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Originally Posted by nation-x
First, you are mistaken that all Atheists are secular humanists... I certainly am not. I don't need to justify my existence and from where I sit, secular humanist philosophy originates from a position of weakness... the need to justify their existence. It is simple enough to accept that noone has the answers to the question of the origin of life... and there is no need to justify ones existence. I am alive and that is a basic truth.
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So what are you?
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Secular humanists share that flaw with Christians (and many other religions)... the need to justify their existence and to make themselves feel special in some way. It is logical, however, to say that we are the product of our environment that shapes our moral compass. To simply dismiss that is false logic.
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Our environment shapes our moral compass? You're advocating a form of relativism here. We are the product of our society. Our rules exist in our society and other rules exist in other societies, which means what's right for you may not be right for me.
Furthermore, I think you're all about stereotypes. Why do religious people need to justify their existence? How is that any different than you telling me that "we are the product of our environment..." You get crazies from both sides, aka the religious fanatics and people in prison, and then the moral relativist left, all who try to justify their existence. I believe in God/higher power and I choose to follow his laws. That's not a justification for anything.
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Atheism has philosophy in the same sense that religion does. If you are a Southern Baptist you probably think your religious philosophy (theology) is superior to some other denominations or religions. The Christian right definitely thinks that its religion is better than Islam... so there is the proof in the pudding that we are the product of our perception which was shaped through experience and culture.
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I'm not sure the Christian right thinks that. I'm Jewish and I'm glad Christianity and Islam exist as different forms of religion. There are extremists everywhere but I would rather have religion dominate than secular humanism.
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Religion is here to stay... it's a matter of reality. Even if religion was eliminated, there would be philosophical differences between people based on environment and culture that would be the next excuse to hate each other.
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I can agree to that.