Re: [asa] Re: (religious memes?)

Dehler, Bernie wrote:
> Dr. Campbell said:
> "One might legitimately describe the progressive nature of revelation as evolutionary in some fashion, though I would agree with Gregory that this is somewhat stretching the definition of evolution."
>
> Gregory probably also objects to cosmological evolution because it isn't like biological evolution. Evolution is different in society, stars, and biology in details; the same component of evolution is in all, that more complex things are built-up from simpler things (not de novo creations of complex things).
>
> Dr. Campbell said:
> "The atheism meme seems to overlap with a lot of human sacrifice, too,
> though in the form of guillotines, genocide, gulags, etc. rather than
> on a physical altar."
>
> I think it is a shame to blame genocide on atheism just as it is to blame the Crusades on Christianity. Both atheism and Christianity have been used to instigate evil, but they have also both been used to instigate good.
>
What is an example where atheism has been used for "good"? (and saying
that it is useful to combat "false & highly culpable Christianity" would
be begging the question over which one is true in the first place.)
I'm not asking this rhetorically just to poke at you (well, okay, maybe
I am just a little bit...) but I really am curious how this could be
answered. And we'll jump past the whole problem of how an atheist
could define "good" in the first place. I'm willing to grant, for here
and now, that atheists can recognize and aspire towards "good" like most
others regardless of religious or irreligious platform. Again: where
is the example of "St. Bertrand's health clinic for inner city youth"
or the "Murray O'Hair hospice for indigents"? PLEASE NOTE: I'm not
disputing that atheists have done good things being highly philanthropic
in their own ways. I'm sure many have --including Dawkins too. But
where is the example of an organization motivated *by* and *because of*
its atheism to strive for venerable and selfless goals? (very
anti-Nietzschean that would be). There probably are some; I haven't
been looking. Your last statement above shows some confidence that you
know of such things.

--Merv

To unsubscribe, send a message to majordomo@calvin.edu with
"unsubscribe asa" (no quotes) as the body of the message.
Received on Wed Sep 2 16:26:20 2009