I really don’t like the label “atheist” as it seems to have become its own label as a religion, even though we are really antitheist. Freeing myself from my Catholic upbringing, and never embracing any other religion, was what was the most liberating for me. I don’t need to go to atheist meetings or join an atheist society to affirm my beliefs. To me, that just seems like another form of religion, although an anti-religion.

Skepsis: When we take a good look at things, an honest and unprejudiced look at things, there is, in my opinion, only one conclusion to reach: Everything is bullshit, or to put it in budhist's words: everything is empty, nothing matters. Of course, that's nihilism.!!

Call atheism whatever you want. It simply means "without god."

so in what way does this fantastic revelation mean atheism is bullshit? sorry, but i didn't find that so fantastic; i found it false. something isn't bullshit just because it isn't important. it isn't important what color i wear the next time i go out either, but that lack of importance doesn't lower it to the level of being bullshit.

g

@genessa it’s important for the individual. He is saying that it doesn’t matter whether you are atheist, Christian or a butcher from Bangalore. He has discovered a freedom from something. Who cares what it is. Another shackle dropped to the floor.

FYI, the entire passage seems to be from the book "My Life with Spirits". The poster is only sharing it with us.

@Geoffrey51 okay, funny thing is, that's not what i read. what i read was that atheism is bullshit. it does actually say that. that sounds like one shackle returned.

g

@greyeyed123 when one shared without comment, one is generally agreeing or condoning the thing being shared. i responded to what i read. i stand by what i said.

g

@genessa I was just clarifying its source. I don't know what "even atheism, is bullshit" is supposed to mean in this context, and it seems the poster won't be able to clarify either as it was just a cut and paste job.

@genessa it’s also best to look at the context. It’s from a book by Duquette, a leading light in the Ordo Templi Orientis (Order Of The Eastern Temple) which was founded by Crowley.

@Geoffrey51 right. so a comment might well have been appropriate. my analysis stands.

g

@greyeyed123 thus the danger of "just" a cut and paste job. did the poster read it? hmm.

g

@greyeyed123 Duquette, seems to be remarking on the concept that even atheism, among all other established dogmas are irrelevant. Bear in mind that OTO was founded by Aleister Crowley with roots in Nietzsche and his nihilism, namely that the only meaning or structure in the world is what we give it, very crudely stated by me.

@genessa I agree. If we are going to cut and paste some context is required, preferably using the article to support or refute an argument. A stand alone is not helpful. I thought that this was the poster’s experience. Fool on me for not checking.

@greyeyed123 It"s okay. Atheism IS bullshit. That makes you Agnostic. Welcome to the club.

@Geoffrey51" Even Atheism among all other established dogma" suggests that Atheism is a dogmatic belief system. I too disagree with this statement. Atheism can't be put on the same playing field as religion, since it is only an ABSENCE of belief. How can an absence of something be bullshit?!

@Storm1752 Atheism is the lack of belief in gods. You can be an agnostic atheist or a gnostic atheist, in exactly the same way as you can be an agnostic theist or a gnostic theist. These are all categories that describe real positions real people in the real world hold, which makes them useful definitions.

@friendlycatlady just suggesting that Atheism doesn’t seem to be open to criticism in many cases, ergo dogma.

@Geoffrey51 Well, atheism is open to criticism the same way a-santa-ism is, or a-fairy-ism is open to criticism. It's fine to criticize by saying we should indeed believe in Santa and fairies. It's just not that convincing.

@greyeyed123. Well. That is encouraging.

As soon as a community emerges to share values, even atheism, it starts to become more than simply the lack of a thing. It takes on a life of it's own.

I read through a lot of comments on here that stem from bitterness, or anger, or hurt - and may well be quite justified - and eventually begin to see an echo chamber evolve. A choir of people taking up a banner, an identity, one that separates them from others, and it fills the void that religion once filled for some.

The argument from theists is that atheism is just a religion of a different name, and the counter is always the same, that the lack of belief isn't a belief (which I agree with) and that you don't see people proclaiming their lack of tooth fairy belief, or any other. But them again people who don't hold a belief don't usually feel the need to identify themselves but it's lack quite like we non believes do.

@greyeyed123 Thanks for your brief comment. I was only sharing a thoughtful quote, form a very famous book, by the way!
No, I am not recommending that book. I have seen that too many members of this Forum are as closed-minded and intolerant as our Christian, Muslim, and Evangelical friends. I, myself, don't believe in gods, nor in spirits, ghosts or smurfs. But some authors, like the present one, did believe in them (He was a known occultists.), and I think this book is interesting and even fun to read.
Too often, people forget that, in order to be a "free-thinker", one has to be a "thinker".
Thanks.

@COGITOERGOSUM No need to insult everybody's intelligence. I thought the passage was beautifully written, and wondered right away who the brilliant writer was. However, that one part sort of stood out, while reading, because it didn't seem to jive with the conclusion. Maybe that was intentional on the author's part Naturally, other people recongnised this too, and it became a part of the discussion. If you didn't want an open dialogue you shouldn't have written and posted it. I thought that was the purpose of this group.

@COGITOERGOSUM I am extremely well read and a thinker.