Atheism - alive and well in Thailand?

[Hermes100]

Its not so much putting myself on pedestal as it is religious people who honestly and truly believe the nonsense they are taught losing right to being respected and sometimes being treated equally.

Thus in my eyes they have opted to lower themselves.

The funny thing is I would still defend their right to relive in whatever they wish, so long as its presented as a choice.

Which it is not. And religious teaching is full of lie's.

It start's with children being religiously taught, a form of child abuse.They are literally brain washed from day 1.

So, I will happily risk putting risk myself on my ass to stand up against those that do.

I do not stand to certain music at cinema's.

Not because I disrespect the person(s)shown, but because of the way he is betrayed and followed. I urged my friends to take their children out of classes which teach them how to procrastinate themselves and the teaching on religion they are given.

children should be taught how to think NOT what to think.

That I think is sick and has no place in a modern society.

It is wrong to say 'one must respect".

Respect what exactly?

What God is supposed to have done? What has he done that can be respected exactly?

The same can be said for others who have somehow become Gods who rule over nations that all seem to have something in common- they are failures,racist, sexist,corrupt and where the true "God" is $$$

Truly something has to be so weak if it cannot be questioned, or falls apart totally upon even the simplest of inquiry or, cannot be questioned,tested,etc

One can hopefully do so politely and without causing offensive, but that is a risk which must be taken if honest, truth, ethics's guide you.

Religion is a WMD,those who oppose it must risk causing offense or stand next to those who promote many evils that stop the progress of the world.

Nobody really want's upset/offend anyone, and its true that the vast majority of religious people are decent enough and there is no need for such line drawing.

But sometimes one has to re-examine things.

Its quite simple- look for that which cannot be questioned, tested and appeals to your own self interest and you will find the very thing which modern society and those who live in it must re-address.

[F4UCorsair]

Buddhism is not considered a true religion in the way Christianity, islam, etc., are. It is regarded more as a life philosophy.

[nidieunimaitre]

Buddhism is not considered a true religion in the way Christianity, islam, etc., are. It is regarded more as a life philosophy.

Maybe that is the case in your western buddhist fantasy world, but to the buddhists that I know., buddhism is a religion, with a omnipotent god.

A god that can be bribed with money given to his servants, exactly as in christianity.

[teatree]

I respect those who say the truth " I believe ...there will be a place in heaven" is fine. I used to believe in father Christmas. Now I do not because we all know he does not exist.

We also all know that there is not a shred of real evidence of either God's ( all 2000 of them) nor heavens or hell's or vitually anything claimed by any of major relgions.

And yet, as adults we still seem to want to cling to these.

I think the word 'faith' ( accepting something without any evidence) very dangerous.

Would you book a hotel on faith?

Buy a car on faith?

Find the best doctor for your loved one on faith?

No, you would use a logic chain as you do in every other area of your life to decide.

It will be based upon rationality which would weed out who/what is viable.You would not hear '

I choose XXX just because it was written 2000 odd years ago in an old book which can be read 1001 ways, is devoid of substantial evidence, but I was told to just "have faith' so to hell with the logic I apply to everything else, i choose XXX anyway"

Religon exists because is appeals to ones ego ( you are special and loved), allays the fear of death and provides the 'feel good factor" .

Without that one could not expect to see something so utterly flawed still in existence.

A sad statement upon mankind.

Atheism is the 'faith' that the universe was created by chemical chance.

[joecoolfrog]

Teatree

Embarassed by your faith are you ? That seems to be the only explanation for your absurd statement. The only thing that defines an atheist is in the name , its simply non belief in any form of supernatural creator , pretty simple concept for even the more gullible of you to digest surely.

[certified]

There are plenty of them here. And they are as sweet as sugar!

[teatree]

Teatree

Embarassed by your faith are you ? That seems to be the only explanation for your absurd statement. The only thing that defines an atheist is in the name , its simply non belief in any form of supernatural creator , pretty simple concept for even the more gullible of you to digest surely.

I am neither a theist nor an atheist. I have no faith because there is no proof one way or the other. Unlike you.

If you rule out that God created the universe then it kind of leaves a bit of vacuum....so how was it created? How was life on earth created?

I saw a debate participated by the high priest of Atheism, Mr Hitchens. When asked how life was created he said (rough paraphrase) 'we don't really know, but we think.....' blah blah blah. Faith in action.

When someone can create a universe out of nothing...or create life out of nothing your case will be proved.

Until then it's all a load of hot air and you atheists are no better than the theists you love to ridicule.

Edited August 17, 2014 by teatree

[robblok]

You can all make the claims God or no God but the thing that has frightened the shit out of me since I was able to think, below 10 yrs old, is why does any thing exist?. Please don't quote big bang or anything like that, that assumes there was mass before it was ejected. Where did the first hydrogen atom come from, in my opinion nothing should exist because something has to come from somewhere. Nothing should exist, where is the start point for anything - hydrogen has always existed?.

Some of you won't understand what I'm trying to say, it's not about belief but asking the question why does anything exist?.

*LOL* typical religious crap.. because I cant explain something its done by god. Before we did not know about bacteria and infection. So if someone survived it was the will of god and if someone got infection it was the will of god. Now we know better.

Just because something is not known today attributing it to a higher being (fantasy) is not proof.

Remember religious people have always used things we can't explain and attributed it to a god or demon or whatever. Then when it was explained they never said oh so I was wrong and there is no god.. no they found something else they could not explain and attribute it to a higher power. Its a nice game that the religious people have lost time and again against science.

The fact that something can't be explained NOW is not proof of god. Its proof of ignorance.

[KarenBravo]

The trouble is, is that when you throw a "creator" into the mix, it just gets more complicated.

Who, or what created the creator? Who, or what created the creator that created the creator? Repeat ad infinitum.

Personally, the human experience makes no sense if there really is a God. Too much suffering, most of it by innocents, at the hand of man, or, natural disasters. Why does "he" allow it all to happen?

Take God out of the equation and the human experience makes perfect sense, with human nature and randomness taking God's place.,

Edited August 17, 2014 by KarenBravo

[robblok]

It is good to see Atheism is alive and well in Thailand as it should be everywhere on the planet.

I have my doubts that Thais can openly embrace atheism since they have been brainwashed since birth. Almost the same as other religions. Not exactly sure how much can I say here without being bordered with legal issues.

Unlike Pakistan and similar countries where atheism is punishable by death, in Thailand what I understood showing disrespect to Buddhism is illegal.

An atheist can not and should not show respect to religion, any religion if he follows his ideas. So, how much an atheist can I be in Thailand?

absolute <deleted>, showing respect should by one of the highest goals of humane people, you might disagree with what they think and believe but you should still respect them. do you live in Thailand?. I am equal to every person on this planet, I am not better or lower than anyone. I might be better educated than most people in Thailand and I do criticize things in this country but I live here with my Thai wife and appreciate the life I have here, but I am equal ..........

be careful about standing on a pedestal and thinking you are above others, the world has a strange way of putting you on your arse.

If religious people would respect others there would not be so many wars. Crusades... ect. Oh.. remember the witch hunts where people were burned because they did not believe. Not to mention the wars between Protestants and Catholics and the gruesome ways to kill people all condoned by the church. Real nice people those religious people.

Of course I feel I am superior to those killing over religion while in most of the books they follow it says killing is evil.

Also religious people love to convert and force others to see it their way. Just think about the problems they have with gay marriages. It does not hurt anyone but does not suit their views. Forcing everyone to close Sundays, not allowing others to open shop then.

Some of the most intolerant people in the world are religious people. Let me have my freedom to do as i please and as long as your fairy-tail book does not in any way go against my rights I will let you be. Unlike religious people.. he needs to be punished he needs to go to hell we need to kill him as he is not following our rule. Centuries of persecution of other religions have proven this.

[laobali]

You can all make the claims God or no God but the thing that has frightened the shit out of me since I was able to think, below 10 yrs old, is why does any thing exist?. Please don't quote big bang or anything like that, that assumes there was mass before it was ejected. Where did the first hydrogen atom come from, in my opinion nothing should exist because something has to come from somewhere. Nothing should exist, where is the start point for anything - hydrogen has always existed?.

Some of you won't understand what I'm trying to say, it's not about belief but asking the question why does anything exist?.

If this keeps you awake at night, maybe you could try asking God?

[attrayant]

If you rule out that God created the universe then it kind of leaves a bit of vacuum....so how was it created? How was life on earth created?

If this is truly a valid line of reasoning, and your conclusion is that some supernatural being created everything, then it should be acceptable to continue asking "what created god"?

Ruling out a divine creator creates no more of a vacuum than ruling out the Easter Bunny.

[joecoolfrog]

Teatree

Wow you really do have a chip on your shoulder , stereotyping all atheists is pretty ignorant is it not ?

I for instance , on this very thread , have both agreed with a theist and stated that vocal atheist s can appear smug. That makes a mess of those neat little boxes you appear to enjoy placing millions of people in.

[KarenBravo]

To paraphrase Monty Python's, The Life of Brian,

"So what has God ever done for us?"

[joecoolfrog]

Incidently Dawkins considers there to be a scale of Atheist belief, he rates himself a 10 because he is utterly convinced that there was no supernatural element in the building blocks that created earth. I would consider myself perhaps a 9 because I cannot entirely rule out some form of ' alien ' contribution. It is however a huge leap to then believe that said ' alien , billions of years on continues to guide and mould mankind. Hence I completely reject the theist concept of a God , that makes me an atheist.

'

[Mzungu]

Sandrabbit, the other day I showed my respect to a soi dog and let him cross the street in front of me. Does it count?

You are mixing respect in general which comes in different forms. Showing and choosing what to respect is individual. Not something one should be forced to in one way or the other.

[Mzungu]

Double posted, deleted

Edited August 17, 2014 by Mzungu

[Mzungu]

Sandrabbit, you might want to follow your wife to wat but don't expect other people to do the same just because you think it should be done. Respect other people by NOT telling them what to do...

[teatree]

If you rule out that God created the universe then it kind of leaves a bit of vacuum....so how was it created? How was life on earth created?

If this is truly a valid line of reasoning, and your conclusion is that some supernatural being created everything, then it should be acceptable to continue asking "what created god"?

Ruling out a divine creator creates no more of a vacuum than ruling out the Easter Bunny.

My conclusion is not that a supernatural being created everything. Read the top half of my post that you chopped off, My point was that an Atheist can no more prove his faith that the universe came about by happy chance than a Theist can prove that God created it.

As for the Easter eggs, is there a phenomenon whereby they mysteriously appear every April and know one knows where they came from?

No.

We know that they are placed there by humans who want to please their children. Same goes for the Tooth Fairy and Santa. This line of reasoning is something Atheists love to trot out and while it is quite cute, the logic doesn't hold up to close scrutiny.

The universe, on the other had, is real (unless you want to get really metaphysical) and unlike the Easter Bunny argument, we don't know where it came from.

[teatree]

Teatree

Wow you really do have a chip on your shoulder , stereotyping all atheists is pretty ignorant is it not ?

I for instance , on this very thread , have both agreed with a theist and stated that vocal atheist s can appear smug. That makes a mess of those neat little boxes you appear to enjoy placing millions of people in.

You are the one who pigeonholed me as a Theist (when I'm not) and then riddiculed me for my 'faith', calling me 'gullible'. This was exactly the kind of attiude I was refering to when I said 'you Atheists are no better than the Theists you love to riddicule.' I wasn't talking about all Atheists, rather the type you have displayed yourself as.

And you call me ignorant?

All because I challanged your faith and asserted that you cannot prove this faith to be true.

If you write a post with barbs then expect some back in the reply.

[KarenBravo]

Firstly, you can't prove a negative.

It is not incumbent for non-believers to prove there isn't a God.

The onus lies with the believers to prove God exists.

So far, they have failed miserably.

[GuyL]

If you rule out that God created the universe then it kind of leaves a bit of vacuum....so how was it created? How was life on earth created?

If this is truly a valid line of reasoning, and your conclusion is that some supernatural being created everything, then it should be acceptable to continue asking "what created god"?

Ruling out a divine creator creates no more of a vacuum than ruling out the Easter Bunny.

My conclusion is not that a supernatural being created everything. Read the top half of my post that you chopped off, My point was that an Atheist can no more prove his faith that the universe came about by happy chance than a Theist can prove that God created it.

As for the Easter eggs, is there a phenomenon whereby they mysteriously appear every April and know one knows where they came from?

No.

We know that they are placed there by humans who want to please their children. Same goes for the Tooth Fairy and Santa. This line of reasoning is something Atheists love to trot out and while it is quite cute, the logic doesn't hold up to close scrutiny.

The universe, on the other had, is real (unless you want to get really metaphysical) and unlike the Easter Bunny argument, we don't know where it came from.

By definition, before the creation of the universe, there was absolutely nothing.

"The Big Bang theory states that it is the point in which all dimensions came into existence, the start of both space and time. Then, the question "What was there before the Universe?" makes no sense; the concept of "before" becomes meaningless when considering a situation without time." (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cosmological_argument)

I suggest that you read the following webpage (especially SmartLx's answer): http://www.asktheatheists.com/questions/71-who-or-what-created-the-universe/

[attrayant]

Same goes for the Tooth Fairy and Santa. This line of reasoning is something Atheists love to trot out and while it is quite cute, the logic doesn't hold up to close scrutiny.

The universe, on the other had, is real (unless you want to get really metaphysical) and unlike the Easter Bunny argument, we don't know where it came from.

The Easter bunny wasn't an argument - it was an analogy. The point is that we can develop an understanding of the world that doesn't require the invocation of magic or supernatural beings.

While we don't know with certainty where the universe came from, we have a solid understanding about much its behavior because the physical laws of nature are the same everywhere. We have the capability to make a fairly accurate assessment of the total amount of matter in the universe, and draw conclusions about its behavior based on proven natural laws (such as gravity, the laws of motion and entropy). The two most popular models are (1) an oscillating universe (a core tenant of Buddhism) and (2) a steady-state universe. Most of the recent research seems to lean toward the direction of a steady-state universe because there doesn't seem to be enough matter to cause the present expansion to stop and begin contracting again.

Again, these models and their resulting conclusions are based on established science, although our understanding may change as we progress and make new discoveries - but at no point will there ever be a need to attribute the fall of every sparrow to the direct intervention of Zeus (or whoever). Just because we don't have all the pieces to the puzzle does not mean we should invoke magic as an explanation, and "unexplained" is not the same thing as "unexplainable".

Edited August 17, 2014 by attrayant

[mumjokmok]

im a capitalist. in the 80's i realised my religious beliefs didnt allow me to purchase the full gamut of products and services on offer so i converted to atheism. was great for women, have u seen that new fashion where you pull your jean shorts really high up your bottom?

atheism is alive and well here, as in many places where people worship the holy dollar. thats my 2 cents.

[GuyL]

[...]

atheism is alive and well here, as in many places where people worship the holy dollar. thats my 2 cents.

The holy dollar... on which is written "In God We Trust"?

[AyG]

[...]

atheism is alive and well here, as in many places where people worship the holy dollar. thats my 2 cents.

The holy dollar... on which is written "In God We Trust"?

That's a typo. It should read "In Gold We Trust".

[beautifulthailand99]

The late great Christopher Hitchens made the argument perfectly in a debate with a Christian pastor....followed by his brave and hugely insightful words when facing his own death.

Edited August 17, 2014 by beautifulthailand99

[csabo]

It is good to see Atheism is alive and well in Thailand as it should be everywhere on the planet.

I have my doubts that Thais can openly embrace atheism since they have been brainwashed since birth. Almost the same as other religions. Not exactly sure how much can I say here without being bordered with legal issues.

Unlike Pakistan and similar countries where atheism is punishable by death, in Thailand what I understood showing disrespect to Buddhism is illegal.

An atheist can not and should not show respect to religion, any religion if he follows his ideas. So, how much an atheist can I be in Thailand?

absolute <deleted>, showing respect should by one of the highest goals of humane people, you might disagree with what they think and believe but you should still respect them. do you live in Thailand?. I am equal to every person on this planet, I am not better or lower than anyone. I might be better educated than most people in Thailand and I do criticize things in this country but I live here with my Thai wife and appreciate the life I have here, but I am equal ..........

be careful about standing on a pedestal and thinking you are above others, the world has a strange way of putting you on your arse.

If religious people would respect others there would not be so many wars. Crusades... ect. Oh.. remember the witch hunts where people were burned because they did not believe. Not to mention the wars between Protestants and Catholics and the gruesome ways to kill people all condoned by the church. Real nice people those religious people.

Of course I feel I am superior to those killing over religion while in most of the books they follow it says killing is evil.

Also religious people love to convert and force others to see it their way. Just think about the problems they have with gay marriages. It does not hurt anyone but does not suit their views. Forcing everyone to close Sundays, not allowing others to open shop then.

Some of the most intolerant people in the world are religious people. Let me have my freedom to do as i please and as long as your fairy-tail book does not in any way go against my rights I will let you be. Unlike religious people.. he needs to be punished he needs to go to hell we need to kill him as he is not following our rule. Centuries of persecution of other religions have proven this.

Thats the best part. The people who claim to be religious who all have religious texts that say "don't harm other people and love others" have probably killed more people in history because of a failure of another sect to convert than any other motivating factor for killing in history. Instead of these people killing each other over who's god and beliefs are better, would it not be better if there was no god and no killing for him?? If everyone just believed in working hard, enjoying life, loving others instead of forcing your beliefs on others with a sword at their throats or a gun to their heads, would that not be a better place to live?

And why is it so damn hard to explain something so obvious to people of faith? Faith is like an impenetrable force filed of indoctrination that blocks all intelligence and reason.

[wilcopops]

It is good to see Atheism is alive and well in Thailand as it should be everywhere on the planet.

I have my doubts that Thais can openly embrace atheism since they have been brainwashed since birth. Almost the same as other religions. Not exactly sure how much can I say here without being bordered with legal issues.

Unlike Pakistan and similar countries where atheism is punishable by death, in Thailand what I understood showing disrespect to Buddhism is illegal.

An atheist can not and should not show respect to religion, any religion if he follows his ideas. So, how much an atheist can I be in Thailand?

absolute <deleted>, showing respect should by one of the highest goals of humane people, you might disagree with what they think and believe but you should still respect them. do you live in Thailand?. I am equal to every person on this planet, I am not better or lower than anyone. I might be better educated than most people in Thailand and I do criticize things in this country but I live here with my Thai wife and appreciate the life I have here, but I am equal ..........

be careful about standing on a pedestal and thinking you are above others, the world has a strange way of putting you on your arse.

If religious people would respect others there would not be so many wars. Crusades... ect. Oh.. remember the witch hunts where people were burned because they did not believe. Not to mention the wars between Protestants and Catholics and the gruesome ways to kill people all condoned by the church. Real nice people those religious people.

Of course I feel I am superior to those killing over religion while in most of the books they follow it says killing is evil.

Also religious people love to convert and force others to see it their way. Just think about the problems they have with gay marriages. It does not hurt anyone but does not suit their views. Forcing everyone to close Sundays, not allowing others to open shop then.

Some of the most intolerant people in the world are religious people. Let me have my freedom to do as i please and as long as your fairy-tail book does not in any way go against my rights I will let you be. Unlike religious people.. he needs to be punished he needs to go to hell we need to kill him as he is not following our rule. Centuries of persecution of other religions have proven this.

Thats the best part. The people who claim to be religious who all have religious texts that say "don't harm other people and love others" have probably killed more people in history because of a failure of another sect to convert than any other motivating factor for killing in history. Instead of these people killing each other over who's god and beliefs are better, would it not be better if there was no god and no killing for him?? If everyone just believed in working hard, enjoying life, loving others instead of forcing your beliefs on others with a sword at their throats or a gun to their heads, would that not be a better place to live?

And why is it so damn hard to explain something so obvious to people of faith? Faith is like an impenetrable force filed of indoctrination that blocks all intelligence and reason.

Very intelligent people have been and are still religious.....it isn't their intelligence that's at fault...it's their reason.

Religion's a funny thing....it claims that science doesn't have the answers yet as science continues to unfold the mysteries of the universe, religion hobbles along behind repeating"I knew that!", "I knew that!" as it adjusts its dogma to meet the real world.

Edited August 17, 2014 by wilcopops

[nidieunimaitre]

I think we are mixing 2 different issues.

1/ Is there a god / gods?

I don't believe there is, but I completely don't care that others do believe, to me it is not an issue, what does it matter?

2/ Organised religion.

Every organised religion is evil, stupid, nonsensical, based on indoctrination, backward.

Of course one could argue that believing in god(s) will inevitably lead to organised religion.

But let's be optimistic.

Stranger things have happened.

After all, is atheism not the fruit of the christian culture?