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Saturday 27 March 2010

Importances of being a Skeptical / Atheist / Humanist / Rationalist / Freethinker

Importances of being a Skeptical / Atheist / Humanist / Rationalist / Freethinker
Humanists are much concerned advocating for a free world because we want to live in a world where we are surrounded by rational, knowledgeable people who care about critical thinking. We care because the world would be a better place if it were not populated by powerful fantasies in spirits,rewards,spirits,hell etc.
Many atrocities have been committed in the name of a Supernatural omnipotent God,taking and example of what is taking place Israel and Palestine,What is happening in Nigeria between muslims and christians and this has caused loss of lives in the name of religion,i guess this world could have been a better place assuming such divisons along religious lines were present.The september 11th attack on the world trade center building in New York is something not worth forgetting, done in the name of religious fundamentalism.
Humanists try to use our brains to separate what is worthy of belief from what is not, and we stand to be corrected incase we are proved wrong.We believe this is a good thing to give chance to understand the world we live in better other than doing some thing or taking it to be absolute truth.We care because we value honesty and integrity, and we know that our lives will be better if those around us also value honesty and integrity.
Humanists and other rational people are more concerned by the high rate of hypocrisy evidenced in our people's actions for example political and religious leaders proclaim that "all human life is sacred"and the very people are "destroying human life in the hopes of saving human life some thing which is  not ethical,"by this i mean existence of religious wars and potical wars which have different motives influencing them to happen like economics mostly.
Does science has the answer to all our questions?
Humanists believe Science can answer only empirical questions and it can't answer all empirical questions. That's why science is so interesting. If it can't answer a question it doesn't give up and declare a miracle has happened. Science tries to figure out a way to answer those questions it cannot now answer. Science isn't infallible and it often gets the wrong answer. Unlike irrational faith, however, science has ways of determining when it has made errors and ways of correcting those errors.
Science has a set of public methods for investigating, debating, arguing, and resolving empirical disputes. These disputes are best dealt with by scientists in the scientific arena.
Isn't skepticism (or atheism) or Humanism a kind of religion with its own faith in science (and reason)?
The answer is a capital NO due to the points mentioned below:
- Humanism,skepticism is not a set of beliefs and Nor is atheism.
- They do not have elaborate mythologies built around them.
- They don't involve practicing any rituals.
- There isn't worshipping anyone or anything.
- In science we use logic, and reason in the attempt to root out error, not perpetuate it by disallowing challenges to beliefs, as religions do.
- There is no belief in rewards and punishment ie Talking about heavens and hell,angels,ghosts.
- There is no devine revelations in science and we do not believe in them for they lack real tangible evidence.
- There is no "holy or sacred books" in science,hte question scientists ask is who determined that such books should be holy or not?Who placed there such categorization.
- There is no virgin births in science,science is all about reality,its not mythical......
Compiled by:
Bwambale Robert
Director/Founder
Kasese United Humanist Association
          
 

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