Atheism isn't a moral stance, secular humanism is

[cbayer]

http://www.chicagonow.com/an-agnostic-in-wheaton/2014/01/atheism-isnt-a-moral-stance-secular-humanism-is/

By James Kirk Wall, Sunday at 4:53 pm



When people of different religious beliefs can live together in peace without governmental favoritism or oppression of one group over another, that’s secularism.

When people believe that humans are solely responsible for the safety, liberty and livelihood of our generation and future generations, that’s humanism.

The word atheist in itself is not synonymous with virtuous. The same can be said for any religious brand. No religious or non-religious label can indicate if someone is a moral person as history contains evil and good examples of each.

Secularism is for anyone, religious or not, who believes in individual rights and liberties including freedom of speech. In a secular society people are free to choose any religious belief they want and blasphemy is not a crime.

more at link

[safeinOhio]

1. Great read.

thank you

[no_hypocrisy]

2. And Ethical Culture

[stopbush]

3. The word atheism defines a person as what they are not.

Why not define all Protestants as Acatholics?

What other "group" of people are defined by what they are not?

I don't believe in any gods, but I do not call myself an atheist. If one must label me, then call me an antitheist, ie: a person who is against theism.

The very word "atheist" is a word devised by theists to label people who are don't believe as they (the theists) believe. That's a conceit that needs to go away, ie: defining other people from the perspective of how they are different from you.

[cbayer]

4. What does it mean to be "against religion"?

While I think that you are correct about it's origins, the word atheist has taken on a much deeper meaning and been embraced by many groups and individuals.

What do you propose those people and groups call each themselves?

[skepticscott]

7. A "much deeper meaning" in whose mind? Yours?

Are you speaking for all of those atheists? Can you read their minds?

Give us some examples of groups that are not simply atheists in the normally understood sense, but who have embraced calling themselves "atheists" anyway. Oh, right...you can't..you simply made that claim up out of thin air, sitting there at your computer, because you needed it to advance your agenda. Why worry about actual facts in that case?

[skepticscott]

6. Um...vegetarians?

The nutshell definition of a vegetarian is not "someone who only eats vegetables", it's "someone who doesn't eat meat".

Or try teetotalers. Albinos. Etc. Etc.

Was that supposed to be difficult?

[Starboard Tack]

8. I don't really call myself an atheist either, except when a distinction is called for.

In a discussion group, such as this, it is sometimes useful to use such a definition, despite the risk of being associated with the small, but noisy group of intolerant atheists, that frequents these parts. We run the same risk as those who call themselves Christian being associated by their more rabid brethren. In general, I don't like flying flags or wearing labels of any kind. They are fodder for intolerance and fascism.
I don't think the word was devised by theists. It is a natural evolution of language that words spawn their own antonyms. Putting an "A" before many words is a classic way of forming antonyms. There is a big difference between being an atheist, one who simply doesn't believe in a deity, and an anti-theist, who is against anyone who does believe in a deity.

Protestants, btw, are not Acatholic. I was confirmed in the Anglican Church, and part of our creed was "I believe in the Holy Catholic Church", which is not the Roman Catholic Church. The word "catholic" means universal.

[Brettongarcia]

5. Yours is an important point.Fortunately most atheists have some other moral system: Socialism etc;

... Humanism; Care Ethics"; secular Law. Some alternative system of morality, or "Ethics."

It seems true that atheism, in itself does not really have much positive content; it is simply about rejecting something. So how do we find positive content? How do we assure that people will continue to behave well?

When you give up on religion, there are lots of other moral systems that you should look into. After giving up on religion, everyone should look into the secular field of "Ethics" especially. Systems of morality like that of Marcus Aurelius.

Maybe this is why many atheists on DU in fact, recently insisted themselves, that Atheism is not in itself, a positive movement, that should have churches and so forth. This means that we should seek to augment atheism, with some positive ideas.

So what positive ideas are there? It is probably a good idea, once you have rejected traditional Christianity and its morality, to pick up some OTHER, BETTER kind of moral system. And there are many. The field of "Ethics" studies and outlines them.

The "golden rule" is one of the best, and most common. Secular Law also offers in effect, a moral system.