Fundamentalists = false apostles

[granpa]

In Theory theism is just about being a good person. And in theory atheism is just about empiricism.

But between the theory and the actual practice there is a rather sizable Gap.

I can no longer turn a blind eye to this Gap. That is why I can no longer consider myself a theist.

Nor can I consider myself an atheist either for exactly the same reason.

 

Balaam and the Nicolaitans (false apostles) pretended to be supporting the church but in reality were just there to subvert it.

Today we call these people fundamentalists.

Fundamentalism: a movement characterized by a strictly literal (empirical) interpretation of religious texts

By that definition many atheists are fundamentalists too

 

Revelation 2

To the angel of the church in Pergamum write the following:

...But I have a few things against you: You have some people there who follow the teaching of Balaam, who instructed Balak to put a stumbling block before the people of Israel so they would eat food sacrificed to idols and commit sexual immorality. In the same way, there are also some among you who follow the teaching of the Nicolaitans.

 

Jesus answering them began to say, Take heed lest any man deceive you:

For many shall come in my name, saying, I (Jesus) am Christ; and shall deceive many.

 

To the angel of the church in Ephesus, write the following:

I know your works as well as your labor and steadfast endurance, and that you cannot tolerate evil. You have even put to the test those who refer to themselves as apostles (but are not), and have discovered that they are false.

 

https://www.lifesitenews.com/news/pope-francis-attacks-fundamentalist-catholics-dismisses-condom-ban-as-unimp

"Fundamentalism is a sickness that is in all religions," Francis said, as reported by the National Catholic Reporters Vatican correspondent, Joshua McElwee, and similarly by other journalists on the plane. "We Catholics have some -- and not some, many -- who believe in the absolute truth and go ahead dirtying the other with calumny, with disinformation, and doing evil."

"They do evil," said the pope. "I say this because it is my church."

"We have to combat it," he said. "Religious fundamentalism is not religious, because it lacks God. It is idolatry, like the idolatry of money."

 

Fundamentalism is an example of all-or-nothing thinking.

"Beware," Jesus warned them. "Watch out for the Leaven (all-or-nothing thinking) of the Pharisees (Theists) and that of Herod (Atheists)".

A little leaven leavens the whole lump.

 

All-or-nothing thinking (e.g., heaven and hell) is like a computer virus. Once you are infected it affects your whole mind.

one way they infect you is by making you angry

 

Taking the bad with the good is sometimes a good idea but not if it means eating food that you know has been poisoned

 

So if I am no longer a theist nor an atheist then what is left? In theory all that's left is Buddhism and the middle path. But unfortunately even this has been corrupted by fundamentalists

 

Religion: The only winning move is not to play

 

 

 

Fundamentalism: a movement characterized by literal interpretation of religious texts

By that definition many atheists are fundamentalists too

 

Atheists arent stupid.

Indeed, like the serpent, they are more crafty than any beast of the field.

They know that people are going to do the opposite of whatever they tell them they want them to do.

That is the real reason why fundamentalist atheists relentlessly attack and ridicule fundamentalism.

Why else would they be so obnoxious about it?

The truth is they don't care whether you become a Fundamentalist atheist or a fundamentalist theist.

Just as long as you become a Fundamentalist like them.

Edited July 25, 2016 by granpa

[Strange]

In Theory theism is just about being a good person. And in theory atheism is just about empiricism.

 

Theism is just having a belief in a god or gods. That doesn't say anything about being good. Your god might tell you to be evil.

 

And atheism is a about not having a belief in gods. Nothing to do with empiricism.

 

I assume the rest of your post has as little basis in reality.

[ydoaPs]

In Theory theism is just about being a good person. And in theory atheism is just about empiricism.

Your post started with two objectively false statements; why ought we continue reading?

[Endy0816]

Most religions are just a mish mash.

 

I think the more militant atheists out there hope to force others to think critically about their own beliefs.

Edited July 25, 2016 by Endy0816

[John Cuthber]

Interesting. The OP says "Fundamentalism: a movement characterized by a strictly literal (empirical) interpretation of religious texts"

"And in theory atheism is just about empiricism."

Well, My empirical interpretation of religious texts is that they are words in old books, and often wrong.

Does that make me a religious fundamentalist ?

(NB, just to forestall a pointless debate: atheism is not a religion, don't even go there.)

[Strange]

Fundamentalism: a movement characterized by a strictly literal (empirical) interpretation of religious texts

By that definition many atheists are fundamentalists too

 

That makes no sense (which is about par for the course).

 

Why on Earth would atheists take religious texts to be literally true? If they did that, then they would accept the truth of god, etc. and not be atheists. I would assume a great many atheists don't give a toss about what is in religious texts. Some will assume they are metaphorical or mythological. And some will claim they are all lies.

 

But perhaps you are using "literal" in a non-standard way.

 

 

Atheists arent stupid.

 

Some are. Some are extremely stupid.