Agnostic.com

23 1

does desire to convert someone to atheistic belief sometimes undercut our abiding love for science?

many science lovers are spiritual. I meet pro evolution non atheists all the time. (my life is lucky, most people do not I know)

so what matters more? the battle for agreement on hypotheticals? (god/no god) or the war? (we don't know about philosophical stuff but hey lets not destroy the planet)

PeterRabbit 3 Dec 30
Share

Enjoy being online again!

Welcome to the community of good people who base their values on evidence and appreciate civil discourse - the social network you will enjoy.

Create your free account

23 comments

Feel free to reply to any comment by clicking the "Reply" button.

7

If someone appreciates science, I wouldn't care whether they were atheists or not. My parents were both church-goers but they had no problem with such things as evolution.

6

I don't try to convert anyone. I don't really care what they believe, so long as they're not influencing legislation or what's taught in science classrooms using faith-based principles.

yes

0

I don't try fuck them

2

I am not sure what an atheistic belief is. I do not believe a god exists but anything else outside of that is not atheist-related.

1

For some of us, the existence or non existence of god is not an arbitrary hypothetical, but a foundational principle. I for one hold that if some whimsical being can violate the laws of reality(not as we understand them, but the actual laws of reality) while interacting with reality, there are no laws of reality and understanding reality to any degree is impossible. Therefore although I agree we should shelve principle for the practical, the insistence of gods existence is truly repulsive. To me, it’s like saying “I believe global warming is as real as anything but everything is fake.” It makes me want to just slap people. I don’t want to convert idiots, I just want the idiocy to die out, whether that means the idiots die out or learn.

1

It's certainly possible, and there are many examples of this, for people to believe in evidence-based scientific theories and unsupported ideas about supernatural beings at the same time. This compartmentalization of the mind is a little upsetting to me personally. Francis Collins is an example.

4

I've never tried to convert anyone. I can really only remember one time (there may have been more) when I had a conversation with a theist and explained by point of view. I was on a deployment in Kuwait, and I bumped into someone at a smoke pit (a place to smoke cigarettes, I smoked at the time - quit in 2010). I felt OK having that conversation because the person was a total stranger who I would probably never see again, and it was a civil conversation.

That being said, I am surrounded by believers all day, every day. They're everywhere. So when I meet someone who accepts evolution or is pro-science, I just enjoy that aspect of them and put the religion on the back burner. Atheism isn't the only thing I care about. I think I love science and skeptical thinking more, and atheism is just a conclusion I've reached through them.

2

I think it's a really personal journey and trying to force someone's hand is more likely to make them dig their heels in.

Cwen Level 4 Dec 30, 2017
1

The church of England as an organisation is pro-evolution. Just throwing it out there.

I ultimately don't try to convert people, if they are only atheists because it's what they've been told then they might as well be theists because it's what they've been told.

I suppose for faith and science to properly coexist within a person it only requires them to not believe the dogma. Saying there is a being(s) that created us isn't necessarily at conflict with scientific enquiry, it's what you mean by "being" that is crucial.

1

I don't assume that I have the influence to convert anyone, they must consider such a change. I offer my arguments against only what they might be willing to share with me and this means that I pay as close of attention as I think they should to themselves. That is the real skill they seem to be lacking, listening to what they believe and then comparing that to evidence. I don't claim to know everything but often monotheists impose on the nontheists that we do.

2

I, for one as an Atheist, do not want to convert anyone. I just want to stop the harm that ALL religious beliefs cause to humanity and to this planet.

1

It would only undercut a love for science if that individual attempted to use a scientific method to prove no god(s) exist. In other words, if that individual tried to use science to push a faith-based belief.

But, I'm not sure how many agnostics/atheists would say "i believe in no gods or i have proof of no gods" vs "there isn't sufficient evidence for me to support the idea of a deity or deities". Basically, I'm saying the atheist is challenging a belief, not converting to a different belief. Lol...it's a very roundabout way of saying "no" to the first question.

I'm not sure what's meant by spiritual. Based on the "non atheists", do you mean supernatural?

If you mean as related to making hypotheses, i would just follow the evidence. It shouldn't be a battle; evidence will support the best hypothesis.

1

No lets not destroy the planet-thats a wonderful goal. I never met an atheist who tried to convert a god fearing/god loving person. Has anyone?

1

I don’t think you can convert someone to atheism. It’s more of a perspective shift or a logical awakening. It’s not a separate faith, though it’s, in my opinion, a belief.

1

I don't try to convert them. And I do expect the same in return.

2

Atheism isn't really a belief. It's a lack of belief, it's more akin to philosophy than a belief.

1

I do not desire to "convert" anyone to atheism. I do have a very strong, irresistible desire to inspire people to question everything and understand how they know what they know. Is what I believe just cus some guy said so or is their factual evidence to support his claim? When people actually stop to take the time to understand why they believe what they do believe it leads them to solid decision making.
I do not have to agree with people's ideas or like their ideas. What I am concerned about is that their reasoning is not based on myth or fairy tales.
In this since I am an Apistevist- I do not make decisions based on faith.
It is just a very bad idea to do so and I encourage people to avoid doing so.
This does however end up making people become atheist.

1

I do not try to convert anyone, and I have never met any atheists or agnostics that goes around trying to convert anyone. This is something that someone has to achieve on his or her own, It requires thinking for oneself, and being able to analyze and understand facts. No one converted me.

1

I do not consider atheism as a belief system. Not believing something can not be a belief. However, everyone is free to propagate his/her/other's ideas. If some one is convinced with your idea, well and good.

0

why battle

0

Whoa! Wait just a mite here. What the hell is this atheistic belief crap? What priest do I talk to to find out about this dogma of the atheistic faith?

0

Why would anyone want to convert someone to atheism? Only people insecure in their beliefs want to convert others. At best.

1

I have found that a lot of "spiritual" science lovers actually tend to be pseudo-science lovers. New Age cures & treatments, homeopathy, crystals, etc. I think the fight is rationalism & humanism vs faith & let's pretend. Doesn't always involve "religion".

Write Comment
You can include a link to this post in your posts and comments by including the text q:11472
Agnostic does not evaluate or guarantee the accuracy of any content. Read full disclaimer.