Religious stuff n' all. (split from Cheetos topic)

[Reese Tora]

I don't see why morals and religion would be insepperably intertwined. An atheist can regocnize the wrongness of, say, a murder as well as any other human being of sound mind, religious or not.

I believe the point that they are trying to amke is that an atheist will have entirtly different reasons for recognizing it as such.

It's more or less a semantics thing, in that an atheist recognizing it as such is not morals, even though it is apaprently the same thing to an outside observer.

[[insert name]]

I came into this thread and noticed two things.

I see in organized religion a distillation of the failures of humanity

we should look upon the world freely and without prejudice or presumptions.

I suppose stating that one should not judge would work in this thread, considering that seems to be a rather Christian belief.

[Aridas]

A belief that apparently doesn't get around in the louder parts.

[[insert name]]

A belief that apparently doesn't get around in the louder parts.

It just doesn't get around, period.

The louder parts just call to mind how scarcely this belief is followed.

[superluser]

I'd also have to say that I know no "freethinkers" as that Wiki entry defines what I previouslly associated as a "free thinker" (which would be to think for yourself and not be confined by rules... where as this "freethinker" definition seems to be the exact opposite as it is so specific and regimented in logic).
[...]
I personally don;t think that what you and Wiki define a "freethinker" as can really exist.... entirely logic? I don't think its logically possible for a human to do such a thing... sooner or later our emotions will get the best of us, and emotions pretty much  through basic logic out of the window.

Whether or not a freethinker can exist, it is a goal, and so I think it's fair to say that if you try to base your actions and ethics on logic, you can call yourself a freethinker.

As to freethought and rules, the `free' here is probably referring to freedom from emotions and irrationality.

The OED defines free-thinker as ``one who refuses to submit his reason to the control of authority on matters of religious belief; a designation claimed esp. by the deistic and other rejectors of Christianity at the beginning of the 18th c.''

and free-thinking as ``the free exercise of reason in matters of religious belief, unrestrained by deference to authority; the adoption of the principles of the free thinker.''

I was hoping to find some of the earliest quotes on the topic, but they're mainly from detractors, who call free-thinkers `libertines,' ``despisers of religion,'' `pernicious,' among others.

I define athiests (as well as the athiests i know) as people that don;t believe in a god, goddess, demi-gods, a great energy pool,  or  the "powers that may be"... basically that there is no great and powerful "sourse" or controller of thw world, etc...

Throw in ``don't believe in resurrection, reincarnation, or the afterlife,'' and I think we've got a good working definition.

[fesworks]

Whether or not a freethinker can exist, it is a goal, and so I think it's fair to say that if you try to base your actions and ethics on logic, you can call yourself a freethinker.

As to freethought and rules, the `free' here is probably referring to freedom from emotions and irrationality.

The OED defines free-thinker as ``one who refuses to submit his reason to the control of authority on matters of religious belief; a designation claimed esp. by the deistic and other rejectors of Christianity at the beginning of the 18th c.''

and free-thinking as ``the free exercise of reason in matters of religious belief, unrestrained by deference to authority; the adoption of the principles of the free thinker.''

hmmm, well i'm not going to argue that... I guess when I have always heard someone talking about being a "Free Thinker" it must be two seperate words as adjectives, and not a noun.... I think I mentioned that I think "free thinker" as in "thinking for onesself and not what others, peers, society, and "authority" tell you to , or make you think and do.... basically "Punk in the Mind"

I define athiests (as well as the athiests i know) as people that don;t believe in a god, goddess, demi-gods, a great energy pool,  or  the "powers that may be"... basically that there is no great and powerful "sourse" or controller of thw world, etc...

Throw in ``don't believe in resurrection, reincarnation, or the afterlife,'' and I think we've got a good working definition.

Oh yea, I always forget about that part. Agreed.