present day dilemma for atheism

haveheart
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present day dilemma for atheism

Thanks for looking at the post. I would like to propose a potential dilemma for a person atheist towards the christian God.

By being a fundamental atheist and wanting to deter belief and inclination towards Christianity I would one way act upon this by not participating in Christian events, the holy sacriments. So I wouldnt attend a baptism of a Christian child for instance. However, until atheism spreads more prevalently one may be wanted to attend such events as a duty to family and for cultural obligation.

So my question is, how far would you take atheism? Would you carry it through at risk of dissapointing family members? The key here is that this is a present day dilemma and as we all know there are people be it through ill education or lack of intelligence or indoctrination who simply accept faith. So would you go along with it and comfort people at a funeral for instance or turn your back on it and encourage awareness in this exciting period.


melchisedec
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haveheart wrote: Thanks for

haveheart wrote:
Thanks for looking at the post. I would like to propose a potential dilemma for a person atheist towards the christian God. By being a fundamental atheist and wanting to deter belief and inclination towards Christianity I would one way act upon this by not participating in Christian events, the holy sacriments. So I wouldnt attend a baptism of a Christian child for instance. However, until atheism spreads more prevalently one may be wanted to attend such events as a duty to family and for cultural obligation. So my question is, how far would you take atheism? Would you carry it through at risk of dissapointing family members? The key here is that this is a present day dilemma and as we all know there are people be it through ill education or lack of intelligence or indoctrination who simply accept faith. So would you go along with it and comfort people at a funeral for instance or turn your back on it and encourage awareness in this exciting period.

 I don't have a problem being around religious gatherings, it's never really bothered me, at times I even find it humorous. Recently I was at my nephews baptism and was glad I was to be there for my brother. However his in laws didn't show up because they disagreed with the denomination of christianity my brother and his wife chose. So these sorts of things can apply even to the religious.

 


AtheistInWonderland
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Quote: So my question is,

Quote:
So my question is, how far would you take atheism? Would you carry it through at risk of dissapointing family members?

 How far would they take theism? Would they carry it through at risk of disappointing their family members?

Why them and not us?

 As far as going to a funeral. I would go, but I wouldn't stay for a sermon.


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I have no problem attending

I have no problem attending such services for my friends and family (weddings, funerals, baptisms, etc.).

I merely stand or sit respectfully without participating in the prayer or ritual.

One thing that did kind of upset me... my father married his long-time girlfriend a few years ago.  It was a second marriage for both, so it was a small, informal service.  He wanted me to stand as his best man, but the priest would not allow it because I have never been baptized.  I thought that was rather petty and stupid.

When my wife's grandmother died recently, my wife was asked to deliver a eulogy as the oldest grandchild.  When she went to meet with the priest, he said the eulogy had to be about faith.  My wife said she was not comfortable writing a eulogy on that topic and wanted to speak about her grandmother's life and what she meant to her family.  The priest said that she couldn't... IT HAD TO BE ABOUT FAITH.  She refused to do the eulogy.  I thought that was kind of a bullshit thing to do... not allowing her to honor the memory of her grandmother in a way she deemed fit.

 


haveheart
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Dawkins himself suggests an

Dawkins himself refers to an alternative to the funeral in a christian sense. And that is to hold your gathering eliminating prayers and hymns and so forth and instead replacing them with things that the person actually enjoyed. Not just the same things said and done for everyone within christianity.

Some people who are not so good with words but show their feeling with action, which is what some atheists believe is a way to change popular thought,  may opt to become hardcore atheist. Which is to carry out atheism to extremes in order to make a sound. The idea that one may omit from all religious festivals or gatherings or rituals in order to put up a flag in which to say I will not adhere to such false belief. No matter how entertaining or comforting for others.


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haveheart wrote: Thanks for

haveheart wrote:
Thanks for looking at the post. I would like to propose a potential dilemma for a person atheist towards the christian God.


Well if that is all this thread is going to be about the god idea alone it may have to be moved to the Atheist vs. Theist section.

 

Quote:
By being a fundamental atheist and wanting to deter belief and inclination towards Christianity I would one way act upon this by not participating in Christian events, the holy sacriments. So I wouldnt attend a baptism of a Christian child for instance. However, until atheism spreads more prevalently one may be wanted to attend such events as a duty to family and for cultural obligation.


First you have to be careful using the term fundamental atheist. When you say the word fundamental you are suggesting a link to the fundamentalist movement within christians.

The only idea that any atheist is talking about is a lack of god belief and in most cases an atheist is atheist for positions and ideas outside of theologic ideas. That means other positions are not necessarily effected by being atheist.

Also there is no doctrine to be followed within the atheist community so there would be very little to be fundamental about. If you are going to use such terms you should probably define them or relate it to other terms such as strong or weak atheism.

As for the bit about not attending events or have obligations it would be the same as a christian being asked to attend or participate in a muslim or pagan activity. The same kind of social rules would apply so if you don't want to go you don't need to go and people shouldn't have bad feelings about it. If they do ask them how they would feel if asked them if they would like to participate in some thing like the blasphemy challenge.

 

Quote:
So my question is, how far would you take atheism?


My limit is pretty much within the law. The only time in which it my go outside of it is if they pass unconstitutional laws, but those should be few and far between. Although this idea of being prepared to openly oppose unconstitutional laws is not a reflection of my atheism, but more about my political and ethical views.

I doubt I would go door to door or anything, but I am not, by any means, afraid to talk about issues in public.

 

Quote:
Would you carry it through at risk of dissapointing family members?


Yes, with little to no hesitation. Others also talk about how there is no reason for us to be the ones that must change, perhaps not even suggesting anyone must change.

 

Quote:
The key here is that this is a present day dilemma and as we all know there are people be it through ill education or lack of intelligence or indoctrination who simply accept faith. So would you go along with it and comfort people at a funeral for instance or turn your back on it and encourage awareness in this exciting period.


I have attend funerals, but I would never pray or encourage the ideas I feel are false or unsupported. That would be like a doctor telling someone with cancer that everything is ok because they have a lucky shirt on. If I did something like that I would be telling them a lie and if I really care about the people involved I wouldn't do that to them, even if they are in pain. Would I make a scene and tell every one there that they are fools? No, not with a death.

The thing about a death is that it is probably too sensitive of an issue for people to deal with. After all death is one of the reasons people tend to follow a religion or let religion exist even if they do not follow it. If I felt that I could not stand the ideas or it would be too religious then I would simply not go or stay for the religious sections.


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I agree with Voiderest.  I

I agree with Voiderest.  I think you really should chose your battles in that arena.  If one of my friends thinks highly enough of me to invite me to their wedding, or stand up in it, then yes, I'll be there.  I would do that because that person has honored me in asking, so I feel that I would be honoring them in return by being there.  Funerals are one event I would also attend.  These are really the only two social events I would attend that might have a religious slant.  Baptisms and communion, hell fuck no!  Luckily, none of me close friends are delluded or stupid enough to ask me attend those types of functions, though.  I'm very vocal about my opinions on religion and my close friends know that would be an agrievious "blasphemy" for me, lol.

The darkness of godlessness lets wisdom shine.


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Weddings, funerals, Bar

Weddings, funerals, Bar Mitzvahs if I were that close to any Jews...I have no problem attending these things.  Born'n'raised athiest, BTW.  But if the social gathering outweighs the religious component, I just view the religion as an unwelcome party-crasher.  Religion is just the annoying relative you have to invite because everybody will be angry with you if you don't.  I draw the line at purely religious ceremonies, though.  I have never and will never go to church on sunday just to hear what some chump with a frock says god has to say this week.


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  New year's eve I

  New year's eve I attended my friends wedding. The brides parents didn't show up because it was a secular ceremony. I still can't get my head around it.

 

I couldn't imagine missing a significant personal event in any of my friends or families lives. Good ole' Christian love, just Mmmm Mmmm good. 

The paper read yesterday, the earth exploded, nobody noticed the passing of this hapless planet.


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JB_Montag wrote: New

JB_Montag wrote:

New year's eve I attended my friends wedding. The brides parents didn't show up because it was a secular ceremony. I still can't get my head around it.

I couldn't imagine missing a significant personal event in any of my friends or families lives. Good ole' Christian love, just Mmmm Mmmm good.

Kudos for the bride and groom for standing up for that in which they believe (or don't believe).

A big boo-hiss for the bride's parents for putting a damper on their daughter's big day.  An act like this could cause a rift within the family that will last a long, long time.  

When will parents learn that weddings are for the bride and groom, not the parents? 

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Okay, what's the atheist

Okay, what's the atheist fundament. I'm firmly strapped in here and all ears. This should be entertaining. It always is, when a lack of a certain ingredient is treated as if it's an ingredient in it's own right.

 There are plenty of convictions that an atheist could be subscribing to, but the thing is that neither of those go by the name atheism. There's words like, for instance, monism and humanism for that.

~Let us be reasonable~

You want to claim there's such a thing as "the supernatural"? Fine. I hereby declare you to be "paracorrect" in doing so.