Register | Sign In


Understanding through Discussion


EvC Forum active members: 64 (9164 total)
3 online now:
Newest Member: ChatGPT
Post Volume: Total: 916,832 Year: 4,089/9,624 Month: 960/974 Week: 287/286 Day: 8/40 Hour: 0/4


Thread  Details

Email This Thread
Newer Topic | Older Topic
  
Author Topic:   Atheism is a belief (Why Atheists don't believe part 2)
PaulK
Member
Posts: 17827
Joined: 01-10-2003
Member Rating: 2.3


Message 202 of 302 (316308)
05-30-2006 2:37 PM
Reply to: Message 200 by riVeRraT
05-30-2006 2:23 PM


Re: On 'isms' and redness
quote:
Atheism has no tenets, no dogmas, and no followers. Atheism lacks all those things. In fact, 'lacking' is the defining feature of atheism: the only thing atheists have in common is a lack of belief in a god or gods.
I disagree with that.
In college they seem to present a case against God.
If you go to a Christian college, you would find the opposite.
There seems to be dogma asociated with atheism, but they will never openly admit to it. When a professor in college stands in front of a class, and says "prove God exists" you got dogma.
This idea of yours is hardly factual - it certainly wasn't the case where I went to college. Not one of my professors or lecturers stood up and made such a statement. And even if it were it certainly wouldn't support your assertion. It is at most an instruction, not a tenet of belief and even if it were simply being said by a professor of something wouldn't make it dogma.o

This message is a reply to:
 Message 200 by riVeRraT, posted 05-30-2006 2:23 PM riVeRraT has replied

Replies to this message:
 Message 205 by ramoss, posted 05-30-2006 2:49 PM PaulK has not replied
 Message 214 by riVeRraT, posted 05-30-2006 10:59 PM PaulK has replied

PaulK
Member
Posts: 17827
Joined: 01-10-2003
Member Rating: 2.3


Message 225 of 302 (316476)
05-31-2006 2:05 AM
Reply to: Message 214 by riVeRraT
05-30-2006 10:59 PM


Re: On 'isms' and redness
Yes I have been reading the thread.
Now can you explain why inventing a fiction which doesn't even feature an atheist dogma supports the view that there are atheist dogmas ?

This message is a reply to:
 Message 214 by riVeRraT, posted 05-30-2006 10:59 PM riVeRraT has replied

Replies to this message:
 Message 231 by riVeRraT, posted 05-31-2006 9:35 AM PaulK has replied

PaulK
Member
Posts: 17827
Joined: 01-10-2003
Member Rating: 2.3


Message 232 of 302 (316522)
05-31-2006 9:47 AM
Reply to: Message 231 by riVeRraT
05-31-2006 9:35 AM


Re: On 'isms' and redness
quote:
Let's put it this way.
"If God exists" then every one of these silly little comments about God not existing could be considered dogma
Except for the fact that you didn't include any such comments in your original point, and the fact that the truth of a beleif has nothing to do with whether it is dogma or not.
quote:
I am not making an assertion that every atheist uses it.
It is belief, not use that makes a dogma. A dogma is an article of faith not a commonly-used argument.
So let's ask again. How does your making up the idea that college professors commonly ask "Prove that God exists" establish the existence of an "atheist dogma" when it isn't true and there is no reference to anything that could be reasonably considered a dogma ?
And this time please address the actual question isntead of resortign to non-sequiturs

This message is a reply to:
 Message 231 by riVeRraT, posted 05-31-2006 9:35 AM riVeRraT has replied

Replies to this message:
 Message 235 by riVeRraT, posted 05-31-2006 10:06 AM PaulK has replied

PaulK
Member
Posts: 17827
Joined: 01-10-2003
Member Rating: 2.3


Message 237 of 302 (316535)
05-31-2006 10:19 AM
Reply to: Message 235 by riVeRraT
05-31-2006 10:06 AM


Re: On 'isms' and redness
quote:
Well this is one definition of dogma:
An authoritative principle, belief, or statement of ideas or opinion, especially one considered to be absolutely true.
You will note that it doesn't say anything about the truth of the dogma. Thus it supports my point. Also I asked you to answer my question without non-sequiturs and you have not done so.
Now as to whether your question as to whether the definition fits atheism or not, firstly I will point out that this discussion is using a wide definition of atheism which includes simply not taking a stance on whether a God exists or not. This clearly does not fit. Even if we take a narrower definition which requires taking the idea that God does not exist I would have to question whether it would fit - where is the "authority" that makes it "authoritative".

This message is a reply to:
 Message 235 by riVeRraT, posted 05-31-2006 10:06 AM riVeRraT has replied

Replies to this message:
 Message 249 by riVeRraT, posted 05-31-2006 3:15 PM PaulK has replied

PaulK
Member
Posts: 17827
Joined: 01-10-2003
Member Rating: 2.3


Message 282 of 302 (316779)
06-01-2006 2:57 AM
Reply to: Message 249 by riVeRraT
05-31-2006 3:15 PM


Re: On 'isms' and redness
quote:
truth of the dogma?
What the fuck does that mean?
Sicne a dogma is a belief it can be true or false. The "the truth of the dogma" means "whether the dogma is true or not". It's prefectly ordinary English.
quote:
I think it says exactly what it says.
Then since it supports my views and contradicts your assertions you should have conceded that I was correct.
quote:
I have no idea what this means, does anyone else?
It means under the definition of atheism we are using there are NO beliefs that an atheist must hold. Therefore under that definition of atheism there cannot be an atheist dogma. Under the definition of atheism as a belief that God does not exist you have one belief but you need to show that it fits the rest of the definition of "dogma". The first word in that definition is "authoritative" - so where is the relevant "authority" ?

This message is a reply to:
 Message 249 by riVeRraT, posted 05-31-2006 3:15 PM riVeRraT has replied

Replies to this message:
 Message 295 by riVeRraT, posted 06-01-2006 10:23 AM PaulK has replied

PaulK
Member
Posts: 17827
Joined: 01-10-2003
Member Rating: 2.3


Message 301 of 302 (316828)
06-01-2006 10:54 AM
Reply to: Message 295 by riVeRraT
06-01-2006 10:23 AM


Re: On 'isms' and redness
To be an "atheist dogma" it woudl at least have to have some sort of authority over those considering themselves atheists. But if atheism by definition includes everyone who isn't a theist then how could there be any single authority ?
quote:
Because I feel the dogma can be specific to each indiviual, or groups of individuals who feel the same way. Since it is a belief, whether true or not, then it doesn't have to be a written law
I never said that it had to be written. Nor that it had to be a law. I'm going by the definition YOU provided.
However if we are talking about an atheist dogma it can't be held by an individual atheist or small groups of atheists. It has to be at least a large group of atheists and it has to have authority.
quote:
The first word in that definition is "authoritative" - so where is the relevant "authority" ?
Still don't know what you mean by that.
If you don't understand the definition you offered then you are in no position to make claims based on it. You cannot say that something fits a definition you do not understand.

This message is a reply to:
 Message 295 by riVeRraT, posted 06-01-2006 10:23 AM riVeRraT has not replied

Newer Topic | Older Topic
Jump to:


Copyright 2001-2023 by EvC Forum, All Rights Reserved

™ Version 4.2
Innovative software from Qwixotic © 2024