This is a discussion on Aren't Atheists being hypocritical? within the Atheism forums, part of the Atheism category; Correct me if I'm wrong but aren't Atheists being hypocritical. They denounce the reality of truth and yet fight religion ...
Aren't Atheists being hypocritical? Correct me if I'm wrong but aren't Atheists being hypocritical. They denounce the reality of truth and yet fight religion in the name of truth. They denounce the existence of any real morality and yet they say that we should love humanity and struggle for our fellow man. They glorify reason while at the same time decrying reason as nothing more than an illusion of order in a universe of chaos.
Re: Aren't Atheists being hypocritical? Okay, you're wrong.
Truth is reality, reality is truth. It's just really, really hard to be sure about what is true. Hence we have to question and test claims in order to winnow that which appears true from that which is demonstrably not true.
Religion tries to claim the mantle of truth of without subjecting itself to question or test. There is nothing hypocritical about expecting those who make extraordinary or outlandish truth claims to produce evidence.
"The first principle is that you must not fool yourself -- and you are the easiest person to fool." -- Richard Feynman
Re: Aren't Atheists being hypocritical? In the sense that you stated here... yes they are. However, your arguement neglects to examine deeper aspects of both sides -which will lead you to a stronger arguement.Originally Posted by rybak303
Re: Aren't Atheists being hypocritical? I don't really think so, rybak303. I imagine that this all terms on what you mean by truth and I imagine that what you mean by truth is religious truth. That is, of course, not the only saw the truth that there is. Our scientific examination of the world of ourselves and of the universe also provides us with truth-- but this is the truth is different from religious truth in that it can be demonstrated to be true.
Now religious truth relies, effectively, on statements made in a holy book. The truth that God exists is not truth like scientific truth it is merely an assertion or a belief by an individual or a group of individuals who hold it to be true but cannot demonstrated to be true. What atheists are not keen on is that sort of truth -- a truth which cannot be demonstrated to be true.
As far as morals are concerned, an examination of a holy book such as the Bible will demonstrate that morals are not predicated upon the existence of God and a moral code written in a holy book but on a society whose members follow those moral rules. It is very clear that the rules on slavery, which were insistent upon in the southern United States right up with the Civil War United States were found to be wrong and were abandoned yet the Bible supports slavery and gives rules how it should be done. If were following a set of permanently true morals from the Bible slavery is okay. I also haven't noticed many stonings of homosexual people or those who commit adultery amongst Christians and the usual is also prescribed in the Bible.
So as long as I can see your claims are completely false in an atheist argue for truth which can be demonstrated and morals which match our society and to note that atheist on the whole are more moral than Christians -- check the percentage prison population in the southern United States as an example.
Re: Aren't Atheists being hypocritical? I'm going to address the moral side of this as I believe it's the biggest evil religion has.
If you actually look at the bible and other holy books, you'll find that it's the most humanely sickening writing anyone could ever judge their morals by.
I won't quote any parts as Wheels has already done that.
Now, Christians today won't stone a homosexual to death or condemn a man to slavery, unless he is totally twisted. Now why is that? We as humans have the ability to know what is morally right and wrong, and the bible tries to guide us. However, Christians cherry pick at what is right and what is wrong from the bible. So think about it... If they have the ability to know what to cherry pick from the bible, do they really need the bible?
If they already know what is right and wrong, through human instinct, they don't actually need to go by the apparent morals of the bible.
This shows 2 things:
A) The effect of the bible (or any other holy book) and religion is starting to lose it's affect on the people on this Earth and it's just a matter of time before they realise the rest of religion is full of lies, contradictions and time wasting.
and B) We as humans can live for ourselves. We know what is right and wrong (unless you're a criminal or insane) in which case we know how to deal with these people and keep them out of harms way, Humanely.
Hannibal
To most Christians, the bible is like a software license; they don't actually read it, they just scroll to the bottom and simply click "I Agree".
Re: Aren't Atheists being hypocritical? I agree with you Hannibal...I wouldn't say that it's necessarily Bible-specific though.
I think the fact that most of my morals are relatively similar to those of a theist - whether a Bible Slapper or not - shows the existence of basic human morals...Or maybe I've just been influenced by the Bible's influence on society? It's a hard distinction to make.
"I am against religion because it teaches us to be satisfied with not understanding the world." ~Richard Dawkins
"Religion is not merely the opium of the masses, it’s the cyanide." ~Tom Robbins
Re: Aren't Atheists being hypocritical?
LOL, I see what you did there!!
-"They denounce the reality of truth and yet fight religion in the name of truth."-Wrong
-"They denounce the existence of any real morality and yet they say that we should love humanity and struggle for our fellow man."-Wrong
-"They glorify reason while at the same time decrying reason as nothing more than an illusion of order in a universe of chaos."-Wrong
A lesson for anyone interested in politics or social studies. This person is observing the statements or behavior of one person and has generalized that behaved attitude as something else representative of a lot of people.
This is called a straw man argument and it is very important for you to teach your children about these fallacies. Most High School students are not taught what fallacies are and how to deal with them.
It is critically important for us to be able to observe and identify fallacies, not just for the purpose of being logical, but also for the truth value of that logic. So when you go home tonight or whenever you receive this message, I want you to go look online the many and varied types of fallacies.
You'll find a lot to read, and if it interests you, great. The faster you can identify a fallacy, the better off you'll be. Fallacies are often an indicator in a logic argument that a fundamental understanding of logic is flawed.
So, if you catch someone using a fallacy in an argument, try determining what part of logic it is that they aren't able or don't want to understand. It may be that they don't know, that they don't know and your keen observation could save them from looking silly.
Just a note:
rybak303 is a troll. A cursory investigation into his Internet activity has revealed he has been exploring several religious websites posing the same arguments without any consideration for the questions posed and without responding to the answers in any of them.
There is no human nature that is not change
Demojen
Re: Aren't Atheists being hypocritical? You have no morals. Morals aren't things you carry with you, like marbles or a wallet. Everyone has a breaking point, where they can be said to be immoral. Morals aren't bottled like stinky perfume that we can use to identify someone. Simply put, morals change based on what the lynch mob and society demands of you. The Nazis didn't believe they were immoral while they were slaughtering millions of people, and while you're chewing on the remains of some animal that some fat slob(or factory worker) led to the slaughter(assuming you're not vegan), I'm sure you don't consider yourself to be immoral for it.
Morals aren't a badge to be worn or some indicator light that we can be trusted.
All of us can be changed to represent the very thing we observe to be immoral.
On the subject of the Nazis: A trial was held after the war that led to the execution of Nazi general, claiming all Nazis should be charged with war crimes. One doctor, a master of understanding human nature came to the rescue of thousands upon thousands of Nazis who were being persecuted for their involvement in the world war. The Milgram experiment became one of the most controversial studies of the times and has demonstrated evidence time and time again that anyone under the right influence/authority can be driven to murder their fellow man.
There is no human nature that is not change
Demojen
Re: Aren't Atheists being hypocritical? Question: Name one thing that Atheists believe in because they are atheist.
Answer: Nothing
An Atheist lacks a belief in God. Although some Atheists believe in the nonexistence of God, it is not a defining characteristic. Unfortunately, even some dictionaries get this wrong which is why I am very cautious about labeling myself as an Atheist.
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