Can atheism be a world religion?
Can atheism be a world religion?Friday February 10, 2017
7:28 AM GMT+8
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Farouk A. Peru is a human being in the world. That is where his discourse begins and ends. His thought systems may be found at www.farouk.name and he tweets @farouk_a_peru
FEBRUARY 10 ― Humankind has been searching for the truth since time immemorial. Apart from looking for the best way to live and indeed what that way would constitute, they have also been asking what lies in The Great Beyond, past the threshold of death.
Various answers have emerged in the form of what we know as global religions. Each religion has its own postulation about what happens to us after we die.
And there are those who say nothing happens. When our bodies cease to function, so do our consciousness. It is then a total blackout forever.
That is what atheists postulate and this view is not something new. In The Cambridge Companion to Atheism, we find plenty of examples of atheism in history. However, they were very marginal back then, owing to the fact that Europe had a strong religious presence.
In recent times, however, atheism has exploded in terms of numbers.
What has brought about the rise in atheism? By some estimates, and I have noticed this on social media myself, even in the very conservative Saudi Arabia 15 per cent of its population are atheists.
This is possibly due to excessive religious authoritianism which has put many young people off religion. Not only that, the presence of social media has enabled the internet savvy to consolidate with one another and moreover, absorb ideas from abroad.
When the allegedly atheist Raif Badawi was jailed and sentenced to whipping, he received tremendous support from atheists all over the world, thanks to social media.
The question now is, can atheism become a world religion? For a start, it definitely has the rhetorical capacity to do so.
While some religions claim to be “a personal relationship with God” and others “a complete way of life”, atheism’s slogan is that it is a “non-belief.”
In other words, it alleges that our primordial state, our psychological tabula rasa as it were, is one of non-belief. Atheists tell me that if one were to ask a baby if he or she believes in God, the answer would be “no.”
The problem is, if one were to ask a baby that, one would first have to explain the concept of God. In doing so, one would undoubtedly fertilise the baby’s mind with the idea of a deity.
Hence, the baby would no longer be able to retain the purity of innocence from that idea and lose his or her objectivity.
It is the same problem with the questions of ethics. In his book The Moral Landscape, Sam Harris sets forth a “scientific methodology” in determining ethics.
This is another one of atheism’s proclivities, by the way, scientism. Scientism is not the same as being scientific. Being scientific is a methodology for deriving information.
Scientism is rather the ideology that science is a means of attaining truths. I am not saying that science cannot yield truths but that the truths it produces is subjective to the experiments it conducts.
This is why, there was a time when “science” was used to “prove” racial superiority! It all boils down on how an experiment is set up and more importantly, why it is set up to begin with.
Another issue which concerns me is New Atheism, a political movement which is very anti-theist and anti-religion. While I welcome their criticisms of the existence of God and religion, the language they employ is decidedly lacking in nuance.
The aforementioned Sam Harris, for example, called Islam “the motherlode of bad ideas” without deigning to acknowledge aspects of the religion which even the vilest of racists would find acceptable. This may appeal to his neo-colonialist masters but it is intellectually dishonest and moreover, only serves to deepen the conflicts between civilizations.
Can atheism be a world religion? Not yet, I surmise. Strong counter currents from religious movements will keep atheism on the side for the time being but maybe in the next generation, things will change. Atheism can perhaps stem the tide of religious fundamentalism.
- See more at: http://www.themalaymailonline.com/opinion/farouk-a.-peru/article/can-atheism-be-a-world-religion#sthash.tZzV0TDZ.dpuf
Farouk A. Peru sudah mabuk ketum dok lepak kat FB Group Warung Atheist?;P
Can not-collecting-stamps be a hobby?
Atheism never menjadi agama untuk some penganut mahu jadi athiesttidak faham concept dan theories lebih baik menjadi theist saja.
penyembah batujadi agama?:lol: Salah satu theist yang i maksud kan yang comment di atas :lol: mimiqquee replied at 10-2-2017 05:07 PM
penyembah batujadi agama?
penyembah kiub hitam:laugh3:
athesit ni kira semua benda dia sembah...batu, spender, mana2 pun boley:lol: Bijak bijak ;P Dwdrum replied at 10-2-2017 08:56 AM
Atheism never menjadi agama untuk some penganut mahu jadi athiesttidak faham concept dan theories...
Who sounds rational? Thiest or Atheist?
..Atheist. replied at 11-2-2017 01:16 AM
penyembah kiub hitam
apa ada dlm kiub hitam?:o DARSITA replied at 10-2-2017 09:25 AM
Who sounds rational? Thiest or Atheist?
Theist vs atheism in debate tidak akan siapa memang or kalah tentang tuhan . If u mahu rational atheism between theism i pick in between ialah deism. My personal opnion atheism
a - bound morpheme
theism = religion - a morpheme - smallest meaningful functionalunit in any given word
in this context atheism a = a prefix - tends to denote negation , somthing not
so now u mula can a atheism being a religion ?
aiyoooo?
apa ni?
DARSITA replied at 10-2-2017 05:25 PM
Who sounds rational? Thiest or Atheist?
sudah tentu theist laa....... manusia hidup dalam perut ikan utk 40 hari... sgt rasional{:1_563:}
herrhughie replied at 10-2-2017 05:27 PM
apa ada dlm kiub hitam?
tuhan zeus ;P
..Atheist. replied at 10-2-2017 10:02 AM
sudah tentu theist laa....... manusia hidup dalam perut ikan utk 40 hari... sgt rasional{:1_563: ...
What, according to you, is the definition of an 'atheist'?
What has brought about the rise in atheism? By some estimates, and I have noticed this on social media myself, even in the very conservative Saudi Arabia 15 per cent of its population are atheists.
Bertambah mungkin sebab the desires for the temptations in this world are at the forefront. Depa tgk arab dubai berjimba jimba, ada minah salleh berbikini kehulu kehilir ~:loveliness: DARSITA replied at 10-2-2017 06:12 PM
What, according to you, is the definition of an 'atheist'?
non believer, science rocks {:1_152:}
DARSITA replied at 10-2-2017 06:23 PM
Bertambah mungkin sebab the desires for the temptations in this world are at the forefront. Depa ...
uish............. bukankah kat syurga lagi nikmat? boleh mengeseks sepanjang masa dgn ciknek yg sentiasa tegang & keras {:1_563:}
sejak bila AGAMA adalah rational & logic?{:1_563:} Itu lah sebab nya atheist vs atheist debate tiada siapa menang or kalah
Theist using science untuk bukti kantheir holy books was right but lagi atheist counter with logical dari revelations adalah salah .
Some how mereka debate tentang tuhan or agama?:lol: ..Atheist. replied at 10-2-2017 10:26 AM
uish............. bukankah kat syurga lagi nikmat? boleh mengeseks sepanjang masa dgn ciknek yg se ...
Tiada kesabaran maaa ~
Atheism ni growing everywhere, bukan setakat among muslims and so are the converts from atheism to religion, be it islam, christianity, buddhism or any other religion.