Freethought & Rationalism Archive

Harumi · 06-03-2003, 11:21 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by SecularFuture

Cool. Thats much better than repressing it, or being ashamed of it.

Helping to clear the many misconceptions about atheism and evolution (especially) are important as well. There are still people in this world who believe that atheism and evolution both derive from a devil concept. :banghead:

I never intend to repress my beliefs, or be ashamed of it. I am very proud of being an atheist, and if ever asked what my beliefs are on a certain matter, I always tell them the truth.

So far I have yet to face any hostilities over it. I've gotten a couple of questions, and when I explain to them what atheism is, most of them either say, "That makes sense," or "Hey, I might be an atheist too."

As it is though, my family already think I'm too active. My brother for one, is an atheist, but he is no freethinker or activist by any means.

The other day he told me that the United States was a Christian nation. After that, when I was complaining about George Bush's speech on Memorial Day, he told me, "Well, this is a Christian Nation, so deal with it. You're going to have to live with it, or else just leave. The majority of the people here are Christian. I don't see why you have to be so offended."

And I suppose that those slaves should have just lived with being slaves because the the US was a slave owning country? Give me a break.

He spluttered about how that was different by the way.

But you can probably see the frustration I have. My brother the atheist is also an idiot.

How in the world am I supposed to do this when I can't even set a fellow atheist straight?
:banghead: :banghead: :banghead:

Shake · 06-05-2003, 11:45 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by Harumi
So far I have yet to face any hostilities over it. I've gotten a couple of questions, and when I explain to them what atheism is, most of them either say, "That makes sense," or "Hey, I might be an atheist too."

This sounds like fodder for a new thread: Am I an atheist? Complete with a list of "You might be an atheist if ..."

How old's your brother? Any chance he'll grow up and not be such an idiot? Or at least someone who'll listen to reason? Better yet, send him here ... we'll straighten him out!

Toto · 06-05-2003, 11:58 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by Shake
This sounds like fodder for a new thread: Am I an atheist? Complete with a list of "You might be an atheist if ..."

. . .

Try You might be a Humanist if...

or

Are You a Humanist?

Quote:

Humanism tells us that whatever our philosophy may be, the responsibility for the kind of world in which we live rests with us. Humanists hold that knowledge is discovered rather than revealed and should be gained through reason, observation and experience, not accepted as an article of faith. If you agree with that, you might be a Humanist.

Humanism is also about acting positively to move ourselves, our culture and the world toward the better. If you agree with that, you might be a Humanist.

If you love and revel in the sheer glory of life, you might be a Humanist. Humanism is for those who love life, who relish the adventure of being part of new discoveries about themselves and the world of which they are a part.

If you have ever had a peak experience (not that kind of peak experience � well, maybe that kind!) but if you�ve ever had a peak experience you might be a Humanist. For Abraham Maslow, founder of humanistic psychology, reaching a peak experience, a node of feeling fully actualized, was the purpose of life.

If you want to make plateaus of those peaks, if you strive for the extended periods of fulfillment and joy that New Age thinker Ken Wilbur holds out hope for and that most of us have had a time or two in our lives�if you long to live in that state of complete actualization, you just might be a Humanist.

If you agree with Protagoras that "the human is the measure of all things" or with Sophocles that of all the many wonders of the world there is "none so wonderful as the human," then you might be a Humanist.

Harumi · 06-06-2003, 10:41 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by Shake

How old's your brother? Any chance he'll grow up and not be such an idiot? Or at least someone who'll listen to reason? Better yet, send him here ... we'll straighten him out!

My brother is a stupid 16 year old. He's not very social, doesn't have any friends and doesn't want any, and is basically your average Asian nerd. My parents love him.

It's going to take a miracle to get him to come here. For him, the purpose of going online is for research, or downloading classical music.

He's reasonable enough, but when it comes to religion, my brother just doesn't talk about it. He's pretty naive, since he's never met a fundy. Everyone he's met are all liberal, so he believes that all religious people are pretty much like them, or if there are, they're a tiny percentage in the United States that holds little influence.

As much as I'd like to kick him in the rear, the only way to get him to realize that there's a world out there beyond the nearest English textbook is if he goes to college. Which he'll have no problem doing...eventually.

Man, there are times when I wish I was an only child.

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