Preaching Atheism

[Ziggy Stardust]

How can you preach nothing?

Atheism isn't nothing

And the Bible doesn't seem to have a problem with it either judging by the thou-shall-not's

 

[cardgame]

We got taught about critical thinking in English class at school (when analysing non-fiction pieces).

Nice use of paranthesis

also, nice video Cheetah

 

[ParadigmShifter]

I'm a big parentheses fan

 

[PeteAtoms]

I think "preaching" atheists might actually be more of a pro-active response to the effect that religion has on society at large, and as a consequence, the effects on individuals within society (including non-religious).

Promoting a secular society is more of a political movement, IMO, than a preaching of some ideal or (non)belief.

 

[Souron]

I would say that only some go around promoting doubt, though.

Yes, but in the same way that only some Christians actually go around promoting Christianity. What word would you have me use? I'm not saying that atheists are vocal, I'm saying that skepticism and atheism go together.

 

[Duo]

I don't think you have to be incapable of critical thought or skepticism to be a theist... maybe to be a mindless theist controlled by a "prophet" or authority figure, but not a theist in itself. The constant rambling of "atheism is the way" only helps my reasoning that atheism might as well be as much a religion as those it fights... holy war, except now it's belief in presence vs. belief in absence, rather than two or more beliefs in presence.

Holy war really ain't what it used to be if the internet is its main theatre and vigourous rhetoric is its main weapon.

I think it's pretty telling that most of the preaching that people complain about is usually just atheists stating or arguing for their own beliefs. People rarely see this as preaching if it's a religious person professing their views.

 

[warpus]

Yes, but in the same way that only some Christians actually go around promoting Christianity. What word would you have me use? I'm not saying that atheists are vocal, I'm saying that skepticism and atheism go together.

If we're talking about the West here, I agree.

and I like to nitpick, sue me

 

[Skwink]

Well since none of you are believers, can you explain the big bang to me? I think it's pretty stupid, nothing exploded, and stuff came out.

 

[cardgame]

http://wikipedia.org/wiki/big_bang

According to the Big Bang model, the Universe expanded from an extremely dense and hot state and continues to expand today. A common analogy explains that space itself is expanding, carrying galaxies with it, like raisins in a rising loaf of bread.

 

[Skwink]

http://wikipedia.org/wiki/big_bang

But where did that stuff come from?

 

[El_Machinae]

Well since none of you are believers, can you explain the big bang to me? I think it's pretty stupid, nothing exploded, and stuff came out.

Well, most modern physics sounds stupid upon first approximation. They continue to sound stupid as long as you only conceive of strawman versions of the theories too.

Both Relativity and Quantum Mechanics state things that 'sound stupid', but you cannot understand the Big Bang Model without understanding these theories.

Given that about 22% of CFC members think that physics is the most important science "for the future", it might be worth learning some physics!

 

[Souron]

Well since none of you are believers, can you explain the big bang to me? I think it's pretty stupid, nothing exploded, and stuff came out.

At first the world was really hot and really dense. Then it was not quite as hot and not quite as dense.

That's it really. There are known details about how fast it cooled, and what was happening at a given temperature and pressure.

But it's all based on observation. So stupid or not, there's good evidence for it.

 

[Skwink]

At first the world was really hot and really dense. Then it was not quite as hot and not quite as dense.

That's it really. There are known details about how fast it cooled, and what was happening at a given temperature and pressure.

But it's all based on observation. So stupid or not, there's good evidence for it.

If there were no burning stars, how was it hot?

 

[ParadigmShifter]

It was in a small space.

 

[Skwink]

It was in a small space.

I can have a small space in the middle of -12of weather, and with any source of heat (ie: body heat) it will be cold.

 

[ParadigmShifter]

But if all the matter was concentrated into the space the size of a grapefruit that's gonna be mighty hot.

We can measure the temperature of ambient space and it isn't absolute zero it's still cooling down.

 

[cardgame]

I can have a small space in the middle of -12of weather, and with any source of heat (ie: body heat) it will be cold.

Did you know that the core of the Earth is very, very hot? In fact it may have a temperature similar to the Sun's surface. Do you know why?

Pressure.

The entire earth's gravity is pressing down on a sphere 70% as large as the Moon, which creates heat.

Now imagine the entire Universe's mass compressed down to a pinhead.

 

[Skwink]

Thanks guys, that was helpful.

 

[warpus]

But where did that stuff come from?

Nobody knows. The big bang theory does not deal with where the stuff came with, but rather, what happened with it.

I can have a small space in the middle of -12of weather, and with any source of heat (ie: body heat) it will be cold.

If you take all matter & energy in the Universe and compress it into a tiny ball, of course it will be super hot.

 

[Souron]

If there were no burning stars, how was it hot?

You'd be cold in a storm because the heat would be dispersed away. At the time of the big bang, there wasn't anywhere for the heat to dissipate. So it was hot. Heat, which can be defined in terms of energy, is persistent. It doesn't go away, it only spreads out. And sometimes increase. So shortly after the big bang, it was hot and stayed hot because the heat had nowhere to go (until there was).

Also, there in fact was a state similar to the inside of stars shortly after the big bang. But it's be putting the cart before the horse to say that that "burning" causes it to be hot. It was hot and dense, so there was "burning".