An atheist christmas

[dylanisabaddog 5,165]

8 hours ago, The Raptor said:

At least atheists are recognised. Jedi were ignored in the last census results. 

Bungay recorded the highest number of Satanists per head of population in the UK. 

The way the census was worded was heavily weighted towards organised relgion. It was possible to register as agnostic and Christian which is nonsense. 

[littleyellowbirdie 2,636]

On 23/12/2023 at 05:49, dylanisabaddog said:

It was possible to register as agnostic and Christian which is nonsense. 

A number of CofE priests are agnostic. There are one or two who are atheist. It's not necessary to believe in God to believe in Jesus and his philosophy. Arguably, most secular humanists, who are merely an offshoot of Christian humanism, effectively do exactly that.

[Midlands Yellow 4,176]

On 19/12/2023 at 14:38, dylanisabaddog said:

I am enraged. I was just standing at my front door enjoying a seasonal cigarette when a Christian nut job stopped to tell me that my door decoration is an affront to Christ. I tried to politely explain that she now lives in an atheist country and also pointed out that wreaths are pagan not Christian. But she told me I'm going to roast in hell, or words to that effect. 

What do we do about these people? I've had a look and strangely the BBC don't give us any designated air time. 

Marlboro Red? 

[canarydan23 4,195]

On 19/12/2023 at 14:38, dylanisabaddog said:

I tried to politely explain that she now lives in an atheist country

If you're using the 2021 census as your marker, then not yet; there was a comfortable theist majority.

[dylanisabaddog 5,165]

7 hours ago, canarydan23 said:

If you're using the 2021 census as your marker, then not yet; there was a comfortable theist majority.

https://humanists.uk/2023/05/19/new-study-shows-less-than-half-of-britons-believe-in-god/

 

[dylanisabaddog 5,165]

8 hours ago, littleyellowbirdie said:

A number of CofE priests are agnostic. There are one or two who are atheist. It's not necessary to believe in God to believe in Jesus and his philosophy. Arguably, most secular humanists, who are merely an offshoot of Christian humanism, effectively do exactly that.

https://yougov.co.uk/society/articles/33540-how-religious-are-british-people?redirect_from=%2Ftopics%2Flifestyle%2Farticles-reports%2F2020%2F12%2F29%2Fhow-religious-are-british-people

You would have to be a bit silly not to believe in Jesus. There is very strong evidence that he existed. But the general Christian principle is that there is a God. Without God surely Jesus just becomes a socialist whose dossier was sexed up a bit to appeal to Pagans? 

Either way, Happy Xmas! 

[Naturalcynic 699]

On 20/12/2023 at 16:00, Indy said:

As A Side Note! Absolutely no point disagreeing with a deeply religious person, there’s no give to any point you make! Even when I say if it makes you a better human and at peace with your life then fantastic, they still feel the need to say something condescending like you’ll end up in hell! Or god won’t forgive you for not believing! Regardless how charitable and caring I live my life to others, which is more important in my view!

That’s the problem with religious faith; believers utterly convince themselves that they’re right, in the face of rational arguments to the contrary.  It’s the same mindset as conspiracy theorists and radical political activists.

[littleyellowbirdie 2,636]

3 hours ago, dylanisabaddog said:

https://yougov.co.uk/society/articles/33540-how-religious-are-british-people?redirect_from=%2Ftopics%2Flifestyle%2Farticles-reports%2F2020%2F12%2F29%2Fhow-religious-are-british-people

You would have to be a bit silly not to believe in Jesus. There is very strong evidence that he existed. But the general Christian principle is that there is a God. Without God surely Jesus just becomes a socialist whose dossier was sexed up a bit to appeal to Pagans? 

Either way, Happy Xmas! 

There's a general Christian principle that there was Jesus who believed in a God and also believed he was the son of God. For my tastes, that leaves a lot of margin for believing that Jesus was a good, courageous, and kind person who wasn't afraid to stand up for what he thought was right and a good example to follow, regardless of whether you actually believe he was literally the 'son of God', or whether you think he might have been a bit bonkers on that score.

Regarding the nature of God in Christian theology, it's incredibly vague, Jesus' own view was that nobody could understand the nature of God. Arguably, you could say 'God' was simply a placeholder for all the things in the universe that affect our lives individually but are impossible for us to control; maybe you could say it's the whole ensemble of forces, all the bizarre quantum interactions between matter and consciousness that nobody has much insight into.

Yeah, I think it would be fair to characterise Jesus as a socialist, but I have a feeling that he wouldn't be a big fan of the open disdain and contempt for anything spiritual that tends to pervade Western socialist circles. He'd have probably tolerated it though, because that generally seemed to be how he rolled.

Anyway, Merry Christmas!

Edited December 25, 2023 by littleyellowbirdie

[dylanisabaddog 5,165]

I don't think he was bonkers. I suspect he was actually saying that we are all the son of God but like many other stories in the bible a little bit of magic was introduced to attract the Pagans. Sexed up is the current way of describing it (a certain dossier springs to mind). As the bible wasn't compiled until 400 years after events and was the subject of fierce argument for another 600 years it's a bit difficult to take seriously. 

What you have said underlines the paradox of Christianity. In order to follow Christianity you have to believe some extremely dubious claims. If you claim to be a Christian but don't believe in the virgin birth you may as well worship Mandela or Ghandi. 

[littleyellowbirdie 2,636]

11 hours ago, dylanisabaddog said:

 If you claim to be a Christian but don't believe in the virgin birth you may as well worship Mandela or Ghandi. 

They could, but then if they did they'd no longer be a community; it's the commonality of a large set of beliefs and values that lies at the heart of any community.

Edited December 27, 2023 by littleyellowbirdie