand automatically because "It obviously never happened." Nor do I put all my trust in science or modernity. Like Mikado said in that fantastic post up-thread, the increased secularization and contempt for religion in the past century or so in the "advanced" civilizations has developed concurrently with such unfortunate things like Positivism, as well as "modernity" and all that that has entailed (genocides, fascism, world wars, Communism, nuclear warfare, Cold War proxy wars, the Cold War itself...)

Another dangerous doctrine to come out of all of this is Moral Relativism-the idea that one's personal subjective morality is all that matters or exists. This dogma doesn't even attempt to self-validate...it just functions on the whims of the individual in question. But, more to the point, this extreme individualism is toxic to social cohesion within a society.

In sum, the above are reasons why I am not an atheist. I concur wholeheartedly with much of what Mikado and others have said.  The disrespect for the past and history, the smug, arrogant view that modern civilization is "better" and more "civilized", the idea that somehow, we are headed in the right direction (or that "Progress" is even an ideal to be upheld, always)....these and other reasons make me more defensive of both my own religious beliefs and those of other religious people, billions of them worldwide.

Also, for those who hate the militant, dogmatic strands of religion (Christianity and Islam, mainly)...these are strands that have largely developed with, reacted, and adapted to "modernity." So much for "Progress."

Yours, Progressive Realist

[afleitch]

There seems to be a bizarre amount of 'hating' on the term atheist. Which is mildly disturbing. I don't believe in a god. I used to believe as most people on here know but I spent alot of time grappling with the idea. Now I don't believe in a god or gods. That's all there is to it. I have no beef with faith or what people believe and personally I think the ancients had the right idea in worshipping the sun. If I ever had to worship anything it would be the sun given that it's existance means everything to us.

I do however have issues with people telling me their god knows where I should be putting my penis. They can tell me as a person what they think and I can talk through it eye to eye but I don't like appeals to a higher authority. That's the only part of religion I dislike. Unfortunately for some people, that part is all there is to religion. Which is a great shame.