Future Evolution of American Atheism

[ghoststrider]

To Americans, and any observers of American culture

Comments

[gotime]

I have to agree with this.

[jmlow]

I doubt that. Everywhere you look new churches are popping up. Christianity is set into the world culture and I doubt there is anything we could do to change it

relativism = fail

[rhapsodisiac]

"It would be nice if everyone could just tolerate the differences of others."

I don't really see why. Only a single position can be the right one. Ours is the right one. Why tolerate the wrong ones?

(of course, this may just be a matter of me being unsure of how you mean 'tolerate')

Sure they're only human, but so are we, and our answers are better than theirs. Imperfection is no excuse to quit striving to do the best we can to answer questions correctly. I don't see why incorrect answers should be tolerated at all, no matter what the species is of those who support them.

Re: relativism = fail

[wood_elf]

Mostly agree. It's fine that they're incorrect, in so far as their incorrectness only affects themselves. When their behaviour under the influence of their incorrect conclusion starts to impose on the rest of us, it becomes problematic.

I'm optimistic about the future of atheism. People aren't stupid, they just don't like uncertainty, and scientific ideas can shift over time while dogma provides nicely fixed truths. I have faith (heh) that science is going to keep on rolling out wonderful answers and theories which bring us closer and closer to pinpointing the answers to the questions now thought to be 'beyond the scope of human understanding', and religion will end up a refuge for the few severely deluded, rather than the majority.

Re: relativism = fail

[ghoststrider]

Ours is the right one.

Mm-hmmm.

Why tolerate the wrong ones?

Because every human being is afforded the right of cognitive liberty. Now, I'm not against debating them (after all, debate is fun--to an extent) but if you mean "We're not going to tolerate your beliefs, so we'll ban them" I think we're going to have a sever disagreement.

And relativism ≠ fail. Prove otherwise.

[jmlow]

And I know that I spelled their wrong in the fourth line

[oldwolf]

Intelligence and religion cannot coexist. I've seen it time & again.

[dibsy]

I think that in northern and urban areas atheism will increasingly become acceptable and widespread, but southern and rural areas will reamin firmly Christian. I think that as atheism is further associated with areas and lifestyles that are seen as elitistand snobby the wider and more entrenched this cultural gulf will become.

[ghoststrider]

"The United States of Canda."

"Jesusland."

[dibsy]

That's pretty much it. After the second American civil war, of course.

[rogerdr]

No, your "Jesusland" will still be called Texas.