How Do Atheists Explain How The World Was Created?

The following splendid link was sent to me by a friend. The answer by Mr. Dan C. Holiday was brilliantly written and well worth sharing.

http://www.quora.com/Atheists/How-do-atheists-explain-how-the-world-was-created

The Appeal Of Dogma

 

Uncertain Atheists

Here is the link to the complete interview with Penn Jillette which formed the basis of this video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NGw_IY-5dsA&list=PLB6370ECABAEF5C8D&in…

Seven Minutes of Introspection

This video is part of a playlist documenting a fun, day-long outing to Okitsu Japan. This trip was made in an effort to try and discover the real-life location which may have inspired the famous Edo-period wood-block print artist Hiroshige Ando in making his print for the village of Okitsu. This famous print depicts a pair of hefty sumo wrestlers rounding a corner near the mouth of the Okitsu river. This print was include in the artist’s famous print series titled “The 53 Stages of the Tokaido”. Click on the following link to see the playlist titled “Searching For Hiroshige Ando.” http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL30008B9E557353C3&feature=view_all

What do you do with personal spiritual evidence?

My response to the following question (taken slightly out of context).

“What do you do with personal spiritual/numinal evidence? I have personally experienced what would be called a “spiritual” moment. The experience itself was utterly overwhelming, totally indescribably, and absolutely neutral. Indeed it was probably neutral precisely because it was so intellectually overwhelming. Only afterward, when I was trying to make sense of the experience, did I realize that I kept trying to make the blank slate of the experience conform to certain cultural and religious concepts. I believe religion takes advantage of this “empty space” by telling those who have had these experiences what they mean; by presenting ready answers to those desperate for something which can be grasped easily. I think religious dogma, iconography, etc are mapped on to these experiences after the fact, sometimes immediately after the fact for those heavily influenced by such ideas. On the other side of the coin however we have science. A scientist would likely say that I had some sort of psychological/physiological episode, and indeed I may have. I tend not to think so however as I have no history of such events, I’ve not had one since, and I was utterly lucid during the whole experience. The event was wholly phenomenological, i.e. personally experienced, and completely outside of my control. I have no evidence to show and I cannot reproduce the results. Dismissing personally experienced evidence because it is unable to be reproduced and peer-reviewed seems similarly dogmatic as letting religion hijack your experience. Obviously I could not use the experience to try to convince others of anything since I have nothing concrete to offer them, but that still leaves me with my experience. I have struggled with this for years. In the end I am forced to accept the experience as genuine (whatever that means), I have no reason to believe I was having abnormal brain chemistry or a powerful psychological break. Anyways, back to the main question, if you want to maintain a purely atheistic/scientific/materialist worldview how do you deal with what I will call “private” evidence?” -Anyonymous

My Dogma’s Bigger Than Yours

 

My Better Self

Vlogging about my wish to refine and improve my stance and handling of the important issue of religion and atheism as well as finding a way to better protect others from the negative effects of my general preference to be alone.