"Am I agnostic or athiest" FAQ
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Dear people of RRS
After setting up an account with RRS, I was surprised and alarmed by what I saw as part of an FAQ on "Am I agnostic or athiest?", the text of which follows verbatim:
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FAQ
Q: But I don't disbelieve in god! I just don't believe!
A: Again, if you literally 'don't disbelieve' then it would follow that you believe. You obviously don't mean to say this! What you probably mean to say is that you don't believe, OR reject the possibility of 'god' claims either. This leaves you without any theistic beliefs. Unless you are a pantheist or a polytheist (a person with god beliefs other than theism), this makes you an a-theist. Atheism does not necessarily imply anything other than a lack of theistic belief.
The other options if you don't disbelieve and you don't believe are:
- You are dead
- You have down syndrome or another mental impairment (my own italics and underline, qdaboo2)
- You lack a 6th grade understanding of the word "disbelieve"
- You were brainwashed by religious fundamentalists who redefined the word atheist to divide and scare.
- In examples 2-4 you still either disbelieve or believe, but we'll leave you alone on the issue because we understand.
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Please take the opportunity to look at option 2. "You have down syndrome or other mental impairment".
For such a so-called "Rational" site I find this both generally and personally discriminative and abusive. I myself suffer a mental illness yet I am athiest and have been for many a year. Or maybe you're trying to state that as I have a mental illness then I have no right to be an athiest or maybe I might be a lesser athiest. Is it maybe a case of All animals are equal but some animals are more equal than others?
I believe that not only is this statement an attack on people with disabilities (mental or physical) but also an affront to our basic human rights as humans.
How do you expect people to see our point of view as athiests when you are marginalsing many of us human beings who respect (or maybe that should be once respected) your so-called platform for freedom of right to be athiest?
I look forward to a reply...
Yours faithfully
qdaboo2
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Faithfully?
What are you doing faithfully? What do you use faith for?
Ahhh shit I had much more written and I lost it in a refresh. Anyone see it? If so cut and paste it if you have it.
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Please accept my thanks for responding in such a quiick and informative way. I'm just used to certain people judging me in a way that makes me feel that I should be walking around ringing a bell to let a******s know I'm coming their way. Glad to get things sorted out.
I place my faith in science, reason and critical thinking, the last being one you have triggered me off on (good for you, I like someone who makes me enjoy thinking [though not for too long...]).
I grew up in a catholic family and have spent nearly 24 years of the 35 of my life questioning the c**p I was brainwashed with.
Just before my confirmation (4th roman catholic sacrament for those who don't know) at aged 10 we had to do a rehearsal for the big night. Afterwards we had a question/answer piece and I asked the priest if he was sure that Jesus lived and what if the gospel writers just made it up. He fobbed me off with the usual "because it says so in the bible and the bible is the word of god".
After questioning him again (lame answer even for a 10 YEAR OLD) he nodded to my teacher and I was told to sit down. When I said to my teacher I was only looking for an answer, I finally decided to sit down rather than have 500 lins to do for punishment (lines such as "I will not question the beliefs of the priest, bishop or pope as they are the beliefs of my ancestors"... or something to that effect)...
I got away with having to do the lines but it made me question everything about life from then on...
Keep up the great work, the forums are fantastic. Sorry If I came across a bit too aggressive, I can get a bit to heated about things sometimes, but I'm learning.
Look after yourselves
All the best
qdaboo2
qdaboo, it's not about insulting people with disabilities. If you don't have a belief in god you disbelieve.
That FAQ was obviously written in a semi-facetious manner and was just trying to get the point across to hesitant agnostics that if you believe in God, then you're a theist. If you don't believe in God, then you're an atheist. The examples were a reductio ad absurdum of the hypothetical position implied in the question. Did you read line five? "In examples 2-4 you still either disbelieve or believe, but we'll leave you alone on the issue because we understand."
Anyways, welcome to RRS!
Our revels now are ended. These our actors, | As I foretold you, were all spirits, and | Are melted into air, into thin air; | And, like the baseless fabric of this vision, | The cloud-capped towers, the gorgeous palaces, | The solemn temples, the great globe itself, - Yea, all which it inherit, shall dissolve, | And, like this insubstantial pageant faded, | Leave not a rack behind. We are such stuff | As dreams are made on, and our little life | Is rounded with a sleep. - Shakespeare
That works, it seems the op had a chance to read what I wrote.
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Welcome qdaboo2. And my congratulations on fighting through your disability as well as the religious dogma you had to face. That's twice as much as many people need to fight through and still you came to the proper conclusion. You have done well. Enjoy the site.
Enlightened Atheist, Gaming God.