SirStefan32

... according to your subjective standards...

Again, even social contract is based on religion, be it Christianity, Islam, Atheism, Hinduism or whatever else.

You can't just hide behind "Social Contract" to avoid God, because God is the essential part of that social contract.

__________________
"Don't try to threaten me Mulder! I've watched presidents die."

"If people would know the things I know, we'd all fall apart."

"Once again, tonight, the course of human history will be set by two unknown men standing in the shadows."

Cigarette Smoking Man

Strong Bad

Yes, there is something with Eskimos killing babies because morality is constant for all cultures throughout all time. What is different between cultures is convictions and or course behaviors.

Slavery was always an immoral practice. The morality of slavery did not change because one day someone woke up and decided it was a immoral practice. What is right and wrong is a constant. Behaviors, which are based on convictions change according to time and circumstance. Morality is not affected by circumstances.

The Eskimos in your example FEEL it is right to kill their babies for the preservation of their tribe. They place a higher value on adults then they do on the defenseless babies.

Pre-Civil War southern America FELT that it was right to treat people of a different color as property.

Our society FEELS that it is right to kill defenseless babies because they have yet to experience the birthing stage of life.

Convictions are about people FEEL is a right and a wrong. Morality is a constant throughout all cilivilization because it comes from a being (God) who has not changed.

Krangthebrain

Atheism isn't religion.

Nonbelief isn't the same as belief, they are opposites

__________________
“Somewhere a True Believer is training to kill you. He is training with minimum food or water, in austere conditions, day and night. The only thing clean on him is his weapon. He doesn’t worry about what workout to do—his rucksack weighs what it weighs, and he runs until the enemy stops chasing him. The True Believer doesn’t care ‘how hard it is’; he knows he either wins or he dies. He doesn’t go home at 1700; he is home. He knows only the ‘Cause.’ Now, who wants to quit?”

NCOIC of the Special Forces Assessment and Selection Course in a welcome speech to new SF candidates

On life after football: "I wouldn't mind being a sports commentator. Having my own segment, working for ESPN, my own talk show. Part time trainer. Part time car mechanic. Part time Sprint cell phone salesman. Part time car washman. Grocery store baggage man. Football coach. Model. Actress. Stripper. And I even have dreams of being the next crocodile hunter." - Darnell Dockett

Strong Bad

Absolutely disagree 100% ... religion is defined as a set of beliefs, values, and practices. Atheism is very much so a set of beliefs, values and practices.

Krangthebrain

Stefan, I think you might want to brush up on your definition of religion. Definitionally atheism cannot be considered a religion.


1. a. Belief in and reverence for a supernatural power or powers regarded as creator and governor of the universe.

b. A personal or institutionalized system grounded in such belief and worship.

3. The life or condition of a person in a religious order.

4. A set of beliefs, values, and practices based on the teachings of a spiritual leader.

5. A cause, principle, or activity pursued with zeal or conscientious devotion.

The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.

religion

n 1: a strong belief in a supernatural power or powers that control human destiny; "he lost his faith but not his morality" [syn: faith, religious belief] 2: institution to express belief in a divine power; "he was raised in the Baptist religion"; "a member of his own faith contradicted him" [syn: faith]


Source: WordNet ® 1.6, © 1997 Princeton University


As you can clearly see, with out a God, then a person has no religion.

__________________
“Somewhere a True Believer is training to kill you. He is training with minimum food or water, in austere conditions, day and night. The only thing clean on him is his weapon. He doesn’t worry about what workout to do—his rucksack weighs what it weighs, and he runs until the enemy stops chasing him. The True Believer doesn’t care ‘how hard it is’; he knows he either wins or he dies. He doesn’t go home at 1700; he is home. He knows only the ‘Cause.’ Now, who wants to quit?”

NCOIC of the Special Forces Assessment and Selection Course in a welcome speech to new SF candidates

On life after football: "I wouldn't mind being a sports commentator. Having my own segment, working for ESPN, my own talk show. Part time trainer. Part time car mechanic. Part time Sprint cell phone salesman. Part time car washman. Grocery store baggage man. Football coach. Model. Actress. Stripper. And I even have dreams of being the next crocodile hunter." - Darnell Dockett

Strong Bad

Webster's On-Line Dictionary:

Main Entry: re·li·gion

4 : a cause, principle, or system of beliefs held to with ardor and faith



Main Entry: athe·ism
2 a : a disbelief in the existence of deity b : the doctrine that there is no deity



Atheism is clearly a religion.

BTW the spiritual leader of atheism is oneself. Atheism is easily a set of beliefs, values, and practices based on teachings.

KingofCards

How does that state Atheism is a religion? From your definition Religion is a BELIEF, Atheism is a disbelief.

__________________
"Let the rabbits wear glasses."

Strong Bad

You are playing with words. In such a case christians can claim that their faith is the disbelief that there is no God. Atheism is the belief that there is no God. Rejecting the acceptance of God is still a set of beliefs, values, and practices based on teachings.

Krangthebrain

It's funny how some of the posters on this board twist words to fit their meanings.

Atheist DON'T have a set of beliefs (other than the nonexistance of God), practices/rituals, etc.

Every atheist I've ever known was completely different.

__________________
“Somewhere a True Believer is training to kill you. He is training with minimum food or water, in austere conditions, day and night. The only thing clean on him is his weapon. He doesn’t worry about what workout to do—his rucksack weighs what it weighs, and he runs until the enemy stops chasing him. The True Believer doesn’t care ‘how hard it is’; he knows he either wins or he dies. He doesn’t go home at 1700; he is home. He knows only the ‘Cause.’ Now, who wants to quit?”

NCOIC of the Special Forces Assessment and Selection Course in a welcome speech to new SF candidates

On life after football: "I wouldn't mind being a sports commentator. Having my own segment, working for ESPN, my own talk show. Part time trainer. Part time car mechanic. Part time Sprint cell phone salesman. Part time car washman. Grocery store baggage man. Football coach. Model. Actress. Stripper. And I even have dreams of being the next crocodile hunter." - Darnell Dockett

SirStefan32

Atheism is a set of beliefs, values, and practices, just like Christianity or Judaism are.

Perhaps it would be more accurate to say that atheism is a worldview, but saying that it is a religion is also accurate. I lived in Communism (based on atheism), and they worship losers like Charles Darwin, Engels, Marx, Tito etc. These people are their Gods, just like Yahveh is the God of the Jews and Christians.

__________________
"Don't try to threaten me Mulder! I've watched presidents die."

"If people would know the things I know, we'd all fall apart."

"Once again, tonight, the course of human history will be set by two unknown men standing in the shadows."

Cigarette Smoking Man

Krangthebrain

Huh?

No you are twisting the definition to fit your needs. Atheism cannot be defined as a religion because Atheists don't believe in a God.

You look up to Rush Limbaugh does that make conservativism a religion?

Nice try though, but wrong again.

__________________
“Somewhere a True Believer is training to kill you. He is training with minimum food or water, in austere conditions, day and night. The only thing clean on him is his weapon. He doesn’t worry about what workout to do—his rucksack weighs what it weighs, and he runs until the enemy stops chasing him. The True Believer doesn’t care ‘how hard it is’; he knows he either wins or he dies. He doesn’t go home at 1700; he is home. He knows only the ‘Cause.’ Now, who wants to quit?”

NCOIC of the Special Forces Assessment and Selection Course in a welcome speech to new SF candidates

On life after football: "I wouldn't mind being a sports commentator. Having my own segment, working for ESPN, my own talk show. Part time trainer. Part time car mechanic. Part time Sprint cell phone salesman. Part time car washman. Grocery store baggage man. Football coach. Model. Actress. Stripper. And I even have dreams of being the next crocodile hunter." - Darnell Dockett

SirStefan32

Atheism is not any different than Christianity. We believe in God the Father, Hesus Christ and the Holy Spirit, whereas atheists believe in Marx, Engels and Darwin.

Rush Limbaugh and I do not need another religion. We already have Christianity.

You are equivocating Krang.

__________________
"Don't try to threaten me Mulder! I've watched presidents die."

"If people would know the things I know, we'd all fall apart."

"Once again, tonight, the course of human history will be set by two unknown men standing in the shadows."

Cigarette Smoking Man

Dback Jon

Wow - came into this thread to discuss the Big Fat Idiot, but see this quickly degenerated into an all-purpose, pointless argument - which I guess is appropriate, since Rush is pointless himself.

For the record, Al Franken said it best, when he called Rush a Big Fat Idiot. As far as intellegence goes, he ranks right above blowfish in terms of brains, and his ditto-heads just beneath one

__________________



R.I.P Tim Minnick

The KING of Cards

Krangthebrain

Pzzzt....Most Atheists could give a rat's ass about Karl Marx, Friedrich Engles, and Charles Darwin.

I think you are confusing things Stefan. Every Atheist I know could careless what Marx said.

__________________
“Somewhere a True Believer is training to kill you. He is training with minimum food or water, in austere conditions, day and night. The only thing clean on him is his weapon. He doesn’t worry about what workout to do—his rucksack weighs what it weighs, and he runs until the enemy stops chasing him. The True Believer doesn’t care ‘how hard it is’; he knows he either wins or he dies. He doesn’t go home at 1700; he is home. He knows only the ‘Cause.’ Now, who wants to quit?”

NCOIC of the Special Forces Assessment and Selection Course in a welcome speech to new SF candidates

On life after football: "I wouldn't mind being a sports commentator. Having my own segment, working for ESPN, my own talk show. Part time trainer. Part time car mechanic. Part time Sprint cell phone salesman. Part time car washman. Grocery store baggage man. Football coach. Model. Actress. Stripper. And I even have dreams of being the next crocodile hunter." - Darnell Dockett

Krangthebrain

By the way Stefan I'm not dodging (equivocating) anything.

You my friend, must not understand Atheism. Atheism is the non-belief in God. There are no idols, no saints, no "messiah", just plain old human beings.

__________________
“Somewhere a True Believer is training to kill you. He is training with minimum food or water, in austere conditions, day and night. The only thing clean on him is his weapon. He doesn’t worry about what workout to do—his rucksack weighs what it weighs, and he runs until the enemy stops chasing him. The True Believer doesn’t care ‘how hard it is’; he knows he either wins or he dies. He doesn’t go home at 1700; he is home. He knows only the ‘Cause.’ Now, who wants to quit?”

NCOIC of the Special Forces Assessment and Selection Course in a welcome speech to new SF candidates

On life after football: "I wouldn't mind being a sports commentator. Having my own segment, working for ESPN, my own talk show. Part time trainer. Part time car mechanic. Part time Sprint cell phone salesman. Part time car washman. Grocery store baggage man. Football coach. Model. Actress. Stripper. And I even have dreams of being the next crocodile hunter." - Darnell Dockett