ForumsWEPRWhich is less acceptable: Arrogant atheism or rabid religious devotion

57 10666
Devoidless
offline
Devoidless
3,678 posts
Jester

There seems to be recent buzz about religions lately, so this seems like a decent topic. And since I know there are both atheists and religious folk here, seems good as any.

I present to you the people two very opposite views on religion. One side belives there is no chance that there is any all-poweful being, yet do so in a way that they are ignorant and blind to how the other half lives and thinks. Whereas the second half the equation believes there is nothing else but the religion they believe in, to the point of forcing it on others and viewing everyone else as sinner if they do not share this point of view...

Keep in mind these are the very radical poles of each belief. Either side sees in black and white. Each view their own belief as the only correct on and everyone else as wrong.

Discuss! I will throw my opinion in a bit later on.

  • 57 Replies
Asherlee
offline
Asherlee
5,014 posts
Shepherd

This is tough to choose. I think, just because of my opinion on religion, I would say that it's worse to be a rabid religious devote. That type of blind FAITH seems unhealthy to me. I feel that knowledge is power and faith is a security blanket.

Carlie
offline
Carlie
6,843 posts
Blacksmith

I would agree with that Asherlee.

But I would say that both are pretty bad. Being too adamant about one view or the other isn't healthy, and is bound to make though around you more weary of your views than accepting.

Paba16
offline
Paba16
234 posts
Nomad

well i am religious and i really get tired of rabid religious people

razaki
offline
razaki
263 posts
Nomad

Both sides are bad, no doubt about it, but I'd have to say that the religious people would still take the cake.

No one commits horrible, murderous acts in the name of atheism - it doesn't make sense. Take a look around the world, though, and you'll see massive amounts of violence caused by religious fundamentalism and fanaticism.

notataco
offline
notataco
189 posts
Nomad

well peolpe would say that they kill in the name of christ as an excuse to just slaughter the peolpe that the killers wanted to. and to be honest i dont see anything wrong with atheism although it would be nice if they gave christ a chance. I'm religious but im very laid back about it and i am always open to new views and others opinions, and beliefs. So i guess i would have to choose neither. (but this is a great topic) =)

Bloody_Wolf
offline
Bloody_Wolf
103 posts
Peasant

Yep, both are pretty bad. As I said in a couple other threads, I'm a strong Christian but I hold just as strongly to science. Here, I would say arrogant atheism is worse. Some atheists say that their disbelief in God is due to incontrovertible scientific proof against His existence. I doubt such even exists. Besides, believing in a Creator is the very reason why I'm so interested in studying the universe. It's amazing to observe the properties of substances and physical laws, and see how perfectly they all work together, how if even one mathematical constant were off by a fraction of a percent, the universe would fall apart. And then I stand in awe of the God who designed all of it.

Anyway, listening to some of these atheists, they sound just as "rabidly" devoted to disproving God as any religious fanatics I've heard trying to convert "infidels." They're both so dead-set that they leave no room for any other type of thought. Like you said, Devoidless, we are talking about both extreme ends here.

I guess I should finally make my point...Here's why I think arrogant atheism is worse. If you are religiously devoted and die, if there really is no God, you simply cease to exist. If there is no God, the same goes for an atheist who dies. Simple nonexistence after death. However, if there IS a God, and you've spent your life believing in Him, you could be richly rewarded. Now consider if you spent your life as an atheist and died to find there is a God after all; then you'd have to explain to Him why you didn't believe. That's why I think it's better to play it safe and believe in a God.

Asherlee
offline
Asherlee
5,014 posts
Shepherd

Bloody, there is also a 3rd scenario to what you describe. What if the one true God does not want to be worshiped? What if that God preferred opposite things than the Christian God?

Bloody_Wolf
offline
Bloody_Wolf
103 posts
Peasant

I'd think if that were the case, that god would not care about what happened to us after death, so, once again, we would probably just cease to exist. If that god did not want worship from us or care about our existence as the Christian God does, he probably would not preserve our being after physical death.

So the three scenarios are then:
1. No God. You die and cease to exist.
2. Uncaring god. You die and cease to exist.
3. Christian God. You die and are rewarded for belief, or separated from God because of disbelief.

If either of the first two are true, you won't care after you die. However, if the third ends up being true, you'll have to live with your decision forever. It's still better to believe the third just for that possibility.

ancientman5
offline
ancientman5
16 posts
Jester

Arrogant Atheism i would think becuase even though the rabid religious devote is well crazy he at least isnt really making a bad name for himself since in his opinion his following the word of god. While the Atheist is using just being a bastard and creating a terrible stereotype.

Bloody_Wolf
offline
Bloody_Wolf
103 posts
Peasant

Something about my last post: that third possibility should have read simply "caring god." Even non-Christians believe they will have to answer to an all-powerful being, be it Jehovah, Allah, Brahma, or anyone else. The result is still the same, however.

Also, I realized something else a few minutes ago. Though arrogant atheism is dangerous for the person practicing it, a rabid religious devotee is dangerous to everyone around him. As Razaki said, they may want to kill nonbelievers.

PaladinDragonKnight
offline
PaladinDragonKnight
21 posts
Nomad

I think that both are equally dangerous, but rabid religious devotion is less acceptable. Both can harm themselves and put down everyone around them, but the rabid religion is preaching equality and loving, but is actually a hypocrite. As long as it's not put to the extremes, I think neither is too bad (but I would prefer going with religion, for the same reasons Bloody gave a couple posts ago.)

Gimgak
offline
Gimgak
294 posts
Nomad

rabid religious devotion, by a longshot

razaki
offline
razaki
263 posts
Nomad

Oh boy...Pascal's wager being invoked by bloody.

Fun stuff.

Ok, Pascal's wager is fallacious for a number of reasons, and Ash touched on one of them.

You're automatically assuming a few things:
1. This "god" wants to be worshiped.
2. If he does, then you assume you are worshiping the right god - quite improbably given the sheer number of religions since the dawn of man.
3. God rewards faith and not skepticism.
4. Heaven is even a reward, period.
5. Hell is the alternative.
6. All unbelievers are punished in hell.

Along with many other assumptions that end up collapsing upon each other....basically, the wager is completely useless to use when it comes to things like religion. It is useful in certain other areas, but not this one. There are FAR, FAR too many outside circumstances that must be true for your argument to even be close to right.

See...some of the responses in this thread make me worried about how people view atheists. It's a major double standard here...if an atheist, such as myself, argues using scientific facts about how the Bible or some other ancient document CAN'T be true, we're labeled fanatics and MUST be rebelling against god or something.

Religious people who choose to shut their eyes away from the obvious truth - no offense, Bloody, but you have to be if you truly believe that science points towards a god - are instead praised for believing in a god or following "god's word." It's pathetic.

Nowhere else in life are people rewarded for blindly following what something or someone tells them and risking their life for it. Know what we call that? Idiocy, lunacy, and dangerous.

Throw a holy book and some clergy in the mix and we call it religion.

To add to my comment on Bloody's post, my interest in science and the way the world works is not one motivated by the existence or the non-existence of a god. The fact of either theory would not affect my curiosity one bit. It's simply the fact that it is there that makes me wonder and want to know. Who or what designed it is irrelevant, for me. We live in a an amazing, yet chaotic and inefficient universe - one that is and should be studied. Presented in the right way, science will awe anyone, religious or not.

Devoidless
offline
Devoidless
3,678 posts
Jester

Now for my insight! Muahaha*cough sputter gasp* Erm...ok, enough of that.

Ha, on a random note the song "Heresy" by NIN started playing on Pandora as soon as I started this post. Funny.

As some of you have pointed out, both are not acceptable. And I agree, rabid religious devotion is indeed worse. Athiests have never killed anyone in name of their cause, etc., etc.. I realize I am more or less saying what others have said, but just wait until I get to my main point.

I thought it was going to happen, and I was right. Even without me naming a specific religion, the conversation went the way of Christianity. Even in a day and age when people should be thinking about radical Islamic acts and the such, Christianity pops up. Is this because we all still remember what has been done in the name of that one small religion, or current day Christians unknowlingly feel an obligation to seperate themselves form the past?

Just and idea.

Asherlee
offline
Asherlee
5,014 posts
Shepherd

Well, I think that could be correct, but there are also other elements that have led to it. Being that Christianity is so prominent among the users, it is naturally going to be brought up because they can relate to it. I also think that when you bring rabid into a sentence with religion, it relates to Christianity because they seem to want to convert people more than most other religions. Hence, a foaming at the mouth Christian fanatic knocking at your door...

Which, I always let them in so I can get some face-to-face debating.

Showing 1-15 of 57