Atheism is losing popularity because it won’t own it’s own sins

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Sigh. You view atheism as a belief system, and you want to compare it to your own belief system. You think it's a battle between belief systems for subscribers. Like people choose between Christianity and atheism the way they choose between Netflix and Hulu.

No.

It's more like Christianity is Netflix, Hulu is Islam, Max is Judaism, the Criterion Collection is Buddhism. And atheism is throwing out your TV.

Of course faith has an appeal, even to those who have lived without it. Especially to those who have lived without it. Religion also offers community and people crave that. But religions themselves don't always work within a person's life. It is normal for people to lose faith but then become curious about it again. It's easy to be a skeptic at 22, and it's easier to be a believer at 62.

I think Jews get it right because they support people in losing their faith within the religion. You can tell your own rabbi "I don't believe," and it's fine, you're still Jewish and nothing changes. The religion is about more than just faith, which can be hard to sustain.

Anyway, you are fighting over something that just doesn't work that way. No one is converting to atheism. They just lose faith.

It's kind of tiresome. When one thread about athiesm dies down, another one pops up. It seems like someone is just begging for someone to argue with them. I have no idea if some are from the same poster or not, but holy crap get over it. Athiests are not coming after your Christian lifestyle. A lot (if not most) really don't give a damn.

Maybe it's someone who is losing their faith and is struggling with it. It's tough to learn that everything you've believed for decades is BS.

No, my faith has remained stable, and grows even in times of hardship and sadness on earth because I have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. I am grateful for the life He has given to me. No one can be taught to have a relationship with God. It’s something you come to on a personal level.

People are taught religion, but religion is not what people should center their life on-it’s their personal belief in Christ that brings joy and peace. Religion doesn’t always bring peace. God does.

I wonder what He thinks about You obsessing over atheism. On a Sunday morning.

He loves me- and you.

Which is exactly why he stays hidden while children die. Makes perfect sense.

And the atheists who killed 100+ million of their own people are completely ignored by you and other atheists because?

Men kill children, not God.

Why can’t men stop killing children? They have a moral code inside them they should be able to follow?

Atheists claim they can choose right from wrong- is that just atheists, but not all humans?

Can’t atheists show the rest of humanity how to be good and moral? It’s really needed.

Maybe write some books or open some atheist centers that can teach these things to other humans. Why are not helping humanity become better?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Where is the evidence that "atheism is losing popularity" when we know that the "nones" continue to grow every year?

The author claims just because people leave religion doesn’t mean they stop believing in something.

He claims a lot of people have been disenchanted by the new atheist movement and are re-examining religion. The author has multiple articles on this issue.

So there is no actual evidence atheism is losing its popularity? It's all just one guy's opinion?

New Atheism, the Four Horseman, etc.

The guy is specifically speaking to New Atheism.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Sigh. You view atheism as a belief system, and you want to compare it to your own belief system. You think it's a battle between belief systems for subscribers. Like people choose between Christianity and atheism the way they choose between Netflix and Hulu.

No.

It's more like Christianity is Netflix, Hulu is Islam, Max is Judaism, the Criterion Collection is Buddhism. And atheism is throwing out your TV.

Of course faith has an appeal, even to those who have lived without it. Especially to those who have lived without it. Religion also offers community and people crave that. But religions themselves don't always work within a person's life. It is normal for people to lose faith but then become curious about it again. It's easy to be a skeptic at 22, and it's easier to be a believer at 62.

I think Jews get it right because they support people in losing their faith within the religion. You can tell your own rabbi "I don't believe," and it's fine, you're still Jewish and nothing changes. The religion is about more than just faith, which can be hard to sustain.

Anyway, you are fighting over something that just doesn't work that way. No one is converting to atheism. They just lose faith.

It's kind of tiresome. When one thread about athiesm dies down, another one pops up. It seems like someone is just begging for someone to argue with them. I have no idea if some are from the same poster or not, but holy crap get over it. Athiests are not coming after your Christian lifestyle. A lot (if not most) really don't give a damn.

Maybe it's someone who is losing their faith and is struggling with it. It's tough to learn that everything you've believed for decades is BS.

No, my faith has remained stable, and grows even in times of hardship and sadness on earth because I have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. I am grateful for the life He has given to me. No one can be taught to have a relationship with God. It’s something you come to on a personal level.

People are taught religion, but religion is not what people should center their life on-it’s their personal belief in Christ that brings joy and peace. Religion doesn’t always bring peace. God does.

I wonder what He thinks about You obsessing over atheism. On a Sunday morning.

He loves me- and you.

Which is exactly why he stays hidden while children die. Makes perfect sense.

And the atheists who killed 100+ million of their own people are completely ignored by you and other atheists because?

Men kill children, not God.

Why can’t men stop killing children? They have a moral code inside them they should be able to follow?

Atheists claim they can choose right from wrong- is that just atheists, but not all humans?

Can’t atheists show the rest of humanity how to be good and moral? It’s really needed.

Maybe write some books or open some atheist centers that can teach these things to other humans. Why are not helping humanity become better?

This is the same BS point as in the OP. It’s a complete fallacy. None of those things were done in the name of atheism.

Just in the same way, the crusades were not done in the name of not believing in Vishnu.

You are the one who believes in something that should be different if it was moral. It’s the classic problem of evil. It’s one of the great realizations and reasons to not believe in an omnipotent god. Because you realize that if he did exist, he would be horrible and that is contradictory. So must not be true.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Where is the evidence that "atheism is losing popularity" when we know that the "nones" continue to grow every year?

The author claims just because people leave religion doesn’t mean they stop believing in something.

He claims a lot of people have been disenchanted by the new atheist movement and are re-examining religion. The author has multiple articles on this issue.

So there is no actual evidence atheism is losing its popularity? It's all just one guy's opinion?

Brierley’s new book, The Surprising Rebirth of Belief in God: Why the New Atheism Grew Old and Secular Thinkers Are Considering Christianity Again, is part of a new wave of tomes about how secular thinkers found their way to belief in God through reading criticism of Richard Dawkins.

The “four horsemen of the atheist apocalypse,” Dawkins, Christopher Hitchens, Sam Harris, and Daniel Dennett were popular from about 2000 to 2010 but have fallen out of vogue since then.

The new atheism arose because of a perfect storm of events: ongoing American fundamentalist criticism of evolution, which in some cases resulted in a ban of the scientific theory being taught in schools; ongoing aggression by religious evangelists who considered atheists to be either evil or stupid; the 9/11 attack on the World Trade Center buildings by fundamentalist Muslims; and sex scandals perpetrated by priests and covered up by bishops.

The new atheism came to be seen as deeply flawed for two main reasons. First, they cherry-picked their approach to religion, by focusing on the worst aspects of religion. Their simplistic approach to religious faith failed to take into account all the good religions have done for centuries, providing billions of people with deep meaning in their lives, pastoral care during hard times, and building charities, hospitals, schools, and universities around the world.

Secondly, they failed to apply their critical standards to themselves. They have not examined the shadow side of atheism, for example atheist political regimes in Soviet Russia and Communist China that slaughtered millions of people. They have not owned their own sin.

This book is about New Atheism.

[Anonymous]

Ethics and morals and the philosophies driving them have been the subject of thinkers since before the birth of Christ. See Socrates and virtue ethics. Some of you act like humans had no sense of right and wrong before Christianity.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Sigh. You view atheism as a belief system, and you want to compare it to your own belief system. You think it's a battle between belief systems for subscribers. Like people choose between Christianity and atheism the way they choose between Netflix and Hulu.

No.

It's more like Christianity is Netflix, Hulu is Islam, Max is Judaism, the Criterion Collection is Buddhism. And atheism is throwing out your TV.

Of course faith has an appeal, even to those who have lived without it. Especially to those who have lived without it. Religion also offers community and people crave that. But religions themselves don't always work within a person's life. It is normal for people to lose faith but then become curious about it again. It's easy to be a skeptic at 22, and it's easier to be a believer at 62.

I think Jews get it right because they support people in losing their faith within the religion. You can tell your own rabbi "I don't believe," and it's fine, you're still Jewish and nothing changes. The religion is about more than just faith, which can be hard to sustain.

Anyway, you are fighting over something that just doesn't work that way. No one is converting to atheism. They just lose faith.

It's kind of tiresome. When one thread about athiesm dies down, another one pops up. It seems like someone is just begging for someone to argue with them. I have no idea if some are from the same poster or not, but holy crap get over it. Athiests are not coming after your Christian lifestyle. A lot (if not most) really don't give a damn.

Maybe it's someone who is losing their faith and is struggling with it. It's tough to learn that everything you've believed for decades is BS.

No, my faith has remained stable, and grows even in times of hardship and sadness on earth because I have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. I am grateful for the life He has given to me. No one can be taught to have a relationship with God. It’s something you come to on a personal level.

People are taught religion, but religion is not what people should center their life on-it’s their personal belief in Christ that brings joy and peace. Religion doesn’t always bring peace. God does.

I wonder what He thinks about You obsessing over atheism. On a Sunday morning.

He loves me- and you.

Which is exactly why he stays hidden while children die. Makes perfect sense.

And the atheists who killed 100+ million of their own people are completely ignored by you and other atheists because?

Men kill children, not God.

Why can’t men stop killing children? They have a moral code inside them they should be able to follow?

Atheists claim they can choose right from wrong- is that just atheists, but not all humans?

Can’t atheists show the rest of humanity how to be good and moral? It’s really needed.

Maybe write some books or open some atheist centers that can teach these things to other humans. Why are not helping humanity become better?

This is the same BS point as in the OP. It’s a complete fallacy. None of those things were done in the name of atheism.

Just in the same way, the crusades were not done in the name of not believing in Vishnu.

You are the one who believes in something that should be different if it was moral. It’s the classic problem of evil. It’s one of the great realizations and reasons to not believe in an omnipotent god. Because you realize that if he did exist, he would be horrible and that is contradictory. So must not be true.

So even though religion has flaws, in your opinion it has done nothing good?

And governments that mandated atheism had nothing to do with atheists?

And atheists know how to be good, moral people and help their fellow man by their own moral code, but have no interest in helping others and the world by explaining to others about this moral code that exists inside everyone?

You don’t have a responsibility to help your fellow man?

[Anonymous]

Also I have no idea what new atheism is nor do I associate communism or China with the atheists in my life.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Ethics and morals and the philosophies driving them have been the subject of thinkers since before the birth of Christ. See Socrates and virtue ethics. Some of you act like humans had no sense of right and wrong before Christianity.

The world before Christ was a horror show.

Socrates was writing his stuff and the average human at the time never even knew about him. He has great writings, but didn’t change anything for regular people.

Christ went out to the people, spoke to the people, ate with the people, lived as a peasant His entire life.

Jesus made people who were hurting the poor and abused stop- personally.

He was in this world and showed the world a different way.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Also I have no idea what new atheism is nor do I associate communism or China with the atheists in my life.

The atheists in China don’t need your permission to be atheist. They said who they are. They showed what they believed.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Where is the evidence that "atheism is losing popularity" when we know that the "nones" continue to grow every year?

The author claims just because people leave religion doesn’t mean they stop believing in something.

He claims a lot of people have been disenchanted by the new atheist movement and are re-examining religion. The author has multiple articles on this issue.

So there is no actual evidence atheism is losing its popularity? It's all just one guy's opinion?

Brierley’s new book, The Surprising Rebirth of Belief in God: Why the New Atheism Grew Old and Secular Thinkers Are Considering Christianity Again, is part of a new wave of tomes about how secular thinkers found their way to belief in God through reading criticism of Richard Dawkins.

The “four horsemen of the atheist apocalypse,” Dawkins, Christopher Hitchens, Sam Harris, and Daniel Dennett were popular from about 2000 to 2010 but have fallen out of vogue since then.

The new atheism arose because of a perfect storm of events: ongoing American fundamentalist criticism of evolution, which in some cases resulted in a ban of the scientific theory being taught in schools; ongoing aggression by religious evangelists who considered atheists to be either evil or stupid; the 9/11 attack on the World Trade Center buildings by fundamentalist Muslims; and sex scandals perpetrated by priests and covered up by bishops.

The new atheism came to be seen as deeply flawed for two main reasons. First, they cherry-picked their approach to religion, by focusing on the worst aspects of religion. Their simplistic approach to religious faith failed to take into account all the good religions have done for centuries, providing billions of people with deep meaning in their lives, pastoral care during hard times, and building charities, hospitals, schools, and universities around the world.

Secondly, they failed to apply their critical standards to themselves. They have not examined the shadow side of atheism, for example atheist political regimes in Soviet Russia and Communist China that slaughtered millions of people. They have not owned their own sin.

This book is about New Atheism.

There’s no evidence does authors are falling out of vogue, whatever the f that means. Well, Hitchens is dead so his career is over, but he will still see hundreds of currently popular YouTube videos of him speaking. there are many websites, podcasts, and videos, showing that people are still moving away from faith in gigantic numbers. And that is the position that the data supports too. The data does not support your position.

And you can also stop that crap about not believing being responsible for communist and fascist atrocities. You’ve been shown it’s not true and yet you keep posting it.

Desperate positions and supported by facts that are offered by desperate people who are watching the world change to be more logical and better, and they don’t like it one bit.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:So OP wakes up on a Sunday morning and gives serious thought to atheism. Interesting.

LOL. Tale as old as time!! People don’t want to go to church on Sunday morning!!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Sigh. You view atheism as a belief system, and you want to compare it to your own belief system. You think it's a battle between belief systems for subscribers. Like people choose between Christianity and atheism the way they choose between Netflix and Hulu.

No.

It's more like Christianity is Netflix, Hulu is Islam, Max is Judaism, the Criterion Collection is Buddhism. And atheism is throwing out your TV.

Of course faith has an appeal, even to those who have lived without it. Especially to those who have lived without it. Religion also offers community and people crave that. But religions themselves don't always work within a person's life. It is normal for people to lose faith but then become curious about it again. It's easy to be a skeptic at 22, and it's easier to be a believer at 62.

I think Jews get it right because they support people in losing their faith within the religion. You can tell your own rabbi "I don't believe," and it's fine, you're still Jewish and nothing changes. The religion is about more than just faith, which can be hard to sustain.

Anyway, you are fighting over something that just doesn't work that way. No one is converting to atheism. They just lose faith.

It's kind of tiresome. When one thread about athiesm dies down, another one pops up. It seems like someone is just begging for someone to argue with them. I have no idea if some are from the same poster or not, but holy crap get over it. Athiests are not coming after your Christian lifestyle. A lot (if not most) really don't give a damn.

Maybe it's someone who is losing their faith and is struggling with it. It's tough to learn that everything you've believed for decades is BS.

No, my faith has remained stable, and grows even in times of hardship and sadness on earth because I have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. I am grateful for the life He has given to me. No one can be taught to have a relationship with God. It’s something you come to on a personal level.

People are taught religion, but religion is not what people should center their life on-it’s their personal belief in Christ that brings joy and peace. Religion doesn’t always bring peace. God does.

I wonder what He thinks about You obsessing over atheism. On a Sunday morning.

He loves me- and you.

Which is exactly why he stays hidden while children die. Makes perfect sense.

And the atheists who killed 100+ million of their own people are completely ignored by you and other atheists because?

Men kill children, not God.

Why can’t men stop killing children? They have a moral code inside them they should be able to follow?

Atheists claim they can choose right from wrong- is that just atheists, but not all humans?

Can’t atheists show the rest of humanity how to be good and moral? It’s really needed.

Maybe write some books or open some atheist centers that can teach these things to other humans. Why are not helping humanity become better?

Who do you think are the murderous men? No Christians among them?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Sigh. You view atheism as a belief system, and you want to compare it to your own belief system. You think it's a battle between belief systems for subscribers. Like people choose between Christianity and atheism the way they choose between Netflix and Hulu.

No.

It's more like Christianity is Netflix, Hulu is Islam, Max is Judaism, the Criterion Collection is Buddhism. And atheism is throwing out your TV.

Of course faith has an appeal, even to those who have lived without it. Especially to those who have lived without it. Religion also offers community and people crave that. But religions themselves don't always work within a person's life. It is normal for people to lose faith but then become curious about it again. It's easy to be a skeptic at 22, and it's easier to be a believer at 62.

I think Jews get it right because they support people in losing their faith within the religion. You can tell your own rabbi "I don't believe," and it's fine, you're still Jewish and nothing changes. The religion is about more than just faith, which can be hard to sustain.

Anyway, you are fighting over something that just doesn't work that way. No one is converting to atheism. They just lose faith.

It's kind of tiresome. When one thread about athiesm dies down, another one pops up. It seems like someone is just begging for someone to argue with them. I have no idea if some are from the same poster or not, but holy crap get over it. Athiests are not coming after your Christian lifestyle. A lot (if not most) really don't give a damn.

Maybe it's someone who is losing their faith and is struggling with it. It's tough to learn that everything you've believed for decades is BS.

No, my faith has remained stable, and grows even in times of hardship and sadness on earth because I have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. I am grateful for the life He has given to me. No one can be taught to have a relationship with God. It’s something you come to on a personal level.

People are taught religion, but religion is not what people should center their life on-it’s their personal belief in Christ that brings joy and peace. Religion doesn’t always bring peace. God does.

I wonder what He thinks about You obsessing over atheism. On a Sunday morning.

He loves me- and you.

Which is exactly why he stays hidden while children die. Makes perfect sense.

And the atheists who killed 100+ million of their own people are completely ignored by you and other atheists because?

Men kill children, not God.

Why can’t men stop killing children? They have a moral code inside them they should be able to follow?

Atheists claim they can choose right from wrong- is that just atheists, but not all humans?

Can’t atheists show the rest of humanity how to be good and moral? It’s really needed.

Maybe write some books or open some atheist centers that can teach these things to other humans. Why are not helping humanity become better?

This is the same BS point as in the OP. It’s a complete fallacy. None of those things were done in the name of atheism.

Just in the same way, the crusades were not done in the name of not believing in Vishnu.

You are the one who believes in something that should be different if it was moral. It’s the classic problem of evil. It’s one of the great realizations and reasons to not believe in an omnipotent god. Because you realize that if he did exist, he would be horrible and that is contradictory. So must not be true.

So even though religion has flaws, in your opinion it has done nothing good?

And governments that mandated atheism had nothing to do with atheists?

And atheists know how to be good, moral people and help their fellow man by their own moral code, but have no interest in helping others and the world by explaining to others about this moral code that exists inside everyone?

You don’t have a responsibility to help your fellow man?

Your implication that atheists are immoral makes you a jerk. Because you know that’s not true. And you know that secular humanism is based on treating other people the way you want to be treated, which is as close to objective morality as we know exists.

Your belief system, however, includes a being who could stop all of the pain and suffering in the world in an instant, and chooses not to.

And you’re going to try and claim atheism is immoral? Wow that’s some twisted pretzel of logic there.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Sigh. You view atheism as a belief system, and you want to compare it to your own belief system. You think it's a battle between belief systems for subscribers. Like people choose between Christianity and atheism the way they choose between Netflix and Hulu.

No.

It's more like Christianity is Netflix, Hulu is Islam, Max is Judaism, the Criterion Collection is Buddhism. And atheism is throwing out your TV.

Of course faith has an appeal, even to those who have lived without it. Especially to those who have lived without it. Religion also offers community and people crave that. But religions themselves don't always work within a person's life. It is normal for people to lose faith but then become curious about it again. It's easy to be a skeptic at 22, and it's easier to be a believer at 62.

I think Jews get it right because they support people in losing their faith within the religion. You can tell your own rabbi "I don't believe," and it's fine, you're still Jewish and nothing changes. The religion is about more than just faith, which can be hard to sustain.

Anyway, you are fighting over something that just doesn't work that way. No one is converting to atheism. They just lose faith.

It's kind of tiresome. When one thread about athiesm dies down, another one pops up. It seems like someone is just begging for someone to argue with them. I have no idea if some are from the same poster or not, but holy crap get over it. Athiests are not coming after your Christian lifestyle. A lot (if not most) really don't give a damn.

Maybe it's someone who is losing their faith and is struggling with it. It's tough to learn that everything you've believed for decades is BS.

No, my faith has remained stable, and grows even in times of hardship and sadness on earth because I have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. I am grateful for the life He has given to me. No one can be taught to have a relationship with God. It’s something you come to on a personal level.

People are taught religion, but religion is not what people should center their life on-it’s their personal belief in Christ that brings joy and peace. Religion doesn’t always bring peace. God does.

I wonder what He thinks about You obsessing over atheism. On a Sunday morning.

He loves me- and you.

Which is exactly why he stays hidden while children die. Makes perfect sense.

And the atheists who killed 100+ million of their own people are completely ignored by you and other atheists because?

Men kill children, not God.

Why can’t men stop killing children? They have a moral code inside them they should be able to follow?

Atheists claim they can choose right from wrong- is that just atheists, but not all humans?

Can’t atheists show the rest of humanity how to be good and moral? It’s really needed.

Maybe write some books or open some atheist centers that can teach these things to other humans. Why are not helping humanity become better?

This is the same BS point as in the OP. It’s a complete fallacy. None of those things were done in the name of atheism.

Just in the same way, the crusades were not done in the name of not believing in Vishnu.

You are the one who believes in something that should be different if it was moral. It’s the classic problem of evil. It’s one of the great realizations and reasons to not believe in an omnipotent god. Because you realize that if he did exist, he would be horrible and that is contradictory. So must not be true.

So even though religion has flaws, in your opinion it has done nothing good?

And governments that mandated atheism had nothing to do with atheists?

And atheists know how to be good, moral people and help their fellow man by their own moral code, but have no interest in helping others and the world by explaining to others about this moral code that exists inside everyone?

You don’t have a responsibility to help your fellow man?

Your implication that atheists are immoral makes you a jerk. Because you know that’s not true. And you know that secular humanism is based on treating other people the way you want to be treated, which is as close to objective morality as we know exists.

Your belief system, however, includes a being who could stop all of the pain and suffering in the world in an instant, and chooses not to.

And you’re going to try and claim atheism is immoral? Wow that’s some twisted pretzel of logic there.

If humans have everything inside them to be good and moral- why aren’t they?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Ethics and morals and the philosophies driving them have been the subject of thinkers since before the birth of Christ. See Socrates and virtue ethics. Some of you act like humans had no sense of right and wrong before Christianity.

The world before Christ was a horror show.

And the world since is.... what?