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Sunny Jackson

Beliefs & Choices: Are Beliefs Like Actions? Why Arriving at a Belief is Not Like Engag... - 0 views

atheism.about.com/...BeliefChoice_2.htm

shared by Sunny Jackson on 26 Jun 13 - No Cached
  • You don't "choose" to believe this, it simply because your belief due to the force of the facts in front of you.
  • The act of concluding something isn't a choice of a belief
  • your conclusion is a logical result of what you know. After that, you make no extra, identifiable steps to "choose" to believe
  • ...6 more annotations...
  • we are indirectly responsible for the beliefs we do and do not hold because we are directly responsible for the actions we take which do or do not lead to beliefs.
  • It would be wrong to hold us responsible for not trying hard enough to "choose" to believe, but it may be appropriate to hold us responsible for not trying hard enough to learn enough to arrive at reasonable beliefs.
  • One can be praised for acquiring beliefs through having gone to the trouble of studying, researching, and making a genuine attempt to gather as much information as possible. By the same token, one can be blamed for acquiring beliefs through deliberately ignoring evidence, arguments, and ideas which might tend to create doubt about long-held assumptions.
  • there can be no rational argument that a just God would send a person to hell if they had investigated and simply failed to find sufficient reason to believe.
  • Sometimes, we may value a comforting lie over a harsh truth
  • while we may be willing to allow others to believe a lie for their peace of mind, it is rare to find anyone who does not doggedly believe that they must always believe things that are truthful.
Sunny Jackson

What can we conclude from all of this religious information? - 0 views

www.religioustolerance.org/conclude2.htm

shared by Sunny Jackson on 22 May 13 - No Cached
  • Our DNA, mixed with the DNA of another, lives on through any children that we have
  • The influence of our DNA continues to be diluted with each generation. But it is spread through an increasing number of our descendents.
  • Every action that we have taken throughout our life influences other people and the world in some way. Even after we are gone, our actions continue to change the universe. The ripples formed during our lifetime, for good or evil, continue to spread.
  • ...17 more annotations...
  • when people normally think about life after death, they think of some continued form of consciousness -- one in which at least our memories and personalities remain intact
  • The Celts and some other aboriginal societies taught that when we die, we are born into an alternative universe that is much like the earth. When someone dies in that other universe, a baby is born on earth. There is an elegant symmetry to this concept.
  • Eastern and some Neopagan religions teach some form of transmigration of the soul or of reincarnation, in which humans eventually pass through a whole succession of lifetimes.
  • nobody really knows what happens
  • It is up to the individual to give their own life meaning. 
  • When we treat others a sub-humans, dreadful things can and do happen
  • There are a lot of theories about life after death, but we are a little short on hard evidence. It seems as if nobody is really certain. We have two choices: To somehow learn to live with this uncertainty. To follow a religious belief, even though we have no proof.
  • One cannot simply decide to believe in something or someone as an act of will
  • There are many religions with multiple concepts of God
  • Going with the majority might avoid being the victim of religious prejudice
  • consider keeping a very low profile
  • if you choose the dominant religion of your family of origin, you might minimize conflict in your life
  • It is not necessary to fully adopt a single religion.
  • most religions can inspire their members to lead better lives
  • Most, perhaps all, have an evil, dark side
  • Many have discriminatory policies
  • if you adopt a specific religion, you might consider working from within to eliminate any bigoted policies that your chosen faith exhibits
Sunny Jackson

HOW DO HUMANISTS FIND MEANING, PURPOSE, VALUES, AND MORALS IN LIFE - 0 views

cybercomputing.com/...humanists-meaning.html

Humanism

shared by Sunny Jackson on 22 May 13 - No Cached
  • Humanism is a philosophy, worldview, or life stance based on naturalism--the conviction that the universe or nature is all that exists or is real
  • Humanism serves, for many humanists, some of the psychological and social functions of a religion, but without belief in deities, transcendental entities, miracles, life after death, and the supernatural
  • Humanists seek to understand the universe by using science and its methods of critical inquiry--logical reasoning, empirical evidence, and skeptical evaluation of conjectures and conclusions--to obtain reliable knowledge
  • ...4 more annotations...
  • Humanists affirm that humans have the freedom to give meaning, value, and purpose to their lives by their own independent thought, free inquiry, and responsible, creative activity
  • Humanists stand for the building of a more humane, just, compassionate, and democratic society using a realistic ethics based on human reason, experience, and reliable knowledge--an ethics that judges the consequences of human actions by the well-being of all life on Earth
  • umanists stand for the building of a more humane, just, compassionate, and democratic society using a realistic ethics based on human reason, experience, and reliable knowledge--an ethics that judges the consequences of human actions by the well-being of all life on Earth
  • it depends on how you define religion
Sunny Jackson

10 Questions Every Intelligent Atheist Must Answer « An Exercise in Futility - 0 views

emach.wordpress.com/...ntelligent-atheist-must-answer

Atheists

shared by Sunny Jackson on 22 May 13 - No Cached
  • Are you a moral relativist, or do you believe in absolute morality? 
  • do you believe that cultures, or even individuals, can define their own rules on what is moral and what is not, or do you believe that every action has one unique, absolute, and true moral assessment?
  • the morality as defined by the Old Testament is different than the morality defined by the New Testament
  • ...39 more annotations...
  • who or what determines which actions are moral and which are not? 
  • I do not trust any human being, no matter how smart they are, including myself, to prescribe to me what is moral and what is not
  • Always minimize both actual and potential suffering; always maximize both actual and potential happiness.
  • how and why morality can be universal
  • where it comes from
  • Is your trust in science based on faith or based on science?
  • observed and interpreted the evidence yourself and drew your own conclusions
  • Science has the ability to self correct.
  • Is absence of proof the proof of absence?
  • What does the atheist position offer people?  How has it improved your life?  Why will it improve others’ lives?
  • When you attempt to use logic to conclude facts about religion, are you starting at the conclusion (God is not real), or are you starting at true premises? 
  • If you are starting at true premises, then what are they?  And how are they true? 
  • If all Christians believed that the Bible was entirely allegorical, what would you argue in support of your position?
  • Why is it important to you that everyone is an atheist?
  • Do you believe in extra-terrestrials?
  • I don’t want to hear about how religious people are more “moral” when their god slaughters all the first born male children of egypt.
  • Where does language, art, music, and religion come from?
  • if a new piece of evidence arises
  • always check your sources
  • The human brain. All our mental capacity for reason and creativity come from it.
  • damage to the brain’s structure affects the mind
  • I don’t know, but I do know that it was not the invisible man in the sky, because the invisible man in the sky is not an explanation.
  • Your mind does NOT survive your death.
  • damaged brain, damaged mind
  • Destroyed brain, destroyed mind.
  • The b**** says VERY SPECIFIC things about your god, things that are impossible.
  • I can now see reality from a clear perspective
  • there is no original sin
  • as a society I do think we need less god and less religion
  • you argue that god is real because of X. I take a look at X and it does not conclusively prove that god is real, so I go on being an atheist.
  • all the “proofs” provided by theists have already been refuted
  • I was a religious person when I was younger and I believed it
  • After I read all the arguments against it, I could not believe it anymore.
  • I would still be an atheist.
  • Other people’s beliefs do not affect my beliefs.
  • I can’t speak for every atheist.
  • Keep it to yourself and away from the government and small children.
  • the distances between planets are ENORMOUS
  • YOUR god is supposed to be EVERYWHERE
Sunny Jackson

Why blame God for Godlessness? by *Verixas92 on deviantART - 0 views

verixas92.deviantart.com/...-God-for-Godlessness-345371926

Reason(s) and Belief Dislike

shared by Sunny Jackson on 01 Jun 13 - No Cached
  • why try to blame God when evil occurs?
  • If God didn't help because people "reject" him, then how come terrible things happen to people who don't?
  • I didn't know that God was so petty.
  • ...20 more annotations...
  • if I'm to believe that God has a plan for all of us, as I've been told several times in the past, especially in times of strife, then technically it's still God. [If God exists]
  • Instead of punishing, a loving god might have chosen to... reveal himself a little more?
  • Or maybe he might have made it so that evil didn't exist in the first place?
  • If God was all-loving, all-knowing, and all-powerful, surely he could have found a way to prevent that tragedy, if only to avoid the suffering
  • if such an 'imperfect' being as a human can think of some way to avoid those things from happening, surely God would be able to find a much better way.
  • Instead, we're left with this petty creature that supposedly cares so much about us that he's willing to let slide the brutal murders of dozens of children, just to teach us a lesson about faith.
  • Science adjusts its views based on what's observed. Faith is the denial of observation so that belief can be preserved
  • It kinda makes God sound like a petulant child.
  • I'm fine with God not helping, considering he's sort of... not there. Or at the very least, malevolent enough to stand by even while people feverishly pray and go unanswered, who lets horrible things happen and does nothing. If he's really so petty to abandon suffering people because people won't worship him, then I would rather not have him here.
  • We aren't trying to stomp out Christianity, we're asking for evidence. Until we get that, there is no reason to believe in your claim.
  • widespread delusion is pretty hard to get going with people already past the age of reason
  • So we have an omnipotent, omniscient and omnibenevolent god willing to kill people to get them to listen, but he can't just reveal himself to prove his own existence? What does that say about him?
  • faith [belief without evidence, not without seeing] is not a virtue
  • Trust and other such things can be considered such things; piety is trust in something that may or may not exist.
  • There is an enormous difference between a video game and real life: you can leave a video game. You can choose not to play a video game.
  • Does God go against our free will by forcing us into a world like this?
  • Morality doesn't originate from any one religion, no more than it comes from a belief in benevolent fairies.
  • I have yet to hear an moral action or deed that a believer can commit that cannot be matched or even surpassed by a non-believer.
  • There isn't much of a difference between starving someone to death and letting someone starve to death. Either way, you must take responsibility for your action, and you end up with the same result.
  • If God has power over the death of people, he is accountable for that-no all-loving deity would allow them to die.
Sunny Jackson

Bundlr - Humanism 101 - 0 views

bundlr.com/...humanism

shared by Sunny Jackson on 24 Jun 13 - No Cached
  • reliance on reason, evidence, and free inquiry
  • considers the welfare of humankind - rather than the welfare of a supposed God or gods - to be of paramount importance
  • affirms our ability and responsibility to lead meaningful, ethical lives
  • ...80 more annotations...
  • people can find purpose in life and maximize their long-term happiness by developing their talents and using those talents for the service of humanity
  • human beings have the right and responsibility to give meaning and shape to their own lives
  • a democratic and ethical lifestance
  • value knowledge based on reason and hard evidence
  • this is the only life
  • adding to the greater good of humanity
  • using human efforts to meet human needs
  • recognizes human beings as a part of nature
  • supporters of the principle of separation of church and state
  • humanity must take responsibility for its own destiny
  • individual freedom
  • represents a consensus of what all or almost all Humanists believe
  • universal human dignity
  • we owe it to ourselves and others to make it the best life possible for ourselves and all
  • values-be they religious, ethical, social, or political-have their source in human experience and culture
  • an uncreated universe that obeys natural laws
  • service to others is a major focus of Humanism
  • stands for the building of a more humane society
  • people's fulfillment by personal effort
  • knowledge can be obtained through rational thought and experimentation
  • advocates the extension of participatory democracy
  • Humanists believe in and value love, equality, peace, freedom and reason
  • derives the goals of life from human need
  • accept democracy
  • the preciousness and dignity of the individual person is a central humanist value
  • an approach to life based on reason and our common humanity, recognizing that moral values are properly founded on human nature and experience
  • a philosophy, world view, or lifestance
  • a rational philosophy informed by science, inspired by art, and motivated by compassion
  • Humanist values are mainstream American values
  • when people are free to think for themselves, using reason and knowledge as their tools, they are best able to solve this world's problems
  • the open society, standing for human rights and social justice
  • Humanists take responsibility for their own lives and relish the adventure of being part of new discoveries, seeking new knowledge, exploring new options
  • a philosophy
  • Since most believe that an afterlife is non-existent, they regard life here on earth to be particularly precious
  • ethics based on human and other natural values in a spirit of reason and free inquiry through human capabilities
  • nature is all that exists or is real
  • Affirming the dignity of each human being
  • many people realize that they are already humanists and just did not know
  • Humanists stand for the building of a more humane, just, compassionate, and democratic society using a pragmatic ethics based on human reason, experience, and reliable knowledge-an ethics that judges the consequences of human actions by the well-being of all life on Earth.
  • Although religious texts can teach good lessons, they also advocate fear, intolerance, hate and ignorance.
  • highly motivated to alleviating pain and misery around the world
  • Secular Humanism a non-religiously based philosophy
  • supports the maximization of individual liberty and opportunity consonant with social and planetary responsibility
  • Humanists view this natural world as wondrous and precious, and as offering limitless opportunities for exploration, fascination, creativity, companionship, and joy
  • All quotes from religious texts were checked by scripture scholars to ensure accuracy, context and proper translation. 
  • value freedom of inquiry, expression and action
  • have a history of combating bigotry, hatred, discrimination, intolerance and censorship
  • truth could be discovered by human effort
  • humans have the freedom to give meaning, value, and purpose to their lives by their own independent thought, free inquiry, and responsible, creative activity
  • moral values derive their source from human experience
  • humanists enjoy the open-endedness of a quest and the freedom of discovery
  • Humanism considers the universe to be the result of an extremely long and complex evolution under immutable laws of nature
  • Humanists seek to understand the universe by using science and its methods of critical inquiry-logical reasoning, empirical evidence, and skeptical evaluation of conjectures and conclusions-to obtain reliable knowledge
  • The rights of men and women should be equal and sacred
  • a philosophy centered upon the needs and interests of people
  • marriage should be a perfect partnership
  • love coupled with empathy, democracy, and a commitment to selfless service
  • secular humanist values are consistent with mainstream America
  • fundamentalist religion has no right to claim the moral high ground
  • Humanism is the idea that you can be good without a belief in God.
  • the lack of any evidence for an afterlife means this life should be lived as though it's the only one we have
  • When people view the Bible as the word of a just and omniscient God, and attempt to have society's laws and social practices reflect biblical teachings, serious error and harm will occur if the Bible was actually written by fallible humans who lived in an unenlightened era.
  • When the subjects involve governmental issues, all of society can be affected
  • In most communities, an opposing view is rarely, if ever, heard
  • It would instead perpetuate the ideas of an ignorant and superstitious past - and prevent humanity from rising to a higher level.
  • written solely by humans
  • it contains numerous contradictions
  • The Bible is an unreliable authority
  • The massive and incessant promotion of the Bible significantly influences the beliefs of millions
  • Humanists also reject the Bible because it approves of outrageous cruelty and injustice.
  • because so many people have been told the Bible is the "Good Book," biblical teachings shape the attitudes of millions
  • Humanity’s condition could be greatly improved if those resources were used for solving the world's problems instead of worshiping a nonexistent God.
  • Logically, if two statements are contradictory, at least one of them is false.
  • the suffering of the innocent is the essence of injustice
  • the book has many false statements and is not infallible
  • the Bible teaches that God repeatedly violated this moral precept by harming innocent people
  • Instances of cruel and unjust behavior by the biblical God are seen in the most basic Christian doctrines.
  • hundreds of contradictions mean there are at least hundreds of incorrect statements in the Bible
  • because the writers of the Bible lived in an unenlightened era, the book contains many errors and harmful teachings
  • Each contradiction is an instance where at least one of the verses is wrong.
Sunny Jackson

Stephen Hawking - Wikiquote - 0 views

en.wikiquote.org/...Stephen_Hawking

Wiki Quote Book

shared by Sunny Jackson on 03 Jul 13 - Cached
  • Reality is not a quality you can test with litmus paper.
  • I can't believe the whole universe exists for our benefit. That would be like saying that you would disappear if I closed my eyes.
  • I don't think the human race will survive the next thousand years, unless we spread into space. There are too many accidents that can befall life on a single planet. But I'm an optimist. We will reach out to the stars.
  • ...15 more annotations...
  • Life would be tragic if it weren't funny.
  • My expectations were reduced to zero when I was 21. Everything since then has been a bonus.
  • However bad life may seem, there is always something you can do, and succeed at. While there's life, there is hope.
  • It is not enough for me to wear dark sunglasses and a wig. The wheelchair gives me away.
  • The whole history of science has been the gradual realization that events do not happen in an arbitrary manner, but that they reflect a certain underlying order
  • Each time new experiments are observed to agree with the predictions the theory survives, and our confidence in it is increased; but if ever a new observation is found to disagree, we have to abandon or modify the theory
  • Bodies like the earth are not made to move on curved orbits by a force called gravity; instead, they follow the nearest thing to a straight path in a curved space
  • The ultimate objective test of free will would seem to be: Can one predict the behavior of the organism? If one can, then it clearly doesn't have free will but is predetermined. On the other hand, if one cannot predict the behavior, one could take that as an operational definition that the organism has free will
  • If we do discover a complete theory, it should in time be understandable in broad principle by everyone, not just a few scientists. Then we shall all, philosophers, scientists, and just ordinary people, be able to take part in the discussion of the question of why it is that we and the universe exist.
  • I have noticed that even people who claim everything is predetermined and that we can do nothing to change it look before they cross the road.
  • One cannot base one's conduct on the idea that everything is determined, because one does not know what has been determined. Instead, one has to adopt the effective theory that one has free will and that one is responsible for one's actions.
  • A society in which the individual feels responsible for his or her actions is more likely to work together and survive
  • If we do discover a complete theory, it should in time be understandable in broad principle by everyone, not just a few scientists. Then we shall all, philosophers, scientists, and just ordinary people, be able to take part in the discussion of the question of why it is that we and the universe exist. If we find the answer to that, it would be the ultimate triumph of human reason
  • a good scientific theory: it made definite predictions, which could be tested by observation, and possibly falsified.
  • We only have to look at ourselves to see how intelligent life might develop into something we wouldn't want to meet.
Sunny Jackson

Belief & Choice: Do People Choose to be Atheists? - 0 views

atheism.about.com/...beliefchoice.htm

shared by Sunny Jackson on 26 Jun 13 - Cached
  • we cannot really choose to just believe anything
  • a belief is not an action and thus cannot be attained by command
  • we are indirectly responsible for the beliefs we do and do not hold because we are directly responsible for the actions we take
  • ...4 more annotations...
  • One can be praised for acquiring beliefs through having gone to the trouble of studying, researching, and making a genuine attempt to gather as much information as possible.
  • one can be blamed for acquiring beliefs through deliberately ignoring evidence, arguments, and ideas which might tend to create doubt about long-held assumptions.
  • atheism is the only possible position I can have given my present state of knowledge
  • I can no more “choose” to just believe in the existence of a god than I can “choose” to just believe that the computer on my desk doesn’t exist.
Sunny Jackson

Introduction to Humanism - 0 views

www.religioustolerance.org/humanism1.htm

Humanism

shared by Sunny Jackson on 22 May 13 - No Cached
  • knowledge can be obtained through rational thought and experimentation
  • developed into the scientific method and is the major underpinning of all sciences today
  • a philosophy centered upon the needs and interests of people
  • ...57 more annotations...
  • truth could be discovered by human effort
  • rationalism
  • free thought
  • rational philosophy
  • Many regard Socrates as the first and greatest of the Humanists
  • value knowledge based on reason and hard evidence rather than on faith
  • the preciousness and dignity of the individual person is a central humanist value
  • universe that obeys natural laws
  • rejection of divinely inspired ethical and moral codes in favor of codes derived by reason from the human condition
  • full responsibility for the future of the world, its political systems, its ecology, etc. rests with humans. There is no God in heaven to intervene and save us
  • religious groups' "promises of immortal salvation or fear of eternal damnation are both illusory and harmful."
  • reject both theocracy and secular dictatorships as political systems that are dangerous to individual freedoms
  • accept democracy
  • value freedom of inquiry, expression and action
  • combating bigotry, hatred, discrimination, intolerance and censorship
  • supporters of the principle of separation of church and state
  • moral values derive their source from human experience
  • regard life here on earth to be particularly precious
  • highly motivated to alleviating pain and misery around the world
  • human rights
  • it represents a consensus of what Humanists do believe
  • Knowledge of the world is derived by observation, experimentation, and rational analysis
  • Humans are an integral part of nature, the result of unguided evolutionary change
  • Ethical values are derived from human need and interest as tested by experience
  • Life’s fulfillment emerges from individual participation in the service of humane ideals
  • Humans are social by nature and find meaning in relationships
  • Working to benefit society maximizes individual happiness
  • Isaac Asimov
  • scientist and author
  • literary freedom activist
  • Margaret Atwood
  • Brock Chisholm
  • conceiver of the Theory of Relativity
  • Albert Einstein
  • Betty Friedan
  • feminist activist
  • R. Buckminster Fuller
  • futurist and inventor
  • United Nations Educational, Social and Cultural Organization
  • Julian Huxley
  • Richard Leakey
  • Abraham Maslow
  • creator of Third Force Psychology
  • John Boyd Orr
  • human rights activist
  • A. Philip Randolf
  • creator of Client Centered Therapy
  • Carl Rogers
  • Bertrand Russell
  • developer of the polio vaccine
  • Jonas Salk
  • Margaret Sanger
  • Andrei Sakharov
  • Gloria Steinem
  • American Humanist Association
  • Humanism and its aspirations
  • Humanism and Its Aspirations
Sunny Jackson

A brief overview of homosexuality and bisexuality - 0 views

www.religioustolerance.org/hom_intro.htm

shared by Sunny Jackson on 22 May 13 - No Cached
  • "Because families are defined by love not gender. Because hatred is not a family value. Because equal rights are not special rights."
  • "Homosexuality is assuredly no advantage, but it is nothing to be ashamed of, no vice, no degradation, it cannot be classified as an illness." Sigmund Freud (1935)
  • "The fact is that more people have been slaughtered in the name of religion than for any other single reason. That, THAT my friends, is true perversion."   Harvey Milk
  • ...13 more annotations...
  • "Whatever religious people may say about their love of God or the mandates of their religion, when their behavior toward others is violent and destructive, when it causes suffering among their neighbors, you can be sure the religion has been corrupted and reform is desperately needed." Charles Kimball
  • "When religion sanctifies hatred, it lends to that hatred a special ferocity. Normal moral inhibitors are erased." Johannes Cardinal Wildebrands
  • "You can safely assume that you've created God in your own image, when it  turns out that God hates all the same people you do." Anne Lamott
  • homosexuality is morally neutral, is determined by some combination of genetics and environmental factors before school age, is a sexual orientation, is defined by ones sexual attraction to persons of the same sex, and is very rarely if ever changeable during adulthood
  • "It always seemed to me a bit pointless to disapprove of homosexuality. It's like disapproving of rain."  Francis Maude
  • Abigail Van Buren
  • the same equal rights and protections enjoyed by other groups
  • equal treatment and protections
  • others consider homosexual orientation to be a morally neutral trait, like left handedness. It is normal, natural, and unchosen
  • Homosexuality is measurable and thus is a legitimate area for human sexuality researchers to study. They have generally concluded that adult human sexuality comes in three natural, normal, unchosen, and almost always unchangeable orientations: Heterosexuality: Most people are sexually attracted only to members of the opposite gender. Homosexuality: A small minority of adults are attracted only to members of the same gender. Bisexuality: A smaller minority are attracted to both men and women, but not necessarily to the same degree.
  • justice, love and acceptance
  • If the individual decided to restrict his/her sexual relationship(s) with persons of the opposite sex, they would be considered an ex-gay by most conservatives and a bisexual by most liberals.
  • It is action of oppression and discrimination which harm people.
Sunny Jackson

Council for Secular Humanism - 0 views

www.secularhumanism.org/index.php

Cached ≡ Humanism

shared by Sunny Jackson on 22 May 13 - Cached
  • secular humanists don't believe in a God or an afterlife
  • the remarkable thing about the United States is precisely that it was created as a secular republic organized around the rights and freedoms of its citizens
  • secular humanism says the morality of actions should be judged by their consequences
  • ...57 more annotations...
  • There is no central authority
  • People come to secular humanism by following their own curiosity and reasoning
  • secular humanism is not so much a body of beliefs as a method for reaching understanding
  • It is an approach to life that tries to be positive, rational, realistic, and open-minded
  • we are not expressing a doctrine
  • doing our best to state the consensus shared
  • Secular humanists believe morality and meaning come from humanity and the natural world
  • It is our human values that give us rights, responsibilities, and dignity.
  • We believe that morality should aim to bring out the best in people, so that all people can have the best in life.
  • morality must be based on our knowledge of human nature and the real world
  • treat others with the same consideration as you would have them treat you
  • the common moral decencies - for example, people should not lie, steal, or kill; and they should be honest, generous, and cooperative - really are conducive to human welfare
  • Humanists realize that individuals alone cannot solve all our problems, but instead of turning to the supernatural, we believe that problems are solved by people working together, relying on understanding and creativity
  • humanists are committed to promoting human values, human understanding, and human development
  • Humanists also emphasize the importance of self-determination - the right of individuals to control their own lives, so long as they do not harm others
  • freedom of choice
  • people create their own meaning and purpose in life
  • The value and significance of life comes from how we live life, not from some supposed transcendent realm
  • The moral differences between secular humanism and religion do not justify the allegation that secular humanist have no morals. This claim is not an argument, just an insult.
  • Nonreligious, humanistic moral systems existed before Christianity
  • the Epicureans, Skeptics, and Stoics of classical Greece and Rome
  • the common moral decencies are found throughout the cultures of the world
  • The most important moral and political concepts of the modern era have developed out of humanistic thinking
  • You will search the Bible in vain for opposition to slavery or support for democracy and equality
  • neither the Supreme Court, nor this circuit, has ever held that evolutionism or secular humanism are `religions'
  • they refused to reverse a ruling that secular humanism is not a religion
  • Secular humanism is not a religion by any definition: There are no supernatural beliefs, no creeds that all humanists are required to accept, no sacred texts or required rituals. Humanists are not expected or required to have "faith" in what is said by any authority, living or dead, human or "supernatural."
  • humanists derive their meaning and values from the natural world. Secular humanism is a naturalistic, nonreligious worldview
  • humanists don't worship anything
  • Humanity's constant challenge is to understand itself and improve itself
  • We don't pretend that our ethics and values are divine: we recognize that they are human, and therefore part of nature
  • individual secular humanists differ
  • the human species has evolved by the same natural processes as every other species
  • some of our most treasured traits, such as language and the ability to understand and care for others, are on an evolutionary continuum with communicative and cooperative behaviors of other animals
  • humans have a moral responsibility towards the rest of the natural world
  • secular humanists cover a wide spectrum
  • One political view that secular humanists do share is unswerving support for democracy, freedom, and human rights
  • All secular humanists are utterly opposed to totalitarian systems
  • The United States Constitution and Bill of Rights contain no references to God or Christianity. Their only references to religion establish freedom of religion and separation of church and state
  • The motto on the Great Seal of the United States, unchanged since its adoption in 1782, is E Pluribus Unum ("From Many, One")
  • The Pledge of Allegiance did not contain an oath to God, until it was added in the 1950s
  • In 1797 the U.S. Senate unanimously passed the Treaty of Tripoli which stated that "the government of the United States is not in any sense founded on the Christian religion."
  • secular humanism encourages people to think for themselves and question authority
  • on the basis of shared philosophical principles and ideals
  • The myth that secular humanists are unAmerican is an insult to the patriotism and distinguished service of millions of people.
  • all beliefs are fallible and provisional, and that diversity and dialogue are essential to the process of learning and developing
  • we value tolerance, pluralism, and open-mindedness as positive and beneficial qualities in society
  • Humanists are staunch supporters of freedom of religion, belief, and conscience, as laid out in both the U.S. Constitution and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. These rights protect the freedom of religious belief equally with the freedom of nonreligious belief, the freedom of religion equally with the freedom from religion.
  • the neutrality of a secular society
  • Secular humanists believe that a healthy society supports a variety of worldviews
  • We also believe that religious and philosophical views should be every bit as open to debate and discussion as political beliefs.
  • All these claims make the same mistake: they confuse neutrality with hostility
  • neutrality toward different worldviews is the best protection from persecution
  • Separating church and state doesn't mean that the state promotes atheism and humanism, but that it provides equal protection to all beliefs
  • The amoral, power-hungry "secular humanist" conspiracy described by some religious conservatives is a myth
  • the vibrant movement that champions a moral approach to living based on reason and happiness is alive and growing
  • there are secular humanists. But no, there is no bogeyman.
Sunny Jackson

Amsterdam Declaration 2002 | International Humanist and Ethical Union - 0 views

www.iheu.org/adamdecl.htm

Humanism

shared by Sunny Jackson on 22 May 13 - Cached
  • the official defining statement of World Humanism
  • Humanism is ethical. It affirms the worth, dignity and autonomy of the individual and the right of every human being to the greatest possible freedom compatible with the rights of others.
  • Humanists have a duty of care to all of humanity including future generations.
  • ...10 more annotations...
  • Humanists believe that morality is an intrinsic part of human nature based on understanding and a concern for others, needing no external sanction.
  • Humanism is rational. It seeks to use science creatively, not destructively. Humanists believe that the solutions to the world's problems lie in human thought and action rather than divine intervention.
  • Humanism advocates the application of the methods of science and free inquiry to the problems of human welfare. But Humanists also believe that the application of science and technology must be tempered by human values.
  • Humanism supports democracy and human rights. Humanism aims at the fullest possible development of every human being. It holds that democracy and human development are matters of right. The principles of democracy and human rights can be applied to many human relationships and are not restricted to methods of government.
  • Humanism insists that personal liberty must be combined with social responsibility. Humanism ventures to build a world on the idea of the free person responsible to society, and recognises our dependence on and responsibility for the natural world.
  • Humanism is undogmatic, imposing no creed upon its adherents. It is thus committed to education free from indoctrination.
  • Humanism is a response to the widespread demand for an alternative to dogmatic religion. The world's major religions claim to be based on revelations fixed for all time, and many seek to impose their world-views on all of humanity.
  • Humanism recognises that reliable knowledge of the world and ourselves arises through a continuing process. of observation, evaluation and revision.
  • Humanism values artistic creativity and imagination and recognises the transforming power of art. Humanism affirms the importance of literature, music, and the visual and performing arts for personal development and fulfilment.
  • Humanism is a lifestance aiming at the maximum possible fulfilment through the cultivation of ethical and creative living and offers an ethical and rational means of addressing the challenges of our times. Humanism can be a way of life for everyone everywhere.
Sunny Jackson

Will the Great Corrupters Please Rise | The Humanist - 0 views

thehumanist.org/...e-great-corrupters-please-rise

Humanism

shared by Sunny Jackson on 22 May 13 - No Cached
  • In every human society people hold beliefs and perform actions. So they must come by these beliefs in some way, and they must have some way of deciding how to act.
  • Why should I do that?
  • What do you mean by that term?
  • ...7 more annotations...
  • Why should I believe this?
  • Where is your evidence?
  • What is your argument?
  • such questions are always in order.
  • The Socratic philosopher embodies the critical spirit, and that is one way he or she corrupts the youth: by teaching them to think for themselves.
  • By demanding that we justify our claims, it forces us to become self-conscious about our own framework of beliefs and values in the act of subjecting these to criticism.
  • these change over time
Sunny Jackson

Hopeful☀Heathens - 0 views

hopefulheathens.tumblr.com/3

Atheists

shared by Sunny Jackson on 22 May 13 - No Cached
  • I try to approach all people with equal amounts of respect.  But if I am approached with unjust rudeness, condescension, or disrespect, I will sometimes (if the situation calls for it) answer in the fashion I was addressed.
  • because people don’t get to be respectfully reasoned with if they’re going to insult me from the get-go
  • there’s a time to be nice and then there’s a time to be real
  • ...11 more annotations...
  • In terms of atheism, I will always show respect to people who are curious, even if their curiosity seems intrusive or easily solved by looking at Google.  I will always answer genuine questions in a genuine fashion.
  •  If someone addresses me or atheists in general in a derogatory way, however, they usually don’t deserve any graciousness on my part.
  • Because we already fight such a daunting stereotype
  • everyone is an individual person who is responsible for their actions and no one else’s
  •  One theist being rude to you does not say anything about theists
  • Conversely, a theist griping about how rotten atheists are is really saying something about himself: that he’s biased, unjust, and silly for generalizing.
  • remember that people will usually treat you the way you treated them
  • they were the ones setting the tone
  • people like this are not indicative of all
  • If you’re using their individual behavior as an excuse to dislike their entire group, you’re the one who is really adding to the stereotypes
  •  Blanket assumptions work both ways.
Sunny Jackson

Religion: What are some great anti-religion quotes? - Quora - 0 views

www.quora.com/...ome-great-anti-religion-quotes

Quora Questions Learning

shared by Sunny Jackson on 07 Jun 13 - No Cached
  • I contend that we are both atheists. I just believe in one fewer god than you do. When you understand why you dismiss all the other possible gods, you will understand why I dismiss yours.
  • Creationists make it sound like a ‘theory’ is something you dreamt up after being drunk all night
  • Faith means not wanting to know what is true.
  • ...30 more annotations...
  • The fact that a believer is happier than a skeptic is no more to the point than the fact that a drunken man is happier than a sober one.
  • Religion is regarded by the common people as true, by the wise as false, and by the rulers as useful.
  • The hands that help are better far than lips that pray.
  • Eskimo:"If I did not know about God and sin, would I go to hell?" Priest: "No, not if you did not know." Eskimo: "Then why did you tell me?"
  • Without religion, we'd have good people doing good things, and evil people doing evil things. But for good people to do evil things, that takes religion.
  • To sit alone with my conscience will be judgment enough for me.
  • Religions are all alike - founded upon fables and mythologies.
  • "I don't see any god up here" - Yuri Gagarin - first man in space, while in space.
  • I distrust those people who know so well what God wants them to do because I notice it always coincides with their own desires.
  • Since no one really knows anything about God, those who think they do are just troublemakers.
  • The invisible and the non-existent look very much alike.
  • Religion is excellent stuff for keeping common people quiet
  • Men never do evil so completely and cheerfullly as when they do it from a religious conviction
  • If we believe absurdities, we shall commit atrocities.
  • What can be asserted without proof can be dismissed without proof.
  • The only position that leaves me with no cognitive dissonance is atheism.
  • Death is certain, replacing both the siren-song of Paradise and the dread of Hell. Life on this earth, with all its mystery and beauty and pain, is then to be lived far more intensely: we stumble and get up, we are sad, confident, insecure, feel loneliness and joy and love. There is nothing more; but I want nothing more.
  • Human decency is not derived from religion. It precedes it.
  • Religion is man-made. Even the men who made it cannot agree on what their prophets or redeemers or gurus actually said or did.
  • Name me an ethical statement made or an action performed by a believer that could not have been made or performed by a non-believer.
  • My own view is that this planet is used as a penal colony, lunatic asylum and dumping ground by a superior civilisation, to get rid of the undesirable and unfit. I can’t prove it, but you can’t disprove it either.
  • Among theologians, heretics are those who are not backed with a sufficient array of battalions to render them orthodox.
  • Give a man a fish and he will eat for a day; teach a man to fish and he will eat for a lifetime; give a man religion and he will die praying for a fish.
  • One of the great tragedies of mankind is that morality has been hijacked by religion.
  • A theologian is like a blind man in a dark room searching for a black cat which isn't there - and finding it!
  • Religion is an insult to human dignity.
  • All religions are founded on the fear of the many and the cleverness of the few.
  • Faith, if it is ever right about anything, is right by accident
  • The president of the United States has claimed, on more than one occasion, to be in dialogue with God. If he said that he was talking to God through his hairdryer, this would precipitate a national emergency. I fail to see how the addition of a hairdryer makes the claim more ridiculous or offensive.
  • If there is any kind of supreme being, I told myself, it is up to all of us to become his moral superior.
Sunny Jackson

Kurt Vonnegut - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia - 0 views

en.wikipedia.org/...Kurt_Vonnegut

Humanism info Wiki

shared by Sunny Jackson on 07 Jun 13 - Cached
  • 20th century American writer
  • blend satire, gallows humor and science fiction
  • lifelong supporter of the American Civil Liberties Union
  • ...12 more annotations...
  • critical liberal intellectual
  • honorary president of the American Humanist Association
  • known for his humanist beliefs
  • eight rules for writing a short story:
  • Use the time of a total stranger in such a way that he or she will not feel the time was wasted.
  • Give the reader at least one character he or she can root for.
  • Every character should want something, even if it is only a glass of water.
  • Every sentence must do one of two things—reveal character or advance the action.
  • Start as close to the end as possible.
  • No matter how sweet and innocent your leading characters, make awful things happen to them—in order that the reader may see what they are made of.
  • Write to please just one person.
  • Give your readers as much information as possible as soon as possible. To hell with suspense.
Sunny Jackson

Family of Humanists - 0 views

www.familyofhumanists.org/whatIsHumanism.html

Humanism

shared by Sunny Jackson on 07 Jun 13 - No Cached
  • our actions should be aimed at assuring the best life possible for all people
  • reliance on natural science and democracy
  • Morality should be judged by what is best for humanity and the world around us.
  • ...8 more annotations...
  • People are more important than dogma or ideology.
  • Reason and the Scientific Method are the most trustworthy routes to knowledge.
  • Knowledge is a tool to be applied with compassion and empathy for humanitarian purposes.
  • Civil rights must be guaranteed for all segments of society and for unpopular as well as majority opinions.
  • Humanity is an interlocking community with enormous potential for both good and evil.
  • We are stewards of a world that belongs to all of life.
  • A healthy future for humanity and the rest of nature depends on friendly cooperation among all peoples and nations.
  • Humanism is a process of continuing inquiry. It evolves as we develop new ideas and reexamine the old in light of new experience.
Sunny Jackson

Bundlr - Humanism 101 - 0 views

bundlr.com/humanism

shared by Sunny Jackson on 24 Jun 13 - No Cached
  • alternative to traditional religion and to authoritarian and other oppressive social attitudes
  • rights of religious and philosophical dissenters
  • Humanism is a life stance
  • ...85 more annotations...
  • Humanism aims at the fullest possible development of every human being
  • Humanism supports democracy and human rights
  • Human Rights Commission
  • Declaration on the Elimination of all Forms of Intolerance and Discrimination Based on Religion or Belief
  • achieved only with the strength of humanity's own moral and intellectual resources
  • rights to individual self-determination, human rights and freedom of belief
  • Humanists are committed to tolerant pluralism and human rights
  • Humanism provides a way of understanding our universe in naturalistic rather than in supernatural terms
  • a life stance rooted in rational thinking
  • Humanism insists that personal liberty must be combined with social responsibility
  • The similarities between the beliefs and values of the different groups - even ‘secular’ and ‘religious’ Humanists - is more fundamental and more important than the different groups
  • humanism Humanism is a democratic and ethical life stance, which affirms that human beings have the right and responsibility to give meaning and shape to their own lives. It stands for the building of a more humane society through an ethic based on human and other natural values in the spirit of reason and free inquiry through human capabilities. It is not theistic, and it does not accept supernatural views of reality. See also the Amsterdam Declaration.
  • Humanism is undogmatic, imposing no creed upon its adherents. It is thus committed to education free from indoctrination.
    • Sunny Jackson
      Sunny Jackson on 24 Jun 13
       
      This means that is subject to change
  • fundamental principles of modern Humanism
  • British Ethical Union
  • Guided by the spirit of human solidarity
  • an alternative to dogmatic religion
  • Humanists promote free inquiry which is the basis of the scientific spirit
  • Humanism ventures to build a world on the idea of the free person responsible to society, and recognises our dependence on and responsibility for the natural world
  • seeks to use science creatively
  • Humanism is rational
  • Amsterdam Declaration
  • Coalition for Freedom of Religion or Belief
  • where people do feel that their beliefs are ‘Humanist’ they should use the word
  • Humanism is also a philosophy of human freedom
  • as a living philosophy, Humanism constantly enriches itself with the progress of knowledge
  • defends human rights and promotes humanist values world-wide
  • UN Human Rights Council
  • humanist A person who adheres to or advocates humanism, a democratic and ethical life stance, which affirms that human beings have the right and responsibility to give meaning and shape to their own lives.
  • Humanism is ethical. It affirms the worth, dignity and autonomy of the individual and the right of every human being to the greatest possible freedom compatible with the rights of others.
  • Human Rights Council
  • Humanists believe that the solutions to the world's problems lie in human thought and action
  • Humanism recognises that reliable knowledge of the world and ourselves arises through a continuing process. of observation, evaluation and revision.
  • ethics grounded in human values
  • Humanists aim for a social order in which individual freedom and dignity, social justice, fundamental rights and the rule of civilised law are protected
  • the outcome of a long tradition of free thought
  • human beings have the right and responsibility to give meaning and shape to their own lives
  • Humanism is a democratic and ethical life stance
  • Humanism advocates the application of the methods of science and free inquiry to the problems of human welfare
  • The Humanist movement has its symbol, the happy human, introduced by the BHA in 1965, and widely adopted both nationally and internationally
  • the official defining statement of World Humanism
  • human rights Universal rights to which every person is entitled
  • Commission on Human Rights
  • rationalist
  • humanist
  • rationalism The view that knowledge is aquired through reason, without the aid of the senses. Perhaps the best example of such knowledge would be mathematical knowledge, but rationalists typically argue that many other important truths can also be grasped by reason.
  • atheist
  • Humanists have a duty of care to all of humanity including future generations.
  • fundamentals of modern Humanism
  • Humanists reject absolute authorities and revealed wisdoms
  • freethought An intellectual and cultural movement. A freethinker is a religious unbeliever who forms his or her judgments about religion using reason rather than relying on tradition, authority, faith, or established belief.
  • freethinking
  • rationalist
  • justified by a moral standard that stands above the laws of any individual nation
  • European Humanist Federation
  • secularism A neutral attitude, especially of the State, local government and public services, in matters relating to religion; non-religious rather than anti-religious.
  • Humanists continuously explore ways of extending responsible freedom and happiness in our increasingly complex world
  • secularist
  • skeptic
  • laique
  • ethical cultural
  • freethought
  • rationalist
  • Humanists believe that morality is an intrinsic part of human nature based on understanding and a concern for others, needing no external sanction.
  • Humanists consider human experience to be the only source of knowledge and ethics
  • It stands for the building of a more humane society through an ethic based on human and other natural values in the spirit of reason and free inquiry through human capabilities
  • the application of science and technology must be tempered by human values
  • International Humanist Award
  • Humanism values artistic creativity and imagination and recognises the transforming power of art. Humanism affirms the importance of literature, music, and the visual and performing arts for personal development and fulfilment.
  • Humanists believe in intellectual integrity, and do not allow custom to replace conscience
  • Science gives us the means but human values must propose the ends
  • mandated to promote and protect the enjoyment and full realization, by all people, of all rights
  • Universal Declaration of Human Rights
  • skeptic A philosophical position in which people choose to critically examine whether the knowledge and perceptions that they have are actually true, and whether or not one can ever be said to have absolutely true knowledge
  • rationalist Rationalists believe that reason alone is sufficient to gain knowledge of the world.
  • Rationalists started with Plato, and include Descartes, Leibniz and Spinoza.
  • The mandate includes preventing human rights violations, securing respect for all human rights and promoting international cooperation to protect human rights.
  • Humanism is a lifestance aiming at the maximum possible fulfilment through the cultivation of ethical and creative living and offers an ethical and rational means of addressing the challenges of our times
  • buddhiwadi
  • rationalism
  • Humanism can be a way of life for everyone everywhere
  • utilising free inquiry, the power of science and creative imagination for the furtherance of peace and in the service of compassion
  • we have the means to solve the problems that confront us all
  • We have a world to change. We need your help to change it!
  • World Congress of Humanists
Sunny Jackson

Aristotle - Wikiquote - 0 views

en.wikiquote.org/Aristotle

Wiki Quote Book

shared by Sunny Jackson on 03 Jul 13 - Cached
  • He who has overcome his fears will truly be free.
  • Misfortune shows those who are not really friends.
  • Time crumbles things; everything grows old under the power of Time and is forgotten through the lapse of Time.
  • ...25 more annotations...
  • Even when laws have been written down, they ought not always to remain unaltered.
  • A tyrant must put on the appearance of uncommon devotion to religion. Subjects are less apprehensive of illegal treatment from a ruler whom they consider god-fearing and pious. On the other hand, they do less easily move against him, believing that he has the gods on his side.
  • The basis of a democratic state is liberty.
  • Happiness, whether consisting in pleasure or virtue, or both, is more often found with those who are highly cultivated in their minds and in their character, and have only a moderate share of external goods, than among those who possess external goods to a useless extent but are deficient in higher qualities.
  • All men by nature desire to know.
  • All men by nature desire knowledge.
  • The truly good and wise man will bear all kinds of fortune in a seemly way, and will always act in the noblest manner that the circumstances allow.
  • May not we then confidently pronounce that man happy who realizes complete goodness in action, and is adequately furnished with external goods?
  • For the things we have to learn before we can do, we learn by doing.
  • I have gained this by philosophy: that I do without being commanded what others do only from fear of the law.
  • Without friends no one would choose to live, though he had all other goods.
  • Life in the true sense is perceiving or thinking.
  • To be conscious that we are perceiving or thinking is to be conscious of our own existence.
  • With regard to excellence, it is not enough to know, but we must try to have and use it.
  • Poetry is finer and more philosophical than history; for poetry expresses the universal, and history only the particular.
  • Poetry demands a man with a special gift for it, or else one with a touch of madness in him.
  • Homer has taught all other poets the art of telling lies skillfully.
  • a convincing impossibility is preferable to an unconvincing possibility.
  • Education is the best provision for old age.
  • Hope is a waking dream.
  • It is well said, then, that it is by doing just acts that the just man is produced
  • Liars when they speak the truth are not believed.
  • Friendship is a single soul dwelling in two bodies.
  • Love is composed of a single soul inhabiting two bodies.
  • What is life without love? Love is like the sun; without light, there's no life
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