Atheism as cultural evolution

18AD

I find it interesting that atheism appears to be catching on on quite a large scale.
It's seems to occur in more developed countries.
I'd suggest that it's a necessary step in the evolution of culture at large.
It's a step in religious development. I'm not implying that it's the end of religion, but that it is a passing phase of better things to come. What's to come is beyond me...
In a time when dogmatic thought appears to be a destructive force, uncertainty seems to be a key step in development en masse.



Any thoughts?

Religion's not dying, it's evolving.



AD.

Zillah

I agree that religion something something.

18AD

Zillah wrote: »

I agree that religion something something.

Now you get it!

All the best.
AD.

Sir Digby Chicken Caesar

the other folks dogmatic thoughts are the problem, not mine.

Red Hand

Naaaa...there is a brief little athiest flowering in the West, rather like Jazz and Schwing in Weimar Germany...and like Nazis in Germany, the irrational element will clamp down on freedom...something something. Bwah, falling birth rates in the Western world vs burgeoning religious populations in developing countries means eventual overwhelming by the religious...something something.

Enjoy your freedom to express what you don't believe in while you can, folks!:) (or freedom to be in articulate as you have just observed!:p)

MooseJam

PDN's old sig comes to mind

Zillah

MooseJam wrote: »

PDN's old sig comes to mind

Haha, yeah. Good thing that I and everyone reading this thread remembers what another poster used to have in his sig.

..

MooseJam

I'm guessing thats sarcasm

EamonnKeane

Atheism has a very long history http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_atheism#Early_Eastern_Philosophy

Ekancone

Zillah wrote: »

Haha, yeah. Good thing that I and everyone reading this thread remembers what another poster used to have in his sig.

..

Which was?

MrPudding

Some quote from some bloke saying that by this time religion would effectively be dead.

MrP

pH

"By the 21st century, religious believers are likely to be found only in small sects, huddled together to resist a worldwide secular culture."
Peter Berger

calahans

18AD wrote: »

I find it interesting that atheism thinking appears to be catching on on quite a large scale.
It's seems to occur in more developed countries.
I'd suggest that it's a necessary step in the evolution of culture at large.
It's a step in religious development. I'm not implying that it's the end of religion, but that it is a passing phase of better things to come. What's to come is beyond me...
In a time when dogmatic thought appears to be a destructive force, uncertainty seems to be a key step in development en masse.

Any thoughts?

Religion's not dying, it's evolving.

AD.

No, its the death of religion alright.

As we gain more information and can remove ourselves from the toil of everyday existence, which is more the norm in third world countries, we will reach our potential as a species. If you think of what has occurred since the renaissance and industrial revolution, we have come a long way in a few hundred years.

Galvasean

pH wrote: »

"By the 21st century, religious believers are likely to be found only in small sects, huddled together to resist a worldwide secular culture."
Peter Berger

21st Century aint over yet.

I wouldn't say evolution is necessary for the evolution of culture. Consider that evolution does not necessarily strive for perfection.

Zillah

Galvasean wrote: »

I wouldn't say evolution is necessary for the evolution of culture. Consider that evolution does not necessarily strive for perfection.

Awesome sentence. I wish I could say things like that with a straight face, it'd be great for parties.

18AD

calahans wrote: »

No, its the death of religion alright.

Maybe the death of organised religion.
But I see a shift in thinking towards the personal, due to the massive amount of information exchange and advances in global communication. The more diverse perspectives you are open(important) to, the more informed you are.
Atheism promotes the development of personal values and morals.
The shift appears to be away from group thinking towards individual thinking.

The gaining of morals and values is still happening, but by different means. This is what I meant by religion is evolving. It's the quest for understanding (this is what the goal of religion is or what spirituality is, imo) via different means. Including things that may not be understandable.

In developed countries there is less threat of random death. People are more comfortable with the idea that they'll live a substantial amount of time. This removes the advantage of survival memes. For instance, life after death.

My intention was to draw similarities between atheism/scientific method and religion. I don't really see the point in creating differences that may not be there.

Sorry if it was poorly worded!

All the best.
AD.

eoin5

18AD wrote: »

Maybe the death of organised religion.
But I see a shift in thinking towards the personal, due to the massive amount of information exchange and advances in global communication. The more diverse perspectives you are open(important) to, the more informed you are.
Atheism promotes the development of personal values and morals.
The shift appears to be away from group thinking towards individual thinking.

Hmm, I dont think personal religion is a good thing though. Even with open communication I reckon the notion of "my god is this" lends a hand to neurosis.

lostexpectation

its gotta happen sometime, now after all the previous tries maybe we'll get lucky this time.

kowloon

Didn't this already happen during the "enlightenment"?

Galvasean

Zillah wrote: »

Awesome sentence. I wish I could say things like that with a straight face, it'd be great for parties.

Care to elaborate? Apart from my awful grammar.

18AD

eoin5 wrote: »

Hmm, I dont think personal religion is a good thing though. Even with open communication I reckon the notion of "my god is this" lends a hand to neurosis.

Since it's personal religion, it doesn't necessitate that there are gods of any sort.

I don't see a problem with declaring "my god is this" but rather "your god is wrong". The very basis of this statement assumes that there is something that needs to be changed in other people.

I'd take the word god to mean: a representation of anything real or imaginary. In this sense it functions like a symbol, and may be representative of many different things.
So you can have a god of love, personal goals, ideals, morals, trees, gravity etc... if you're bothered.

Follow your bliss.
AD.