5 Religious Leaders Who Gave Up the Faith and Became Outspoken Atheists and Agnostics

Richirich713:
and after they converted no none care what they thought anymore, for just like all atheists, they will be forgotten.

But jesus will remain the most influential person to ever live.

naijapips02:


Really?

Do you know Brad Pitt before or after he became an atheist?

Richirich713:


Honestly I never even knew he was a atheist, It just shows people don't care wat he believe or thinks, they just watch his movies.

naijapips02:


Yeah. Religion or the lack of it shouldn't form any pedestal with which to judge our fellow humans. A good man is a good man, whether atheist or muslim.

Richirich713:


And then wat should we judge man's actions on?

How do we know what is good and what is not?

naijapips02:


You would know good when you see it....trust me.

Richirich713:


And then wat should we judge man's actions on?

How do we know what is good and what is not?

johnydon22:


Just one question. . Are you trying to tell me that without religion you wouldn't know murdering your child is wrong?

johnydon22:
Seriously whats the meaning of this thread?

Richirich713:


Yes to some people it will be no problem.

johnydon22:


Please my question was directed to you not to some people... Without religion You cannot distinguish between what you find to right or wrong in relation to human interactions?

naijapips02:


in response to winner01's allusive thread on atheist converting to Christianity.

Richirich713:


No u can distinguished according to ur views but it's only going to be ur opinion.

johnydon22:


Are you in any form of competition with anybody on who deconverted to this or who converted to that?

The position of being atheistic is not a religious position but rather a position of unbelief in God(s) so equating that position with converting to a certain religion is totally uncool and uncalled for.

This is not a competition, people find FAITH people loose it to subscribe to honest skepticism and intellectual honesty and curiosity people also find Faith even after being atheistic, it is a matter of psychological tilt of the subject..

It is not a competition, so i would say this thread was totally unnecessary..

naijapips02:


have you heard about the 'common good' ?

Richirich713:


No u can distinguished according to ur views

but it's only going to be ur opinion.

winner01:
You dont leave a place youve never been.

Anthony Pinn. Anthony Pinn is a professor of religious studies at Rice University and an outspoken expert on African-American humanism. As he explained in a recent speech at Skepticon, he began preaching at the ripe old age of 12, and was ordained at age of 18. His doubts started immediately after he started working as a youth pastor in Bed-Stuy in Brooklyn. Now he has a Ph.D. in religious studies from Harvard and a professorship in Houston, and he’s a blunt and outspoken critic of religion, focusing specifically on religion’s inability to address the concerns of the black community.

Depending on your point of view, Pinn’s acerbic wit and no-holds-barred approach to the discussion of belief versus non-belief is either delightful or offensive. In a recent interview with the Root, Pinn summed up his critique of religion by saying, “I think African Americans are worse off because of their allegiance to theism. The belief in God and gods has not been particularly useful or productive for them. It has lessened their appeal to their own creativity and ingenuity, and in most cases has resulted in a kind of bizarre understanding of suffering as a marker of closeness to God and a mark of divine favor. Nothing good can come out of that.”

naijapips02:


have you heard about the 'common good' ?

johnydon22:

Good now i am glad you have agreed someone can have a moral standard with or without religion which has murdered your assertion of asking how to determine morality without religion... Hope you can correct yourself accordingly..

It is called INDEPENDENT MORAL BASIS in conformity to human social interactions..




And the doctrines of moral dictates you now follow as a Christian or so are they not also Opinions of the progenitors of such doctrines?

naijapips02:


No! i wanted to show him how silly it was to open a thread on who deconverted to what.

Richirich713:


And that's where the problem comes, u believe I'm just following man's opinions cuz to u there's no God.

Richirich713:
and after they converted no none care what they thought anymore, for just like all atheists, they will be forgotten.

But jesus will remain the most influential person to ever live.

johnydon22:
Last i checked here i have not mentioned the actuality of Personal Gods on this thread.

You only believe the dictates of these men because you also believe they are the dictates of God.

It is a circle of moral dance... Bible said (written by man) -----> (You believe bible is word of God) therefore God said -----> Then you obey.

I myself can also draft out my own idea of moral code and say God said it..

Last i checked there is no moral code in the bible that have not been present in older philosophies in different cultures and religions in different timelines.

And there are also many chargers of this word of God that spells abject barbarism that you yourself can never bring yourself to carry out... why is that..

Richirich713:


And this is where ur beliefs come in, there's no God, so bible must have been written by men who just said a God said it.

U don't even believe in God, so to u the bible is just lies by men.

johnydon22:

Hahahahaha are we still going over this? I have not mentioned the existence of personal Gods here you keep bringing them up..

So should we also take it that other moral codes that predates even the old testament are also from the different God concepts of the cultures they are found in?

Like Hammurabi code
Code of Narsim
Maat
Code of Uruk...

There are many ancient moral codes found in every culture and civilization, should we also conclude these codes are the words of the different God(s) of these civilizations?



Not believing in a God is not synonymous to saying the bible is a lie anymore than saying Code of Uruk are lies by men.

You see for such code to claim the involvement of a deity, it shows to be much shallow and rooted in preexisting codes and most times is not compatible with a 21st century ethic.. Morality or societal ethics remains a social construct that differs from society to society.

E.G The word of God (bible) said it is ok to burn a wayward daughter of a priest to death (Don't give me it is in the old testament stuff because unless you agree the old testament and new testament yahweh are different deities then i would take you serious on that.. )

So why are you not doing this, why is it you don't like homosexuality just like the old testament asserts but don't agree with it when it comes to burning wayward daughters of priests..

johnydon22:

Hahahahaha are we still going over this? I have not mentioned the existence of personal Gods here you keep bringing them up..

johnydon22:

So should we also take it that other moral codes that predates even the old testament are also from the different God concepts of the cultures they are found in?

Like Hammurabi code
Code of Narsim
Maat
Code of Uruk...

There are many ancient moral codes found in every culture and civilization, should we also conclude these codes are the words of the different God(s) of these civilizations?

johnydon22:


Not believing in a God is not synonymous to saying the bible is a lie anymore than saying Code of Uruk are lies by men.

You see for such code to claim the involvement of a deity, it shows to be much shallow and rooted in preexisting codes and most times is not compatible with a 21st century ethic.. Morality or societal ethics remains a social construct that differs from society to society.

E.G The word of God (bible) said it is ok to burn a wayward daughter of a priest to death (Don't give me it is in the old testament stuff because unless you agree the old testament and new testament yahweh are different deities then i would take you serious on that.. )

So why are you not doing this, why is it you don't like homosexuality just like the old testament asserts but don't agree with it when it comes to burning wayward daughters of priests..