> From: George H. Smith smikro@earthlink.net
> Some religious believers may take great pleasure in the exclusionary
> implications of "God Bless America," as if atheists are somehow less than
> legitimate members of American society. But for me tolerance and
> understanding are part of being an atheist, so I refuse to judge a belief on
> the basis of its worst representatives.
Since the word "God" has no rigorous working definition, and can mean whatever
one wishes (it may even mean something similar to Extropy if one sees fit to
define it that way), then "atheism" does not mean disbelief in such a vague
concept, and atheists can assume the existence of such. Note that the "God
Bless America" mantra differs from "Theism Bless America," and so the blessing
is merely one of positive affirmation rather than a statement of one's
theological position. So, one can be an atheist without being godless. The US
tolerates those who don't believe in "god" better than it tolerates those who
don't believe in America.
For more on this, read Why The West Has Won
http://www.newstatesman.co.uk/200111050046.htm
G.O.D. = Genetic algorithms + Organic chemistry + Darwinian evolution
--- --- --- --- ---
Useless hypotheses, etc.:
consciousness, phlogiston, philosophy, vitalism, mind, free will, qualia,
analog computing, cultural relativism, GAC, Cyc, Eliza, cryonics, individual
uniqueness, ego, human values, scientific relinquishment, malevolent AI
We move into a better future in proportion as science displaces superstition.
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