I have a new cause. It may not seem overly important but it is becoming my pet project and it was in know way a conscious decision to take this on but it is a thing that has always kind of bugged me so I am going to mention it when it happens. I always come across atheists who say things like I became an atheist at the age of 7 or 11 or 25 or even 40. While this may seem like a valid statement and it correctly implies that the believer has likely given up on a faith based life because of rational thought; here is what bugs me. This statement puts atheism in the position of choice; it implies that you have always believed because that is the natural state and after much time you have chosen to abandon those beliefs. You made a choice to be an atheist. This is wrong, you made a choice to be a believer or in many cases the choice was made for you through indoctrination. The fact is atheism is the natural state. Atheist is how you w ... Read More »
I have a new cause. It may not seem overly important but it is becoming my pet project and it was in know way a conscious decision to take this on but it is a thing that has always kind of bugged me so I am going to mention it when it happens.
I always come across atheists who say things like I became an atheist at the age of 7 or 11 or 25 or even 40. While this may seem like a valid statement and it correctly implies that the believer has likely given up on a faith based life because of rational thought; here is what bugs me. This statement puts atheism in the position of choice; it implies that you have always believed because that is the natural state and after much time you have chosen to abandon those beliefs. You made a choice to be an atheist. This is wrong, you made a choice to be a believer or in many cases the choice was made for you through indoctrination. The fact is atheism is the natural state. Atheist is how you w ...
Ben Stein talks nonsense on Bill O'Reilly. Read More »
Ben Stein talks nonsense on Bill O'Reilly.
So, let me make my somewhat seditious proposal explicit: We should not call ourselves “atheists.” We should not call ourselves “secularists.” We should not call ourselves “humanists,” or “secular humanists,” or “naturalists,” or “skeptics,” or “anti-theists,” or “rationalists,” or “freethinkers,” or “brights.” We should not call ourselves anything. We should go under the radar—for the rest of our lives. And while there, we should be decent, responsible people who destroy bad ideas wherever we find them. -Sam Harris Recent comments by Sam Harris have made for much discussion in the atheist bloging community. I am wondering what Secular Earth members position is on this. Where I stand currently (and I am a Sam Harris fan) is against his position. I could be persuaded howev ... Read More »
So, let me make my somewhat seditious proposal explicit: We should not call ourselves “atheists.” We should not call ourselves “secularists.” We should not call ourselves “humanists,” or “secular humanists,” or “naturalists,” or “skeptics,” or “anti-theists,” or “rationalists,” or “freethinkers,” or “brights.” We should not call ourselves anything. We should go under the radar—for the rest of our lives. And while there, we should be decent, responsible people who destroy bad ideas wherever we find them. -Sam Harris
Recent comments by Sam Harris have made for much discussion in the atheist bloging community. I am wondering what Secular Earth members position is on this. Where I stand currently (and I am a Sam Harris fan) is against his position. I could be persuaded howev ...
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