08 May 13
1 edit
Originally posted by stellspalfiehardly, maybe the odd dead sheep, but no tramps and crack heads, I am North Glasgow, more Stirlingshire than Glasgow. You know, Stirling castle, Wallace monument, greatest concentration of Englishmen in Scotland, all six feet under the ground at Bannockburn (peace be upon it)
[b]I can drink the water from my local burn, running off the campsie hills, beautiful, clear, sparkling, oxygenated mineral water, can you?
only after you have scooped out the dead tramps and crack heads.
i can, its so posh around here even the sewers smell of pimms. although we did see a cow take an almighty poo in the river a few days ago, which would make me think twice.[/b]
08 May 13
Originally posted by robbie carrobieThe former.
so are you saying atheism is essentially behaviourally impotent? or that the designation atheism is so broad a term that to encompass any kind of general synopsis of behavioural traits associated with atheism, is impossible.
Does you lack of belief in Wodan for example have any effect on your behaviour?
08 May 13
1 edit
Originally posted by Proper Knobyou mean Odin is not real? what about the Mead of poetry? Is that also not real? I cannot believe that.
The former.
Does you lack of belief in Wodan for example have any effect on your behaviour?
the point is of course that your adoption of atheism must have some influence upon you, even if its to shape values.
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08 May 13
Originally posted by robbie carrobieits like asking if our lack of belief in a tooth fairy or father christmas has an influence on us. who we are and what we think influences what we believe regarding fairies rather than the other way around.
you mean Odin is not real? what about the Mead of poetry? Is that also not real? I cannot believe that.
the point is of course that your adoption of atheism must have some influence upon you, even if its to shape values.
08 May 13
Originally posted by stellspalfieWhat you believe has infuences on you regardless of how you came to believe what you do.
its like asking if our lack of belief in a tooth fairy or father christmas has an influence on us. who we are and what we think influences what we believe regarding fairies rather than the other way around.
The Instructor
08 May 13
2 edits
And what you don't believe does not have those influences.
I do not believe the Christian faith so I do not go to church, or pray to God, or live in fear of hellfire, etc
I do not believe in the Jewish faith so I do not go to synagog, or pray to Jehovah, or observe the Sabbath or have my children mutilated etc.
I do not believe in the Muslim faith so I do not pray to Allah in the direction of Mecca, fast for Ramadan, have my children mutilated, avoid pork, etc.
I do not believe in the Hindu faith so I do not do whatever it is that faith specifies (can you tell which ones I know most about?)
However,
I do believe that as a species we should try to live our lives as well as we can so I try to avoid causing emotional or physical harm etc. This is not driven by the fact that I don't believe in a god.
I do believe that as a society, we all benefit from pulling our weight so I happily pay my taxes, give money to charity, help out my neighbours etc. This is also not driven by the fact that I don't believe in a god.
My lack of belief in the supernatural defines some of the things that I do not do. It does not define what I do do.
As has been pointed out above, your lack of belief in Hinduism, Buddhism, Bahai, Rastafarianism, ancient Greek, Roman, Viking and Egyptian religions does not influence how you behave.
Does that help?
--- Penguin.
08 May 13
Originally posted by Penguinno, it does not tell the whole story, if you are atheistic, you are much more likely to have certain views, for example, acceptance of homosexuality as a valid and legitimate way of life, support for abortion, removal of Biblical insignia from coinage, civic buildings, the taking of a secular oath etc, clearly then these values have been formed and found definition by a rejection of the supernatural, is it not the case?
And what you don't believe does not have those influences.
I do not believe the Christian faith so I do not go to church, or pray, or live in fear of hellfire, etc
I do not believe in the Jewish faith so I do not go to synagog, or pray, or observe the Sabbath or have my children mutilated etc.
I do not believe in the Muslim faith so I do not pray to ...[text shortened]... do [b]not do. It does not define what I do do.
Does that help?
--- Penguin.[/b]
08 May 13
Originally posted by stellspalfiewhat do you mean the tooth fairy is not true? First Odin and now the tooth fairy? Mt dentist gives you your tooth in a little bag with a picture of the tooth fairy on it, what more proof do you need?
so what influences does not believing in the tooth fairy have on you?
But to answer your question, he doesn't put money under his pillow
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08 May 13
Originally posted by robbie carrobieno not at all. to a theist their belief in god is central to who they are. so many of their opinions stem from that belief. an atheists lack of belief is not central to the atheist its not at the core of who they are and therefore not the basis of their opinions.
no, it does not tell the whole story, if you are atheistic, you are much more likely to have certain views, for example, acceptance of homosexuality as a valid and legitimate way of life, support for abortion, removal of Biblical insignia from coinage, civic buildings, the taking of a secular oath etc, clearly then these values have been formed and found definition by a rejection of the supernatural, is it not the case?
if anything figuring out god doesnt exist comes at the end as part of the conclusion. so an person might look at the bible and think ;i disagree with a lot of this, it seems illogical' and then decide god doesnt exist.
08 May 13
Originally posted by stellspalfiebut i have provided examples of an atheistic outlook influencing values and in some instances actions.
no not at all. to a theist their belief in god is central to who they are. so many of their opinions stem from that belief. an atheists lack of belief is not central to the atheist its not at the core of who they are and therefore not the basis of their opinions.
if anything figuring out god doesnt exist comes at the end as part of the conclusion. s ...[text shortened]... and think ;i disagree with a lot of this, it seems illogical' and then decide god doesnt exist.
08 May 13
Originally posted by robbie carrobieI don't have time for a long reply since I am supposed to be working but essentially, although I agree that many of those things are correlated with atheism, they are not caused by atheism.
no, it does not tell the whole story, if you are atheistic, you are much more likely to have certain views, for example, acceptance of homosexuality as a valid and legitimate way of life, support for abortion, removal of Biblical insignia from coinage, civic buildings, the taking of a secular oath etc, clearly then these values have been formed and found definition by a rejection of the supernatural, is it not the case?
Correlation != Causation
On the other hand, praying in the direction of Mecca is directly caused by a belief in Islam.
--- Penguin.
08 May 13
Originally posted by Penguinhmmm, a get out of jail free card me thinks.
I don't have time for a long reply since I am supposed to be working but essentially, although I agree that many of those things are correlated with atheism, they are not caused by atheism.
Correlation != Causation
On the other hand, praying in the direction of Mecca is directly caused by a belief in Islam.
--- Penguin.