I am, and I'm a hardline atheist. The past ten years have solidly convinced me that most people are not cut out for living without a religion
Even back in 2010, Dawkins himself stated that he'd come to think that Christianity was ultimately "a bulwark against something worse".
I agreed with him then (in his case, he was speaking about the weak response of secularists to Islamic terrorism), and I definitely agree with him now.
If you've ever talked with theist and they've asked you the question of how you as an atheist can possibly be trusted not to be a murdering raping theiving monster with no morals, or better yet, had them openly tell you that if were not for their belief that they would go to hell, they would be doing those things, then you've already glimpsed the animal lurking under the thin veneer of civilization.
It seems most people actively desire, if not outright require an authority figure to tell them what is right and wrong.
At the height of the Evangelical moral panic power I used to make fun of them on accounts with my real name. Today there's an orthodoxy with a priesthood so powerful and a laity so rabid I dare not affix my real name to even mild criticism.
If you've ever talked with theist and they've asked you the question of how you as an atheist can possibly be trusted not to be a murdering raping theiving monster with no morals, or better yet, had them openly tell you that if were not for their belief that they would go to hell, they would be doing those things, then you've already glimpsed the animal lurking under the thin veneer of civilization.
Our problem was thinking that was a handful of weirdos we just kept running into, and not sign of something bigger. Even as we simultaneously call humans chimpanzees in suits. Hindsight's 20/20, huh?
Even as we simultaneously call humans chimpanzees in suits
That's the funniest thing. We decided that human beings were ultimately just chimpanzees with slightly smarter tool use, but we completely neglected to consider what that ultimately meant about human behavior.
We didn't step back and ask ourselves why every group of humans on earth develops some kind of nonsensical cult with a authoritative priesthood to both enforce and selectively alter its jargon when necessary.
Even back in 2010, Dawkins himself stated that he'd come to think that Christianity was ultimately "a bulwark against something worse".
Dawkins may say that, but he doesn't act like he believes it to be true. He still publicly spars with the religious and mocks religious beliefs.
Someone who truly believed that Christianity was "a bulwark against something worse" would either defend that thing or at least stop attacking it in order to avoid the worse outcome. Instead he gives material support to those who want the worse outcome.
I love that he uses the same dismissive to opposing viewpoints attitude in both tweets. It's a big part of what makes these people so frustratingly annoying.
Yeah, they're atheists. If you remove religion, the only thing that keeps people in check is a tyrannical government. When you remove government, and there's no religion to fall back on, chaos takes over. It's the only reason America was ever possible to begin with, and the only reason it's now falling apart.
Early Americans were largely moral and religious, and saw government as overbearing and unnecessary. Their morality was rooted in their religion, so it was rather consistent and unchanging, while government is always pushed around by fads and fashions . Now that nobody is religious anymore, they're all crying for big government to step in a take control. They're emotional "spiritual" dingbats with no moral compass to guide themselves by, and government is no substitute.
Eh, they're slightly correct. More wild west hinterlands absent of military presence like Deadwood (not the show) than Mad Max.....Though most of that line of thinking comes from fear of self responsibility and god forbid they'd have to be armed instead of relying on the law enforcement, that they hate.
Even back in 2010, Dawkins himself stated that he'd come to think that Christianity was ultimately "a bulwark against something worse".
I agreed with him then (in his case, he was speaking about the weak response of secularists to Islamic terrorism), and I definitely agree with him now.
If you've ever talked with theist and they've asked you the question of how you as an atheist can possibly be trusted not to be a murdering raping theiving monster with no morals, or better yet, had them openly tell you that if were not for their belief that they would go to hell, they would be doing those things, then you've already glimpsed the animal lurking under the thin veneer of civilization.
It seems most people actively desire, if not outright require an authority figure to tell them what is right and wrong.
Same. This is an utterly undeniable truth.
Our problem was thinking that was a handful of weirdos we just kept running into, and not sign of something bigger. Even as we simultaneously call humans chimpanzees in suits. Hindsight's 20/20, huh?
That's the funniest thing. We decided that human beings were ultimately just chimpanzees with slightly smarter tool use, but we completely neglected to consider what that ultimately meant about human behavior.
We didn't step back and ask ourselves why every group of humans on earth develops some kind of nonsensical cult with a authoritative priesthood to both enforce and selectively alter its jargon when necessary.
Dawkins may say that, but he doesn't act like he believes it to be true. He still publicly spars with the religious and mocks religious beliefs.
Someone who truly believed that Christianity was "a bulwark against something worse" would either defend that thing or at least stop attacking it in order to avoid the worse outcome. Instead he gives material support to those who want the worse outcome.
He's a senile old man at this point. Has been ever since his stroke.
He's never going to change his ways now, no matter what.
He's had occasional bouts of lucidity, but they are few and far between.
I love that he uses the same dismissive to opposing viewpoints attitude in both tweets. It's a big part of what makes these people so frustratingly annoying.
I've chatted with a lot of professors who believe society would be mad max without governments.
Yeah, they're atheists. If you remove religion, the only thing that keeps people in check is a tyrannical government. When you remove government, and there's no religion to fall back on, chaos takes over. It's the only reason America was ever possible to begin with, and the only reason it's now falling apart.
Early Americans were largely moral and religious, and saw government as overbearing and unnecessary. Their morality was rooted in their religion, so it was rather consistent and unchanging, while government is always pushed around by fads and fashions . Now that nobody is religious anymore, they're all crying for big government to step in a take control. They're emotional "spiritual" dingbats with no moral compass to guide themselves by, and government is no substitute.
Eh, they're slightly correct. More wild west hinterlands absent of military presence like Deadwood (not the show) than Mad Max.....Though most of that line of thinking comes from fear of self responsibility and god forbid they'd have to be armed instead of relying on the law enforcement, that they hate.
Unrelated, but I dig your username!