Who here is an atheist? How long have you been one?

[MikeWB]

I'm an atheist. I simply do not believe in a concept of an omnipotent God or some kind of a supreme being that watches over people. I also believe in evolution and also believe in a Big Bang (Big Bang is one of the most proven theories out there). First time I realized religion was bullshit was when I was 8 years old and started reading Bible. I couldn't believe grown people believed in that nonsense. My dad was a university professor and he taught me early how to think critically. I'm forever grateful to him for doing that and not lying to me. He told me that Santa doesn't exist and he replied honestly to every single question I ever asked him. He absolutely never lied to me. I remember when I was 6 I got really depressed after he acknowledged that I was gonna die. My mom was furious after I told her what dad told me. Looking back, he definitely did the right thing.

I believe that priests are crooks and that they're fleecing sheeple from their money and I also believe that vast majority of them don't believe in God (how else do you explain all the pedophilia) either and just think of it as a good way of making money & living.

I also don't believe there's any afterlife. Life is short, live it well! Don't expect to live in some fairy tale Heaven-like place.

I also don't believe in alien life explanation of UFOs. I do believe UFO experiences are real and I do believe that many people have seen strange things in the sky but I don't believe they're little green aliens.

Your turn!

[Ognir]

Quote:Life is short

Bingo Mike

[solar]

Quote:[...] Life is short, live it well! [...]

Thanks for initiating the thread, Mike W. B. ...

... and for sharing your personal perspective on atheism.

Given your personal perspective on atheism, what are your personal ethics ...

... and how did you evolve them within that perspective ?

Is there more to personal living than, "living well" ?

Thanks, again for stepping out and sharing your perspective !

[MikeWB]

Quote:

Quote:[...] Life is short, live it well! [...]

Thanks for initiating the thread, Mike W. B. ...

... and for sharing your personal perspective on atheism.

Given your personal perspective on atheism, what are your personal ethics ...

... and how did you evolve them within that perspective ?

Is there more to personal living than, "living well" ?

Thanks, again for stepping out and sharing your perspective !

What you are asking is: what is the basis of atheist morality and ethics. I have studied that issue for a very long time and the answer is a lot simpler and more honest than a religious one. I believe that empathy is basis of all morality. Morality did NOT come from religion... that was proven to be nonsense by so many people throughout the history (including St. Thomas Aquinas).

The truth is that morality has evolved. We're all born with most of the basics of morality. Tribes in remote areas of earth that have lived isolated and away from religion prove that point very well and you can see it for yourself. Human cooperation has evolved through millions of years and humans cooperate naturally. We naturally empathize with each other. We will go to the aid of the needy without ever being told since we all value human life and we all apply Golden Rule in one way or the other. Religion and Jesus did not come up with Golden Rule. Golden Rule has been part of humanity for thousands and thousands of years. We all have a sense of justice.

This is a good article that explains atheist morality: http://www.daylightatheism.org/2007/07/bas...s-morality.html

As for a higher purpose in life and the true meaning of life... there really is none. Purpose of life is to procreate and reproduce and propagate the species. Really, that's all there is to it. So when I say, live well, I mean that you should enjoy every moment that you have here and try to make a difference in the world to make it better and try as much as you can to eliminate the pain and suffering and hope that you get the same respect from others around you.

And yes, we are all going to die. And no, you will not see your grandparents & dead parents & loved ones in afterlife. Concept of afterlife was invented as a coping mechanism and religious idiots have also invented a concept of Hell to try to keep people afraid. Relifion is a mind control mechanism that feudal lords and other masters/elites used for hundreds of years to keep populace subdued and to keep them working for them.

If you really want to know how mdern control through religon works, read some works by Strauss. He's the father of neocons. All necons are atheists but they believe that regular people should be religious to keep them in line and keep them being afraid of something so that they can rule over them as 'the God's chosen ones.'

Really, the truth is quite apparent and thr truth was known for thousands of years. The first person that we know of that spelled out the truth was Plato. In his works (read The Republic) he explained exactly how to control the population by telling them a "noble lie". Even he wrote down that there is no Gods but that the concept of Gods is an excellent way of cotrolling the masses. Numerous others have written down the same thing throghout the centuries.

These days, it's easier than ever to control the people since the populace is so purposely dumbed down. It's a sad world we live in.


The Noble Lie... first described by Plato:

Quote:In "The Republic," Plato described a city whose inhabitant were
organized into categories: The Rulers, Auxiliaries, Farmers, etc. The
Rulers, he said, would be chosen from the military elite (called
Guardians) because they were good at shepherding and caring for the
interest of the community. The Auxiliaries would be Guardians in
training.

The Rulers, Plato said, must tell the people of the city “The Noble
Lie“--that the categories of Rules, Auxiliaries, Farmers, etc. was not
due to circumstances within the people's control, upbringing, or
education, but because of God's intervention. God, the Lie went, had
put gold, silver, and iron into each person’s soul, and those metals
determined where a person's station was in life was.

The Rulers told the people of the city that if their own children were
found with bronze or iron in their soul, the child would drop down the
ranks accordingly. And if a farmer’s child was born with gold in his
soul, he would rise up to the Guardian level. The Rulers also said,
people had different metals in their bloodstream, and therefore could
not intermarry.

The Lie is necessary, Plato argues, in order to keep a stable social
structure. In Plato’s mind, The Noble Lie is a religious lie that’s
fed to the masses to keep them under control and happy with their
situation in life.

Plato did not believe most people were smart enough to look after
their own and society’s best interest. The few smart people of the
world needed to lead the rest of the flock, Plato said. And The Noble
Lie had to continue.

I also recommend you read this:

http://www.informationclearinghouse.info...le5010.htm

And finally, I think that Carlin said in a way that even the dumbest can "get":

Quote:In the Bullshit Department, a businessman can't hold a candle to a clergyman. 'Cause I gotta tell you the truth, folks. When it comes to bullshit, big-time, major league bullshit, you have to stand in awe of the all-time champion of false promises and exaggerated claims: religion. No contest. No contest. Religion. Religion easily has the greatest bullshit story ever told.
Think about it. Religion has actually convinced people that there's an invisible man -- living in the sky -- who watches everything you do, every minute of every day. And the invisible man has a special list of ten things he does not want you to do. And if you do any of these ten things, he has a special place, full of fire and smoke and burning and torture and anguish, where he will send you to live and suffer and burn and choke and scream and cry forever and ever 'til the end of time!
But He loves you.
He loves you, and He needs money! He always needs money! He's all-powerful, all-perfect, all-knowing, and all-wise, somehow just can't handle money! Religion takes in billions of dollars, they pay no taxes, and they always need a little more. Now, you talk about a good bullshit story. Holy Shit!
-- George Carlin Politically Incorrect, May 29, 1997

[Guest]

I was one...

[MC David]

I'm not one thank God :biggrin:

[deathstickboy]

I'm not an atheist either, but since there is already some George Carlin in this thread, I'll add a little more.
The 10 Commandments:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9CitfTtMIx8

[psilocybin]

I am one. I now call myself a radical atheist just so I don't get any agnostic questions.

My family was never religious, but my grandmother was catholic and I was dealing with that for a little while. I ate a bunch of LSD when I was 14 and never turned back.

[FighterFromAfar]

I consider myself very much a Pantheist/Deist, and value highly the philosophy of Nietzsche, Plato, Gurdjieff, Ouspensky, and Mouravieff, as well as Gnostic Christianity, Sufi Islam, Kabbalistic Judaism, Tibetan Buddhism, Hinduism, Astrology, and any form of philosophy or spirituality that gets to the very heart of why we are here on Earth, in this reality: to learn and grow, and eventually graduate to a higher level of consciousness; achieving "Nirvana" or "transcending".

I also believe that the next few years will be a very momentous occasion in terms of seeing many, many individuals achieve this higher consciousness, with the coming of a certain gravitational wave around December 2012.

[Dr.Druid]

I'm not Atheist, though I don't believe in Jesus or anything else that comes from someone supposedly wiser and higher.

We are all concious beings and that is enough proof that there is more than this when my body dies.

The big bang theory or evolution doesn't disprove anything, afterall thats just a process.

Whatever you believe is your right, and I respect your perspective.

[TraxusIV]

Quote:I consider myself very much a Pantheist/Deist, and value highly the philosophy of Nietzsche, Plato

How do your Nietzsche and Plato philosophies fit together?

[Cycle of Eternity]

I believe it's no one's business what others believe or why they do.

[Nyte]

Im an atheist
ive been one all my life

I thought the idea of god was always stupid

[lovelyk]

Quote:I simply do not believe in a concept of an omnipotent God or some kind of a supreme being that watches over people

Ego!

[Blackthor]

Question? Doesn't that go hand in hand? Atheist=believe in evolution / believe in evolution=atheist?