Rationality may not be the key to atheism

[mriana]

@thatoneguy

Christians are normal. Atheists are not. It’s as simple as that.

You make being outside the norm sound like a bad thing. BTW, I didn’t see atheism on the chart anywhere.

@thatoneguy

The religious understand there are good times and bad times in life, whereas atheists have difficulty accepting that because they’re more cerebral, less emotional.

We do? I thought it was human to deal with good and bad times in life. IMHO, life is a rose garden- it has beauty and thorns. I don’t think your statement is true. I actually believe Xians have a more difficult time deal with the bad times, because the answer is always “pray about it” and doing nothing else. Things can’t get better with pray alone and if one tries to do something, then what’s the point of prayer, except maybe psychological? Doing nothing seems like a form of depression, giving up, or living in a fantasy world.

@thatoneguy

Bottom line: humans evolved to believe in the supernatural. We did not evolve to be strict rationalists. Some individuals are naturally strict rationalists but they are psychologically unusual. And theists do better in life than atheists.

You really believe that?

[thatoneguy]

@mriana

@thatoneguy

Christians are normal. Atheists are not. It’s as simple as that.

You make being outside the norm sound like a bad thing. BTW, I didn’t see atheism on the chart anywhere.

It’s good being outside the norm if it works. Just being different for the sake of it is juvenile.

@mriana

@thatoneguy

The religious understand there are good times and bad times in life, whereas atheists have difficulty accepting that because they’re more cerebral, less emotional.

We do? I thought it was human to deal with good and bad times in life. IMHO, life is a rose garden- it has beauty and thorns. I don’t think your statement is true. I actually believe Xians have a more difficult time deal with the bad times, because the answer is always “pray about it” and doing nothing else. Things can’t get better with pray alone and if one tries to do something, then what’s the point of prayer, except maybe psychological? Doing nothing seems like a form of depression, giving up, or living in a fantasy world.

I don’t know any theists who say prayer is the only option.

@mriana

@thatoneguy

Bottom line: humans evolved to believe in the supernatural. We did not evolve to be strict rationalists. Some individuals are naturally strict rationalists but they are psychologically unusual. And theists do better in life than atheists.

You really believe that?

Without a doubt.

[morgankane01]

@thatoneguy

Christians are normal. Atheists are not. It’s as simple as that.

In fact, a very parochial view.

Just one question; What do you mean by " normal" ?

Below is each religion’s total estimated population for 2020:

• Christianity - 2.38 billion
• Islam - 1.91 billion
• Hinduism - 1.16 billion
• Buddhism - 507 million
• Folk Religions - 430 million
• Other Religions - 61 million
• Judaism - 14.6 million
• Unaffiliated - 1.19 billion

[The Global Religious Landscape | Pew Research Center]

[mriana]

@thatoneguy

I don’t know any theists who say prayer is the only option.

Guess you have met many theists then. There are some.

@thatoneguy

Just being different for the sake of it is juvenile.

Are you saying atheists are different for the sake of it? That makes no sense, especially if one can’t believe in a deity.

[write4u]

@thatoneguy

Christians are normal. Atheists are not. It’s as simple as that.

Why is it that atheists have more knowledge of the bible than theists?

What Americans Know About Religion

Perhaps atheists may not look normal to theists because theists are generally ignorant of normalcy.

[citizenschallengev4]

@thatoneguy

Bottom line: humans evolved to believe in the supernatural. We did not evolve to be strict rationalists.

So it’s one or the other.

Man life is so simply. Who’d a thud it.

[write4u]

@thatoneguy

Bottom line: humans evolved to believe in the supernatural. We did not evolve to be strict rationalists.

True, that privilege is reserved for all the other animals on earth…

On second thought…

[mriana]

@write4u

Perhaps atheists may not look normal to theists because theists are generally ignorant of normalcy.

Or they can’t face reality, so they make up alternative facts to fit their world view and live in that fantasy.

[thatoneguy]

@morgankane01

@thatoneguy

Christians are normal. Atheists are not. It’s as simple as that.

In fact, a very parochial view.

Just one question; What do you mean by " normal" ?

Below is each religion’s total estimated population for 2020:

• Christianity - 2.38 billion
• Islam - 1.91 billion
• Hinduism - 1.16 billion
• Buddhism - 507 million
• Folk Religions - 430 million
• Other Religions - 61 million
• Judaism - 14.6 million
• Unaffiliated - 1.19 billion

[The Global Religious Landscape | Pew Research Center]

True enough. I’m speaking about America specifically.

@mriana

@thatoneguy

Just being different for the sake of it is juvenile.

Are you saying atheists are different for the sake of it? That makes no sense, especially if one can’t believe in a deity.

Not necessarily, but atheists do tend to think of themselves as “rebels”.

[write4u]

@thatoneguy

Not necessarily, but atheists do tend to think of themselves as “rebels”.

@thatoneguy

Not necessarily, but atheists do tend to think of themselves as “rebels”.

Where do you get such absurd notions from? You are so projecting your own prejudices it’s almost scary.

Let me remind you the default position is “you cannot prove god exists” and until you can prove that it does , you are the rebel in a rational world.

[mriana]

@thatoneguy

Not necessarily, but atheists do tend to think of themselves as “rebels”.

We do? That’s news to me. I just can’t believe. I don’t call that a “rebel”.

@write4u

You are so projecting your own prejudices it’s almost scary.

He is. He’s not only racist and prejudice, but he’s also stereotyping.

[lausten]

@thatoneguy

Not necessarily, but atheists do tend to think of themselves as “rebels”.

Rebel against what? That’s the question that’s left unaddressed. Galileo and Voltaire “rebelled” against a corrupt government that forced compliance and demanded tithing to support it’s suppression and conquering. I think we’re supposed to “rebel” against stuff like that.

Christians rebelled against the synagogue that was doing the same to them. Many still consider themselves some sort of voice in the wilderness crying out against evil. Muslims say they are rebelling against the loose morals of the West.

[thatoneguy]

Against theism and anti-intellectualism, obviously.

[thatoneguy]

@write4u

@thatoneguy

Not necessarily, but atheists do tend to think of themselves as “rebels”.

@thatoneguy

Not necessarily, but atheists do tend to think of themselves as “rebels”.

Where do you get such absurd notions from? You are so projecting your own prejudices it’s almost scary.

Let me remind you the default position is “you cannot prove god exists” and until you can prove that it does , you are the rebel in a rational world.

Funnily enough, the rational world is not the real world which most people live in.

[write4u]

@thatoneguy

Funnily enough, the rational world is not the real world which most people live in.

Tragically, “most people” are theists who live in an alternate non-rational world.
It is your own logic that identified the truth. Be glad you found it!

Now you can join us, the rational minority in trying to discover the glorious mysteries of the universe without mythological distractions…

[mriana]

@thatoneguy

Against theism and anti-intellectualism, obviously.

Wait. What is wrong with being against anti-intellectualism? Everyone should be for intellectualism and against living in a world of fantasy.

@thatoneguy

Funnily enough, the rational world is not the real world which most people live in.

Actually, theism is not only not rational, but it is a fantasy world. Rationalist live in the real world.

[mriana]

@write4u

Tragically, “most people” are theists who live in an alternate non-rational world.

Yes, like many old people, who are about to die, cling to their childhood religion, believing they are going to heaven to be with God and family. Sadly, it’s not true, but we let them have their fantasy because it helps them face death better. Be that as it may, the worms go in, the worms go out…

[lausten]

@thatoneguy

the real world

Reality is something is l like to keep in touch with. I’d be interested in what you think that is. I wouldn’t have thought of anti-intelectualism as “obvious”

I don’t mean to be flippant either. Here’s the trouble with answering that question, just using dictionary definitions:

Reality
• the state or quality of having existence or substance:
• “youth, when death has no reality”
• existence that is absolute, self-sufficient, or objective, and not subject to human decisions or conventions.

Existence
the fact or state of living or having objective reality
Fact
a thing that is known or proved to be true
Truth
that which is true or in accordance with fact or reality

So, you need a theory to discuss reality:

Epistemology
the theory of knowledge, especially with regard to its methods, validity, and scope. Epistemology is the investigation of what distinguishes justified belief from opinion

[thatoneguy]

It’s rhetorical. Reality exists but the “real world” that people live in is not a world of studying data and pure reason.

[write4u]

[quote=“thatoneguy, post:59, topic:9820, full:true”]
It’s rhetorical. Reality exists but the “real world” that people live in is not a world of studying data and pure reason.

Yes it is.
It’s called “thinking” about sensory data input and comparing it to stored memories.

The “reason” we use is mathematical in origin. This is why many animals have a sense of “more” as compared to “less”, a mathematical “differential equation”.