FUCKERS!

[Darunia]

I noticed a lot of Communists in that list (though to be fair, I assume you were just copying and pasting without any alteration).

Do you mean Russian or Communist? I'm not going to go back through the list one-by-one to Wiki every name and find a communist... I am sure there are some, and I don't mind in the least if there are. Communist countries, go hand in hand with some of the greater revolutionary moments in world history (Revoltionary France was also atheistic.) These were great watershed moments in history that sought to totally rebuild and redirect humanity... they dreamt, as I do, of a humanity that functions on reason and science, not on superstition. While I am not a communist, I am a humanist... and unfortunately, humanity as a whole did not prove strong enough to work in an atheistic society. People need deities. Many people, either for lack of intellectual horsepower or out of fear of their own mortality, cannot and never will accept the idea that there is no afterlife. So? They cling to warm, fuzzy religious ideas.

But in all seriousness, I wasn't trying to start a religious debate. At the same time, I knew the thread might spiral in that direction. I'm actually finding the current debate interesting, though, so carry on if you would like.

/Nod

The way I see it, agnosticism accepts that we don't know. Science does not fill in answers to the mysteries of the universe with copout answers such as "God did it," but it is equally a copout to conclude that there is no God because we cannot prove this.

Stop right there. See my debate above: I am merely disproving the Abrahamic deity. I cannot sit here in my chair and proclaim the total absence of anything deity-like. But common, sensical and logical observation of the world around me CONCLUSIVELY, EMPIRICALLY, DEFINITIEVELY proves that the ABRAHAMIC DEITY does not, and has never existed. No more than Zeus or Athena.

If religion makes people feel better about losing a loved one or gives them the willpower to fight diseases or overcome life's hardships, then it's fine to believe. However, I have no tolerance for religious-based ignorance, especially when it leads to discrimination or impedes scientific (especially medical) progress (i.e. stem cell research).

As militant as I come off, I have reached this conclusion years ago. I love and spend a lot of time with my grandparents, and they're both devout Catholics. While I do from time to time get in a little dig at Grandma in good nature, I would never openly disavow their religion in front of them. At their age, what else does one have? But even in a large scope, I don't go around picking fights with Christians... although it would be fun, and every now and again when one gives challenge, I'll totally obliterate them in a debate (they always invariably retreat into the "well you can't disprove God" thing, or well where did the Big Bang come from? See? God must've done it."

On the whole, I used to dream of a fantastic society where humanity works hand-in-hand, shoulder-to-shoulder, a la Star Trek, for a great, bright future where religion and superstition are forgotten, and we all celebrate science and devote our resources to scientific endeavours to better humanity... like, increasing lifespan, driving back mortality rates, exploring the cosmos, and developing every single academic field to the fullest capacity.

Alas... so much for dreaming.

On the same note, I'm sure we've all seen the trends in the news of declining religious fervor in developed countries... increasing agnosticism. Many European countries like Iceland, France and the Nordic countries are majority agnostic... and they're doing fine. So, many there is hope? I don't know. If I had to bet, I'd say that in 100 years, in the western world, religion will be a far-right fringe cult. The lower classes may need it for a while longer, but the enlightened and patrician need not be encumbered by it.