Hi everyone ! im 67, retired, a long-time and contented Atheist and Humanist, and a new member here…
Is Atheism ‘The LAST CLOSET’ ? (i contend that it IS)…and if the answer is YES, would that mathematically mean that most ‘Christians’ are very probably in there ? I contend that they ARE, and also, that unlike self-outed homosexuals, most of them will probably NEVER come out of that closet…
A Homosexual or LGBTQIA person can run for a public office today and WIN !, but if one dares mention or proclaim to being an Atheist ?!..to the Patriotic Traditionalists, Religous Righters and MAGAs, thats an abominable and unforgivable CRIME against ‘The Holy United States’ that is worse than sodomy with Satan himself !!!..
And that Athiest had better run for the northern hills, learn to fish and hope to never wake up after midnight with a noose round the neck. So its best for that Atheist to keep quiet in that closet and run as a hetero.
YEAH! Welcome to the forum.
Sorry I am the only one that will greet you. The rest of the folks around here are real jerks.
The last ‘closet?’ Okay, I’,ll wait for a definition. "Most Christians are Atheists? Hmmm? I would disagree.
My contention would; however, be closely related. Most Christians have not taken the time, nor the energy, to understand why they are Christian. They have not read their Bibles. They know nothing about Christian history. They know nothing about their individual religions. All they know of their religion comes from what they are told on Sunday mornings. Some of them get a few very restricted Bible studies under the direction of their own restrictive belief system. My contention would be, "Most Christians are actually ignorant of their own beliefs. They are ignorant of the multiplicity of other Christian beliefs around them. And they are ignorant as well of the world around them (specifically the advancements of science).
Looking forward to hearing more’…
Just some advice while you are on the site… Don’t feed small feathered creatures. Hide all your oil cans. Don’t drink the eggnog before Christmas. Aside from that… Enjoy!
EDIT: How about this as a compromise? As they don’t actually know their own bible or their own beliefs or the roots of their own beliefs… They don’t actually know that they aren’t really Christians by any definition of the term that any modern Church would recognize. If the churches were actually strict about enforcing their beliefs, there would be a whole lot fewer Christians in the world.
Please elaborate on what? My anglo celtic nation has exactly as I described. That the U.S in so many ways is a 3rd world country in its suppression of women, elevation of theism, and banning of books and ideas is a matter of record.
We are described as “communist” because of national healthcare, the banning of private armies and firearms without demonstrated need.
Yet my country is described as in a special relationship because of our geographical location and has recently been granted unrestricted access to your nuclear submarine program.
You said- "My contention would be, “Most Christians are actually ignorant of their own beliefs. They are ignorant of the multiplicity of other Christian beliefs around them. And they are ignorant as well of the world around them (specifically the advancements of science).”. Yes, i agree that is part of it, but my belief and contention is that along with their ignorance of nature and reality, most ‘christians’ also have a natural and rational doubt about their beliefs, but there is still that one great GOLDEN CARROT in their sky that they just cannot resist- a promised Eternal Afterlife !!! Since childhood they have been taught this powerfully appealing MYTH, that humans in “Eden” could live and reproduce forever !!!..
But they never stop to discuss and realize it would mean people reproducing into TRILLIONS on this small planet, which now at only 6 Billion people CANNOT feed everyone !!! They cant seem to understand that growing populations NEED Natural Death to maintain sustainability and viability with the limited resources of this planet !..
Essentially, i believe EVERYONE is born as a Natural Atheist (or “Humanist”), but that this ancient GOLDEN CARROT Myth has enabled human GREED to expect more than a Natural Lifespan. And how did this GOLDEN CARROT Myth begin ? It started with the GREED of one man to have Power and Control over others, and the most POWERFUL tool of Control ever conceived is MYTH.
The amount of times, I have had theists proclaim ‘you just hate god!’ or ‘you are just supressing your belief of god!’
This has always been extremely frustrating, and also extremely rude.
When someone takes such a stance, it highlights a lack of consideration for others, it also does not demonstrates a desire for intellectually honest discourse, but in fact a terrible dishonesty.
For the sake of discourse, the only intellectually honest approach one can take, is to take theists at their word that they believe a god exists.
To do otherwise, would be deeply hypocritical.
Now, that being said, there does come a point where theists reveal themselves to be dishonest about what they truly believe, but the only time we can reach that conclusion, is when the evidence presents itself.
He does not know how to copy and paste yet. (Left click over text you want to quote. A quote box will appear. Click on the quote box and a text box will appear with the quote you are responding to in it. This eliminates confusion in a reply.)
I generally agree with your comments. By “please elaborate” i was asking for a clarification of- “Don’t feed small feathered creatures. Hide all your oil cans. Don’t drink the eggnog before Christmas.” I love the flavor of eggnog, but i can only drink the type without sugar. Also, im assuming your country is the UK. Im a native US citizen. I find most discussions of Atheism and Religion interesting and mentally provocative.
Cognostic- You said youll “wait for a definition” [of “closet”]. A ‘closet’ in my stated context means a social ‘cover’ of one’s true (or confirmed) self, such as one’s homosexuality or atheism or religion, etc.
Certainly a reason to ‘Highlight text and quote.’ You have responded to Old Man (Why anyone would do that, I don’t know. He is not so much fun since he got rid of his jet trike, and then quoted me. I believe Old man is in Perth, and I am in Korea. (Things that make you say 'Hmmmm?" Left-lick on that mouse. Drag it over the text you want to reply to. Click on the quote box. It will help clarify things.
That would seem an opropos moment for you to present something beyond a bare claim, like some objective evidence to support the claim? I am aware that some people are caught in cultural situations where it would be very unwise to publicly announce they have lost their faith, but the claim that this involves “most Christians” needs to be properly supported.
Whilst it is likely true that publicly declaring yourself an atheist would make being elected to public office in the US very unlikely, this would only apply to a very small group, and certainly not most Christians? Also one might draw the logical inference that if your claim were true, and most Christians were atheists, then why would they oppose atheists from public office? So it seems this claim carries an innate contradiction.
Again this seems at odds with the notion, that most Christians are closet atheists? I am assuming you are referring solely to the US of course, as here in the UK being openly atheist doesn’t appear to be a barrier to public office.
It’s true, I am incorrigible, and also forgot my manners, @EyesWideOpen welcome to forum…
Also I am very rude and forgot to welcome another to the forum. Just my Aussie daily rudeness. @Eyeswideopen.
Enjoy yourself. Oh, never ever pull Cog’s finger, argue with Sheldon over a fallacy, Whitefire over ANYTHING, and laugh at Tin Man’s “jokes” …always laugh at those “jokes”…and refuse the eggnog.
I replied because I got your comment “Please elucidate” …so I did.
To clarify: I am in Perth, Western Australia…not Perth, Scotland, Perth, South Africa, Perth multiple places in Canada, several in the US and one in S.America. But then Cog is so full of noodles and fermented cabbage he cannot see straight.
Is that what that is? FUCK! I just took a week’s worth of antibiotics thinking I had another worm infection! Now what in the hell am I going to do if I eat a wormy banana? I don’t have any more antibiotics… Hmmmm? (An early dose of eggnog?) I mean… not now… just in case.
So sorry, eh - but those “caps” seem to pop up unexpectedly… weird how that sometimes happens with some members. Cap LOCK can indicate emphasis or shouting pray tell what does the capital on ControlPowerMyth indicate?
Just curious
Mind you, some of your writing doesn’t always have capitals.
Welcome to the forum …. Now I’ll get my coffee and smoke and stop being picky.
PS - my Province Alberta just elected a far-right nutjob atheist - believing in god isn’t necessarily a prerequisite for dipshittery
In many ways, yes. We’re more religious than all of the other western democracies and have a large faction of the population wanting an authoritative christian theocracy to replace our current system of government.
