Reply To: Is Atheism considered a "worldview?"
I am curious why for some it would be a little offensive to say that atheism IS a worldview…would there be anything wrong with that?
I’m not taking a stance either way right now….just asking the questions ? I’m not sure I’ve totally formed my own opinion on the issue…
I do sort of like what Arcus was saying…being somewhat of a linguist myself…it was an interesting perspective….
It’s probably offensive to call it a world view…just as it is offensive to tell someone who supports a sport team that they have a “Toronto Maple Leafs” world view. How could you possibly generalise about their world view…based on one tiny attribute? The only thing Leaf Fans have in common is that they like the team the Toronto Maple Leafs…nothing else. You may find many of them are sporty or working-class-like or a mans-man but you can hardly generalise about them. The only thing atheists have in common is their rejection of the existence of God. Atheists are more likely to embrace science, hold humanistic values etc. but again you can hardly generalise. Let’s try it this way:
Profile of Maple Leafs Fans:
*Lawyer. Muslim. Shy. Friendly. Doesn’t believe in sharia law. Meat eater. Likes the leafs because his friends do too.
*Waiter. Agnostic. Loud and annoying. Doesn’t vote. Drinks too much beer. Likes the leafs because he is from Toronto.
*Student. Overly athletic. Flirty. Gay. Wears white and blue all the time. Likes the leafs because he is an English speaker in Monteal.
*Lives in Bangladesh and loves the Leafs for some reason she cannot explain. Vegetarian. She lives in a one room house. 9 years old.
Profile of Atheists:
*Chinese. Member of communist party. Believes in Karma. Helps hunt down internet-activists and incarcerate them. Doesn’t believe in God because to be a party member…you don’t believe in God.
*Brazilian. Drug dealer in the Favelas. Vegitarian. Donates his profits to his dying grandmothers health fund. Doesn’t believe in God because his parents didn’t either.
*American. Closeted atheists in farm country. Enjoys everything about church except prayer. Likes ice-hockey. Doesn’t believe in God because the whole idea seems rediculous.
*French. Serial sociopathic womaniser. Avoids any conversation about religion. Cruel to most people. Loves animals.
*Swedish. Humanist. Lives a godless life in a town where almost everyone else is atheist and humanist. Doesn’t believe in God for lack of evidence.
*Yemen. Closeted atheist. Holds onto this secret with all of his might. Terrified he will be found out. Still agrees with most of sharia law. Leaves his wife in the kitchen most of the time and keeps an obsessively close eye on his daughters. Secretly chews qat. Has a caché of 20 guns in his house. Doesn’t believe in God because God never answered his prayers and let his parents die. Since there is no morality…he believes he can do anything he likes and it is still technically moral.
*Canadian. Hunter. Hunts polar bears and clubs baby seals for sport. Volunteers in a soup kitchen. Believes that with meditation and nature adventuring you can become one with the universal conciousness. Doesn’t believe in God because of pedophilic priests.
*Mexican. Atheist because God never caught his interest. Doesn’t agree with the scientific method and believes that magnetic healing crystals will cure his mothers cancer. Makes a very good bean dip. Is married with two children. Good father. Secretly reads romance novels when no one is watching. His family actually knows.
These are all extremely limited profiles of Leaf Fans and Atheists. I could go on and on. Note that there are many cases of atheists who see the world in utterly and totally different ways. They are almost polar opposites in every way imaginable. Same with leaf fans. How can you call either a lack of belief in God or a preference for one sports team…a world view?
