I think we're just about all of us atheists at this point. I've even met one or two Chasidic Jews who professed to be. Much of what qualifies as "faith" is really habit developed in childhood, and I've rarely met anyone who convinced me they believed in God (at least as conceived in any meaningful form) in the same manner they believe in the existence of China. In fact, when I've engaged theists on this topic I've generally been confronted with the "pragmatic argument" (as opposed to the ontological argument or the argument from design), that faith is needed to fulfill various physiological desires. I think, religion does indeed fulfill these desires but it does so poorly and presumably it stops working altogether once faith becomes consciously pragmatic--i.e., you can't force yourself as a matter of conscious effort to believe or not believe in something (try honestly disbelieving the existence of China, e.g.) however beneficial belief appears to be. But for our part, I think the mistake atheists make--those who take pride in their atheism, i.e.--is in ignoring the needs religion fulfill--these have to be fulfilled in some manner and if religion is taken away the desire may get satiated through even more harmful means.
> Date: Sat, 10 Jan 2009 12:22:32 -0800
> From: delucasm at yahoo.com
> To: lbo-talk at lbo-talk.org
> Subject: Re: [lbo-talk] Young Repubs, cryin' in their beer
>
> They worship Mammon. Otherwise, no.
>
> --- On Sat, 1/10/09, Jim Farmelant <farmelantj at juno.com> wrote:
> From: Jim Farmelant <farmelantj at juno.com>
> Subject: Re: [lbo-talk] Young Repubs, cryin' in their beer
> To: lbo-talk at lbo-talk.org
> Cc: lbo-talk at lbo-talk.org
> Date: Saturday, January 10, 2009, 1:54 PM
>
>
> On Sat, 10 Jan 2009 11:44:27 -0800 (PST) Chris Doss
> <lookoverhere1 at yahoo.com> writes:
> >
> >
> > Aren't YR types typically atheists? Or am I thinking of Randians?
> >
>
> You're thinking of Randians and other assorted libertarians.
> Most Young Repubs would, I think, profess some sort
> of religious belief.
>
> Jim F.
>
> >
> > --- On Sat, 1/10/09, Sheldon Baker <humanist.observer at gmail.com>
> > wrote:
> > > >
> > >
> > > And many are probably religious as well.
> > > ___________________________________
> > > http://mailman.lbo-talk.org/mailman/listinfo/lbo-talk
> >
> >
> >
> > ___________________________________
> > http://mailman.lbo-talk.org/mailman/listinfo/lbo-talk
> >
> >
>
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