What Does it Mean to be an Atheist?

Why, I ask, is the atheist so maligned?  Why are people shocked to learn, or even admit to themselves or others, that they don’t believe in spiritual ideas, or that they are an atheist?  What does it mean to be an atheist?

The lack of evidence for spiritual ideas is so great it is the proverbial elephant in our living rooms. It is there, but no one talks about it.  Do angels exist?  Do devils?  How about heaven, hell, souls, purgatory or gods?  These are all mystical ideas created by whimsical, imaginative men who had everything to gain over an ignorant populace, most who could not read, and if they did, they would find no opposition to the stories in the bible, written over two thousand years ago, before the age of enlightenment and long before modern biology, chemistry and physics were discovered.  It was a time when the stars were points of light in the sky, people feared the solar eclipse, witches were burned at the stake, and one could be stoned to death for even suggesting that god was not real.

But the atheist of today is a critical thinker. The atheist is unafraid to speak the truth about religion. The atheist is proud to have a good, if not great understanding of Science and mankind’s place in the universe. The atheist is an existentialist who knows that he is part of the animal kingdom, and like all other animals, he will rot after he dies. He knows he will never see his dead relatives again in some wishful make-believe afterlife. These are not pleasant thoughts, but they are real nevertheless.  It is sobering to know that life is short and often filled with hardship.  Like all people, we cannot escape death. We just don't kid ourselves about what death really is, and what it means for all of us.

Many if not most atheists were raised in a religion. And for some it took great courage to overcome the religious heritage and the religious mindset it created.  Just telling a family member or a friend that we no longer believe is hard for many, but once done, it allows the atheist to be released from the burden of having to pretend to believe.  After telling others, we can be true to ourselves and to those who mean the most to us.  Sometimes the revelation will enable the friend or family member to admit that they too, have similar doubts, but were afraid to admit them.

There is tremendous freedom in being an atheist. We do not let someone else tell us what to think, or what to believe. We judge every idea on its merits and accept only those ideas that make sense.  We know all new ideas must fit with all that we already know and understand about the world. We are not influenced by religious icons, superstitions, voodoo or holy waters. We don't care where we are buried, because we know that when we are dead, it won't make any difference. Most of us would prefer to be cremated, and that our families keep the money to improve their lives, or donate the funeral savings to a good cause. After all, caskets are a waste of good metal, and a waste of the money that buys them.

Our lack of belief in a god or an afterlife makes each day more precious than the last. At the end of each day, I often wonder how I could have lived it better, and know that I will try harder the next day to be a better person. A friend once said to me that the only thing that matters in life is how we treat other people. And I would add...how we treat others is all that matters, because in the end, it will be all that will be remembered of us. We want others to know and remember how much we loved them, and how much joy and laughter we brought to their lives. We want to know now, that when we are gone, we made a positive difference in the lives of those we touched.  And when they remember us, they will smile and know we were unafraid of public scrutiny.  They will understand we were unafraid to speak our minds and to state the truth about religion for all to see.

For more information, see the following link!  What Does it mean to be an Atheist?
  

What do YOU think?  Leave a comment!!!

R. Allan Worrell

Author:  Father John's Gift 
Contact:  alw314@yahoo.com 

Robots, Robots, Robots - Part 2

Thinking about sentient robots gave rise to a number of other related ideas.  Let me show you.

Questions:   
 1)  What rights should a sentient, self aware robot have?   
 2)  What laws should apply to intelligent robots?  
 3) Should robots be allowed to marry humans?  
 4) Should robots be allowed to marry each other?    

OK, I know these questions sound ridiculous, but let’s explore each of these questions, just for the sake of an intellectual argument.  You might be surprised where this takes me.

Question 1)  What rights should a sentient, self-aware robot have?

Let’s assume any self-aware being should have rights.  How about dogs and cats?  Any pet owner would certainly say his pets are conscious, sentient beings.   Can we kill them outright?   If you are shocked at this idea, you are not alone.   How about cows, pigs and chickens?   This is dangerous territory which would turn our society into vegetarians. PETA  (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) PETA Link  would agree, stating unequivocally that we should not kill animals for food, and even Kosher Jews have their own laws about killing animals without making them suffer. 

Sentient Robots, particularly ones who can talk and tell you how they are feeling will be a cut above cats and dogs, cows and chickens.   I would have a hard time turning off a sentient robot who pleads for me not to turn it off.   Can you imagine the discussion you would have with such a machine?  One could argue that you and I are both biological machines.  Think about it.  We might be little different than a truly intelligent, thinking, speaking, feeling robot.    

Question 2)   What laws should apply to robots?

Let’s assume all our laws apply and see where that leads us.  Robots should not kill humans or other robots.  Isaac Asimov created the three laws of robotics, (Three Laws of Robotics )the first of which stated robots should do no harm to a human and no harm to itself unless it was forced to in the protection of a human life.  This is not encoded into our Western laws today, but it seems like a good place to start should robots ever become sentient.  And speaking of that, it occurs to me that the robots may establish their own set of laws, particularly if they are smarter than us.  Wow.  Now we are in for real trouble.

Question 3)  Should robots be allowed to marry humans?

I suspect there will be humans, so enamored with their sexy sentient robot that the humans will request the right to marry it!   This will, of course, have our legislators scratching their proverbial collective heads.  Some of them may be having affairs with a robot.  

 In the movie, AI, there is a sentient robot character named, “Gigolo Joe”, played by actor Jude Law, who services lonely women.  But was Gigolo Joe just an elaborate vibrator?    You might be inclined to think so, but consider a truly evolved robot that has feelings and is highly intelligent.  I suspect if it could be emotionally hurt might be a significant test.  But how would you really know?   I believe a learning, self-programming machine can exceed its initial code, very much like a human grows into adulthood.  You would not be able to predict the behavior of such a robot person.  Wow, I just used the ‘P’ word.  Can a robot be a “Person”?

Question 4)  Should sentient robots be allowed to marry each other?

This begs the question why we have marriage in the first place.  The Catholic church states the institution of marriage is for one man and one woman.  Why?   It occurs to me they come to this conclusion for the protection of any children that might result from the union.  This would explain why the church is against gay marriages.  But do they permit divorce between married partners when one of them is sterile and cannot conceive?   I wonder.

What do YOU think?   Leave a comment below!!!!!


 R. Allan Worrell
Author:   Father John's Gift
Contact:  alw314@yahoo.com