You are viewing an obsolete version of the DU website which is no longer supported by the Administrators. Visit The New DU.
Democratic Underground Latest Greatest Lobby Journals Search Options Help Login
Google

Reply #69: Of course atheism is a belief system. [View All]

Printer-friendly format Printer-friendly format
Printer-friendly format Email this thread to a friend
Printer-friendly format Bookmark this thread		 This topic is archived.
Home » Discuss » Topic Forums » Religion/Theology Donate to DU
TexasObserver Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Mon Mar-16-09 07:36 AM
Response to Reply #42
69. Of course atheism is a belief system.
Edited on Mon Mar-16-09 07:38 AM by TexasObserver
But, unlike those of the religious, it relies on the known and logic, not fairy tales from ancient texts.

The reason Christian terminology is used is simple: most of those with whom such discussions are had are Christians. When one discusses the world of gods and demons, one does so in the language and paradigm constructed by the religious person with whom one is speaking. It is therefore normal for atheists to use such language when talking with the religious in America.

Three major religions rely on the same ancient text - the Old Testament - in their mythology: Islam, Judaism, and Christianity. It is therefore quite logical that we would use Christian or Old Testament imagery and labels to talk about such nonsense.
Printer Friendly | Permalink |  | Top
 
  -Even Atheists Follow the Christian God demwing  Mar-15-09 04:27 PM   #0 
  - Deleted message  Name removed   Mar-15-09 04:29 PM   #1 
  - Exactly - don't assume all belief in God translates to belief in Christianity.  demwing   Mar-15-09 04:35 PM   #3 
  - I think you're reading the headline..  skooooo   Mar-15-09 04:38 PM   #9 
     - The problem with the author's theory is that most of us who are  Solomon   Apr-03-09 02:39 PM   #132 
  - huh?  skooooo   Mar-15-09 04:35 PM   #5 
  - How rude of you.  Big Blue Marble   Mar-15-09 04:37 PM   #7 
     - If they said the same thing? Of course I would....  BlooInBloo   Mar-15-09 04:40 PM   #13 
        - Could you have a conversation without  Big Blue Marble   Mar-15-09 05:00 PM   #23 
           - I'm a very good person to have a non-stupid convo with...  BlooInBloo   Mar-15-09 05:04 PM   #29 
  - The Christian Philosophy  Xipe Totec   Mar-15-09 04:29 PM   #2 
  - Christ was an amalgam  Taverner   Mar-15-09 04:35 PM   #4 
  - We don't follow the Christian God...  LostInAnomie   Mar-15-09 04:36 PM   #6 
  - Bottom line is, doesn't much matter, really what the imaginary deity is called  tangent90   Mar-15-09 04:38 PM   #10 
  - Pretty much sums up my views on the matter. eom  Hello_Kitty   Mar-15-09 04:38 PM   #11 
  - I believe there's a basic moral factor that underlies all great religions and the Humanist Manifesto  jody   Mar-15-09 04:37 PM   #8 
  - Atheist version...  SidDithers   Mar-15-09 04:50 PM   #20 
  - Does that mean you reject the Humanist Manifesto, an avowed irreligious statement?  jody   Mar-15-09 04:56 PM   #22 
  - No, it means I'm providing an alternative...  SidDithers   Mar-15-09 05:04 PM   #28 
     - Assuming you read my post, you noted I began with quoting passages from Humanist Manifesto III  jody   Mar-15-09 05:29 PM   #45 
  - Sounds like a good idea, as long as we can also agree  demwing   Mar-15-09 05:16 PM   #33 
     - I find that trying to avoid doing dumb shit...  SidDithers   Mar-15-09 05:17 PM   #34 
  - the Mahayana Buddhist would say .. "treat all other beings as they are your mother".  sam sarrha   Mar-15-09 05:59 PM   #48 
  - So then I guess my friends who were  jmm   Mar-15-09 04:40 PM   #12 
  - not sure how you pulled that bit out  demwing   Mar-15-09 04:48 PM   #18 
     - I can't believe I have to say this here but  jmm   Mar-15-09 05:09 PM   #31 
        - no, but because the majority were  demwing   Mar-15-09 05:19 PM   #36 
           - Most atheists are asian.  PassingFair   Mar-16-09 12:06 AM   #63 
              - What in the world makes you say that? /nt  demwing   Mar-19-09 10:16 AM   #109 
                 - To answer my own question, I just read on Wikipedia  demwing   Mar-31-09 12:29 AM   #121 
  - It's all Mother Goose to me !!!!!  RagAss   Mar-15-09 04:41 PM   #14 
  - Deleted message  Name removed   Mar-15-09 04:42 PM   #15 
  - So you're saying Jesus was an atheist...  BuyingThyme   Mar-15-09 04:44 PM   #16 
  - Well, from what I've read, Jesus didn't believe he was God  demwing   Mar-15-09 04:50 PM   #19 
     - Then you win this debate.  BuyingThyme   Mar-15-09 04:53 PM   #21 
  - I don't think Buddhist priests are any more special than Catholic priests.  TexasObserver   Mar-15-09 04:46 PM   #17 
  - actually, I haven't heard of any Buddhist monks being sued for pedophilia lately. n/t  Donnachaidh   Mar-15-09 05:23 PM   #40 
  - Buddhism is not a religion.  patrice   Mar-15-09 06:06 PM   #49 
  - Sure it is.  TexasObserver   Mar-15-09 07:07 PM   #54 
  - Buddhism isn't a religion, it is a method of training the mind to become "Awake". >>Link>>  sam sarrha   Mar-15-09 06:10 PM   #50 
     - It is a religion. It's a way of telling yourself you've discovered something.  TexasObserver   Mar-15-09 07:13 PM   #55 
     - i am not trying to convince anyone of anything better. i am attempting to inform people of their mi  sam sarrha   Mar-15-09 09:16 PM   # 
     - Sounds exactly like every religious zealot arguing their beliefs.  TexasObserver   Mar-16-09 12:28 AM   #64 
        - what fuels Bigots.. is denial and cynical self rightious Apriori bullshit, ...Buddhism is based  sam sarrha   Mar-16-09 04:13 PM   #73 
     - sorry, double click  sam sarrha   Mar-15-09 09:16 PM   #60 
     - You say "Buddhism isn't a religion", and then follow up with  muriel_volestrangler   Mar-15-09 07:40 PM   #56 
        - the gods have no place in Buddhism they co exist without effecting anything, so there is no religion  sam sarrha   Mar-15-09 08:59 PM   #59 
           - If you believe in a system of gods, and rules for hell, you believe in a religion.  TexasObserver   Mar-16-09 12:32 AM   #65 
           - You believe in the existence of gods  muriel_volestrangler   Mar-16-09 05:05 AM   #66 
              - you are so full of shit..  sam sarrha   Mar-16-09 04:15 PM   #74 
                 - Nice reasoned argument there  muriel_volestrangler   Mar-16-09 04:58 PM   #75 
  - yikes  Epiphany4z   Mar-15-09 05:01 PM   #24 
  - Please speak for yourself only  Christa   Mar-15-09 05:01 PM   #25 
  - Well, you're entitled to your opinion.  enlightenment   Mar-15-09 05:01 PM   #26 
  - Take back all your points and subtractions  demwing   Mar-15-09 05:24 PM   #42 
     - Of course atheism is a belief system.  TexasObserver   Mar-16-09 07:36 AM   #69 
  - Your Inability to Overcome Your Programming Does Not Extend to All  Toasterlad   Mar-15-09 05:02 PM   #27 
  - Currently accompanying this thread:  BuyingThyme   Mar-15-09 05:07 PM   #30 
  - Not sure if that's ironic  demwing   Mar-15-09 05:13 PM   #32 
  - you are only correct on one point, "Jehovah" isnt a God, by definition he's a Demi-god, the Gods  sam sarrha   Mar-15-09 05:17 PM   #35 
  - Good Post.  OPERATIONMINDCRIME   Mar-15-09 05:19 PM   #37 
  - I'm an atheist because there is no evidence any god exists. Period.  cynatnite   Mar-15-09 11:22 PM   #62 
  - "Anything is possible"  ZombieHorde   Mar-18-09 06:33 PM   #106 
  - That's open to debate  demwing   Mar-19-09 10:23 AM   #110 
  - "if fact that some form of God doesn't exist"  ZombieHorde   Mar-17-09 01:35 AM   #77 
     - I Consider Your Comparisons To Be Quite Silly.  OPERATIONMINDCRIME   Mar-17-09 01:32 PM   #83 
        - You're right about my examples being silly, but they are no sillier than god.  ZombieHorde   Mar-17-09 02:00 PM   #84 
           - The Defense Within Your Reply Is Equally As Silly.  OPERATIONMINDCRIME   Mar-17-09 03:07 PM   #86 
              - "logically equal"  ZombieHorde   Mar-17-09 03:30 PM   #87 
                 - Like I Said;  OPERATIONMINDCRIME   Mar-17-09 03:32 PM   #88 
                    - Some were made well, others were not made at all.  ZombieHorde   Mar-17-09 07:08 PM   #89 
                       - ROFLMAO  OPERATIONMINDCRIME   Mar-17-09 07:19 PM   #90 
                          - So my bed which can turn into a spinal cord devouring water buffalo would be more believable  ZombieHorde   Mar-17-09 08:48 PM   #91 
                             - Why You've Been Owned:  OPERATIONMINDCRIME   Mar-17-09 11:03 PM   #92 
                                - I understood your logic perfectly. fwiw  Why Syzygy   Mar-18-09 07:23 AM   #93 
                                - Why...  ZombieHorde   Mar-18-09 03:13 PM   #96 
                                - Pardon me?  Why Syzygy   Mar-18-09 03:42 PM   #99 
                                - No problem.  ZombieHorde   Mar-18-09 03:50 PM   #101 
                                - Simple.  Why Syzygy   Mar-18-09 04:07 PM   #103 
                                - That is absurd.  Jokerman   Mar-19-09 11:11 AM   #111 
                                - Uh oh, you forgot to answer the claim in your subject line.  ZombieHorde   Mar-18-09 02:38 PM   #95 
                                   - Checkmate.  OPERATIONMINDCRIME   Mar-18-09 03:17 PM   #97 
                                      - Again, you are reduced to insults over ideas.  ZombieHorde   Mar-18-09 03:37 PM   #98 
                                      - I can't vote in your poll.  Why Syzygy   Mar-18-09 03:47 PM   #100 
                                      - So, the two supernatural creatures are neither equally likely nor unequally likely?  ZombieHorde   Mar-18-09 03:53 PM   #102 
                                      - ROFLMAO!!!  OPERATIONMINDCRIME   Mar-18-09 04:52 PM   #104 
                                         - You keep forgetting to put an arguement for your claim in your posts.  ZombieHorde   Mar-18-09 05:52 PM   #105 
                                         - Awww Dude. You were doing so well.  Why Syzygy   Mar-20-09 09:41 AM   #112 
                                      - Any good points you might have made or not made...  Silent3   Mar-20-09 10:03 AM   #113 
                                         - It's All About Respect And Sportsmanship.  OPERATIONMINDCRIME   Mar-20-09 11:21 AM   #114 
                                            - The problem is that you seem to be the one with...  Silent3   Mar-20-09 11:35 AM   #115 
  - Christians don't follow the Christian God  El Fuego   Mar-15-09 05:21 PM   #38 
  - No, that's a small proportion of militant anti-christian atheists.  DireStrike   Mar-15-09 05:21 PM   #39 
  - Then it must be a small, but vocal percent.  demwing   Mar-15-09 05:36 PM   #46 
  - Yawn  Goblinmonger   Mar-16-09 11:58 AM   #70 
  - Militant???  EvolveOrConvolve   Mar-16-09 02:11 PM   #72 
  - Some folks realize that fighting a (conditioned) symbol of God is pointless; the symbol is not "God"  omega minimo   Mar-15-09 05:23 PM   #41 
  - Among educated people  agent46   Mar-15-09 05:25 PM   #43 
  - I regard Jesus' ministry as a secular, political event, and unabashedly  saltpoint   Mar-15-09 05:25 PM   #44 
  - I'd settle for "I don't believe in whatever it is that anyone is referring to when s/he  patrice   Mar-15-09 05:57 PM   #47 
  - "When you think of church, do you think of steeples, crosses, and rows of pews"  ZombieHorde   Mar-15-09 06:25 PM   #51 
  - I am amused by how many people responded to the subject line  MedleyMisty   Mar-15-09 06:25 PM   #52 
  - maybe you didn't notice what it really said.. or insinuated  sam sarrha   Mar-15-09 09:24 PM   #61 
  - I don't quite understand your point.  Evoman   Mar-15-09 06:32 PM   #53 
  - Not this atheist.  MineralMan   Mar-15-09 07:44 PM   #57 
  - You're right, of course.  Why Syzygy   Mar-15-09 08:41 PM   #58 
  - What utter nonsense!  cosmik debris   Mar-16-09 05:59 AM   #67 
  - Well, he does have one point, albeit so poorly stated  Warpy   Apr-03-09 03:06 PM   #133 
  - I've found that people assume that all religions see deities in the same manner the big three do  Marrah_G   Mar-16-09 07:06 AM   #68 
  - I don't think one can assume...  Meshuga   Mar-17-09 06:40 AM   #78 
     - They generally do.  Marrah_G   Mar-17-09 07:51 AM   #80 
        - Right,  Meshuga   Mar-17-09 12:40 PM   #82 
  - Thank god for you shedding light on this.  Goblinmonger   Mar-16-09 12:01 PM   #71 
  - You are perfectly right, this is exactly what Nietzsche tell about Schopenhauer..  Sandrine for you   Mar-17-09 12:15 AM   #76 
  - It is easy to assume the God idea of the majority...  Meshuga   Mar-17-09 06:49 AM   #79 
  - Propagating fascist corporatism  agent46   Mar-17-09 08:14 AM   #81 
  - Although I find myself arguing against specifically Christian...  Silent3   Mar-17-09 02:42 PM   #85 
  - THere is an underlying condescention here that bothers me.  TZ   Mar-18-09 07:41 AM   #94 
  - Deleted message  Name removed   Mar-19-09 05:41 AM   #107 
  - "...and I respect their beliefs."  cosmik debris   Mar-19-09 06:21 AM   #108 
  - Pointing Out My Own Flaw  demwing   Mar-30-09 10:52 AM   #116 
  - Riiiiiiiight. You want to challenge peoples assumptions by making assumptions about them?  Random_Australian   Mar-30-09 03:49 PM   #117 
  - You missed the post just above you  demwing   Mar-30-09 04:40 PM   #118 
     - Yes, yes I did.  Random_Australian   Mar-31-09 02:52 AM   #122 
  - Yours is a semantical argument, and thoroughly unconvincing at that.  varkam   Mar-30-09 11:12 PM   #119 
  - Not so quick...  demwing   Mar-31-09 12:11 AM   #120 
     - .  varkam   Mar-31-09 01:36 PM   #127 
  - Completely incorrect. I am a Wiccan atheist  TechBear_Seattle   Mar-31-09 08:34 AM   #123 
  - Well you showed me!  demwing   Mar-31-09 09:34 AM   #124 
     - Nope. I was responding to  TechBear_Seattle   Mar-31-09 09:56 AM   #125 
        - And I apologize for that error in post #116  demwing   Mar-31-09 10:33 AM   #126 
        - Mostly, I was being snarky  TechBear_Seattle   Apr-01-09 08:00 AM   #129 
        - Even the so called "Judeo-Christian point of view" is a bit tricky  Meshuga   Mar-31-09 03:54 PM   #128 
           - Thank you for the interesting perspective  demwing   Apr-01-09 10:03 AM   #130 
              - Yes, I agree you are perhaps amplifying your point  Meshuga   Apr-04-09 08:43 AM   #134 
  - Even Atheists Follow the Christian God  and-justice-for-all   Apr-02-09 06:04 AM   #131 
 

Home » Discuss » Topic Forums » Religion/Theology Donate to DU

Powered by DCForum+ Version 1.1 Copyright 1997-2002 DCScripts.com
Software has been extensively modified by the DU administrators

Important Notices: By participating on this discussion board, visitors agree to abide by the rules outlined on our Rules page. Messages posted on the Democratic Underground Discussion Forums are the opinions of the individuals who post them, and do not necessarily represent the opinions of Democratic Underground, LLC.

Home  |  Discussion Forums  |  Journals |  Store  |  Donate

About DU  |  Contact Us  |  Privacy Policy

Got a message for Democratic Underground? Click here to send us a message.

© 2001 - 2011 Democratic Underground, LLC