Tag: atheists

Daníelsbók 2. kafli

Nebúkadnesar hefur ekki mikla þolinmæði gagnvart loddurum, hvort sem þeir eru særinga-, galdra- eða spásagnafólk. Fyrst þeir hafa svona góða tengingu við hið yfirnáttúrulega eiga þeir ekki aðeins að ráða drauma, heldur ættu að geta sagt frá því hver draumurinn var upphaflega. Aðeins þannig getur Nebúkadnesar dæmt um raunverulega tengingu miðlanna.  Continue reading Daníelsbók 2. kafli

2. Mósebók 7. kafli

Faraó er Guð, svo krafan um að Ísraelsþjóðin eigi fyrst og fremst að lúta YHWH og fylgja fulltrúa YHWH, Móse verður augljóslega hafnað. Ef til vill má horfa á þetta líkt og Spielberg gerði, sem baráttu tveggja manna sem ólust upp í konungshöllinni og báðir gera kröfu um guðlega stöðu.  Continue reading 2. Mósebók 7. kafli

Vandamál skírnarskilningsins

Helgi Hóseason eyddi síðari hluta ævi sinnar í að fá skírn sína afnumda. Afskírnarhugtakið hefur á síðustu árum fundið sér farveg bæði í Bretlandi og Frakklandi og viðbrögð kirkjunnar hafa virst hálf fálmkennd og ómarkviss, enda snertir krafan um afskírn við grundvallarþáttum í Guðsmynd þeirra sem aðhyllast barnaskírn. Continue reading Vandamál skírnarskilningsins

Rising Restrictions on Religion

“Rising Restrictions on Religion,” a recent report by the Pew Research Center’s Forum on Religion & Public Life, finds that restrictions on religious beliefs and practices rose between mid-2006 and mid-2009 in 23 of the world’s 198 countries 12%, decreased in 12 countries 6% and remained essentially unchanged in 163 countries 82%.

via Rising Restrictions on Religion – The Pew Charitable Trusts. (via Arni Svanur)

Evolving God

On my way to Iceland I decided to listen to Krista Tippet’s interview with Robert Wright about his understanding of god, based on his reading, mostly of the Hebrew Scripture. Robert Wright is a self acclaimed agnostic, and his thoughts are exciting for me as a religious person. They are honest, kind of scientific, and respectful in their way of addressing religious systems from the outside.

His book The Evolution of God (Back Bay Readers’ Pick) sounds interesting.

Skrif Vantrúarmanna

Vangaveltum mínum um greinaskrif á Vantrúarvefnum í þessari viku var svarað vel og greinilega af góðum mönnum. Jafnframt fékk ég yfirlit yfir greinaskrif á Vantrúarvefnum frá upphafi ef ég hefði áhuga að skoða þetta nánar. Þessi gögn eru að sjálfsögðu náma áhugaverðs efnis en þar sem ég er ekki talnafræðingur þá veit ég ekki hvort ég mun hella mér í það á næstunni að greina upplýsingarnar frekar en ég geri hér á eftir. Continue reading Skrif Vantrúarmanna

Örlítið fleiri orð um Vantrúarhópinn

Í færslu fyrir nokkrum dögum skrifaði ég m.a. annars “og það er ljóst að við sjáum færri greinar á síðunni” og var þar að vísa til Vantru.is. Færslan fékk nokkra umfjöllun m.a. á Vantrúarvefnum sjálfum og virtust flestir á því að umfjöllunin væri tiltölulega sanngjörn nema ef væri fyrir of mikla áherslu mína á hefðir. Continue reading Örlítið fleiri orð um Vantrúarhópinn

Þróun Vantrúarhópsins

… frekar vil ég búa í samfélagi með umburðarlyndum trúmönnum (já þeir eru til) heldur en fordómafullum trúleysingjum. #

Ég hef fylgst með trúmálaumræðu á vefnum í ríflega 11 ár. Á þeim tíma hef ég meðal annars fylgst með þróun vantrúarumræðunnar sem leiddi meðal annars til vantrúarvefsins og stofnunar félagsskapar að mestu í kringum hann. Nýlega skrifaði ég minnismiða þar sem ég velti fyrir mér þróun hópsins m.a. í ljósi umræðna sem urðu á vefnum í tengslum við hið árlega páskabingó. Continue reading Þróun Vantrúarhópsins

For Those Speaking (and listening) on behalf of God

A prose from The Grand Inquisitor by Fyodor Dostoyevsky which the enlightened atheist Ivan shares with his younger brother and monk Alyosha.

He came softly, unobserved, and yet, strange to say, everyone recognised Him. That might be one of the best passages in the poem. I mean, why they recognised Him. The people are irresistibly drawn to Him, they surround Him, they flock about Him, follow Him. He moves silently in their midst with a gentle smile of infinite compassion. Continue reading For Those Speaking (and listening) on behalf of God

Death of British Christianity

Britain is now the most irreligious country on earth. This island has shed superstition faster and more completely than anywhere else. Some 63 percent of us are non-believers, according to an ICM study, while 82 percent say religion is a cause of harmful division.

through orvitinn.com from The slow, whiny death of British Christianity : Johann Hari.

Why I Hang in There

I hang in there for several reasons. First, if I want to be affiliated with any group of human beings, sooner or later I will be associated with bigotry, intolerance, violence, stupidity, and pride. In fact, even if I stand alone, distancing myself from every other group, I know that within me there are the seeds of all these things. So there’s no escaping the human condition.

Second, if I were to leave to join some new religion that claims to have – at last! – perfected the way of being pristine and genuine through and through, we all know where that’s going to lead. There’s one thing worse than a failed old religion: a naïve and arrogant new one. In that light, maybe only religions that have acknowledged and learned from their failures have much to offer.

From My Take: Why I support Anne Rice but am still a Christian – Religion – CNN.com Blogs.

Why Anne Rice Has Never Been More of a Christian

Whatever backlash Anne Rice might eventually receive from her Christian readers, or from the Evangelical establishment itself, the undeniable fact is that the decision of this sensitive, passionate, and devout woman to leave Christianity is one that Christ himself would likely understand, even applaud, even as He would likely weep at the holocaust of hatred, bigotry, and collateral carnage that has devolved from the grimy, shopworn religion to which His glorious name has been affixed.

via Michael Rowe: Why Anne Rice Has Never Been More of a Christian.

Explaining the Belief in God

Jared B. Kenworthy’s research is interesting for various reasons. What caught my attention was the following:

Believers perceived their own position as being more rational than both the in-group and the out-group. Nonbelievers, by contrast, attributed equivalent amounts of rationality to themselves and to the in-group, both of which exceeded that attributed to the believing out-group.

In his research Mr. Kenworthy uses rational reasons and emotionality as opposites to explain why people come to conclusion, where “internal, rational process is seen as positive, and an emotional or external origin for an attitude is seen as negative.”

One could slightly overstate this research claiming that for believers, their faith is rational, but the faith of others is not.

See Explaining the Belief in God for Self, In-Group, and Out-Group Targets.

Statistics on Religion in America Report

An extensive new survey by the Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life details statistics on religion in America and explores the shifts taking place in the U.S. religious landscape. Based on interviews with more than 35,000 Americans age 18 and older, the U.S. Religious Landscape Survey finds that religious affiliation in the U.S. is both very diverse and extremely fluid.

via Statistics on Religion in America Report — Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life.