tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2759913671101666257.post3216952462694466687..comments2023-05-24T06:02:06.480-05:00Comments on Chuck's Chatter: Disbelief is not a belief!Chuck Doswellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03099345055614900157noreply@blogger.comBlogger9125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2759913671101666257.post-5476526796993957302012-01-16T17:22:47.653-06:002012-01-16T17:22:47.653-06:00I just heard some nice analogies:
If atheism is a...I just heard some nice analogies:<br /><br /><i>If atheism is a religion then abstinence is a sex position<br />If atheism is a religion then bald is a hair color<br />If atheism is a religion then health is a disease<br />If atheism is a religion then not collecting stamps is a hobby<br />If atheism is a religion then “off” is a TV channel<br />If atheism is a religion then unemployment is a job<br />If atheism is a religion then “nowhere” is a place<br />If atheism is a religion then “silent” is a volume</i><br /><br />and so I made up a few of my own:<br /><br /><i>If atheism is a religion then a vacuum is an atmosphere<br />If atheism is a religion then a drought is rainfall<br />If atheism is a religion then clear sky is a cloud<br />If atheism is a religion then the nonliving are alive<br />If atheism is a religion then peace is war<br />If atheism is a religion then a lack of evidence is proof<br />If atheism is a religion then lies are truth<br />If atheism is a religion then indifference is love/hate<br />If atheism is a religion then superstition is science</i>Chuck Doswellhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03099345055614900157noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2759913671101666257.post-59392114379834403292012-01-16T17:16:59.942-06:002012-01-16T17:16:59.942-06:00This comment has been removed by the author.Chuck Doswellhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03099345055614900157noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2759913671101666257.post-29500227785907797352012-01-16T16:42:23.600-06:002012-01-16T16:42:23.600-06:00I should add, having gotten a bit off-track in the...I should add, having gotten a bit off-track in the blog:<br /><br />Believers want to see atheism as a religion based on having "faith" in reason, logic and evidence, but "faith" is defined as belief without evidence, so it's an oxymoron to have "faith" in reason, logic, and evidence. Rather, I have "confidence" and "trust" in such things because of my experience that reason, logic and evidence-based thinking actually works, unlike most religious beliefs. Asserting (incorrectly) that atheism is a religion is a way of putting atheists down at the level of faith-based believers. There are no atheist ministers, no atheist churches, no atheist liturgies, no atheist congregations - we are freethinkers, not adherents to some core of beliefs. All we share is: disbelief in a deity.Chuck Doswellhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03099345055614900157noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2759913671101666257.post-73102303294298487792012-01-14T18:03:43.909-06:002012-01-14T18:03:43.909-06:00For those who found Chuck's blog entry on athe...For those who found Chuck's blog entry on atheism to be as refreshing as I did, you might find my blog site about religion to be interesting as well. I included the URL in the previous post if you click on my name but it's not obvious so here goes again.<br /><br />http://mythoughtsonpoliticsandreligion.blogspot.com/Jonathan Finchhttp://bangladeshtornadoes.orgnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2759913671101666257.post-8674414699519861542012-01-14T10:25:39.349-06:002012-01-14T10:25:39.349-06:00For those who found Chuck's blog entry on athe...For those who found Chuck's blog entry on atheism to be as refreshing as I did, you might find my blog site about religion to be interesting as well. See the accompanying URL...Jonathan Finchhttp://mythoughtsonpoliticsandreligion.blogspot.com/noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2759913671101666257.post-56809525792505690022011-12-25T23:54:51.719-06:002011-12-25T23:54:51.719-06:00Justin,
Faith is belief without evidence. I see ...Justin,<br /><br />Faith is belief without evidence. I see that as irrational. If your religious belief had a truly rational basis then, there would be no need for "faith".<br /><br />I also see it as inconsistent with science, so you apparently can compartmentalize your thinking - using logic and evidence in science and then discarding them in matters of your religion. That's your choice of course, but I see it as inconsistent and puzzling to me. Being a scientist is to be a skeptic and demand evidence in support of hypotheses - it is the antithesis of faith.<br /><br />I have no wish to engage in ad hominem attacks, but nevertheless, I see religions as irrational and actually dangerous - see:<br /><br />http://theamericanheathen.com/2011/12/14/what-defines-a-true-believer/<br /><br />If you find your faith to be helpful, I have no problem with that. But to equate it with rational thinking is indeed bunk.Chuck Doswellhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03099345055614900157noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2759913671101666257.post-71854144655058042442011-12-25T23:24:05.920-06:002011-12-25T23:24:05.920-06:00Chuck, I agree with many things you say, however I...Chuck, I agree with many things you say, however I must personally digress on your strong stance as an Atheist. Although I see your points clearly as faith can be at many times irrational, I sometimes feel that the common Atheist perception that people of faith are irrational is offensive. As a believer and atmospheric science student, my faith does not make me any less of a scientist or clouds my critical thought processes when I am doing research or in a classroom environment. Although I do not believe your entry contained the sometimes ad hominem generalizations I see in some other Atheists' affirmations; I feel that some of the narrative is missing when I view my own personal experience.<br /><br />So as a scientist, why do I believe? I won't get into a lengthy epistemology argument, but in short I believe because it is what motivates me not only in my professional sphere, but in my personal and creative one. I still have my faith that I was brought up with but it has been bolstered by many challenges I have experienced both in adolescence and in college via the recession and other issues. This may be only a defense mechanism but it's something that many consider a frailty that I turn to for inspiration and for meaning. I just cannot accept that it's a "blind watchmaker's" formula to do a certain set of things or that our sentience is just a residual adaptation that separates us from apes and other members of the animal kingdom.<br /><br />I cannot claim to understand how atheists think about our existence as individuals or in terms of metaphysics, but there are many ideas in these commentaries that I just cannot agree with. Though everyone is entitled to what they believe, refuse to believe, or what they use to identify their place in the universe with. I just hope that posts such as this one stimulate productive conversation, vs. just calling one side total bunk.<br /><br />Have a happy holidays,<br />Justin ReidJustin Reidhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08951308458705143487noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2759913671101666257.post-76411038150714730612011-12-23T09:18:14.866-06:002011-12-23T09:18:14.866-06:00Postscript - it's nonsense to say that atheist...Postscript - it's nonsense to say that atheists believe in atheism, since atheism is the negation of belief. Atheists don't believe in a deity. So what <i>do</i> atheists believe in?<br /><br />In my experience, what atheists believe varies all over the map. Some (but by no means all) atheists believe that god (by whatever name) <i>absolutely</i> does not exist (a strong form of atheism). I observe that bsolute proof in science is not possible. Some atheist are pretty sure that god doesn't exist, perhaps even to roughly the same extent that they believe in the law of gravity (an intermediate form of atheism). Some atheists simply say they just don't know whether or not god exists (a weak form of atheism) - which implies an absence of <i>absolute</i> belief, or disbelief.<br /><br />Most atheists believe in the value of logic, evidence, and rational thinking. They are freethinkers, unconstrained by religious dogma. This "belief" is pragmatic and based on their experience, <i>not</i> an act of faith! It simply cannot be equated with the belief of theists.Chuck Doswellhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03099345055614900157noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2759913671101666257.post-71462133267140584272011-12-21T13:40:45.505-06:002011-12-21T13:40:45.505-06:00The idea is to keep us in the closet. That's ...The idea is to keep us in the closet. That's what "believers" want us to do. They can't deal with the logic and reason of Atheism. our lack of belief is far too dangerous to religion. Too bad for them. I don't think I'm going to run away and hide any time soon. And, I'm certainly not going to shut up either. In fact, I'm going to get louder.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com