[MD] Re; How is atheism a religion?

[Gene M]

> 1. Belief in supernatural beings (gods).
>     Belief in a pan-esthetic (i.e., supernatural) reality?
>
> 2. A distinction between sacred and profane objects.
>     A distinction between high and low Quality experiences?
>
> 3. Ritual acts focused on sacred objects.
>     (not applicable.)
>
> 4. A moral code believed to be sanctioned by the gods.
>     A moral code believed to be innate in the universe?
>
> 5. Characteristically religious feelings (awe, sense of mystery, sense of
> guilt, adoration), which tend to be aroused in the presence of sacred
> objects and during the practice of ritual, and which are connected in idea
> with the gods
>     (Probably not applicable.)
>
> 6. Prayer and other forms of communication with gods.
>     Latching onto the Intellectual level?
>
> 7. A world view, or a general picture of the world as a whole and the
> place
> of the individual therein. This picture contains some specification of an
> over-all purpose or point of the world and an indication of how the
> individual fits into it.
>     A view of the world as a multi-level heirarchy from which man evolves?
>
> 8. A more or less total organization of one's life based on the world
> view.
>     A more or less total organization of one's life based on the world
> view?
>
> 9. A social group bound together by the above.
>    The MOQ MD group?
>
> So you, too, could be religious!  Perhaps it is best that we all refrain
> from throwing stones at glass windows.


I'm glad to say of all of these things, I don't think many apply to me. Or
even the MOQ as a whole as I perceive it. 1 through 4 are all just plain
silly. 5 is the one I feel closest to, except without the sacred objects or
rituals. I often feel awe, adoration, and a sense of mystery related to
everyday things though. Trees, a river, a vista. So maybe 5.
7: Everyone ever has had a world view that desribes it as a whole, and our
place in it. I don't even think that should be in there! It's pretty much
necessary to survive in the world isn't it?
8 is beyond silly! Anyone who organizes their life based entirely on a
single set of ideas is stuck in static patterns, and I feel bad for them.
Hmm, I guess 9 would work if the rest applied, but I'm not yet ready to join
the first church of quality.

-Gene