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Of course. Thoughts are not truth, and we are not our thoughts. Only Divinity is truth, and the only truth. When we understand that is our essential nature, we are Divinity and nothing else.
If someone gave me a hypothetical "magic button" that would instantly get rid of religion, I wouldn't push it, even though I am an atheist. There are a huge number of people who have nothing to live for but their religion*, and I wouldn't want to be responsible for mass death / suicide.
*or at least they believe they have nothing to live for but their religion
If someone gave me a hypothetical "magic button" that would instantly get rid of religion, I wouldn't push it, even though I am an atheist. There are a huge number of people who have nothing to live for but their religion*, and I wouldn't want to be responsible for mass death / suicide.
*or at least they believe they have nothing to live for but their religion
You were right the first time - there are people out there with literally nothing to live for but their religion.
For instance, some years ago, I worked as a directory assistance operator for Verizon. I stayed there for roughly 1.3 years and then quit. Why? Because it was the most depressing job one could have - at least without delving into extreme jobs. And those jobs would pay far more money.
Anyway, sometimes at night, I would get a random senior - usually female - who was so lonely that she would literally call up telephone operators like me just to have a conversation with a real human being. I mean - it's one of those things that really made me think, to be so completely alone in the world that chatting up telephone operators at 1am was the only way to get any kind of interaction - it was a frightening thought.
I have no idea whether any of these women were Christian - but - given the deep religiosity of this region coupled with their ages, there was a better-than-average chance they were religious. And yet they still had to call me. Not someone from their church. And it was quite apparent that God wasn't helping them.
I'm being realistic here - I don't expect God to show up with a bowl of popcorn and herbal tea to watch old black-and-white movies with these old ladies. But surely God could somehow lead these women to places where they can meet new friends, join an activity club or a Bingo hall - to ensure that two lonely old ladies cross paths at the supermarket so they can become fast friends.
Right? Couldn't God and/or Jesus do that for these horribly lonely souls? Would it be that much trouble for the omnipotent creator of the universe? But it would seem so. Again, I don't know - but I'm willing to bet these women have prayed their lungs out to God for meaningful relationships with other people - chatting up a stranger on the phone is not a meaningful relationship. It's not even a relationship.
How awful it would be to need God's help so desperately only to get the cold shoulder night after night after night. "No, I want you to be alone, miserable, and desperate. Why would I help you when I have bigger fish to fry - like finding car keys and what not."
To think that the empty promises made by religion is the only thing they have to live for - and yet religion has in some way failed them. Or they wouldn't be calling me.
This is a charge that is made weekly, if not almost daily, by some christian and even a warped atheist. So for the rest of us atheists, is that your goal -- to "stop" or "end" religion?
No, but I will not promote it in the direction that a believer intends. Therefore, those who believe in "you are either with us or against us" may feel that I may be trying to stop it or end it.
No, but I will not promote it in the direction that a believer intends. Therefore, those who believe in "you are either with us or against us" may feel that I may be trying to stop it or end it.
Logically speaking, there isn’t an atheist anywhere who would ‘promote’ religion; there are only those of us who accept it is another’s right to believe in a god and those who do not.
No, not END religion. Only educate people as to the sometimes harmful effects of it.
Perhaps you’d do better to educate yourself re: the law. Harm in this country is relative to psychiatric illness and (criminal) behavior; religion, in and of itself, is no more harmful than a gun or alcohol. Hence the reason we imprison folks who are convicted of such vs. those who believe in a god, own a gun or have a glass of scotch now and then.
It’s akin to suggesting we need to lecture/argue gun owners relative to their choice, as a whole, because a small percentage of persons use them to kill/commit a crime.
Last edited by CorporateCowboy; 04-08-2023 at 10:04 AM..
Reason: typo
Logically speaking, there isn’t an atheist anywhere who would ‘promote’ religion; there are only those of us who accept it is another’s right to believe in a god and those who do not.
Yes, there are opportunities for an atheist to promote a religion. For example, if a religious person claims their religion teaches peace, an atheist can agree. What I am saying is that I would not agree or disagree with that statement so this is not really about me accepting another's right to believe or not. The hypothetical person has said it. I would do nothing about it. That is freedom of speech and less about the right to believe.
Yes, there are opportunities for an atheist to promote a religion. For example, if a religious person claims their religion teaches peace, an atheist can agree.
An atheist who agrees a specific religion teaches peace is not the same as ‘promoting religion’ or even agreeing with religion, as a whole, as we still don’t believe in any god.
An atheist who agrees a specific religion teaches peace is not the same as ‘promoting religion’ or even agreeing with religion, as a whole, as we still don’t believe in any god.
My co-workers and I recently had to attend a meeting about mental health. Now I don't know if any of the trainers were atheists or theists, but they listed ways to protect mental health. Two of the options were "look toward a higher power" and "religion/faith". If I was a trainer, I probably would also list these options because research has shown that these two can help with mental health. This is promoting religion in a very specific context. This to me is no different than somebody asking for recommendations for lawyers on social media. The names of the lawyers listed are being promoted.
You mention that atheists don't believe in any god. The topic is not specifically about god(s) which we cannot observe. The topic is religion which can be analyzed. An atheist would not say that a religion comes from a god for obvious reasons.
My co-workers and I recently had to attend a meeting about mental health. Now I don't know if any of the trainers were atheists or theists, but they listed ways to protect mental health. Two of the options were "look toward a higher power" and "religion/faith".
Employers cannot promote religion, although employees may express their religious beliefs, in the workplace. That said, to your previous comment, I can’t think of why any atheist would (want to) promote religion.
Most employers would have a psychologist who would speak to the issue of mental health and/or provide access to one. They certainly don’t promote church/religion in lieu of professional or medical assistance.
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