Religion
Related: About this forumWe Are All Atheists
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/jeff-schweitzer/we-are-all-atheists_b_6890056.html...
The word atheist derives from Greek, originally from the adjective atheos, meaning "without god." The term was later invoked by Greek writers to mean "denying the gods." All of us are without or deny the existence of at least some gods, and therefore all of us are atheists. This is undeniable: all monotheistic believers reject all gods, except one. They reject all the Greek elder gods Cronus, Gaea, Uranus, Rhea, Oceanus, Tethys, Hyperion, Mnemosyne, Themis, Iapetus, Coeus, Crius, Phoebe, Thea, Prometheus, Epimetheus, Atlas, Metis and Dione.
Muslims, Jews and Christians all deny the existence of the Greek Olympic gods Zeus, Poseidon, Hades, Hestia, Hera, Ares, Athena, Apollo, Aphrodite, Hermes, Artemis and Hephaestus. All major religions today dismiss as nothing but myth the Roman gods Jupiter, Juno, Neptune, Pluto, Apollo, Diana, Mars, Venus, Cupid, Mercury, Minerva, Ceres, Proserpine, Vulcan, Bacchus, Saturn, Vesta, Janus, Uranus and Maia.
Yet this roster of gods was real to multiple thousands of people for thousands of years, every bit as real as the one god worshipped by Christians, Muslims and Jews today. These Greek and Roman gods were the subject of daily pleas, prayers and sacrifice and the guiding force for much daily ritual. These mighty powers stood for millennia, ruling over their followers for a period of time that greatly exceeds all of Christianity. These gods are now demoted to nothing more glorious than a good story. What would convey upon these gods more or less legitimacy than the god of John, Matthew, Mark and Luke? Nothing.
marym625
(17,997 posts)I know that's beside the point. Just curious.
Nice post. Thank you
that's exactly the point.
Agreed, good post.
marym625
(17,997 posts)bvf
(6,604 posts)Certainly having only one god makes it easier to keep track of things!
But thank you.
And none is even easier!
bvf
(6,604 posts)But the greater part of humanity unfortunately doesn't see it that way, instead being unable to shake a belief in fairies (uh, one huge fairy) as justification for their behavior--really bad behavior.
We seem to be heading in the right direction, though it's a slow march.
marym625
(17,997 posts)Just hope that the believers can stop the insanity in the belief. Take care of your own souls and let others take care of theirs. And I will donate mine to the highest bidder
trotsky
(49,533 posts)bvf
(6,604 posts)marym625
(17,997 posts)Really interesting. Thank you!
AtheistCrusader
(33,982 posts)LostOne4Ever
(9,288 posts)[center][/center]
AtheistCrusader
(33,982 posts)I can see the appeal.
Act_of_Reparation
(9,116 posts)As my avatar might suggest.
edhopper
(33,575 posts)though they are monotheists, many still believe in Demi-Gods in the form of angels, demons etc...
Warren Stupidity
(48,181 posts)edhopper
(33,575 posts)"there is some ridiculous theological bullshit"
and leave it at that.
gcomeau
(5,764 posts)...that essentially everyone on earth rejects the existence of the majority of claimed supernatural entities and doesn't blink twice, or even once, doing it... and none of them have any good reason for excluding the one specific deity they decided to exempt from that rejection beyond some personal preference that that one exist... I absolutely hate that "we are all atheists" line.
Atheists recognize the lack of justification for that final exemption where theists live in denial of it. Which is a significant distinction that shouldn't be glossed over by simply declaring them to be the same. Even to make a rhetorical point.
Warren Stupidity
(48,181 posts)gcomeau
(5,764 posts)trotsky
(49,533 posts)I've heard this angle before, and I like it for the reason that it makes people think about why they reject other gods but it's true, discarding that one last "lifeline" is different.
mr blur
(7,753 posts)The rest is bullshit.
gcomeau
(5,764 posts)No, it really isn't true. Atheists don't believe in the existence of *any* deities. That's what the word means. So no we are not "all atheists". Even the author wasn't seriously trying to argue everyone was it was a rhetorical device.
goldent
(1,582 posts)FiveGoodMen
(20,018 posts)We are all disbelievers in many, many "gods" but 'atheist' still suggests (to me) a person without any gods.
goldent
(1,582 posts)to realize that 0 is much different from all other numbers. They are taking advantage of peoples fuzzy understanding of arithmetic.
Htom Sirveaux
(1,242 posts)It neither picks my pocket nor breaks my leg.
okasha
(11,573 posts)but the strained "logic" of the statement does make me laugh. It's the flip side of "No atheists in foxholes."
trotsky
(49,533 posts)Why don't you believe in Zeus? Surely you can provide an answer. Or, if you're not up to the task, just remain silent.
okasha
(11,573 posts)I believe in the Anihyuntikwalaski. Europeans use other names for the Thunder--Zeus, Thor, Jupiter. Same divine manifestation, different names.
By the way, your last iine is a really cheap attempt to set up someone who doesn't ordinarily respond to you. Too bad it backfired on you.
Have a nice day.
trotsky
(49,533 posts)Same god, different name.
Not quite. Zeus had distinct characteristics. You know this, but I suspect you want to pretend they aren't there in order to save your desperate argument. Talk about a backfire indeed! Better luck next time.
okasha
(11,573 posts)Too bad it backfired on you, and you can't accept it.
Ta. You're back on my "don't bother" list. Or as your buddy Warren would say, cool story, bro.
trotsky
(49,533 posts)That's the whole point. Sorry you can't grasp it.
Who are you to tell them they're wrong? Nice effort, but better luck next time!
okasha
(11,573 posts)Have you got anyone whom you would consider an "actual believer in Zeus" to tell me so? And.by the way, how do you know your "actual believer in Zeus" would disagree with me? I'd be happy to have a discussion with that person.
trotsky
(49,533 posts)Those specific traits disappear when you retreat to your panentheist position. Ergo, you don't believe in Zeus. Sorry to bust your sophisticated logic so easily.
You also don't believe in Pat Robertson's god.
Perhaps you can make up another false and hurtful accusation and level it against me to help yourself feel better and convince yourself you "won"?
Leontius
(2,270 posts)when I first heard of it I thought how the hell does that name connect with a 8000 year old hunters camp archeological site and display.