Atheists To Hold Massive Rally On National Mall Next Month

Maybe....I just think bringing homosexuality just confuses the issue though.

And I think the idea that atheists are treated like second-class citizens is way off base. Atheists only face resistance when they get confrontational. So, what I would call atheist activists are what I suspect will be a large part of this rally and so I would expect a lot of bashing. There's not so much to positively promote in atheism so I expect the focus to be anti-religion rather than pro-atheism. We will see I guess.

 

I disagree. The assumption is that the entire universe just happens to exist and nothing put it here, set it in motion or designed it's workings (the laws upon which the universe behaves).

I'd say that's quite a large assumption. It's like some stone age tribesman from the Amazon finding a pocket watch. Should he assume, since he didn't see anyone make it or doesn't know what it's for, that it has no source? That's atheism and non belief is indeed it's philosophy.

 

Some people treat atheism like a religion, but most atheists I've known don't even really care about religion unless it's used to justify the passage of a law.

Most I've met don't really care about public displays of religion or rallies for atheism. They just live their lives with the assumption that most people won't bother them about religion.

I prefer to live that way myself.

If other people want to judge me for being atheist, that's their problem more than it is mine. I'm not looking for their acceptance, and all that really matters is that I have the same rights as everyone else.

Now, if you try to oppress me with your religion, you'd best back the @#$% off.

 

You don't know what atheism even is, hence you cant refute nonsense.

 

You're inability to understand the evidence science provides is not our problem.

 

Passive atheists don't claim to know anything more than anyone else.

I can't disprove god anymore than anyone can prove him. It's just a matter of atheism by default.

Occam's razor encourages people to be skeptical by default, so as to make as few assumptions as possible.

So, by choosing atheism, I'm not saying that I know there is no god. I'm saying I have no reason to believe in one. By default, I live without one.

If you were somehow able to prove the existence of god, then I'd have to reconsider my position and figure out what exactly this god figure is.

Until then, it's just a matter of living with science and logical conclusions.

 

No kidding. I predict several thousand will qualify as a good turnout....

 

I would disagree with this. Humans always put attributes to 'their' god(s). Once there are attributes (for example: omnipotence), then you can begin to prove that that particular god does not exist.

If there are no attributes, then I would agree.

 

Things aren't quite that simple, though.

There is a very definite set of beliefs in religion: There is a God. God rules the universe. God is the reason for the universe, etc.

Atheism rejects these beliefs, of course,, but it must necessarily believe in a whole set of counter beliefs: Nothing created the universe. The universe just happens to exist and always has. The universe established it's own laws and sense of order, etc.
This is most definitely a belief system since nothing science knows of has no origin or reason for being, atheism is postulating a belief that flies in the face of what we know to be true.

Be careful not to reject things too quickly. A facile answer is often an incorrect one.

 

If they had any balls they'd rally in April. On Easter.

 

Being a free-thinker and not holding to or being swayed by dogma is positive in my view.

None the less, I respect your opinion on this and many other topics here. We'll just have to agree to disagree.

 

If all 9% of you want to go and rally. Go. You're entitled to your religious beliefs.

 

It is true that we anthropomorphize our deities. That certainly makes me more skeptical of religion in general, but I wouldn't say that has any bearing on the provability/disprovability of a supreme being.

 

Although I believe ALL major religions are a complete and total waste of time...

...I find it slightly odd to have a rally for people who do not believe in something.

It's sort of like having a rally for people that refuse to drive Toyota's or for people that refuse to put sugar in their coffee.

But, if they want to have a rally of atheists...power to them.


God willing of course.

 

Well said, Serfin'.

 

Passive atheists may not claim to know but a new breed of virulent in your face atheists do. Since they cannot believe in God (as a fairy tale) they ipso facto know God to be false and a lie.

 

This is the hypocricy of the religious folk.

Atheist: Who created 'god'
Religious: No one, 'god' always was, and always will be.

Hypocrisy at its finest.

 

I am right, you are not.

 

Yes...the Flying Spaghetti Monster crowd. Active is a good way to put it, at the least.

 

More like 20% but size doesn't matter when it comes to rights. A single person has the same free speech rights as a group of one million people do.

 

Did you pound your chest after typing this?

 

Unless I am mistaken, we simply do not know the origins of the universe before the Big Bang. Plus, anyone who claims that something originated from nothing is making a bold assumption that cannot be proven. When did nothing ever exist? Please prove that nothing ever existed if you are going to take this line of argument.

As an atheist, I think it is wrong to presume that there was nothing before something. We simply do not know and human knowledge is limited, but it is better to say "I don't know" than "God did it".

Certainly one can assume a source, but claiming "God did it" to fill in incomplete understanding of our natural universe is a logical fallacy called the 'God of the Gaps' argument.

Plus, if you think our universe needs a designer, then your designer also needs a designer, ad infinitum. However, in my experience, the religious often claim that God just came from nothing and didn't need a designer.

 

You do realize the FSM has just as much verifiable evidence as 'god' does right?

 

Well, that stheir line. The militant activists factions are the ones who have made "Atheism" their fundamentalist world view. There are some Atheists who are Atheists in deed who ignore religious expressions and activities. The Atheists who seek change through the courts and legislation as well as actions through the school systems are the Religious Atheists.

 

Active atheists do seem to be treating atheism as a religion.

Granted, I would think their existence is little more than a reaction to things like evangelicism.

The more that religion is invoked in politics, the more you're going to see an opposing reaction by atheists.