collaborative writing to get rid of religions

[Sébastien Chikara]

Anyone know a wiki where atheists could go to collaboratively write the strongest atheist text ever written? Let's make a synthesis of atheism then push this meme forward. Religions are the most regressive forces currently active in our society, let's work together to maximize our chances to move into a better future by getting rid of them all.

[Norseman]

Religions are not all necessarily bad. Granted they do roughly the same thing as a guy who breaks your legs and offers surgery to fix them, but still, Buddhism is a half-decent religion. Some people need religion, but most of those people probably wouldn't if they weren't first crippled by it.

All in all, if such a text could be made, it would be wonderful, because the peaceful transition from religion to atheism is about the best thing that can possibly happen to any person. However the challenge is in making the text, certaintly christianity could be debunked on its ass, but the other religions still wouldn't be too heavily affected.

Things need to be one step at a time. Demanding or even expecting everyone to simultaneously change is at the least foolhardy, and in the worst case scenario could lead to some "heathen hanging". Think one step at a time, and put the peices of the puzzle together, eventually you'll have your proof, as long as you don't start living in a house of cards.

[StrictSeparationist]

This seems to be better suited to PA&SA, and I don't really think it has anything to do with CSS.

[Mageth]

Anyone know a wiki where atheists could go to collaboratively write the strongest atheist text ever written? Let's make a synthesis of atheism then push this meme forward. Religions are the most regressive forces currently active in our society, let's work together to maximize our chances to move into a better future by getting rid of them all.

With all due respect, statements like "push this meme forward" and "move into a better future by getting rid of them all" sound religious, even dogmatic, to me. Do we really want to be perceived by the religious as wishing, even striving, to get rid of all religion and replace it with some "synthesis of atheism"?

I'm not saying that a world without at least some manifestations of religion would probably be a better world to live in, or that we should not actively seek to defend atheism as a justifiable philosophical position, hopefully allowing atheism to become a position that can be accepted and held by more people in the world. I'm just nervous about atheism becoming militant and dogmatic, or even being perceived as militant and dogmatic.

[Occams_Razor]

I would of course encourage any such effort, but I don't think it would be very effective. Since atheism has no affirmative tenets, the document would simply be a collection of strong argument for not believing in religion. To convince, such arguments require critical thinking on the part of the reader. Most people's eyes would glaze over after two paragraphs. It requires a sheeplike mentality to accept religion. It requires a person to give up thinking for themselves. You think most people who are happy to let others think for them on the most profound issues in their lives would ever muster or ever want to muster the fortitude to leave the womb of ignorance? You're asking the sheep to voluntarily leave the comfort of the herd!

[Writer@Large]

Since atheism has no affirmative tenets, the document would simply be a collection of strong argument for not believing in religion.Obviously, such an effort would have to be more positively-focused--say, a Wiki based within a secular philosophy like humanism. And then, there would be groups much better suited to starting/maintaining it than we!

--W@L

[Guido]

Good idea to create places where freethinkers can come and create statements about ethics, beliefs and modern-world problems. I don't think it's a good idea to get rid of religions. Like other replies I think that's a dogmatic approach. It can only make religion stronger, look at regimes that suppressed some or all religions, when those regimes fell, religion came on much stronger.

I think our task is to free people from religion. If people gain more freedom to make up their own mind, to lead their life according to their own valueus and reasoned opinions, religion wil wither as a result of that.

It was progres in science that questioned the truths of the church and opened the path to enlightenment and atheism. It was better contraceptives that made people take charge of their sex-life and break taboo's. Let's give people the right tools to make up their minds and let's teach them it's OK to think and feel outside the boundaries religions set. The rest will follow.

You also have to know there is no single "atheism" there's as much kinds of atheism as there are atheists. In the US, churches are very militant and religion influences public opinion. In large parts of Europe this is not the case, our atheist organisations are more turned to making a better society for all - religious people included - and less anti-christianism like in the US. Any collective declaration or text should take this into account.

[A. Uiet bhor]

I must admit a pooling of minds would be interesting; I’ve been working on several attempts to create a definitive introduction to all that is good about non-belief, and what secular philosophies have to offer.

The trick when wishing to take on religion, is not get to annoyed about them, there are times I feel physically sick, and angry talking to them, as well as worried reading fundie material. However we have to be better than that, as being reactionary is, for a lot them, what it's all about. Instead, casually introduce moral ideas not derived from their holy books, and drag them into a debate, then win it. Its that simple, getting at them though evidence, history or reason doesn’t work, they live in another world, but morality, that cuts deep for many of them. They labour under the impression that their faith is the best ethical system around, make them doubt it, and your onto a winner, remember doubt is our greatest ally, curiosity killed the god, and knowledge is are ammo.

If you like I could post some samples of the kind of thing I’m working on, it’s not so much anti religion, as trying to make them more honest about themselves and their faith.

Another piece is about their claims; I list, and then debunk them, giving examples of superior secular alternatives. I’m looking for more examples of their claims, could anyone help? "Faith keeps me from committing crimes" etc.