tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16594468.post2961302404264449339..comments2023-10-24T04:29:23.693-06:00Comments on Atheist Ethicist: Secularism - A Wrapup and Summary of ArgumentsAlonzo Fyfehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05687777216426347054noreply@blogger.comBlogger8125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16594468.post-62677237984062227942012-05-10T09:49:03.465-06:002012-05-10T09:49:03.465-06:00Asim
Note that a non-secular atheist is not relig...<b>Asim</b><br /><br />Note that a non-secular atheist is not <i>religious</i>. A non-secular atheist would be one that advocated a strong relationship between church and state.<br /><br />He would say, for example, "There is no God. However, without a belief in God and a strong sense of religion, people generally are going to run around raping and murdering. So, even though I think that all of this "God" talk is pure fiction, I still think that we would be better off if everybody else <i>believed</i> that there was a God, and that there should be no separation between church and state."Alonzo Fyfehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05687777216426347054noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16594468.post-36393751969326014452012-05-10T09:42:52.721-06:002012-05-10T09:42:52.721-06:00Alonzo
Thank you for your quick response. I believ...Alonzo<br />Thank you for your quick response. I believe that atheists can be spiritual, but not religious, believing in god, heaven, hell, etc. I wish I could correspond with you some other way.Asimnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16594468.post-5027358814501491272012-05-10T09:18:46.984-06:002012-05-10T09:18:46.984-06:00Asim
Not all secular individuals are atheists. As...<b>Asim</b><br /><br />Not all secular individuals are atheists. As I wrote in my article, secularism was <i>invented</i> by theists to end a period of religious warfare that at times got so severe that whole regions of Europe (mostly southern Germany and northeastern France) became almost depopulated.<br /><br />It was, in effect, a peace agreement among warring religious factions to the effect that neither faction will seek to control the government.<br /><br />On the other hand, it is possible for an atheist to be non-secular. This would be an atheist who holds that "the people need religion". Even though he holds that all religious claims are false, he may also hold that religion is the only effective tool for bringing about social order. Thus, he argues for theocracy while keeping his opinions on the existence of God a secret.Alonzo Fyfehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05687777216426347054noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16594468.post-54914366903281113912012-05-10T09:03:25.714-06:002012-05-10T09:03:25.714-06:00Nice article. Do you agree with me when I say: A s...Nice article. Do you agree with me when I say: A secular person, or a secularist, is not necessarily an atheist. He can be religious, but he still believes in institutional secularism (in regard to public policy and practices). All atheists are secular, but not all secular persons are atheists.Asimnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16594468.post-56401420640994704902012-05-08T06:55:07.135-06:002012-05-08T06:55:07.135-06:00Excellent post :)
Good to see a simple and clear ...Excellent post :)<br /><br />Good to see a simple and clear collection of the arguments in one place.<br /><br />Keep up the good work!<br /><br />Regards<br /><br />RichardRichard Washingtonhttp://www.taxasist.co.uknoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16594468.post-23982823669898360222012-05-04T19:50:12.543-06:002012-05-04T19:50:12.543-06:00I enjoy specific requests - it saves me the effort...I enjoy specific requests - it saves me the effort of deciding what to write.<br /><br />Currently, I am taking a short break as my wife and I enjoy our 25th wedding anniversary, but I will be back shortly with a new project.Alonzo Fyfehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05687777216426347054noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16594468.post-90391440491206703902012-05-01T03:46:41.937-06:002012-05-01T03:46:41.937-06:00Alonzo,
With respect to future blog posts: would ...Alonzo,<br /><br />With respect to future blog posts: would you be willing to consider specific requests from the studio audience if the requests were reasonable and interested you?<br /><br />If yes, then I was wondering what your thoughts about Sam Harris' arguments for torture were. He seems to proffer the view that, by accepting collateral damage from war as inescapable yet demonizing the collateral damage from torture, we are holding to a very irrational double standard. I find his defense of torture emotionally disturbing, but I can't seem to produce a logical argument that counteracts his thesis. What are your thoughts?mojo.rhythmhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14901306439675127615noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16594468.post-58851502212506740372012-04-28T08:11:31.408-06:002012-04-28T08:11:31.408-06:00Alonzo, this was a great series. You are to be com...Alonzo, this was a great series. You are to be complimented.Anton Kozliknoreply@blogger.com