Originally posted by CalJustWhat if I educate you instead. If an atheist works in a food bank or helps the homeless or abused or spends an afternoon helping their kid learn to fly a kite, is this not a spiritual quality? Jesus Christ, does everyone of have to sing "Amazing Grace"?
Humour me: where do the "spirits" that these "spiritual atheists" believe in, come from or relate to??
Point one--It's okay to equate Christianity with spirituality. We are part of Western Civ, and that happens to be what the vast majority are talking about when they think of spirituality, religion, etc. So let's get that out of the way at the start.
Point two--Someone pointed out that atheists are insecure. I agree. Listen to one, (Bill Maher is a good example, though no one speaks for all the members of aany group) for more than 10 minutes and it's clear he's scared ----less. Atheists are like anyone else--they need something to believe in just as much as the next person.
Point three--someone pointed out the reverse side of this coin; some Christians DO try to slam atheists in the Science forum. But to lump "creationists, IDers",young earthers, etc. together with all Christians is a fallacy. I know, because I'm a Christian evolutionist,
Originally posted by CalJustAnd you're obviously no rocket scientist. This completely fails to make your case because, remember, you claimed that atheists by definition do not believe in spirituality. You didn't merely make the less controversial assertion that atheists by definition lack belief in a god or gods. So are you really too dense to understand what I was asking? Now I would like to know what bizarre, provincial definition of spirituality you are using.
"theist" : believe-in-a-god
"a-theist" : not-believe-in-a-god
Not really rocket science, is it?!
Originally posted by PinkFloydI'll take issue with your first two points. Spirituality and Christianity are not the same thing. There is Jewish spirituality. Does that make it the same thing as Christian spirituality. Of course not.
Point one--It's okay to equate Christianity with spirituality. We are part of Western Civ, and that happens to be what the vast majority are talking about when they think of spirituality, religion, etc. So let's get that out of the way at the start.
Point two--Someone pointed out that atheists are insecure. I agree. Listen to one, (Bill Maher is a goo ...[text shortened]... together with all Christians is a fallacy. I know, because I'm a Christian evolutionist,
Being an atheist does not make one insecure. The most insecure people I know are pentecostals. They are also the most fervent Christians I know. Insecurity is more a term of one's psychological state than anything else.
Originally posted by kirksey957Reasonable points. I don't agree, but reasonable nonetheless 😀
I'll take issue with your first two points. Spirituality and Christianity are not the same thing. There is Jewish spirituality. Does that make it the same thing as Christian spirituality. Of course not.
Being an atheist does not make one insecure. The most insecure people I know are pentecostals. They are also the most fervent Christians I know. Insecurity is more a term of one's psychological state than anything else.
Originally posted by PinkFloydWords are fascinating to me. It seems rather simple to link the two words "spirituality" and "Christianity" together. Christians like to think of themselves as spiritual people. Indeed many are. But so are many people in AA who would not consider themselves to be Christians. In fact, many of them are like people in the general public who have been wounded by so-called spirituality.
Reasonable points. I don't agree, but reasonable nonetheless 😀
Let's say I use the word "whitey" and someone takes offense to it because to them it has some racial meaning. What if I'm talking about Whitey Ford the great baseball pitcher. Are these two the same thing? One of the amusing things to me on this site is that there have been several occasions where I have tried to write the name of a classical guitar performer and I am unable to write his name as there are four letters in the middle of his last name that automatically get moderated.
Originally posted by kirksey957I've seen other posts that mentioned that problem and I don't understand the moderating system at all. I've thrown every word in Carlin's vocabulary out there (before I recently turned over a new leaf and decided to be a little bit mature 😉 ) and I've never been censored. Is it a recent phenomenon? Are you on some kind of Moderators Watch List? 😉 I'm at a loss.
Words are fascinating to me. It seems rather simple to link the two words "spirituality" and "Christianity" together. Christians like to think of themselves as spiritual people. Indeed many are. But so are many people in AA who would not consider themselves to be Christians. In fact, many of them are like people in the general public who have been wo ...[text shortened]... there are four letters in the middle of his last name that automatically get moderated.
Originally posted by PinkFloydI'm not scared.
Someone pointed out that atheists are insecure. I agree. Listen to one, (Bill Maher is a good example, though no one speaks for all the members of aany group) for more than 10 minutes and it's clear he's scared ----less. Atheists are like anyone else--they need something to believe in just as much as the next person.
I'm not deluding myself either though.
Originally posted by kirksey957Actually, no. It may be charitable, philantropic, loving and kind, but certainly not spiritual, as is implied in the title of this thread. Unless, of course, by your actions you hope to get some reward in an afterlife??
If an atheist works in a food bank or helps the homeless or abused or spends an afternoon helping their kid learn to fly a kite, is this not a spiritual quality?
Originally posted by CalJustYou are right in this assumption.
"theist" : believe-in-a-god
"a-theist" : not-believe-in-a-god
Not really rocket science, is it?!
However, there is a major religion that don't belive in any god and therefore is a atheistic religion. (Do you know which?)
To be atheist is not to be non-spiritual.
Originally posted by CalJustNo, I'm throwing rocks at the sleeping dragon and then running away before it gets up, thus annoying it slightly and making it a bit more vulnerable to real challenges. It's entertaining and not at all painful.
So, what you are actually saying is that you are tilting at windmills, or are something of a masochist?
😉
Originally posted by CalJustLord Almighty! What kinda church you go to?
Actually, no. It may be charitable, philantropic, loving and kind, but certainly not spiritual, as is implied in the title of this thread. Unless, of course, by your actions you hope to get some reward in an afterlife??
See here's a real man of the faith. He feeds the poor and clothes the naked. If it ain't chuuch, it ain't church. Know what I'm sayin?
http://astore.amazon.com/clubbishopbooks-20/images/053310873X/102-7410737-8907319
Originally posted by CalJustThe bard actually wrote "The lady doth protest too much methinks"
Here is a puzzle I have been pondering for some time: How come there are so many atheists on this particular forum trying to denigrate or dissuade theists from their beliefs?
Consider this: go into any newspaper or magazine shop and you will find many different titles to please all tastes. For example, Bicycle racing mags or Boxing mags. Now, I for one ha ...[text shortened]... test too much?? Are these theists secretly doubting their own convictions??
In peace
CJ
Can't help wondering if you also misquote your bible so blatantly when trying to make a point that seems convenient to you.