wrote:

On Mon, 22 Nov 2004 16:09:44 -0500, Matt Whiting
wrote:


wrote:


On Mon, 22 Nov 2004 18:32:55 GMT, "Howard Nelson"
wrote:



Athiest is a religion. Reading further into the stats on that site they


say 15% of the world's population have no religion and that number is
falling, which I find surprising.

Probably so. Religion and revolution always rise when existence becomes too
harsh to rationally accept.



I also am curious about your assertion that "atheism is a religion".

As far as I know, there are no atheistic altars, no stone buildings,no
holy books, no wailing walls, no ceremonies, no prayers, no hymns,
indeed, none of the things that are generally associated with
religion..

If one were to define religion as a "belief a theory which cannot be proven
by scientific inquiry (i.e.. a faith) then atheism would qualify as a
religion since you can no more prove the absence of GOD then one can prove
the existence of GOD.



My definition of a real, authentic religion is that it requires at
least a few people who are willing to kill others who don't believe as
they do. Christianity, Islam, Hindu, Sikh, even Buddhism, (I
believe), all qualify.

That is the dumbest definition I've ever heard.



Other than that, it's just a belief system.

That is precisely what it is. Killing has nothing to do with it and is
an abomination to most true believers.


Are you kidding?

No.


It takes a true believer to blow himself up for his god. Organized
religion has been killing people for hundreds, no, make that thousands
of years.

I meant true believer as in believing in the truth, not as in fanatic.
A person who blows himself up is a fanatic. Apparently you haven't
known enough people of faith to tell the difference.

I don't know much about Islam, but I've heard a number of pretty
intelligent folks say that it does not advocate what is being done by
the terrorists in the middle east.


Even today, your organized religious leaders prefer to see people die
a ghastly, ugly death from AIDS rather than see them to put a little
rubber thingy on their John Williamses.

Wrong again. No, they'd rather see them have a 100% chance of not
becoming infected rather than a 90-something chance. Folks that suggest
condoms as the HIV prevention are the one's that are happy to condemn
5-10% of the population to death.


If that's not killing by religion, it's a damn good second.

It's not even close to what you suggest. Are you really this deluded?


However, it is more fun to look
at the fringe elements and ascribe their behaviour to the broader group.
Cowardly, but fun. Then again, folks that hide behind anonymous names
understand that all too well.



As far as I know, no atheist has ever killed anybody simply because he
didn't believe what the atheist believed. Stalin probably came close,
but I think his persecution of Jews and christians was political
rather than religious.

But I suppose that's arguable as well.

At any rate, religion is indeed the opiate of the masses, used by
leaders all throughtout history to sedate their followers. Never been
truer than today.

Except that the religions of philosophy and blind/false science are
gaining fast in popularity.


May I remind you that every religion but one must be a false religion,
and we're not too sure about that one.

Possible, but we don't know that for sure. It could be that many are
variations on the same thing. However, it may be that all philosophers
are wrong... I'll take my chances with at least having one chance of
being right.


I suspect in another 50-100 years more of
the masses will be controlled by philosophers and junk scientists than
by more traditional religions.


Let's hope so.




Let's hope so.

Repeating the message won't make it right. Why would you hope for such
an early end to civilization?


Matt