@Allamanda Atheists are as variable as any other human category. Hard to generalize here.

@evergreen
That's only because many here stubbornly choose to call themselves what they want as opposed to what they are. That's why people hate labels today. We need our bubbles in tact, all of us.

Or at least many others. I have no issue with labels. If I fit a label I do not like, I apply introspect to see if:
A) Do I need to change because I have become something I did not intend or want
B) Come to terms with the objective truth of who I am
C) Do I need to change my designation to more accurately describe who I am and who I am comfortable being without creating confusion for others

The only way you wouldn't is not because you hate labels, but because you love them. At least, you love the one you want to use on yourself and hate the rest.

FYI I do not mean YOU (PERSONALLY) just in the general sense, figuratively.

@Allamanda

I did.

@Allamanda Yes. Its one of Heinlein's best and most irreverent.

@Allamanda I watched it and boy does he rave on quite a bit imho.
The elements he ascribes to religions are already an innate and inherent part of us as humans right there from almost conception, we don't need seek them out via a religious belief system, we can, if we so desire, merely call upon them at will.
When one looks deeply enough in to religions one does find that religions/religious prctises, etc, etc, are, more often than not, a breeding ground for the very elements of Snobbery, etc, that he speaks about.
A prime example, imho, is the British Royal Family, they CLAIM that they have been chosen and anointed by God, pure and unadulterated Snobbery in my opinion since there never has, nor never will be a God/Gods.

@Allamanda I tend to disagree with you on those points for the most part.
Yes, we Atheists do have an adverse reaction to religion/s but with good and solidly founded reasons as well, but is it not these very 'reactions' that have made us, for majority part, better humans than our so-called religious bretheren?
I for one find beauty, connection, etc, etc, in everything around me, I have a community and community support, I also give back to the 'community' much more than I recievefrom it knowing that what I do is a good, decent and proper thing to do.
However, to me it seems, somewhat, that by your comment/s you are attempting to 'Tar everyone with the same brush' which is an impossible and totally wrong thing to do imho.
Those who chose/elect to ignore/neglect the inherent/innate ethics and morals, etc, that they are born with are not only damaging themselves but are damaging society as a whole as well, are they not?
But, when it is all broken down to it, those choices are theirs and theirs alone, not the choice and consencus of the soiety as a whole.
If it were then it would be, simply and imho, yet another example of the Totalitarianism Ideology that runs like blood through the veins of most religious beliefs, i.e. "you are either with us or you are against us, there is NO middle ground."

@Allamanda For centuries after centuries the Atheists, etc, of this world have stood alone and faced the 'wrath' of religions simply, for the most part, because they chose NOT to believe what they were TOLD emphatically that should believe, so why mix in religion with Atheism, etc, in the first place, is that not merely mixing sugar in with arsenic to disguise the taste of the poison?

@Allamanda Yes,the sense of Humanity and human decency goes way back to almost the beginngs of evolution but they too have been usurped by religions, have they not?
Usurped, twisted, prostituted and bastardized over centuries by religions to become a saleable article that they can only 'purchased' by believing in what they are preaching.
Ergo, that IS why I say that religions could, should and would benefit from Atheists/Atheism and NOT the reverse.

@Allamanda Things that occur/happen 'in the short-term' never seem to last or take root in my experiences, but things that occur/happen slowly over long periods, such as trees, etc, always take root and remain for a very long time.
After all, "haste truly does make for waste."

@Allamanda I would say it is a "crapshoot". I have seen some amazing, and some that I would describe as "bloviations".

@Allamanda . . . (my intent) I think too many folks regard TED as something more than it is.

@maturin1919 18min is the (strict) limit for TED speakers . . .

@Allamanda I'm not aware of rules to that effect.

@Allamanda Mental illness comes in all forms.... What worked for the era of unwashed goat raping savages should be abandoned...

@Allamanda Am I "wide of the mark?" Or are you?... A man was arrested in Texas not long back it seems he was raping Shetland ponies in a neighbors barn.... Since Texas is a very religious state it seems they didn't have any laws against screwing live stock so they arrested him for criminal trespass instead.... So much for religion being a good idea to borrow from....

@Allamanda You wouldn't know logic if it bit you on the ass... TED talks are bullshitters trying to be relevant lecturing to the gullible because they have no academic status. What would you borrow from religion?... Marriage perhaps?... Sorry that was in existence long before religion was and in the case of Christ-Insanity at first marriage was discouraged because it was considered "impure" and it wasn't until the middle ages that the church figured out they could profit from it. Religion is anti-logic so saying you should borrow from it makes your reply to me a bit hypocritical logically don't you agree?

@Allamanda Liar.... "What aspects of religion could atheists beneficially adopt? Alain de Botton suggests -- call it Atheism 2.0 -- incorporating some religious forms and traditions to satisfy our human need for connection, ritual and transcendence."

@Allamanda Nope. I can only speak from my own needs and experiences. It is my opinion that all the needs religion supposedly fill can be had from other sources. I am fine without it, many are not. It's a matter of personal perspective and choice.

@Allamanda I am saying that such things are NOT the sole province of religion, nothing more. If religion disappeared tomorrow do you think compassion, kindness, and empathy would disappear? Do you think everyone would suddenly run wild, convinced that some supernatural being is no longer keep score a some kind of naughty or nice list? I think not.

@Allamanda I posted the first sentence as gut reaction because religion spoils everything.

He mentions both atheism and religion in the first sentence. You got the wrong video somehow. The name of this video is “Atheism 2.0” If this link doesn’t take you to it, you can search for that name.

@Allamanda I’m fine with that.

@Allamanda If you want to build a movement, it's probably better to base it on something you believe in rather than something you don't.

@Allamanda If you believe the environment needs help, or believe healthcare should be universal...

@Allamanda You can believe something without actually knowing it is a fact. If you know something is a fact, you believe it automatically. Probably could have been more clear, but I'm in a bouncy moving truck trying to txt.