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Politics : Evolution -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Brumar89 who wrote (4795)	5/12/2010 6:54:50 PM
From: Solon	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 69300

"To many atheists, their atheism is an idealogy and secularism is a cause." Don't be stupid, now. The first to use "secularism" was Holyoake and his words explain it as good or better than any other: "Secularism is not an argument against Christianity, it is one independent of it. It does not question the pretensions of Christianity; it advances others. Secularism does not say there is no light or guidance elsewhere, but maintains that there is light and guidance in secular truth, whose conditions and sanctions exist independently, and act forever. Secular knowledge is manifestly that kind of knowledge which is founded in this life, which relates to the conduct of this life, conduces to the welfare of this life, and is capable of being tested by the experience of this life."[8] In modern times (in accordance with this ideal) secularists generally value the separation of church and state. This would be the only "cause" that could properly be laid at the feet of a secularist. And it is unfair to ascribe "cause" to what may be merely a simple belief. In any event, where it is a "cause" it is equally good for freedom of religion. Secularists protect all religions equally from government interference just as they protect government (and by extension all citizens of the state) from religious interference. Now let us move on to atheism--the lack of belief in a god. How you can consider this an ideology beggars belief? Are you unable to comprehend simple English? Is English a second language for you? Wikipedia: "An ideology is a set of ideas that discusses one's goals, expectations, and actions..." Now atheists have as much right to have a "set of ideas" about goals, actions, expectations, etc. as any other free human being. But "I don't believe in the existence of a god" tells us NOTHING about what those ideas, goals, expectations, and actions are. NOTHING. It tells us NOTHING about what she DOES believe in. Now you gotta be AWFULLY dumb not to comprehend this...