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All I can say is that I respect atheists in real life in the sense that they disapprove of organized religion, just like do in many ways.
But we will just have to agree to disagree. Neither side can change how they see reality just by argument alone.
I'm not trying to change anyone's mind. I don't care if you are a theist or an atheist, I care if you are honest. I don't think you are. There are too many theists on these forums who I am sure believe what they post that I will not spend more time on someone I do not think does that.
As far as what you do in real life, I really don't care as all you have shown here is that you box people into rigid categories and fail to listen to what they say.
I'm a Liberal Theist or some would say maybe an Agnostic Theist. Some atheists label all people like me as Agnostic. What exactly do you think that I am?
IMO, this poster is trying desperately to hold on to theism. I definitely don't believe that s/he is as neutral on the subject as s/he thinks s/he is.
He's definitely not neutral. I, too, feel he thrashes around for something to grasp on to, and bold as he tries to sound, in reality he knows that he is not changing anyone's views here about atheism -vs- religion.
He's definitely not neutral. I, too, feel he thrashes around for something to grasp on to, and bold as he tries to sound, in reality he knows that he is not changing anyone's views here about atheism -vs- religion.
True. But that doesn't mean that atheism has any basis in reasoning. It's psychological.
True. But that doesn't mean that atheism has any basis in reasoning. It's psychological.
Atheism means exactly one thing. No belief in any (G)god(s). Everything else is incidental, and probably individualistic. Some of them like Bach, and some like Bartok. It is irrelevant to their atheism.
In brief - he says that the different versions of god arise from different diagnoses of the human condition, and what their god worries about is a result of the diagnosis.
"From the Back Cover
In the twenty-first century, religion remains the single greatest influence in the world. But, argues religion scholar Stephen Prothero, persistent attempts to portray all religions as different paths to the same God overlook the distinct human problem that each seeks to solve. For example:
Islam: the problem is pride / the solution is submission
Christianity: the problem is sin / the solution is salvation
Buddhism: the problem is suffering / the solution is awakening
Judaism: the problem is exile / the solution is to return to God
God Is Not One is an indispensable guide to the questions human beings have asked for millennia—and to the disparate paths we are taking to answer them today."
Well, there's four reasons not to buy the book right there. The guy is clueless.
Buddhism isn't a religion, it's a philosophy, just like Confucianism. It has no god, no cosmogony and no eschatology. You don't pray to Buddha, you pray with Buddha, and you don't even pray with Buddha, you meditate with Buddha, as a reminder that if one person can achieve nirvana, then so can others.
And, awakening is not the solution. All life is sorrowful, because of hedonism or abstinence, and the secret is "to walk the middle path" between the two.
With respect to Judaism, "the problem is exile" is purely 100% Jeremiah's viewpoint. That is most certainly not the view of the Latter Prophets, who emphasize taking care of widows, orphans and the sick, rather than loyalty to Yahweh. It most certainly is not the view of earlier prophets like Isaiah and Ezekiel. It is also not the view of E, J or P (Jeremiah is both D and R, although others redacted later, especially for the Septuagint).
And for christianity, the solution is not salvation. You're already saved, but only if you sell everything you have and give the money to the poor, or give away everything you have to the poor, or hate your parents, or be like the wind, or be born again, or drink the blood of Jesus and eat the body of Jesus, or whatever was going through the mind of Jesus when asked the question, because Jesus was never really clear on the concept.
Well, there's four reasons not to buy the book right there. The guy is clueless.
Buddhism isn't a religion, it's a philosophy, just like Confucianism. It has no god, no cosmogony and no eschatology. You don't pray to Buddha, you pray with Buddha, and you don't even pray with Buddha, you meditate with Buddha, as a reminder that if one person can achieve nirvana, then so can others.
And, awakening is not the solution. All life is sorrowful, because of hedonism or abstinence, and the secret is "to walk the middle path" between the two.
...
Mircea, even among Buddhists -- and I am one -- one of the hottest debates is whether Buddhism is a religion or a philosophy. There's a Buddhist forum I used to (and occasionally still do) participate in, and that very question came up fairly often would get discussed to death. You're right that it has no cosmogony since it really deals with only one topic -- the reduction or elimination of suffering. As far as eschatology, Buddhism is concerned with death since part of the topic is about rebirth, and judgment since there are multiple Buddhist heavens and multiple Buddhist hells, and there is a continuing discussion/debate.argument about whether there is a soul (though it is looks different than the christian concept of a soul), and whether that goes on to the next rebirth if one does not achieve nibanna. You act as if these matters are set in stone...well, considering all the debate I've seen in the topics -- by Buddhists -- they're not. And part of whether or not Buddhist is a philosophy or a religion comes down to how the individual treats being a Buddhist. I've talked with many Thai Buddhists who admit they pray...and I've watched them. They think meditating with Buddha may get them the winning lottery ticket or a cure for cancer or whatever. Perhaps you need to Google "Is Buddhism a religion or a philosophy" and start reading some of the articles you'll find, including this good example of a debate on the topic (Is Buddhism a religion? | Debate.org), although there are literally thousands of other sites where it is clearly not a settled topic.
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