Atheism 2.0

by Qcmbr 384 Replies latest watchtower beliefs

• 

  Scully

  Atheism, imo, can be whatever you want it to be, though I agree that getting a group of atheists together is akin to herding cats.

  You complained that there are no athiest social activities for you to join, but I wonder if you're going at it backwards perhaps?

  Why not just decide with your wife what kinds of activities you enjoy doing together - ones that don't have a belief system as their starting point - and see what you can find locally?

  For example, if you want to take cooking lessons, you wouldn't show up at a Catholic Church and expect to find cooking lessons, would you? You'd find a place nearby that offers cooking lessons and sign up for the ones that interested you. Or if you wanted to take up hiking or camping, you wouldn't go to an Anglican Church to find people interested in hiking, you'd go to an outdoors shop and check out their notice boards or find an online group and see if there are local people who are interested in hiking or camping and would be willing to share their expertise over coffee, etc. If you're looking for a few friends to take up fitness activities, join a gym that has the kinds of classes that interest you (yoga, tai chi, kick boxing, etc).

  I've made some lovely friends by going to cooking classes and crafting classes, and I have amazing friends via my place of work. Mr Scully has made some good friends through his professional background. We meet people who have a similar interest in pets and people in our neighbourhood. But I don't expect them to come looking for me... we go out with an open mind and open to meeting new people in any situation.

  One of the big disservices that has been part-and-parcel of "belonging" to a high control group like the JWs, is that the group fosters an unrealistic expectation of the social milieu, where everyone in the group is automatically your friend as soon as you walk in the door. Real friendships are not like that. Real friendships grow and develop over time, and require attention and thoughtfulness to cultivate them, in addition to having common interests. The thing is, when you start with a belief system as the "common interest", you still have to deal with the diversity of personalities beyond that. It's why there's often nothing to talk about between former JWs and the JWs that they used to be acquainted with and socialized with in the past... the only things they had in common were the JW belief system and their geographic proximity.

  You can also try to find a local Freethinkers group and go from there. http://nobeliefs.com/freethinkers.htm or http://www.infidels.org/search.html
• 

  NewChapter

  Q. I THINK I understand what you are saying. Your concern is that the unstructured atheistic life may not encourage your best potential. That when a part of organized religion, there were programs and routines set in place to make you the best (JW, Mormon) you could be. And now----what? How? With who?

  I find that since ditching the entire god concept, I am a great deal more productive--always striving to reach my full potential. Because religion actually held me back. All of that unnecessary struggling with guilt, fear, and superstition stole my energy and ability to think. I used to destroy a lot of my writing, because when writing I have to free my brain and let it travel roads that religion didn't allow. Those ideas would pop up on my screen, and then I would be consumed with guilt and anxiety. How could I have gone there? And in the garbage it went. How could I grow as a writer when I was so deathly afraid of touching the borders of the narrow path I had put myself on?

  If it is important to you, you will give it priority in your life. Define if you must, but you don't need an external structure to help you be your best. As an atheist, you actually get to create your own structure. Atheists are free thinking. They are pursuing the things that matter to them. I don't even like the idea of becoming involved in structured atheism---it feels like an oxymoron. We have already shed the artificial rulebook---why would we want to go back?

  I am an atheist, and I am not angry. In fact, I am grateful every day that I am finally free of supestition, false authority, and that no one is in my mind judging me. I was much angrier when I worshipped an angry god.

  NC
• 

  Terry

  If I declare i don't believe in the Easter Bunny i cannot claim that is my philosophy or the basis for a better life.

  Atheism is not a philosophy so much as it is a negation of other people's philosophy.

  When you take something away from people you have to replace that gaping wound with something healing---if you don't, you've effectively

  mortally wounded them.

  I'm sure there must be non-sneering Atheists out there...somewhere.

  But, honestly, a lot of them are kicking the props out from under the support system which some very vulnerable people are relying on to get them through hard times, debilitating disease, tragedy, addiction and, certainly, personal guilt. It is ALL THEY HAVE.

  Just out of empathy and compassion some consideration might well be in order before knocking the wheels off their "wheelchair" of hope.

  Look how many persons have responded to this thread with acrimony, negativity and personal animus! Neither belief nor non-belief can compensate for bad manners and unkindess.
• 

  Terry

  Qcmbr did not start this thread to debate the semantics of atheism v agnosticism. You took the thread off topic on page 1.

  I'm all ears. Tell me how and where I did this, please.
• 

  Terry

  To talk solely in legal terms with unchanging , council agreed definitions for meaning is at once totalitarian (the very thing you seem to be preaching against) - you will accept that this word means this and only this - and also utterly unworkable since words are an approximation of experienced thought not platonic essensialism

  Umm, so, Atheism is a word which a.Does b.Does Not c.Might mean "without God" "No God" "God doesn't exist"???
• 

  cofty

  Atheism is not a philosophy so much as it is a negation of other people's philosophy.

  Atheism is just one facet of a much wider philosophy. Its a worldview that values reason and evidence above experience.

  I won't be taken in by snake oil salesmen with their homeopathy and reiki and sophistry about spirits and energy and shakras. Replacing theism for New Age woo is not progress.

  I have huge optimism for human potential, I won't accept that the world is "going to hell in a handbasket" and believe that is a damaging way of thinking.

  I believe that teaching a child that they are a sinner is abuse.

  I reject morals by divine fiat and am encouraged to see misogynisitc, homophobic, small-minded faith based morality losing its grip.

  I believe that oppression will always fail. That the best way to help a developing nation out of poverty is to educate and liberate its women and give them control over their reproduction.

  I believe that education, devoid of religious indoctrination, is the silver bullet that will lead to the liberation and prosperity of the greatest number of people.

  I could go on and on....

  I am an atheist, but that fact alone tells us very little of what I am about. There is nothing negative about my atheism.
• 

  N.drew

  It sounds like politics. The way I inderstand politics is it is a system of accepting certain people who will decide the best outcome for the most people. Religion and politics are against each other. Religion is for hoping. Politics should be for finding the best arrangement of people and plans but hasn't it become a place to contend for the most desireable position for one'sown self?

  It sound like politics, the way it should be, is for you Q. When you have given up religion it is easy to give up prospect for a "better tomorrow". Isn't a better tomorrow the purpose of life? It could bring back the family for a common goal. I reread your post (and I'm sorry I went off). Religion teaches that what you do will affect your relationship with the supreme being (choose one). But what we do does affect the future.

  Have you given any thought to politics? Helping it get back on tract might help fill the void, if you have a void.
• 

  Terry

  This is not directed at any particular person. It is a general statement on my part.

  Belief, Philosophy, World View are a minefield of choices.

  How could a wounded person who had already proved how inept they are at stepping on the right choice immediately begin making correct decisions?

  That is the real problem.

  It starts by thoroughly cleaning out the words, definitions, concepts, beliefs, mindset, and education that created the problem in the 1st place!

  RE-EDUCATION.

  ExJW's walk away from their religion with shrapnel wounds to their life just as though they had stepped on a landmine.

  They are the Walking Wounded.

  What comes next is largely a measure of internal fortitude and character.

  How does a wounded person recover and move on with their life?

  Does it come from going the opposite direction entirely? Across the same minefield?

  We can't make positive healing choices in our life with a negative, excoriating world view.
• 

  N.drew

  negative, excoriating world view.

  Was religion unwisely invented to compete against that?
• 

  tec

  Q - if what you are trying to do is replace the religious aspect of your former faith (the social circles, the art, the purpose, the groups and meetings and studies), then I would suggest as someone else did, some humanitarian group. Or any other group really that interests you all. Just try and make sure its a good fit before you give up on it, because you're liable to find things that you can't stand too. You could also spend your Sundays learning about another place and culture in the world. Maybe even choose one place to visit once a year or every couple (depending on budget). Or you could get involved in some theoretical science on space travel, or other worlds, or even the wonders of this world, like the ocean.

  I don't think you'll be able to find something that falls solely in the providence of atheism, though. Because any person of faith can do all of the above as well. But you could find a group that allows only atheism - I'm not sure if "secular humanists" are such groups or not; could be?

  This is the advice I gave back on page 4, that Q asked for. Might have been missed as things tend to happen.

  Off to work.

  Peace,

  Tammy