Quote Originally Posted by denuseri View Post
I guess you forgot the part about when the term Atheist took on its current meaning; from the same article in Wiki...."The first individuals to identify themselves as "atheist" appeared in the 18th century. The term wasnt used in the same context back in 500bc...other than to refer to impiety.
Oh come on! I don't care what you call it: atheism, non-theism, religiously challenged. The point is that there have been non-believers for as long as their have been believers. The problem is that you keep insisting that atheism is just another belief system, rather than a simple statement of fact.

For the most part historically speaking the idea that slavery was somehow evil didnt develope until the abolistionist movment
Which makes my point. Culture's views on things change over time. Something which was acceptable, even commendable, only a few hundred years ago is now considered abominable, at least by "civilized" society. The same is true for homosexuality. There have been times when it has been acceptable, even admired in some cultures. It's only recently that it has come to be tolerated in this culture. Yet the "tolerant" Christians, Jews, Muslims and others are fighting tenaciously against equal rights for homosexuals. And their only reasons for that are based on their religious teachings.

What a narrow minded opinion to hold. I can see all sorts of reasons why a society wouldnt want to promote this kind of thing that have nothing to do with religion and everything to do with cultural preservation
And you could say the same thing about slavery. Or interracial marriages. Or interfaith marriages. There are some parts of culture that aren't worth preserving. But please, I'd love to hear some cultural arguments, which aren't ultimately based in religion, against giving everyone the same rights.

All I was saying is that it wasnt "evil" in and of itself for people to wish to have an opinion about it and or express that opinion in our democracy.
I agree, everyone has the right to their own opinion. But they do not have the right to deny others that same right. And denying any group of people the rights which you already have, by law, just because you don't like those people, or because a book of shepherds tales from thousands of years ago doesn't like them, is IMO evil.

So now you would have children not be raised by their parents?
That's not what I said, and you know it! I just think it's bad enough that parents stuff their kids heads full of mythology, we don't need to have the schools doing it too. Just teach kids to think critically. Teach them not to believe everything someone tells them. Regardless of who it is.

Actually growing up as a Lutheran...we studdied all sorts of religions other than our own and were activly encouraged to study religious history.
Which probably explains why you have changed religions so much. A good thing in my view. As I've said, I can respect your search, because you are obviously thinking deeply about it. My only criticism, in your case, is that it seems to me you are always searching based on the premise that a god, or gods, exists. I don't know what you are searching for, but perhaps you might try searching from the premise that gods probably do NOT exist. See where that search leads you.

So basically you wish to replace everyone elses beliefs...with your own?
Again, you're misrepresenting what I'm saying. Since I have no religious beliefs there's nothing to replace other's beliefs with.

I see no reason that any kind of evolutionary movement away from God should be looked upon as a good thing
Don't think of it as a movement away from gods, but as a movement away from superstition. Humans once had multiple gods, for everything. Eventually they whittled that down to just one god (for the most part) although everyone has different opinions about what that one god is and what he wants. Perhaps now it is time to put aside that security blanket and accept that WE are responsible for what we do and only WE can make it right. Gods, Santa Clause, fairies and leprechauns have no place in our lives except as sometimes amusing stories for children.

especially since you have zero evidence to point to something different as an alternative.
Maybe this is where the real disagreement arises, and why religious people cling so hard to their gods. I am not offering anyone an alternative. I don't have anything that replaces religion or gods or faith. That would be like teaching you can lose weight by switching from Angel Food cake to Devil's Food cake. (Yeah, I did that on purpose! So sue me!) It isn't going to help. I'm saying eliminate the cake completely.

Eliminate the superstitions completely. You don't need gods to do the right thing. You don't need gods to love other people. You don't need preachers to tell you to help your neighbor. Do it because it's the right thing to do, because it's the human thing to do.