Infidel753

Hello and Happy Saturday!

First up, I wish to thank Abe Solomon for sharing his perspective with us. I found his post both informative and quite interesting as well. Thank you Abe.

Next up, we have a new post! Please welcome Infidel753.
Infidel753 is an Atheist and I know you're going to enjoy this next post as well!.

Here Is Infidel753's Introduction:

I'm American, 49 years old, university-educated, blogger for almost three years, non-religious. I have a strongly optimistic view of the world. Over the years I've had an anthropological interest in religion at times because of its enormous impact on human history and culture, but I see no truth or value in it. I don't believe in anything supernatural, including the concept of humans having souls. The good that exists, exists because of human achievement.
http://infidel753.blogspot.com


1) What religion do you practice?
I don't have any religion, and never have.

2) Did you convert or were you born into this religion? If you converted, what did you need to do to convert? And what did you practice prior to converting?
I grew up without any religion. I never felt anything was missing.

3) Would you consider yourself a moderate, conservative or other.
I'm liberal on political and social issues.

4) In your opinion, what makes you moderate/conservative/other?
Since conservative attitudes on social issues (such as being against gay marriage and abortion) are often rooted in religion, I suppose not having a religion makes it natural that I don't have those attitudes.

5) In your opinion, what makes someone conservative? What makes someone moderate?
When I apply those terms to religion, I mean the extent to which a person's religion affects their behavior and attitudes. For example, a Catholic who wanted to ban abortion by law would be conservative, while one who was tolerant of it would be moderate.

6) What's your heaven/paradise like?
I don't believe in any kind of afterlife. Our free will and consciousness are generated by the electro-chemical activity in our brains. When the brain stops functioning, the mind it generates doesn't go anywhere, it just stops.

My idea of an ideal environment wouldn't be something static, the way people seem to imagine Heaven. It would evolve continuously, like the real world.

7) In your opinion, does everyone make it into heaven/paradise? If they do not, why?
Since I don't believe Heaven exists, I don't believe anyone goes there.

8) What makes your religion a good fit for you?
Let me stress that atheism is not a religion or equivalent to a religion, as some religious people seem to think. Atheism just means not believing that any god exists. It tells you nothing about what positive beliefs a person has. Some atheists describe themselves as rationalists or secular humanists, some don't. Stalin was an atheist, but I have nothing in common with him at all.

Atheism is purely a lack of belief in a god, just as silence is an absence of noise (not a kind of noise) and health is an absence of illness (not a kind of illness).

I suppose not believing in a god is a "good fit" for me in the sense that there is no evidence for the existence of a god, any more than there is for unicorns, fairies, etc.

9) What are your holy days and what do you do to celebrate them?
Not applicable.

10) Do you consider people of other faiths to be your friends?
I don't even know what religious beliefs most of my friends have, if any.

11) Would you ever join people of another faith to celebrate one of their holy days? Please explain why?
It would depend on the circumstances, but in most cases, no. Most religions are deeply morally offensive to me. Participating in their rituals would feel too much like endorsing them.

12) What are your thoughts on the burka, and Shariah Law?
Islam is not just a religion, it's a totalitarian ideology. The burka, as a form of clothing which specifically symbolizes that ideology, strikes me rather the way a Nazi uniform would. Shariah law is the substance of the ideology -- a complete codified system for the ruthless oppression of women, gays, unbelievers, and anyone else who deviates.

Islam was my field of study at university. It's the religion I know the most about, though I have no family or ancestral connection with it.

13) What are your thoughts on women not being allowed to become priests?
I think any discrimination against women in terms of what positions or offices they can occupy is stupid. The fact that most religions restrict what roles women can have is, I suppose, their own business, but it's another sign that they're a reactionary force.

14) Does your place of worship segregate? If yes, how does this make you feel?
Not applicable.

15) How much does your religion affect your daily life and how much thought do you give it when making a decision? Does it affect in any way your decision on abortion, gay marriage, etc?
Not believing in the supernatural doesn't have much to do with daily life. As for abortion and gay marriage, see questions 3-4.

16) How would you react/feel if your child wished to marry outside your religion?
I don't have any children. If I did, it would be their own business whom they married. I'd advise them not to marry anyone who believed anything too dangerously crazy.

17) In your opinion, if someone is not of your faith, will they go to hell?
There's no such thing as Hell, so nobody can go there.

18) Who do you think is not a practising ----- in your religion and why? ie who in the public domain claims to speak for your religion? Do you agree with them or not?
Since atheism is the absence of one belief and not a belief system, it can't be "practiced" as a religion can.

Nor can anyone "speak for" it. However, I greatly admire atheists like Richard Dawkins, Christopher Hitchens, Sam Harris, Pat Condell, Ibn Warraq, and Ayaan Hirsi Ali, who have spoken out strongly against religion, sometimes at great personal risk.

19) Have you ever been the target of a hate crime? Please explain.
Religious people have sometimes said nasty things to me on the internet, but I haven't experienced anything that rises to the level of a hate crime.

20) Do you ever feel like your religion devalues you?
Not really applicable. I certainly don't feel devalued by not believing in the supernatural.

21) Does your religion give you peace of mind?
Atheism gives me peace of mind in some ways. I feel freer knowing that my life is my own and not cluttered up with some "higher purpose" imposed by a supernatural tyrant. I don't worry about being punished eternally for transgressing some silly bronze-age taboo that has nothing to do with real morality.

22) Do you believe in reincarnation? Why or why not?
No. There's no evidence for it, and no plausible mechanism whereby it could happen.