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Thank God I am an Atheist (Original Post) XRubicon Apr 2013 OP
Hehe. Neoma Apr 2013 #1
Yes XRubicon Apr 2013 #4
Unitarians pray to To Whom It May Concern. Manifestor_of_Light Apr 2013 #2
Having to deal with all the religiosity of the mainstream... MellowDem Apr 2013 #3
Absolutely agree! defacto7 Apr 2013 #6
What is there to replace? LostOne4Ever Apr 2013 #7
ignoring the community function that religion provides is silly. Warren Stupidity Apr 2013 #9
We do have a song. Guthrie: This land is your land. Warren Stupidity Apr 2013 #8
I feel ya amuse bouche Apr 2013 #5

XRubicon

(2,212 posts)
4. Yes
Fri Apr 19, 2013, 11:59 PM
Apr 2013

It feels good to say it (type it...). I knew you guys would get the humor.

In the real world I am ambiguous for social and professional reasons, like "Pat" on Saturday night live.

MellowDem

(5,018 posts)
3. Having to deal with all the religiosity of the mainstream...
Fri Apr 19, 2013, 11:58 PM
Apr 2013

from the President saying "Under God" in the response to the capture, to the interfaith meeting held by our government, to calls for "prayer" everywhere... it's always sort of surreal to me that such a flawed way of thinking which can lead to exactly these sorts of harmful acts are always invoked so prominently in response to them.

defacto7

(13,485 posts)
6. Absolutely agree!
Sat Apr 20, 2013, 03:16 AM
Apr 2013

What do we atheists replace the camaraderie, mediation and support with? In times of great upheaval and pain people like to come together to grieve and find healing. It's a human ritual. Sometimes I wonder what rituals we have that can fill in the same emptiness we all feel. Sure I'm for getting rid of all the religious BS but there are a lot of great moments in the ritual that are uplifting. Like Steve Martin says, "Atheists got no songs".

I swear though, every time I hear bagpipes playing amazing grace it drives me up a wall.

LostOne4Ever

(9,267 posts)
7. What is there to replace?
Sat Apr 20, 2013, 08:55 AM
Apr 2013

Is there really anything to replace? One can find camaraderie, mediation, and support with ones family and friends without any supernatural beings watching over us.

So a theist can offer prayers in times of crisis. What is it they are really doing? Wanting something to happen that is beyond their power. Only they believe they have someone who can help them...or might not. So again hoping that something will happen that is beyond their power. At its core its simply hope and I see nothing inherently supernatural about hope.

Often when a theist asks me to pray for someone I tell them that ill keep that person in my thoughts and that makes them happy. Its pretty much the same is it not?

Also, there are plenty of Atheist songs, they just don't get much attention. The band Bad Religion has made a career off of them =P

If you think about it, depending on how you define atheist songs you could even argue that most songs have nothing to do with a belief in a deity and therefore fit that description.

 

Warren Stupidity

(48,181 posts)
9. ignoring the community function that religion provides is silly.
Sat Apr 20, 2013, 09:23 AM
Apr 2013

A huge number of people going to church every sunday do so for the sense of community it provides not because they are fervid believers in utter bullshit. Some of those people could be moved out of the religious camp and into the ranks of the unbelievers if we provided a viable substitute.

Having said that I am doing absolutely nothing about it, so while it makes sense to me, it apparently doesn't make enough sense to me to do anything about it

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