Hello Cypress,
Originally Posted by
Cypress
I think it is difficult to talk about religion, agnosticism, atheism because they are poorly defined terms.
Some fundamentalist christians would not recognize Shinto, Buddhism, or animism as religions.
Some of them do not even recognize Catholics as fellow christians.
That is a dogmatic and very narrow minded view of world faith traditions.
Some atheists are genuinely opposed to all religion and mysticism.
A lot of atheists just only seem to be hostile to the Abrahamistic God, particularly the Christian version of it.
Is that really atheism? Or is it just anti-christian zealotry?
People argue about what agnosticism actually means.
I try to avoid labelling myself with any of these dogmatic and one dimensional definitions. But part of the fun is discussing it, and seeing where there is consensus and common ground
I openly claim to be an atheist because it best describes my beliefs. But I certainly don't think I have any business to tell anybody else what they should believe. It's a fine line. I feel freer to talk about it here anonymously than IRL. I think it is better to know somebody fairly well before going there, normally.
The problem with talking about it IRL is some Christians take it so personally, and there are so many religions that view non-belief as evil.
That becomes a weakness of religion. Any religion which has to disparage other beliefs is no longer being a proponent of it's own philosophy, but instead becomes a negative view of others. In other words, it becomes a negative.
Personal Ignore Policy PIP: I like civil discourse. I will give you all the respect in the world if you respect me. Mouth off to me, or express overt racism, you will be PERMANENTLY Ignore Listed. Zero tolerance. No exceptions. I'll never read a word you write, even if quoted by another, nor respond to you, nor participate in your threads. ... Ignore the shallow. Cherish the thoughtful. Long Live Civil Discourse, Mutual Respect, and Good Debate! ps: Feel free to adopt my PIP. It works well.
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