An atheist at Christmas Christmas is inevitably a rather problematic time for atheists. Does one sour the mood, somewhere between the turkey and the pudding, and overtly declare the entire festivity is built on the naivety and, if one's feeling particularly spiky, the blatant stupidity of one's ancestors? Or does one simply fill up the stocking, sing Away In A Manger and go with the occasion in a spirit of politeness? In this area, I wasn't reared for compromise. Christmas was a particular testbed of loyalties. Then, in my mid-20s, I underwent a crisis of faithlessness. It should be possible to remain a committed atheist and nevertheless find occasions such as Christmas useful, interesting and consoling – and be curious as to the possibilities of importing certain religious ideas into the secular realm. For an atheist to make friends with Christmas is likely to annoy partisans on both sides of the debate. I don't mind in the least. The rituals of Christmas reflect a deep understanding of our loneliness.
The 25 Most Influential Living Atheists Go back a few hundred years, and atheism was very much a minority position. Those who were atheists would have been ostracized by society and possibly even killed (as in burned at the stake, depending on how far back you go). Fast forward to the present, and atheism is far less objectionable, and in some circles even the dominant view. In the new millennium, prominent atheists abound. One website, www.celebatheists.com, is even dedicated to listing celebrity atheists. Celebrity atheists are wide-ranging and include people like Mark Zuckerberg, Lance Armstrong, and Jodie Foster. To make it on SuperScholar’s list of influential living atheists, an atheist can’t merely disbelieve in God but also must actively encourage others to disbelieve in God. Thus, to make it on our list, an atheist needs not only to be actively promoting atheism but also to do so as scholars in scholarly forums – this is, after all, SuperScholar! 1. Weighing in at the top spot is, of course, Richard Dawkins. 2. 3.
Difference Between Islam and Buddhism | Difference Between | Islam vs Buddhism Islam vs Buddhism When it comes to some of the major religions in the world, a lot of people are skeptical, or even fearful of something that they do not know a lot about. Here, we will try to do away with some of the most common misconceptions regarding the two most common religions in the world: Islam and Buddhism. First, let’s take a look at what Islam, as a religion, is all about. It’s based on the religious book Qur’an, and the literal meaning of the name is ‘submission to God’. Based on the teachings of Islam as a religion, there are five duties which Muslims must practice within the community ‘“ and this is what Islamic Law revolves around. What about Buddhism? Next, let’s take a look at the distinct differences between the two religions. Buddhism does not focus too much on good and evil ‘“ while Islam considers Allah to be the creator of the universe, as well as being the source of all that is good and evil. Summary: 1. 2. 3. : If you like this article or our site.
Why Atheists Are More Intelligent Than the Religious It is natural to believe in God, so more intelligent individuals are more likely to be atheists. Religion is a cultural universal, and its practice is observed in every known human society. However, as I explain in earlier posts (Why do we believe in God? Part I , Part II ), recent evolutionary psychological theories suggest that religiosity may not be an adaptation in itself but may be a byproduct of other evolved psychological mechanisms variously called the “animistic bias” or the “agency-detector mechanisms.” These theories contend that the human brain has been selected to agency – personal, animate, and intentional forces – behind otherwise natural phenomena whose exact causes cannot be known. This is because agency – and making a Type I error of false positive – makes you a bit paranoid, but being paranoid is often conducive to survival. If these theories are correct, then it means that religiosity – belief in higher powers – may have an evolutionary origin.
World religions Menu Sponsored link. Symbols of some of the largest religions in the world: The symbols of fourteen religions are shown. Clockwise from the North Pole, they are: Baha'i, Buddhism, Christianity, Confucianism, Hinduism, Islam, Jainism, Judaism, Shinto, Sikhism, Taoism, Wicca and some other Neopagan religions, Zoroastrianism, and Druidism. This graphic was donated to us along with the copyright. A menu with links to non-theistic beliefs, ethical groups,philosophies, spiritual paths, etc is located elsewhere on this site. Approximate religious membership as a percentage of the world population: Introductory thoughts: Disclaimer: Information for these essays was extracted from reliable sources, and believed to be accurate and reasonably unbiased. If you find any errors here, please report them so that we can list them on our errata page and correct our essays. World religions: There are many, long established, major world religions, each with over three million followers. Neopagan religious faiths:
Morgan Freeman - Celebrity Atheist List From Celebrity Atheist List Morgan Freeman (born June 1, 1937) is an American actor, film director, aviator and narrator. He is noted for his reserved demeanor and authoritative speaking voice. Freeman has appeared in many other box office hits, including Unforgiven, Glory, Seven, Deep Impact, The Sum of All Fears, Bruce Almighty, Batman Begins, March of the Penguins, The Bucket List, Evan Almighty, Wanted, The Dark Knight, and RED.[1] During an interview on CNN on June 2, 2010, this exchange occurred: Kiran Chetry: And you’ve said before, Morgan, that you’re a ‘man of god.’ Morgan Freeman on CNN is not a man of God Freeman as God in Bruce Almighty Freeman's atheism is highly ironic, given that he played God in two movies: Bruce Almighty and Evan Almighty. Check out these most popular pages on Celeb Atheists (in order of popularity)
The major world religions The information provided below is intended to provide a short introduction to the major world religions as defined classically. Each description has been kept very short so that it is easy to read straight through all of them and get a general impression of the diversity of spiritual paths humanity takes to live the kind of life God wants. As a result, a great many things have been omitted. No omissions are intentional and readers are encouraged to consult other resources on the web as well as books for more in-depth information. For an excellent introduction to Hinduism, Buddhism, Islam, Confucianism, Christianity, and Judaism, Huston Smith's "The World's Religions" is highly recommended. The origins of Hinduism can be traced to the Indus Valley civilization sometime between 4000 and 2500 BCE. Hindus follow a strict caste system which determines the standing of each person. If you are looking for information on "OM" you can find it here. More Resources on Hinduism More Resources on Shinto
History of the Ancient Aryans Iran is the ancient name of Persia, and it is derived from the root "Arya" or Aryan, the Indo-European branch of peoples who settled in that land. The Aryans of ancient Iran were Mazdayasni Zarathushtris, ie. Worshippers of Ahura Mazda (the name of God in Avestan) as revealed by the ancient prophet Zarathushtra, thousands of years before Christ. However, all the ancient Zoroastrian scriptures speak of an earlier homeland from where our people came, the lost "Airyane Vaejahi" or seedland of the Aryans. Sanskrit, Latin, Avestan are all sister languages, and the present day upper Indian, Persian and European languages are related eg. The "Vendidad" is one of the ancient scriptures of the Zoroastrians, actually called the "Vi-daevo-dat" or the law to fight against evil. Mr. The Aryans migrated from the ancient home to Iran and from there to India and Greece and Europe. The ancient Aryans believed that the world as created by Ahura Mazda was perfect, with no evil. So, what about the time?
Welcome to the Possibilium Godchecker.com - Your Guide To The Gods Cult Help and Information How religion has evolved. Not perfectly accurate, but definitely interesting.