THE stolen picture! OOOOoOoOOOOOOOoooooOo…
(I came across this via Jack Rivall’s facebook - if you have a login and can access his notes do so - they are well worth the time they take to read.) A Jewish Philosopher declared that atheism was indeed not a religion - but more like a disease.
So I started to read this Jewish Philosopher’s blog. Jack has the guy pin pointed so well as a bigot. If we were to say half the stuff about other religions, a racial group or whatever… that this guy says about atheists we’d be screamed at so loudly our ears would bleed.
I just really want to address the second bit that Austin quoted:
Secondly, atheists seem to be invariably highly selfish people.
I’ve been told over, and over, and over again that I need to think about myself. I am always concerned with other people over myself. When my grandfather died a few years ago I remember my boss comforting me and saying “you don’t have to be so strong, you don’t have to take care of everyone” … I’d say I’m quite often selfless, I’m also quite often selfish - but I would attribute that to my being 20, not my being an atheist.
It is apparently impossible to find a well-documented case of an atheist who was kind, honest, sober and sexually responsible.
I have many friends of all faiths who find me to be very kind. I have met Jack Rivall and he is extremely kind. The last 3 boyfriends I had were very honest, I trusted them with ever ounce of my mind - they were all atheists. I even didn’t have sex with 2 of them for an extended period of time and when we did - we were very responsible about it. Saying that “atheists” aren’t “kind, honest, sober and sexually responsible” is out and out just silly. It’s lumping together such a large group of people! I know some atheists that are drunks, are mean and who I wouldn’t trust. I also know a lot of atheists who are the exact opposite. And this isn’t me looking at “kind, honest, sober and sexually responsible” as some sort of subjective point of view - some of the greatest people I know are atheists.
I would point this man toward a woman I know named Cassandra. She is the most loving, caring and passionate person I have ever met in my entire life. She commits her life to taking care of other people, and would never say a foul thing about another human being. She has had sex with one person, the one person who she married. If I found out she had even told a small white lie - I wouldn’t believe it. And she is an atheist. That statement is just absolutely ludicrous.
Atheism is not a philosophy; it is a symptom of narcissism and hedonism. Calling atheism a religion is like calling alcoholism a religion. It’s a bad choice, a moral failing, perhaps a disease. Until the 18th century “atheist” was usually simply an insult meaning “debauched libertine”. This may be close to the truth.
I am an atheist. I am so far from a narcissist that it’s hilarious that anyone would try to lump me into that category. And if I believe in a hedonistic life I wouldn’t care about other people, I wouldn’t have plans to spend the rest of my life in pure discomfort in order to bring other people a better life. You know what, here… I’ll say it. Judaism is a probably a disease. … … … … ……….. And now what am I? … A bigot.
I surly don’t believe that judaism is a disease. Never would I claim that the beliefs and religion of another person is a pure disease in their mind.
What I don’t think is fair is that I have to read this sort of out dated drivel that puts down any sort of contemporary form of thought. I am in no way against people expressing their opinion on faith, religion and morality. I think it is good to have HEALTHY debates and to discuss our differences as to understand one another.
What I think is horrible is that people become bigots, jerks, and down right insulting instead of trying to actually understand or learn. You’d think someone who is as old as he looks would be mature enough not to deliberately degrade people and be so incredibly intolerant of the lifestyles, opinions and identities that are popping up around him. This is just as bad as being a racism, anti-semitic, homophobic or any other sort of discrimination. Gross. Just gross.
Virtually everyone I have encountered who has declared themselves to be an atheist, agnostic, or at least “non-Churcher” has done so not because they lack ethics but because they are ethical people. They oppose religion for its cruelty, for its immorality, and authoritarianism.
I think people want to call atheism a religion or a disease or whatever else they can come up with because they think it somehow validates their own ideology. Atheism, to them, is to be feared, and maybe it should be to a certain extent. Deep down, I think theists know they believe bullshit, but there’s such a fear of having that security blanket removed that they would rather demonize anything that may get them to question their own theology. It’s a threat to their very survival.
And I agree with Larry. Most atheists I have met have incredibly high ethical standards and behave much more rationally (even altruistically) than any other group.
Larry - I completely agree. Although - I don’t think their being a moral person has a ton to do with it - my parents are just as moral and ethical as I am… I’m an atheist, they are christian… They are “liberal” christians, but christian non the less.
Kelly - I think Christians and Jews especially fear atheism and Islam because they are probably going to take over the future.
My atheist friends are no less ethical than my religious ones. …I think to correlate any sort of ethicals behavior or belief on a religion is just strange.
Katie - I am confused about your stance on theists. You make it seem like they are a “lost people”, so to speak, that they deny the truth and shy away from reason. But then you go on to say that many theists you meet are nice people and are just as moral and ethical as you are.
What’s wrong about beliefs that lead you to live a lifestyle deemed nice, moral and ethical?
I don’t mean to make religious people out to be “lost people”. My mom is definitely not a lost person, nor is my step father. I think SOME theists are definitely lost people and are totally blinded by bigotry and stupidity, but definitely not all of them. To lump all theists together as “lost people” would be just as bad as people lumping atheists together as “arrogant assholes”.
I don’t think there is anything wrong with beliefs that have lead you to live a nice, moral and ethical life. I was just saying that I have morals, and no beliefs. The two are not hand in hand… People with beliefs have morals. So do people without them.
There are shrill people. Some think religion is a disease and ought to be destroyed. Others think the same about atheism. If we went by what people on the fringe said, we’d have to conclude white people are threatened by angry black radicals.