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However to tackle your question from another angle the reasons why it has "not been tried" in many scenarios is that people simply did not want it to be. They beleive the religion stuff. They think it is true. They see no reason to switch to a secular system.
And it is those attitudes that people like myself and the organisations like AAI and Atheist Ireland work to change through debate, education, political lobbying, media appearances and much, much more.
Well at least here you are offering something to work the theory of Atheist rule on. You are suggesting that religions influence can be changed through debate ( which is what we are doing now, you should want to be specfic and explain yourself) education, political lobbying and media appearances.
Look how hard you are making this debate between me and you; I have to literally squezze specifics out of you, yet you claim debate is one answer;
Education; with the majority of educated people believing in God, you are suggesting that they are uneducated in spiritual matters, and that Atheist are not; what will change that?
Political lobbying and media appearences; most Atheist I communicate with and read their communuications claim there is no organizational structure in Atheism, no leaders and no spokesmen. They even seem to take some pride in that. Now you suggest political lobbying and media apperances; whos going to do it? You have no represenitives, so why is political lobbying and media apperances even valid suggestions, explain that to me.
That's right. That's also all there is to it. No dogma or ideology or agenda or anything else.
Atheism is a belief system; I have not called it a dogma anywhere in this thread. And the way you are now strongly debating this, is called dogmatic! You are dogmatically expressing your ideas and beliefs, or Ideology. And I maintain, that without an agenda, Atheism has no chance in overcomming religion as majority thought in this world.
Explain to me how religion can be kept out of science, education and government.
The posts above answer this. Not explain what you want because you are positing a false dilemma. If we cannot set out out a working plan for atheists to remove religion from education and the like, you use that as a way of telling yourself it can't be done.
As pointed out, if the will is there then the present tendency to do just that will come about without much of a plan. What we are seeing is the plan in action and theism desperately trying to force religion back into where it has lost ground.
I concede that there is far too much playing of the religion card in politics - even here. I noticed in recent jury - service how much more affirmation is taken as a regular option instead of an oddity that like 'special dietary requirements' had to be discussed with the clerk of the court before swearing in.
Atheism is, I do perceive, gaining ground and your mental tricks for proving to yourself (if not to anyone else ) that it can never happen is wishful thinking on your part, Micki.
As pointed out, if the will is there then the present tendency to do just that will come about without much of a plan. What we are seeing is the plan in action and theism desperately trying to force religion back into where it has lost ground.
.
This is pure contridiction in my view Arequipa; you claim there is no " Plan;" then you claim that what we are seeing is " The plan in action."
Then you suggest that religion has lost ground, I would like to see proof of that. It has solidified its ground by being significant in human history for over 40,000 years running. Explain to me then what will wipe this history out; when it will wipe it out, and how?
Not to neglect the many religions on earth, but just explain to me how Atheism will rid the earth of just one of them; the Roman Catholic Church.
Atheism is a belief system; I have not called it a dogma anywhere in this thread. And the way you are now strongly debating this, is called dogmatic! You are dogmatically expressing your ideas and beliefs, or Ideology. And I maintain, that without an agenda, Atheism has no chance in overcomming religion as majority thought in this world.
You can't have a belief system that consists of exactly ONE negative statement. To be a system, there must be more than one part. I am neither dogmatic or ideological; simply factual. Since there is nothing coming out of a single negative belief, it is absurd to thing that atheism could ever develop an agenda to overcome religion. Getting atheists together to do anything would be harder than herding cats. It'll never happen.
(BTW, why would atheism want to overcome religion anyway?)
You can't have a belief system that consists of exactly ONE negative statement. To be a system, there must be more than one part. I am neither dogmatic or ideological; simply factual. Since there is nothing coming out of a single negative belief, it is absurd to thing that atheism could ever develop an agenda to overcome religion. Getting atheists together to do anything would be harder than herding cats. It'll never happen.
(BTW, why would atheism want to overcome religion anyway?)
Ahhhh, thank you! I am going to keep record of how many admit to this senerio being impossible; the theme of the thread is what a world of Atheism would be like? I have intentionally tried to be general about such a thing, and draw views out, although I myself agree with you; its absurd to even think its possible. Yet I see many Atheist, on this board and others, try to maintain that it is not only possible, but inevitable. Then I ask them to explain how? Some have given reasonable responses, but most have given what you can read in thread; evasion; incomplete speculation and not much of anything we could develop into reality.
How many times I have seen certain Atheist demand proof from Theist on their beliefs, yet you ask Atheist for proof of an dominant Atheist society, which they expouse, and what are we getting in response? Heres an oppurtunity to reasonably explain how and why Atheistism will become the superior to religion; and I am not seeing the proof!
Atheism has no chance in overcomming religion as majority thought in this world.
I agree 100% at this time. Why because we are weak fearful species. We are afraid of our lives being purposeless. We are afraid of death being the end of our existence. That fear drives us into fooling ourselves that we have a greater purpose and that someone or something created us to fulfill that purpose. That the creator has created a better place for us than the one we live in now. All without a shred of tangible evidence of that purpose or creator. Religion is driven by fear and as long as we have fear we will have religion.
We have a MASSIVE capacity for self delusion. Weather it's religion,body self image or the truthfulness of our children we all deluded to one extent or another.
Last edited by mikebnllnb; 01-31-2012 at 09:48 AM..
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What would a world entirely populated by Atheist be like?
) that it can never happen is wishful thinking on your part, Micki.