The concept of an afterlife is inhumane and immoral. Belief in the continuation of your "soul" or consciousness after death is wishful thinking. Belief in an afterlife devalues the one life that actually exists: this one.
Very nice perspective. I can't say I see life quite that way - I tend to feel a little more desperate to do everything in one life that I used to think I had many, many lives to accomplish - but it's a very positive worldview.
Please tell me that Dawkins has better stuff than this!!! Absolute rubbish. Well, I guess if you buy into his distortion of Biblical Christianity, then this clip isn't bad.. But based on his brief statements, I wonder if he has even cracked open a Bible, ever. Nor can I find anything that would suggest he did more than consult a dictionary, to gain his understanding of Christianity.
I found that to be fantastically inspirational - in no small part due to the fact that my intellectual move toward atheism has cost me so so so much wonderful inspiration that I had received from religion.
To be sure, atheism has its own joys and religion has its own pains, but inspiration is rather rare and unconvincing in the landscape of atheism while it's common, cherished and preached in the religious mindscape.
None of which makes it true.
In any event, the piece was inspirational n' all but hardly intellectually convincing. Spouting the worst interpretation of religion and the best possible intellectual and behavioral manifestation of atheism hardly seems like any sort of honest assessment of the matter.
Well said, Mnuez, for the most part, but I think you underestimate Dawkins ability to intellectually address theism. Remember that in these videos - indeed, in pretty much all of Dawkins work - he is tailoring his message to the general audience. Remember that he is a professor for the public understanding of science, which means he is paid to speak the language of the joe sixpacks, not the sciency geeky types (like us lol).
P.S. my closing claims of kinship are pronounced in jest (you'd be surprised how often ideologues mis-interpret jokes such as those)
Thanks for the clarification! Im an aspie, so I tend to take things literally, especially when its in text. Although from what I know of you I suspected it was sarcastic, I wasnt sure until I read the PS.
4 comments:
Very nice perspective. I can't say I see life quite that way - I tend to feel a little more desperate to do everything in one life that I used to think I had many, many lives to accomplish - but it's a very positive worldview.
Please tell me that Dawkins has better stuff than this!!! Absolute rubbish. Well, I guess if you buy into his distortion of Biblical Christianity, then this clip isn't bad.. But based on his brief statements, I wonder if he has even cracked open a Bible, ever. Nor can I find anything that would suggest he did more than consult a dictionary, to gain his understanding of Christianity.
Paul
I found that to be fantastically inspirational - in no small part due to the fact that my intellectual move toward atheism has cost me so so so much wonderful inspiration that I had received from religion.
To be sure, atheism has its own joys and religion has its own pains, but inspiration is rather rare and unconvincing in the landscape of atheism while it's common, cherished and preached in the religious mindscape.
None of which makes it true.
In any event, the piece was inspirational n' all but hardly intellectually convincing. Spouting the worst interpretation of religion and the best possible intellectual and behavioral manifestation of atheism hardly seems like any sort of honest assessment of the matter.
Cheers n' all (your brother in Christ),
mnuez
www.mnuez.blogspot.com
P.S. my closing claims of kinship are pronounced in jest (you'd be surprised how often ideologues mis-interpret jokes such as those)
Well said, Mnuez, for the most part, but I think you underestimate Dawkins ability to intellectually address theism. Remember that in these videos - indeed, in pretty much all of Dawkins work - he is tailoring his message to the general audience. Remember that he is a professor for the public understanding of science, which means he is paid to speak the language of the joe sixpacks, not the sciency geeky types (like us lol).
P.S. my closing claims of kinship are pronounced in jest (you'd be surprised how often ideologues mis-interpret jokes such as those)
Thanks for the clarification! Im an aspie, so I tend to take things literally, especially when its in text. Although from what I know of you I suspected it was sarcastic, I wasnt sure until I read the PS.
:)
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