Modern Day Sweden is the most atheistic country in the world with conservative estimates placing 85% of the nation in the non believer sphere
and you would be wrong…the have no gods…no ghosts…no spirits(in what we think of ie immaterial beings) they only care about things they can see and have no time for things you have not personally seen or heard of from a first hand observer.
Sweden as i mentioned is the best example
How would you like it if someone stole from you?
How would you like it if someone cheated you?
How would you like it if someone murdered your family?
“Moral authority”.
You see a cause effect relationship between the number of “non believers” in Sweden and its current success?Modern Day Sweden is the most atheistic country in the world with conservative estimates placing 85% of the nation in the non believer sphere
with one of the most highly developed welfare states in the world…and the 4th most competitive economy in the world…Sweden would be a great place to live and ranks #1 as what foreign country Id retire in if i could
Sorry, but “Do as you would be done to” is a religious precept. The natural person, unguided by Scripture or religion knows of no such idea.
I can take steps to protect myself from others. But I’d come out much better by preying on others. Basically, survival of the fittest is the basis of one kind of morality. It’s how people like Stalin justify preying on others. But it is a moral position with a logical basis.How would you like it if someone stole from you?How would you like it if someone cheated you?How would you like it if someone murdered your family?
See? I didn’t have to invoke the supernatural. Also, that is a much better and healthier teaching approach than - “Because God says so. Its right here in the Bible and Church teachings.” That method is third removed. It doesn’t mean anything if it’s not on it’s own accord.
“Moral authority”.
That deserves it’s own thread.
Says who? Your religion? Well, that’s incorrect, imo. Sorry.
If you say so.The natural person, unguided by Scripture or religion knows of no such idea.
really? cause my data comes from a guy who lived with this tribe for 5 years…wheres yours come from?
Actually, I think Orangutans may be more altruistic than humans. I’d be careful around chimps though. Anyway, without taking sides, I would have to say that you are pretty correct on this point. Like other animals, humans develop social codes according to the needs of the group. Of course when I once pointed out that human groups tend to act a lot like dog packs I got accused of saying that humans were best compared to dogs. I was only pointing out that social structures emerge among species in accordance with and in reaction to needs, physiology and environment. That said, I have serious questions about whether the current social structures employed by the human race will afford us survival as a species long term. The history of our civilizations are relatively brief in comparison to other primate and animal social structures, and the divisions mandated by these conventions have been and continue to be alarming from a survival perspective.
Morality existed before religions, an atheist can have morals, human values, this is man’s nature good and bad it’s up to us to choose. atheism is not a religion, so no god, no founder, no holy book and list of 10 commandments, just social values. Ethics. We evolve by time
Do you have any evidence to support this assertion?
Sure they can, did anyone claim otherwise?
No it is not a religion but it is definitely a belief system based on faith in an unprovable hypothesis.
Why? What is it about atheism that has led you to determine that something has social value or is ethical?
You believe our social values and ethics are a result of evolution? Do you have an example of this happening?
Evidence?
First humans born believing in no gods, they had no scientific knowledge about existence then they invented religions, myths, superstitions and spiritual answers.Evidence?
Most anthropologists would disagree. I am under the impression that atheism is actually a very recent development in human history.
The first humans buried their dead, made art, and used rituals; these are all spiritual activities - they knew of a realm beyond the present moment and beyond the merely experiential.
I think you should just be open with your kids. Don’t lie to them and say you believe in something that you don’t. Explain your beliefs, explain your husband’s beliefs, and leave it at that. I am sure they will ask all sorts of questions about it and you can just answer them truthfully. Everything else will fall into place, whether they become Catholic, atheist, or even something else.Hello there. First of all, I am an atheist (self-proclaimed although human & therefore occasionally doubtful).
I was born & raised Catholic; my birth parents went specifically out of their way to make certain that I would be adopted & raised Catholic. I was Catholic until I was about 16. I went through a very rough time & I witnessed some very terrible things caused by “devout Catholics” & was completely turned off against the Catholic church, & eventually against the idea of God.
My fiancé & I are getting married in January. He’s a Catholic & although he’s not extremely religious, he believes & was a bit touchy against my beliefs for awhile (I was Catholic & strongly believing when I met him). He wanted to get married in the Catholic church, but due to us moving in together & moving our wedding date up a year, we couldn’t go through with the process in four months.
One of the biggest concerns we have right now is raising children. As children, we both attended mass regularly with our parents, & I have to admit it was comforting to me to have something whole & united like that community growing up, & I really did believe strongly in God & Jesus when I was younger. That belief helped me through my grandparents’, father’s, & best friend’s death, & MANY other hard nights for many years. I remember feeling at peace & very much happy, as opposed to the cynical, “jaded” way I view life today
Well, our concern is how to raise our children. I don’t believe in any of the religious ideas, but my fiancé really does & he’s very adamant about raising our children Catholic. When I argued that our children should be able to decide for themselves from a neutral ground, he argued that they should be raised Catholic & stray from the church if that’s what they choose.
Does anyone have any advice (perhaps from experiences or anything) on what the best option is? Although I still do wonder/sort of believe there might be a god, I don’t believe enough to raise my child that way. What is the best option for our child when my fiancé really does believe?
I am a fellow college student as well so I guess I could give you some perspective.Why do I not believe in God, I think I posted about that earlier. Now the terrible acts - first of all, priests molesting little boys would be one, priests driving Hummers with $300,000 rims while parishioners struggle to feed their families, Catholics who judge those who are homosexual, mentally handicapped, or less wealthy than they are - and by judge I mean doing everything in their power to oppress these people and mentally abuse them. If you’re supposed to live by the way Jesus lived, (& I get that people are sinners), and you claim that you are better than me because you are “touched by the holy spirit”, how can you refuse to help those that are in need, mentally, emotionally, and physically? These “devout” priests & followers are so unwilling to help those who are less fortunate, unless of course the less fortunate offer something for them in return. Is that the way God taught to live? Willing to watch someone else suffer for the sake of amusement simply because they aren’t as “perfect”? I understand completely that the Church is made up of sinners, but the leaders should at least be in somewhat of a leading position. Catholics especially seem to “forget” the atrocities committed by the church then expect people to take them seriously. There are countless number of crimes committed against humanity and against God.
When I was in high school, a student was EXPELLED from school for stating that he didn’t believe the Bible was 100% historically acurate. Expelled for disagreeing? I thought God wanted us to accept everyone, not just those who agree with everything said to them. Another student was put on suspension for reading The DaVinci Code. If you are secure in your faith, reading something like that or watching a movie like that isn’t going to threaten your beliefs. How can people be expected to be secure with their faith in God if they can’t expose themselves to anything that might contradict the faith?
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Unfortunately (for him?), we are both college students & love to debate events & beliefs with each other & we aren’t as different in our beliefs as you might think. He’s Catholic but only because his mother is so strong in her beliefs. In our debates, he has begun to doubt the existence of God & he may not be atheist but he isn’t a strong Catholic. I never tried to convert him; we just argued our faiths & he started doubting his own. Our only opposition is that he wants to raise our children Catholic, even if we don’t necessarily believe in it. Of course, he has more faith than I do (he does believe there is God out there) but he isn’t a devout, judge-anyone-who-doesn’t-believe-like-me follower, and therefore religion isn’t that big of an issue between us. If anything, we help each other learn about our own beliefs in the process.