FreThink

There appears to be, in the minds of many theists, a determination to wed atheism and science, though
unnecessary and not supported.

An atheist is any non-believer in gods. There are atheists who think
crystals hold some sort of magical properties, those who see auras,
Mystics, Buddhists, all kinds of folks who only share in common a lack
of belief in gods. “All atheists worship science or have faith in
science” is as inaccurate as saying “all theists blindly follow their
leaders and know nothing of their own beliefs.”

Atheism does not espouse a set of morals, it does not determine what
else you do and don’t believe. It doesn’t endorse any political party
or manner of determining reality. An atheist can believe the scientific
explanation of the universe and reality or they can believe we were put
here by aliens, they might believe in ghosts and Earth spirits or they
may try to live by logic and reason. Atheists can be really smart and
abysmally stupid, and everywhere in between.

My humanistic attitudes are far more influential on my behavior and
belief system than my atheism. Atheism addresses a single disbelief
among hundreds I hold. It does give me the freedom of mind to
appreciate science while at the same time enjoying medieval polyphonic
motets, to learn from religion while not falling back under its spell,
to examine any claim and subject it to the standards I’ve adopted in my
life. It facilitates these things, but I do none of these things “in
the name” of atheism or even because of my atheism. I loved medieval
music as a Christian and I love it still.

Friday, February 6th, 2009, 8:00 pm   |   Opinion, Science  |  RSS feed |  Respond  |  Trackback