Atheism is the believe that something came out of nothing and we're all going nowhere

[Czernobog]

And there's no point, really, to any of it, so life has no meaning or purpose.

Of course life has meaning and purpose....not everyone needs a sky pixie frightening them into sort-of behaving to do the right thing. The Golden Rule overrides all religions.

You mean all those texts written after Leviticus?

Leviticus?!?! You do realize that the oldest extant codex of the Old Testament, including Leviticus, is around 320 BCE, right? The Chinese, alone, have religious writings that date back as far as 800 BCE. Then there are the Celts, the Greeks, The Mesopotamians, the Egyptians... shall I go on?

 

[Syriusly]

Atheists are just more Americans that piss Blackrook off.

He is down to about 12 old white guys he is not pissed off at.

It's always about race with you. That's because you're racists.

Look at all the horrible things you've done to the blacks since you started "helping" them in 1965..

I was in elementary school in 1965- I don't think I was doing much to help them or anyone else in 1965.

I am not the one who blames blacks for me not getting into Harvard Law.

That would be you.

A bitter old white guy who is pissed off at everyone else because of how much you despise your life.

Calling me a "bitter old white guy" makes you a racist. .

LOL- you think everyone but yourself is a racist.

You are a bitter old white guy.

Live it
because you love it.

Since you insist on making this personal, I'm putting you on ignore. Goodbye.

Run away, run away.

Just another way you blame everyone else for your own problems.

 

[Paladin_]

Actually, atheism isn't ANY "believe" (or, if you prefer, "belief" ). It's simply the absence of belief in deities. Nothing more.

Referring to one's self as an "atheist" says nothing about any separate belief one may have -- whether it's with regard to the origins of the universe or the meaning of life. To suppose otherwise is simply incorrect and ignorant.

 

[ding]

Militant atheism leads to communism.

 

[Vastator]

And there's no point, really, to any of it, so life has no meaning or purpose.

You have such a narrow minded field of view... Such... Limited vision. The point, and or meaning, can be what you make it. As of this writing; we humans are the most intelligent powerful creatures verifiabley known to exist. We can decide the point or meaning. Such low ambition, for you to decide on none at all.

 

[Paladin_]

Militant atheism leads to communism.

Actually, that's not true at all. As a general rule, "atheism" (or even "militant atheism") leads to no particular political philosophy.

It's true that atheism is often a facet of "Communist" states, but more often than not, it's not "atheism" but anti-theism -- as a counterpoint to an potential challenges to the cults of personality that are so often elemental to dictatorships (indeed, even Stalin had churches and religion in his Soviet Union).

Even Marx, the ideological 'founding father' of Communism, stated that atheism (in his writings, an affirmation of man's existence, contrary to the false comfort of religion) is irrelevant in a truly communist state.

But, again, "atheism" is simply a lack of belief. It has nothing to do with one's political leanings or affiliations.

 

[ding]

And there's no point, really, to any of it, so life has no meaning or purpose.

Just because someone decides that they have no use for any of the male dominator god religions that the middle east vomited up is no indication they have no spiritual path or no belief in a creator. And atheists might well accept evolution as to how “something” came from your “nothing.

You really are hung up on this male dominator thing. Do you and Breezewood coordinate your one trick ponies?

 

[ding]

Militant atheism leads to communism.

Actually, that's not true at all. As a general rule, "atheism" (or even "militant atheism") leads to no particular political philosophy.

It's true that atheism is often a facet of "Communist" states, but more often than not, it's not "atheism" but anti-theism -- as a counterpoint to an potential challenges to the cults of personality that are so often elemental to dictatorships (indeed, even Stalin had churches and religion in his Soviet Union).

Even Marx, the ideological 'founding father' of Communism, stated that atheism (in his words, an affirmation of man's existence, contrary to the false comfort of religion) is irrelevant in a truly communist state.

But, again, "atheism" is simply a lack of belief. It has nothing to do with one's political leanings or affiliations.

Really? Then why has ever single communist regime been an atheistic regime rule by militant atheistic rulers.

And if that isn't enough proof, then maybe hearing it from the founding fathers of communism will convince you.

Communism is naturalized humanism. Karl Marx

The propaganda of atheism is necessary for our programs. Vladimir Lenin.

 

[Paladin_]

Really? Then why has ever single communist regime been an atheistic regime rule by militant atheistic rulers.

Because it isn't true. For example, it appears that Joseph Stalin WAS a believer. Not only is there no first-hand evidence that he was an atheist, he made multiple references to God in his conversations with others. There are even reports that he took confession multiple times during his reign:

Atheist Boogeymen - Part 2: Joseph Stalin

And if that isn't enough proof, then maybe hearing it from the founding fathers of communism will convince you.

Communism is naturalized humanism. Karl Marx

I'm glad you mentioned Karl Marx. Allow me to offer another quote of his, from his Private Property and Communism:

"...atheism is a negation of God, and postulates the existence of man through this negation; but socialism as socialism no longer stands in any need of such a mediation..."

 

[ding]

Really? Then why has ever single communist regime been an atheistic regime rule by militant atheistic rulers.

Because it isn't true. For example, it appears that Joseph Stalin WAS a believer. Not only is there no first-hand evidence that he was an atheist, he made multiple references to God in his conversations with others. There are even reports that he took confession multiple times during his reign:

Atheist Boogeymen - Part 2: Joseph Stalin

And if that isn't enough proof, then maybe hearing it from the founding fathers of communism will convince you.

Communism is naturalized humanism. Karl Marx

I'm glad you mentioned Karl Marx. Allow me to offer another quote of his, from his Private Property and Communism:

"...atheism is a negation of God, and postulates the existence of man through this negation; but socialism as socialism no longer stands in any need of such a mediation..."

Alexander Solzhenitsyn explains why militant atheism leads to communism.

"...As humanism in its development was becoming more and more materialistic, it also increasingly allowed concepts to be used first by socialism and then by communism, so that Karl Marx was able to say, in 1844, that "communism is naturalized humanism."

This statement has proved to be not entirely unreasonable. One does not see the same stones in the foundations of an eroded humanism and of any type of socialism: boundless materialism; freedom from religion and religious responsibility (which under Communist regimes attains the stage of antireligious dictatorship); concentration on social structures with an allegedly scientific approach. (This last is typical of both the Age of Enlightenment and of Marxism.) It is no accident that all of communism's rhetorical vows revolve around Man (with a capital M) and his earthly happiness. At first glance it seems an ugly parallel: common traits in the thinking and way of life of today's West and today's East? But such is the logic of materialistic development.

The interrelationship is such, moreover, that the current of materialism which is farthest to the left, and is hence the most consistent, always proves to be stronger, more attractive, and victorious. Humanism which has lost its Christian heritage cannot prevail in this competition. Thus during the past centuries and especially in recent decades, as the process became more acute, the alignment of forces was as follows: Liberalism was inevitably pushed aside by radicalism, radicalism had to surrender to socialism, and socialism could not stand up to communism...."

Alexander Solzhenitsyn - Harvard Address

 

[ding]

Really? Then why has ever single communist regime been an atheistic regime rule by militant atheistic rulers.

Because it isn't true. For example, it appears that Joseph Stalin WAS a believer. Not only is there no first-hand evidence that he was an atheist, he made multiple references to God in his conversations with others. There are even reports that he took confession multiple times during his reign:

Atheist Boogeymen - Part 2: Joseph Stalin

And if that isn't enough proof, then maybe hearing it from the founding fathers of communism will convince you.

Communism is naturalized humanism. Karl Marx

I'm glad you mentioned Karl Marx. Allow me to offer another quote of his, from his Private Property and Communism:

"...atheism is a negation of God, and postulates the existence of man through this negation; but socialism as socialism no longer stands in any need of such a mediation..."

According to the University of Cambridge, historically, the "most notable spread of atheism was achieved through the success of the 1917 Russian Revolution, which brought the Marxist-Leninists to power."

Marxism - Investigating Atheism

 

[ding]

Really? Then why has ever single communist regime been an atheistic regime rule by militant atheistic rulers.

Because it isn't true. For example, it appears that Joseph Stalin WAS a believer. Not only is there no first-hand evidence that he was an atheist, he made multiple references to God in his conversations with others. There are even reports that he took confession multiple times during his reign:

Atheist Boogeymen - Part 2: Joseph Stalin

And if that isn't enough proof, then maybe hearing it from the founding fathers of communism will convince you.

Communism is naturalized humanism. Karl Marx

I'm glad you mentioned Karl Marx. Allow me to offer another quote of his, from his Private Property and Communism:

"...atheism is a negation of God, and postulates the existence of man through this negation; but socialism as socialism no longer stands in any need of such a mediation..."

Vladimir Lenin confirms Solzhenitsyn's assessment... "A Marxist must be a materialist, i. e., an enemy of religion, but a dialectical materialist, i. e., one who treats the struggle against religion not in an abstract way, not on the basis of remote, purely theoretical, never varying preaching, but in a concrete way, on the basis of the class struggle which is going on in practice and is educating the masses more and better than anything else could."

Lenin: The Attitude of the Workers' Party to Religion

 

[ding]

There really is no better witness on communism than Alexander Solzhenitsyn. He lived through it, read hundreds of books, collected hundreds of personal testimonies and wrote eight volumes on the subject. Given all that and confirmation by the founding fathers of communism and history, I'm going to stand by my statement that militant atheism leads to communism.

“More than half a century ago, while I was still a child, I recall hearing a number of older people offer the following explanation for the great disasters that had befallen Russia: ‘Men have forgotten God; that's why all this has happened.’”

“Since then I have spent well-nigh fifty years working on the history of our Revolution; in the process I have read hundreds of books, collected hundreds of personal testimonies, and have already contributed eight volumes of my own toward the effort of clearing away the rubble left by that upheaval...But if I were asked today to formulate as concisely as possible the main cause of the ruinous Revolution that swallowed up some sixty million of our people, I could not put it more accurately than to repeat: "Men have forgotten God; that's why all this has happened.’”

“Templeton Lecture, May 10, 1983,” in The Solzhenitsyn Reader: New and Essential Writings, 1947-2005, eds. Edward E. Ericson, Jr. and Daniel J. Mahoney (Wilmington, DE: Intercollegiate Studies Institute, 2006), 577

 

[ding]

In 1955, Chinese communist leader Zhou Enlai declared, "We Communists are atheists"

Noebel, David, The Battle for Truth, Harvest House, 2001.

 

[ding]

And here we see China affirming Solzhenitsyn's assessment and Vladimir Lenin's statement that communism is based on dialectic materialism. In fact, he says there is no other way for it to be. Which is perfectly consistent with what Marx and Lenin said.

China’s Communist Party Reaffirms Marxism, Maoism, Atheism, Thursday, 20 November 2014

"The Communist Party of China (CPC) is letting its members know that the party’s official adherence to militant atheism has not changed; Party members are not allowed to be Christians, or to hold any other religious beliefs. That is the clear message sent by a top Party official in an editorial published on November 14 in the Global Times, the international version of People’s Daily, the official newspaper and mouthpiece of the CPC.

The editorial, written by Zhou Weiqun, chairman of the Committee on Ethnic and Religious Affairs of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, blasted Chinese academics who suggest that Communist Party members can also adhere to any religion. This prohibition against religion has been a “consistently upheld principle” since Mao Zedong, the founder of the People’s Republic of China, declared Zhou. “It’s impossible to have another choice besides the dialectical materialist worldview.”..."

China’s Communist Party Reaffirms Marxism, Maoism, Atheism

 

[edthecynic]

Actually, it is the bible that claims that no thing (God) created everything from nothing. Science proved that there never was nothing and there will never be nothing, the First Law of Thermodynamics AKA The Law of Conservation of Energy.

 

[Paladin_]

That's interesting. I just quoted the assessment of the ideological founder of Communism -- as close as you can get to the "facts" of the relationship between Communism and atheism, and you reply by quoting someone's opinion.

That's not to say that Solzhenitsyn didn't have extraordinary knowledge of the Soviet Union. But as your most recent quote demonstrates, he had his own ideological axe to grind with regard to God. So one must take his observations in light of his theological bias.

That said, let's recall that your original assertion was that "...militant atheism leads to communism..." Even if you had demonstrated that atheism and Communism were inextricably linked -- and, in light of my own quotes, you haven't -- it still doesn't follow that the former leads to the latter, any more than being a Roman Catholic leads to the atrocities of Adolph Hitler (a practicing believer).

 

[edthecynic]

Atheists, for the most part are just annoying

Not one man in a thousand has either strength of mind or goodness of heart to be an Atheist. I repeat, not one man in a thousand has either strength of mind or goodness of heart to be an Atheist.

-- Samuel Taylor Coleridge

 

[Vandalshandle]

I now know where the Kingdom of God is located. Thanks to DeVos, it has been discovered in the D.C. School system!

 

[edthecynic]

Militant atheism leads to communism.

Militant theism leads to Nazism.