h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Hello Hitchhikers! I'm looking for a bit of input to help make this a better article. Simply post to this forum any grammatical errors you might see, as well as suggestions/comments for improving it. Please, do not be afraid to say what others have already said. Repeat comments help me determine the difference between a lone reaction and a definite problem. Thank you.

hullo, hullo

*pant, puff*

Sorry I'm late getting here. Been out playing in the Guide.
[skids to stop, looks around]
Gee, looks like everyone else is out playing, too.

Anyway, atheism is one of my favorite things, having been one for most of my life. [something wrong with that sentence structure, but not sure what]

Have read the article, and have no specific correction at the moment. I DO like ferrets, tho.

The interesting thing about atheism is that others seem to have the urge to convince you that you aren't REALLY an atheist. "you mean you're an agnostic, don't you? you MUST believe we came from SOMETHING???"

nope

You are right on the mark about the moral issue thingie. people with a religion dont have to invent their own moral structure. Atheists hafta figger their own moral structure out from scratch, so they also hafta put more time and thought into it. I don't need a fear of 'daddy' [or 'mommie' in a matriarchial religion] punishing me to keep me from doing 'bad' things. I try to conduct myself in a way that takes into consideration how people act and react, and what will help us all to function at our best over the long term. Sorta 'karma' without the mysticism.

Do I respect the powers of the universe? You betcha! [gravity works!] Do I think they are sentient? Nope.

If there's anything here you can incorporate into your article, feel free. Atheism is much maligned and little understood by the god-fearing world. [interesting phrase, isn't it? 'god-FEARING?????...]

blu
}:=8

That pretty much says it, I think...

I might add, however, that it also helps to think about how you would like others to behave towards *you*. If you then act accordingly towards others, you get quite a well-working moral standard.

For example: if I don't like people to turn their backs on me during a conversation, I shouldn't do so myself either.

Didn't need any theism to teach me that.

And the pompous religious intones:

[outstreched hands, sanctimonious look on face]

"Yes, you have just repeated THE GOLDEN RULE. You see, you really ARE religious"

Which, of course, has nothing to do with anything, except that religions have outlined ethical structures, too. And thereby confusing an ethical structure with a belief in a sentient creator.

This is so true, I can't imagine what else needs to be said about it.

The biggest difference, I think, is motivation. Theists are motivated to be good, morally upstanding people by fear. Atheists do it just because it makes sense.

I wonder... would that mean that Atheists have really thought about it more intelligently before they decided how they should behave?

Fear, after all, is more like an instinct

Of course we thought about it! The religious types don't have to think about their morality, because it is prepackaged for their convenience. "This is wrong...this is right..." Atheists don't have any set rules, so we make judgements at each individual situation. Which, by the way, is what I feel to be the healthier approach. There are no clear black-and-white situations out there, only shades of grey. An adaptable world outlook can keep you from going insane and declaring yourself the Messiah.

Again, I couldn't agree more. I wouldn't have said it in quite the same words (some words are hard to find in a foreign language), but I was feeling the same way too... Just didn't have the guts to say so, because I was afraid somebody might think I was declaring myself a Messiah

I've assembled a collection of some of my best arguments against Xtianity...check it out, you might enjoy it. Plus, the two of you might have something I hadn't considered...http://www.h2g2.com/A213247