If you allow me to quote a fellow atheist Flutherite:

“Rather than a sneering contempt for religion, we need to articulate a kind of human-centered spirituality in which atheists, agnostics and believers can feel equally at home, a place where the focus is on human dignity, acting in good faith, bringing out and rehabilitating the innate goodness of humankind.”

“There are many religious traditions that have embraced democratic values—such as human dignity, kindness, compassion, generosity, nonviolence, humility, inner and outer peace, love, and wonder at the grandeur of the Cosmos.”

Less outrageously moronic? So against better knowledge I wonder when your spiritual growth allows you to move beyond sneering, ridicule and polemics.

Cheers,
Matt

Hi there,

I think everyone is pretty clear about the meaning of atheism, agnosticism and humanism. I would like to present a four-layer classification of theism (using Christianity as an example) and how I understand it. Maybe this will help understand some of my replies in recent questions.

1) Deism

A divine entity created the multiverse and its physical laws. Religious beliefs are optional. There is a theistic and atheistic interpretation of the multiverse. The existence of a deity is not a scientific question.

2) Enlightened Christianity

The divine entity called God also sustains the physical laws. The creation has a purpose and a deeper meaning. The orderly, biophilic universe is the result of a deliberate act. God is beyond nature and should not be viewed as a god of the gaps. Science cannot explain the world, only phenomena which are observed within the world i.e. our multiverse. There is no magic within our world (the supernatural doesn’t exist) and it’s wrong to be superstitious. Natural sciences are consistent with both atheism and religious belief. Rationalism, critical thinking and spiritual progressiveness are core values of enlightened Christianity.

The Christian religion has many levels of meanings and the belief in God is only one of them. Jesus Christ being the son of God has a symbolic meaning. Prayers are a form of meditation supporting our spiritual growth and finding our strengths. Dogmas arise in a social context and when the context changes, dogmas should change too or even be given up. Rituals are seen as a means to strengthen social groups. Christianity must not claim exclusive rights in defining truth and it is only one world view among many. Enlightened Christians share many values with other belief systems and world views such as liberalism and humanism.

3) Conservative Christianity

God has the capability to directly intervene in world events and He does so from time to time. Dogmas lie at the heart of Christianity and they should be upheld. Dogmas and rituals are a direct consequence of divine revelation. Prayers are directly answered, sometimes by direct intervention. Christianity is superior to all other faiths. Believing in Jesus Christ is the only way to be saved.

4) Ultra-conservative Christianity

The whole Bible is literally true and a direct result of divine revelation. Scientific findings must remain consistent with teachings of the Bible. Christianity is the only true faith. Muslims and Jews and followers of other religions as well as atheists are infidels and they will be punished by God.

So when we discuss religion on Fluther we should be clear what forms of religions we are talking about.

Greetings,
Matt Browne

Yo. you might remember a certain teenager on AiROW, living in London, with… no particularly distinctive quirks named Wraith. HI.

Disco tried to rally the /b/rothers into avenging her excommunication from Fluther.. however, it was 404’d before damage was done. She sends her regards.

Alright. Again im short on time, so all I can say is this. Before I answer your last post, I would like to ask this. What do you believe? How do you think that existence came to be, and how things got to be the way that they are now? Please answer this so that I may be able to better answer your last post.