Subject: Re: Atheists mat@emcard.UUCP (W Mat Waites) wrote : > Atheism has nothing to say

From: gary@cgdco2.ucar.edu (Gary Strand)
Subject: Re: Atheists
Reply-To: gary@cgdco2.ucar.edu (Gary Strand)

mat@emcard.UUCP (W Mat Waites) wrote :

> Atheism has nothing to say about anything. It is simply bleak, dry, empty
> nothingness. We are all rocks waiting to be smashed by time.
>
> Sounds like an appealing system of belief, eh?

  Versus "We are all fearful slimeballs dripping sin and hoping that God's
whim won't put in us torturous Hell forever and ever."

  I think your statements reveal much of your thoughts and feelings about
Man as Man. You seem to think that Man is incapable of Good unless told so
by some supernatural being.  I and many others refuse to have such a bleak
belief of humans as humans.

  Have you ever heard: "And Man knew that he was good, and created God in
his own image."

> Sure, most atheists are law abiding citizens, but why and for how long?

  Why? - Because I give others humans respect for being human, not because
         some 'God' said "Thou shalt be nice to thy fellow man else I shall
         burn thee forever in Hell!"

  How Long? - As long as others treat me with the respect I give them. This
         seems to be a trait in short supply amongst righteous religious folk.

> Doesn't atheism eventually lead to the decay of society?

  No, but it can lead to tooth decay.....

  Actually, comparing the most secular periods of history against the most
religious periods of history should indicate just the opposite. It is when
Man is most proud of being Man that he has made the greatest accomplishments
and life has improved greatly. Those periods in which Man has retreated in
fear of his Gods (to his cave or church) that have been the most stagnant.

> Sorry to be grandiose, but can't you attribute the horrible crime problems
> in DC, LA, etc to a lack of moral and ethical base in the population?

  If you feel that people are inherently wicked and sinful, then one can
draw these sorts of conclusions. My question comes down to a chicken-and-egg
sort of problem: Are people sinful because they are inherently so, and we
need religion to teach us the straight and narrow, OR is that religion has
taught us that we are wicked and sinful and thus we live up to the expectation?
BTW, once again, you seem to assume that a moral system need be handed down
to Man. I think otherwise.

> How can you impress people with the need to be "good" when they believe they
> are rocks?

  How can people expect to be good when they are told that they are wicked
deceitful lustful sinful blobs, to be judged by Almighty God?
--
Gary $trand                             Judge, and be prepared to be judged.
strandwg@ncar.ucar.edu                                         "I'm the NRA"