Questions and Challenges to My Atheism.

In one study on stress, for example, about half the participants saw improvements in chronic headaches after learning how to stop the stress-producing habit of “catastrophizing,” or constantly thinking negative thoughts about their pain. Chronic stress may also cause disease, either because of changes in your body or the overeating, smoking and other bad habits people use to cope with stress. Job strain — high demands coupled with low decision-making latitude — is associated with increased risk of coronary disease, for example. Other forms of chronic stress, such as depression and low levels of social support, have also been implicated in increased cardiovascular risk. And once you’re sick, stress can also make it harder to recover. One analysis of past studies, for instance, suggests that cardiac patients with so-called “Type D” personalities — characterized by chronic distress — face higher risks of bad outcomes. Ref

Damien, I am a militant agnostic; as I don’t know and you don’t either!

Ok, well I don’t know what the so-called splintered meaning of the god term could offer to reality if that is what you are referring. Let me explain. So, you don’t believe in a god right, thus are by default an atheist. welcome to our club. Back to you claim of knowledge inadequacy, truly, we don’t even know what a god is as the term god is not a rational proposition derived from credible evidence, instead it is an empty proclamation, just a mindless string of letters we humans think has some meaning. well I will offer my own definition of this string of letters GOD: Group Originated Delusion. There is no credible rational point to attach the thinking about the proposition of gods that does not start with the presuppositional belief in such a being to begin with. Thus, even trying to point at the unknown as some demonstration or warrant to start to add a description is a logical error as god thinking is mythological thinking and a magical worldview that is totally baseless when reality is evaluated. One could ask, does this imply we need evidence for a word to have meaning? What about ‘pixie’ or ‘unicorn’? Well, you need evidence to move a word from the mental object of words to the external world of tangible facts when you are saying it should be taken as real.

A simple use of the Ethics of Belief exposes why faith is not reasonable to form a reasonable belief or to maintain a reasonable belief and if one’s only proof is faith for a strong belief then they formed or are keeping this belief improperly, thus one should relinquish that belief as they should put more value the Ethics of Belief a an honorable standard. As the Ethics of Belief would or should motivate an intellectually honest thinker to see that it is not only not reasonable but maybe unethical to either form a new belief without sufficient evidence or strong supporting inference the idea is worth believing in. Moreover, this is also true even if one is making a conjecture that one’s conclusion is drawn from at least a high epistemic standard from the evidence and reasoning available not because of some emotional appeal like faith. Furthermore, faith is likewise unethical to use for or offered as a justification to maintain a belief by deliberately ignoring reasonable doubts and rejecting honest investigation.

Damien why is faith not reasonable?

In the acquisition of knowledge to confirm truth from falsehood faith as any kind of method is just not worth believing in. Faith is strong belief without evidence or contrary to the evidence. Faith is not an epistemology, it is a justification offered as a firm belief in something for which there is no proof. Such as one saying “I believe in god because I have faith.” Bible god, is claimed to be quoted in Isaiah 29:14; “Where is the wise man, scholar, or the philosopher of this age, has not god made foolish the wisdom of the world? For god was pleased through the foolishness of what was preached to save those who believe.” Paul quoted in 1 Corinthians 1:20-21; “Turn away from godless chatter and the opposing ideas of what is falsely called knowledge, which some have professed and in so doing have wandered from the faith.” Paul quoted in 1 Timothy 6:20-21; “For god knows once you eat from the tree of knowledge your eyes will be opened, and you will be like god having knowledge.” Genesis 3:5. One theme seems clear to me that knowledge is the enemy of faith. I am hostile towards faith and religion and they should be labeled as conspiracy theories of reality.

Damien you say man created god, then give me 5 reasons why. A true atheist would have no problem with this.

My goal is to see a dramatic change in people as fellow humans displaying kindness and concern for others, to bring about a more humanistic caring awareness that we are all one human family and should act like it; working to make a better world for all. But I realize this goal of human dignity will not fully happen when we still live the delusion of separation motivated most often buy the religion crap. I am mostly against pseudohistory, pseudomorality, and pseudoscience and I wish I did not have to focus s much on atheism (ie. that nature is the only reality) and could instead talk more on how we can maximize human flourishing but some of the religious fanatics seem to wish the see the world end and must be stopped or slowed as much as possible.

To me made up words like god is a set if letters with no more validity in the real world than putting other groups of letters in a row such as eod, fod, hod, iod, jod, kod etc. This argument comes from Ignosticism, igtheism, or theological noncognitivism expresses that religious language – specifically, words such as “god” – are not cognitively meaningful and that every theological position assumes too much about the religious concepts such as gods. Isn’t it strange that god and dog use the same letters but only one loves you for real? For more on this: https://damienmarieathope.com/2015/11/17/i-am-an-ignostic-atheist/

Help Damien! I’m little dismay here after read some uncalled for from assholes who are atheists themselves. Why were they assholes to each other, attack and trash comments? What’s going on in Atheism? I’m thinking about sticking with “Nones” instead.

I try to attack thinking and not people. I can’t speak for all atheists but many are not assholes. However, we do have assholes that are also atheists. I am trying to help make atheists more informed and clear about the need to respect the person even if you do not respect the belief. I am openly harsh on beliefs but hardly ever as harsh to people, not saying I am perfect and never blow up on people I just try hard not to. I believe it is important to help model in my behavior the slandered I think is most credible way to strive to interact with others. I feel we need more atheists to keep saying we are atheists and have strong challenges that are rightly focused on the beliefs not focused on the person. That being said, not all beliefs stay in the realm of separation; as in if, ones beliefs are violence, discrimination, oppression, bigotry, etc. they tell us something about the believer. And this “why” as well as “who” believes starts to become relevant, as such polluting beliefs often does not stay beliefs as in the realm of ideas it often results in negative antisocial behavior that can put others in harm thus must be addressed with this in mind. I will attack bad behaviors and still even then I try to attack the beliefs more that the person as I am hoping to make them rethink if I can as positive change in my goal. I try even when I get discouraged, to remember that a much as bad thinking and behavior has an impact so to can positive thinking and behavior; so I strive to champion that. We all can champion positive thinking and behavior and as we do we champion as well as encourage the inspiring self-freedom that can be found in atheism and the care for humanism that self-freedom enlightens.

In general, I do not care that much what others believe personally until they say it is true, ask my opinion, challenge my evidence, thinking, or beliefs, or use their beliefs to hurt, oppress, or discriminate against others or me. Often, the problem with what is labeled as personal religious belief never stays personal. It becomes a mission to spread (sometimes by force) that same religious belief as an innate factor of the belief itself. Commonly, this seems then to lead to the promotion of dogmatic magical thinking propaganda that tends to motivate beliefs with little problems in hurting, oppressing, or discriminating against others who reject the personal religious belief of the religionist, theist, or fideist. This practice of supposedly personal belief is most commonly forced on to children which shows that there is little personal about it. As for me, I do openly express my atheism, antitheism, antireligionism, and secular humanism but this is not some limiting dogmatism as I strive to be open to learn new things, if warranted and express my thinking or beliefs with justification as much as possible by utilizing valid and reliable reason as well as evidence.

Understanding and Respect?

What we do not understand we could come to fear. Left unchecked what we fear we often learn to hate. What we hate we may seek to destroy! We should seek to love diversity or accept difference not simply fear or hate people because we think they are different or we do not understand them. People are not their beliefs; people deserve dignity and a human right to exist. Whereas beliefs do not have, any dignity owed them nor any right to exist. I do not nor will not respect faith, gods, or religions. However, I do strive to respect people even ones who maybe believers in faith, gods, or religions. Simply, I value the sanctity of “human rights” and the dignity of every person to self-define their beliefs and do not attack people because of what they believe. I say attack thinking not people and work towards understanding and respect even with those we disagree; although, this understanding and respect does not fully extend to those whose behaviors violate people’s dignity and human rights.

Damien, if you attack thinking, why do you make atheism seem more than just a word that describes one thought, of the many thoughts people may have.

Atheism is a conclusion one reaches to let go of the god belief or never accept the god belief. This is not some unwarranted wild unjustified thinking (ie. some baseless view or judgment formed about something like theism) instead the atheism conclusion is often furthered by many connecting thoughts and beliefs; like an accepting of the natural world and reality of that evidence from the world around us explained by science and the supporting reasoning of what that can and cannot entail through philosophy such as rationalism, logic, critical thinking; empiricism; and methodological skepticism.

We often face a hard task to inspire others to change a belief due to reason and evidence against it, when they never required reason and evidence to get the belief in the first place.

I am compassionate and hardcore, I am an atheist, anti-theist, anti-religionist, anti-agnostic, anti-pseudo-morality, anti-pseudo-history and anti-pseudo-science. I am not stopping my firebrand atheism ever unless religion is removed as a public force and as a private force against children.

Never stop believing in people or their ability to change. If we don’t believe in them how can we expect them to believe in their power to change. Some people just need our help, understanding, and our care to see through the fog forced on to them. I hope I never stop seeing the wonderful fellow humans and offer all I can to show them there is a better way then gods, religion and magic. I believe in all the best my fellow atheists possess to do the same. We are reality revolutionaries. Long live the championing of mental freedom that is…Atheism!

By Damien Marie AtHope