Tilted Forum Project Discussion Community - View Single Post - The "New Atheism," the vocal minority making the rest of us look bad, or more?

little_tippler · 10-25-2006, 03:12 AM

I am an atheist, but a slightly agnostic one at times, and I think tolerance is always a good thing. There are cases where tolerance isn't enough to "smooth over" an intolerant response to your own tolerance. I'm not sure if this is one.

I think many people of faith can be quite intolerant of people who do not follow a particular faith. I like to be tolerant towards religious people. I don't make a point of making being religious or non-religious an essential part of my life. I just try to live my life as well as I can, like most people. I try to waste as little time as possible in my life arguing. I don't see the point. I admit that maybe in my future, if I have children, that it may become an interesting issue, particularly if I decide to have children with someone who is adamant about their faith. Hopefully that won't happen and I'll be with someone who isn't a "believer".

I don't believe in the idea that religion is an evil thing. Good and evil is a product of religion, I think. Our inherent sense of it has partly been instilled in us through the ages by faith. I do believe that religion can at times hamper a person's faith in themselves. Or the opposite. I think religion is an element that brings peace of mind to some people, and helps them find in themselves added strength. I don't like that sometimes religion will lead a person to choose to take a discriminating or weak position.

I agree with the poster that said that religion will eventually be our downfall.

10-25-2006, 03:12 AM	#4 (permalink)
little_tippler Leaning against the -Sun- Super Moderator Location: on the other side	I am an atheist, but a slightly agnostic one at times, and I think tolerance is always a good thing. There are cases where tolerance isn't enough to "smooth over" an intolerant response to your own tolerance. I'm not sure if this is one. I think many people of faith can be quite intolerant of people who do not follow a particular faith. I like to be tolerant towards religious people. I don't make a point of making being religious or non-religious an essential part of my life. I just try to live my life as well as I can, like most people. I try to waste as little time as possible in my life arguing. I don't see the point. I admit that maybe in my future, if I have children, that it may become an interesting issue, particularly if I decide to have children with someone who is adamant about their faith. Hopefully that won't happen and I'll be with someone who isn't a "believer". I don't believe in the idea that religion is an evil thing. Good and evil is a product of religion, I think. Our inherent sense of it has partly been instilled in us through the ages by faith. I do believe that religion can at times hamper a person's faith in themselves. Or the opposite. I think religion is an element that brings peace of mind to some people, and helps them find in themselves added strength. I don't like that sometimes religion will lead a person to choose to take a discriminating or weak position. I agree with the poster that said that religion will eventually be our downfall. __________________ Whether we write or speak or do but look We are ever unapparent. What we are Cannot be transfused into word or book. Our soul from us is infinitely far. However much we give our thoughts the will To be our soul and gesture it abroad, Our hearts are incommunicable still. In what we show ourselves we are ignored. The abyss from soul to soul cannot be bridged By any skill of thought or trick of seeming. Unto our very selves we are abridged When we would utter to our thought our being. We are our dreams of ourselves, souls by gleams, And each to each other dreams of others' dreams. Fernando Pessoa, 1918