I CAN ACCEPT SOMETHING THAT MAKES SENSE AND I CAN ACCEPT SOMETHING THAT EITHER HAS EMPIRICAL EVIDENCE OR WORKS IN PRACTICE.
I CANNOT BELIEVE SOMETHING THAT NEITHER MAKES SENSE NOR HAS EMPIRICAL EVIDENCE.
I was challenged in a FaceBook group recently to discuss a series of points pertaining to religion, atheism and the philosophical bases of each.
Unlike the majority of these requests, things like
“Give me scientific proof that you’re an atheist”
which are too ridiculous to bother making a video about but this one was different. This demonstrated an intelligent approach apparently genuine issues that my interlocutor actually seemed to be serious about – and not just another theist troll.
I’m an atheist. That doesn’t mean that I claim to know the answers to life, the universe and everything.
I’m an atheist. That doesn’t mean that I claim to know the answers to life, the universe and everything. It simply means that I don’t believe such answers, should they exist, would involve a God or Gods. That’s because I don’t believe in any God or Gods.
If you want to know about my actual worldview, philosophy or ideology you will need to ask me because, frankly my atheism doesn’t explain anything more than is contained in the first paragraph above.
From my perspective those who preach or prosyletise about Gods fall into one of 3 categories. They are either…
Either way they’re not fit to lead.
This is the day
When God botherers say
That their Master arrived
To enslave all he spied
It’s Christmas Day
And come what may
You’d better be merry
And break out the sherry
‘Cause this is the day
When God botherers say
That their Master arrived
To enslave all he spied
No escape, those who tried
Will be punished soon after they’ve died.
Twas the night before Christmas,
And all through the church,
The faithful were gathering,
And praying in search,
Of some mystical moment,
Remembering the birth…
Twas the night before Christmas,
And all through the church,
The faithful were gathering,
And praying in search,
Of some mystical moment,
Remembering the birth…
Nick Cowan is a creationist who also understands the principles of science. He’s a retired UK chemistry teacher who also taught creationism to the same state school pupils in his A level general studies class. I asked him how this could possibly make sense. What followed was a passionate but genial conversation between two people who hold diametrically opposing views.
Your religion has rules,
OK follow those too,
But know that they only apply to you.
Go ahead, do your thing,
It’s no skin off my nose,
Until you start claiming,
Your Holy book knows,
How others should live,
And you start to impose,
Your rules and your hatred,
Then we become foes.
Your moral compass points right back to the bronze age!
There is no such thing as Christian morality in any meaningful sense. Rather there’s a list of ancient rules, many of which make no sense at all in the modern world.
God is not a good role model
There is no more abusive character than the Abrahamic God than in the whole of fiction.
Asserting that religion is mental illness is unethical, unreasonable and extremely arrogant!
I recently found myself talking to another atheist online.
This person began by asserting that religious belief is a mental illness. In fairness to him he did climb down from that very generalised position after a while but I know that many others are just as dismissive of their fellow men and women. Many theists think the same of all atheists and that’s just as silly.
In this video though my focus is on the general irrationality of all humans and how that is factored into the diagnostic process. My view is that all such assertions are unethical, unreasonable and extremely arrogant.
What do you think?
Let me know in the comments. And don’t forget to subscribe and share!
My discussion about faith, atheism, mental health, evolution and nursing with Robert Shaw
The Unshaw podcast discusses faith, atheism, religiosity and a whole lot more besides. In this episode Robert Shaw (no, not THAT Robert Shaw) and I discuss mental health, faith and deconversion, politics and even evolutionary psychology.
Visit the Unshaw podcast and have a listen. Go on … you know you want to!
The God free guide 