So what has this discussion on climate change have to do with atheism? A few things and somewhat controversially I'm going to suggest that it is a Christian worldview which gives an imperative for climate action whereas the atheist worldview leads to the opposite. There are a few reasons why..
At its heart, atheism is a selfish, short-sighted worldview. Atheism drives people to live for themselves and live for today. In John Lennon's Imagine, Lennon imagines an atheistic world where people live without heaven and instead, 'live for today'. There is precious little in an atheist worldview to consider others, nor the future. The consistent message of atheism is to maximise our lives, our potential and opportunities now because this is the only life we get and we need to fill it with as much as possible. It is atheistic thinking which is driving the modern phenomenon of 'spending the inheritance'. Why shouldn't an atheist enjoy the money they've accumulated? The future in an atheist world is very short – to the end of our life, to the detriment of the inheritance and also to the detriment of the environment. I'm not suggesting that individual atheists can't consider the future beyond their lifetimes (many key environmental supporters are atheists). I'm proposing that there is nothing in a consistent atheist worldview to drive one to consider the future.
Secondly, the atheist worldview impedes costly sacrifice – why should atheists sacrifice unnecessarily? Why force unnecessary suffering on myself? The atheist worldview wishes costless action and advocacy. This view was reinforced when I saw Richard Dawkins at the Global Atheist Convention last year. In a discussion with other prominent atheists he explained that he wasn't as virulent in his criticism of Islam as compared to Christianity because "the threat of having your head cut off is somewhat of a deterrent" and "courage is a virtue but there are limits" [Four horsemen discussion -10 mins 30 secs in]. I was disappointed with Dawkins statement that someone so passionate about his beliefs wouldn't be willing to die for them. But then again, there is nothing in an atheist worldview to sacrifice unnecessarily. Atheists believe in costless action – an atheist speaks his or her views until there is serious danger. Why should an atheist sacrifice?
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You put your life in danger for your beliefs and then we'll talk.
(And wasn't it that well-known atheist Ann Coulter who said to rape the Earth, and there wouldn't be any consequences because Jesus would be back soon?)
"So what has this discussion on climate change have to do with atheism?"
"The consistent message of atheism is to maximise our lives, our potential and opportunities now because this is the only life we get and we need to fill it with as much as possible."
"why should atheists sacrifice unnecessarily?" anyone sacrifice unnecessarily? Sacrifices should be done for necessary things, like the environment for example. Dawkins is passionate about his lack of belief and nothing will be won for atheists by him being murdered. Atheists might prefer costless actions. That doesn’t mean that there aren't situations when a costly action has to be taken anyway. Atheism, in contrast to religion and churches, doesn't have any money to spend.
"The consistent message of atheism is to maximise our lives, our potential and opportunities now because this is the only life we get and we need to fill it with as much as possible."
"I'm proposing that there is nothing in a consistent atheist worldview to drive one to consider the future."
"Why force unnecessary suffering on myself?"
"I was disappointed with Dawkins statement that someone so passionate about his beliefs wouldn't be willing to die for them. But then again, there is nothing in an atheist worldview to sacrifice unnecessarily."
"sacrifice unnecessarily"
Why would you do it then?
Lennon imagines an atheistic world where people live without heaven and instead, 'live for today'.
I wonder who said "Therefore take no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof." (Matthew 6:34)
Why are you fundies so eager to sacrifice the only home we have: Planet Earth?
Aye, there's the argument annihilating rub, indeed...!
Maybe this is just me talking, but I know that my time on this earth is finite and that, good or bad, there is neither reward nor punishment awaiting me after I'm gone. But I do want to be remembered for as long as possible. To have had an impact on the world and the people around me.
So why wouldn't I want to do something forward-looking and is a net benefit. And yes, I'd rather live for today than live in a manner that anticipates some reward in a nonexistent afterlife.
"At its heart, atheism is a selfish, short-sighted worldview."
'Take no thought for the morrow'. Now, who said that, again?
Hint: It wasn't Dawkins, Dennett, Harris or Hitchens.
Fine, I'm completely ok with this, just as long as you get up off your fat pontificating ass and actually start to do something about the degradation of our ecosystem.
> I was disappointed with Dawkins statement that someone so passionate about his beliefs wouldn't be willing to die for them.
Yeah, I can't see why...
> because this is the only life we get and we need to fill it with as much as possible.
... Dawkins knows that he might be able to do much more good if he stays alive than if he got himself killed?
I think you've confused atheism and solipsism (aka, the platform of the Libertarian party).
Atheists and Christians both agree that after we die there is no more use for our money, so why should either be more or less likely to leave an inheritance? I love my family, and just because I'm rotting in the ground doesn't mean that they are. Rapture-believing Christians, on the other hand, typically believe that Jesus will come take them into Heaven any minute now, along with all the other "good" people, which would seem to be a philosophy that would make leaving any type of inheritance silly.
Also, people who try to maximize their pleasure during their lives at the expense of anyone else are known as assholes, not atheists.
Well Robert, I'm sure you think your belief that Judas Christ was tied to chair and dieted for your sins somehow makes you more environmentally aware, but I can assure you that Christianity's emphasis on cannibalism and the mandated use of live christmas trees isn't helping. Also, Judas Christ's mother Mandy's having 12 other kids just so JC would have someone to play with is frankly a very poor example to be setting. And all that talk of using the whole planet to the limit of its resources then blasting off to somewhere else and leaving the meek to clean up the mess is ridiculously ill-thought-out and more than a little unfair to the meek.
And I can assure you that my comments are just as well researched as yours about atheism.
You know, for all that these morons talk about "consistent worldviews," the fact is that before I knew whether or not I believed in God at all, I had already learned how to be a good person from my parents. Isn't that where we all learn our morality?
And when will you people learn just how obnoxious it is when you try to tell us what we believe, and get it so obscenely wrong?
"I'm going to suggest that it is a Christian worldview which gives an imperative for climate action "
After decades of claiming global warming was an atheist plot to destroy christianity, the fundies now claim only fundies can deal with global warming?
You're 30 years late and and a quadrillion dollars short.
"Atheism drives people to live for themselves and live for today."
Except that it doesn't: it only supports 'living their lives' without embracing comforting but imaginary notions of gods or in accordance with arbitrary and wholly superstitious articles of religious faith.
@farpadokly: You know damn well situationist writings will be beyond any fundie's comprehension. You'd have more luck teaching computer science to the apostles.
Expect this to happen with gay rights within the next decade or two as well. It was only Christians fighting to end slavery, segregation, institutional sexism, labour exploitation, theocracy, etc. Evil atheists never fought these injustices, and certainly didn't lead the charge. And now apparently it was the Christians pushing environmentalism all along. Definitely not something secular science presented and fundies denied or ignored.
"In John Lennon's Imagine, Lennon imagines an atheistic world"
Oh, yes. The horror of people not killing millions of people to stop those millions of people from killing millions of people.
Confused?
So were we! You can find all of this, and more, on Fundies Say the Darndest Things!
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