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Frankly, I don't see the point. Even if I was 100% successful in debates - who cares? In the scheme of things, what I believe, what the Theist believes means absolutely nothing. I'm fully aware of this, so I question...why would an Atheist waste time debating?
Aren't there more fun things in a life than endless discussion about beliefs? Isn't there a better way to keep our minds sharp, than constantly rationalizing through endless arguments with Theists? There are so many marvelous books out there, wonderful things to learn outside of this topic - why waste your 77 years (give or take) on this?
The point of Atheism I believe is to NOT waste our time with religious nonsense. Life is precious, life is delicate, life is wonderful - enjoy it while you're here. I believe it takes an Atheist to truly see it, and as such I never understand those who chose to be drawn into the religious nonsense, and spend their limited time with it.
Religion is shackling the human race. If we don't speak out who will?
What are we speaking out against exactly? Religion fills a need for many people and gives them a purpose. That's a POSITIVE in my book. Personally I don't believe in it, I don't have the need for it, and I think the day they shut their eyes and never wake up - the end.
I don't think I have a right to ruin someone else's crutch. Let them get a purpose from it, let them think they will be reunited with their loved ones forever in eternity, let them have that joy and peace.
Why would any Atheist believe they have a right to ruin that?
What are we speaking out against exactly? Religion fills a need for many people and gives them a purpose. That's a POSITIVE in my book. Personally I don't believe in it, I don't have the need for it, and I think the day they shut their eyes and never wake up - the end.
I don't think I have a right to ruin someone else's crutch. Let them get a purpose from it, let them think they will be reunited with their loved ones forever in eternity, let them have that joy and peace.
Why would any Atheist believe they have a right to ruin that?
I see religion much more negatively than most people do. Religion may be good for the individual but I think it's bad for society as a whole. I'm not just speaking on religion in the U.S. alone but globally.
Religion is not an issue in many Asian nations because it is a personal thing. If all religions were practiced like the eastern religions I wouldn't have issue with any of them.
Frankly, I don't see the point. Even if I was 100% successful in debates - who cares? In the scheme of things, what I believe, what the Theist believes means absolutely nothing. I'm fully aware of this, so I question...why would an Atheist waste time debating?
Aren't there more fun things in a life than endless discussion about beliefs? Isn't there a better way to keep our minds sharp, than constantly rationalizing through endless arguments with Theists? There are so many marvelous books out there, wonderful things to learn outside of this topic - why waste your 77 years (give or take) on this?
The point of Atheism I believe is to NOT waste our time with religious nonsense. Life is precious, life is delicate, life is wonderful - enjoy it while you're here. I believe it takes an Atheist to truly see it, and as such I never understand those who chose to be drawn into the religious nonsense, and spend their limited time with it.
So why debate?
Atheism doesn't mean not religious, if you don't want to debate or discuss atheism, why are you here?
In the scheme of things, what I believe, what the Theist believes means absolutely nothing.
Most atheists do not care what Theists believe. If they want to believe their god impregnated an under age girl in order to give birth to himself and that waving a cracker around is symbolic of that event then let them. No skin off our nose.
The problem is it does not stop there. Many of these people will not be happy until we believe it too. As such they enter our halls of power, education and science in order to impose their baseless beliefs on the rest of us and as with all politics we are called upon to show their ideas are unsubstantiated, baseless and even harmful. If personal faith remained personal faith there would be little to no debate to be had on this topic.
That said however I would point out that...
Quote:
Originally Posted by TheEarthBeneathMe
...why would an Atheist waste time debating?
.... unless you think yourself perfect in every way, debate is NEVER a waste of time. We are all wrong about something somewhere and we may not know what it is. One of the greatest sources of discovering where you are wrong is in conversation with other people. Debate is not about simply proving yourself right and someone else wrong and getting a hard on for yourself and how great you think you yourself are.... debate is about using the minds of other people to improve your own.
Quote:
Originally Posted by TheEarthBeneathMe
Aren't there more fun things in a life than endless discussion about beliefs?
You talk as if one precludes the other. I am very much capable of engaging in both. Your impression that debate precludes fun in life, reading marvelous books, and learning things about other topics is wholly and entirely pure fantasy on your part.
Though the fact you even bothered to seek out an atheism forum and post this post on a forum, and then follow it up and reply to those who replied to you, makes one wonder if you fail to even take your own advice seriously just like the rest of us are.
Though the fact you even bothered to seek out an atheism forum and post this post on a forum, and then follow it up and reply to those who replied to you, makes one wonder if you fail to even take your own advice seriously just like the rest of us are.
What? This isnt a Theist vs Atheist debate, which is what I'm questioning. I'm an Atheist, you posters are Atheist..
You seem to be talking about debate in general, which I am not. I'm talking about a very specific type of debate - where an Atheist who believes with 100% of their being that the person sitting across the table from them is arguing from a point of emotion, not thinking logically, believing in fantasy thinking - what exactly does the Atheist gain?
Don't you guys believe religion is an argument from emotion, too? Yes, debate is about using the minds of other people to improve your own as you said, but when the line into fantasy, wishful thinking, appeals to emotion are crossed - it does absolutely nothing for me as an Atheist, and I wonder what others who think like I do get from it...that is my question.
I just answered that in the post above. You appear to have chosen to ignore it alas. I would also add that we gain the fact that our voices are out there and in a war of ideas, just like in evolution, it is beneficial to have the arguments out there and to have them repeated as often as possible. If we do not stand up and challenge these false ideas by the liars who would spread them... then those who would fall for those lies will do so unchallenged and unhindered by us. I view standing up to the lies of others, and making their agenda to spread them as difficult as possible, as an important thing to do.
Quote:
Originally Posted by TheEarthBeneathMe
Don't you guys believe religion is an argument from emotion, too?
Not always. I am very much aware of a number of factors why people think there is a god, and simple emotion is only one of them. Scientific ignorance is another. Confirmation bias yet another. Indoctrination, most often during childhood is another. Simply not taking the time to reconsider ones position is another. Lying is yet another by people who profit from spreading the lies about there being a god.
I could go on all day. Suffice to say that arguments from emotion are by far not the only problem or reasons out there.
The point of Atheism I believe is to NOT waste our time with religious nonsense. Life is precious, life is delicate, life is wonderful - enjoy it while you're here. I believe it takes an Atheist to truly see it, and as such I never understand those who chose to be drawn into the religious nonsense, and spend their limited time with it.
So why debate?
I agree with you for the most part. I would assume that most of us don't sit around and debate religion all day like it may seem on these forums. However, it's not always easy, as I'm sure you know, to not get drawn into the religious nonsense.
Atheists are a minority group in the United States and are even treated as lesser individuals by some. I think the tendency to debate comes from the desire to show that being an Atheist isn't an "evil" phenomenon. Or at the very least, it allows you to have your voice heard. That's not easy in a country where "In God We Trust" is splattered all over our money, or "One nation under God" is written in the pledge.
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