[lbo-talk] A time of doubt for atheists

[Wojtek Sokolowski]

Tom Kelly:
> Speaking as an
> ex-atheist, I actually never got anything out of atheism except an excuse
to
> bitch about a deity I _claimed_ I did not believe in.

I guess nothing is more ardent than a newly found faith of a proselyte, more
Catholic than the pope, as they say, so mere arguments will not get very far
- but how do you explain the fact that societies that are largely free from
insecurities also show decline of religiosity?  Do you also consider the
work of Malinowski linking insecurity to religion in primitive societies a
bunch of hogwash?  How about Emile Durkheim equating religion with
institutional organization of society?

I think there is plenty of evidence that the priestly class is a bunch of
parasites pr(a)eying (pun intended) on human misery, uncertainty, and
emotional needs for closure and connectedness.

Wojtek