The ATHEISM Thread

[ernster]

National Atheist Ad Campaign Targets Black Community
http://www.christianpost.com/news/na...op+Headlines)+

Atheist organizations from around the country have taken to billboard advertising to promote their views and their organizations over the last few months, but a new campaign by one atheist organization is focusing on reaching one group of people in particular: African-Americans.

"A lot of people think there's one black experience. A lot of people think that if someone's black it means that they're religious. So we want to be able to show people that that's not true, that there are non-religious people out there," Debbie Goddard, director of African Americans for Humanism (AAH), told The Christian Post on Wednesday.

The AAH launched an advertising campaign in late January in six major U.S. cities – New York City, Los Angeles, Chicago, Atlanta, Washington, D.C. and Durham, North Carolina – with a seventh city, Dallas, being added on Feb. 6. The campaign was designed to coincide with February's Black History Month.

Each billboard, poster or banner that goes up says "Doubts about religion? You're one of many" and has AAH's website printed on it. Each sign will also feature the image of a famous historic black freethinker – like poet Langston Hughes, social reformer Frederick Douglass or writer Zora Neale Hurston – across from the photo of a contemporary black atheist leader.

Goddard said the organization's primary goal in the campaign is to encourage black people who already have doubts about religion or who are already atheist but haven't told anyone to make themselves known.

the center for inquiry is also taking part.

[Tyr]

This is the super fun happy time all things related to the righteous journey of atheists and the atheism movement worldwide.

(Or, Let's Enjoy Ben Rant About Stuff.)

As much as I disagree, and debated with Ben and some of the rest of you. That actually made me laugh.

[Dan]

For community, fundamentalists go to church. Their community is called church.

Atheists just have to leave the house. Their community is called community.

Stupid NBC, denying those atheists!

[Doc Randy]

Here is question for other atheists (or apatheists):

When I hear really religious people talk amongst themselves about their religion, especially if they are discussing minutia in scripture or obscure passages in whatever book, it always sounds exactly like when I hear nerd fanboys obsessively talking about Star Trek or the X-Men or D&D or whatever nerd passion they have. To me, it always seems like so much energy is spent on such trivial nonsense.
Is anybody else like that?

I know some people get a lot out of their religion. Fine. Some people get a lot out of Star Trek. Fine. But to me, they aren't really that much different. I don't see why one type of obsession is elevated beyond the other.

[Doc Randy]

Here is another question for discussion:

I recently had to sit down with a Chaplain in the Army. It was just part of a standard annual review. The Chaplain kept saying, "You have a physical life, a mental/emotional life, and a spiritual life."

My question is, how exactly is a "spiritual life" somehow separate and distinct from a mental/emotional life?

[Jef UK]

Imagine the hymns we could sing, Ben.

"O come all unfaithful, joyful in existence
O come ye, o co-o-me ye, nothing happens after you die"

♫Your god isss deeeadd, and nooo one cares!! If there is a hell, I will seeee youuu there!!!♪♪

[ernster]

Here is another question for discussion:

I recently had to sit down with a Chaplain in the Army. It was just part of a standard annual review. The Chaplain kept saying, "You have a physical life, a mental/emotional life, and a spiritual life."

My question is, how exactly is a "spiritual life" somehow separate and distinct from a mental/emotional life?

my guess is that he believes in a soul and that a soul is separate from the brain which contains your mental and emotional processes. no proof that you can survive brain death, but whatever..

[Jef UK]

That was NIN, btw.

[Jef UK]

Here is another question for discussion:

I recently had to sit down with a Chaplain in the Army. It was just part of a standard annual review. The Chaplain kept saying, "You have a physical life, a mental/emotional life, and a spiritual life."

My question is, how exactly is a "spiritual life" somehow separate and distinct from a mental/emotional life?

I have hard time figuring out what athiests mean when they talk about having spirituality. Sam Harris, author of The End of Faith, talks about his spirituality, and I don't get it.

[Ben]

Here is question for other atheists (or apatheists):

When I hear really religious people talk amongst themselves about their religion, especially if they are discussing minutia in scripture or obscure passages in whatever book, it always sounds exactly like when I hear nerd fanboys obsessively talking about Star Trek or the X-Men or D&D or whatever nerd passion they have. To me, it always seems like so much energy is spent on such trivial nonsense.
Is anybody else like that?

I know some people get a lot out of their religion. Fine. Some people get a lot out of Star Trek. Fine. But to me, they aren't really that much different. I don't see why one type of obsession is elevated beyond the other.

I've noticed the same thing. People spouting apologetics sound like they're trying to get a No-Prize from god by explaining away continuity errors.