Why Atheism Is A Religion

If you have the opportunity to let all of your ideology go at your deathbed, why not? I'm not saying now that everyone must have someone pray for them at their deathbed. I'm just saying that this is IT. To take a narrow approach in your final hours is rather silly, so if someone prays for you, at least have the humility to allow it to happen. You don't have to, but it's kind of lame in my opinion. All someone is doing is basically wishing you their condolences in their own way.

 

If there's a good reason to be against someone praying for you when you're on your deathbed what would be it if the prayer is coming solely from good intent?

To prefer it is not done on the other hand does not make someone this or that neither by default of course. The arguments used to try to make clear why it should not be done seem kind of off to me, and I understand how China then comes to his accusing conclusion about Meagain (which also lacks accuracy).

This endless bickering and insisting the other person is this or that for taking a particualr stance is really pointless. Don't get me wrong, it would be good if it was a discussion where people would make nuanced statements and if they would be patient and openminded enough to see what the other one really wants to say... instead everybody seems annoyed by eachother here because everybody includes denigrating remarks and stereotypes in their posts, for no good reason mind you! I said it before in another discussion with pretty much the same people: most people in this thread deserve their debate partner 100%. They all seem a different side on the same coin. People seem to have a hard time appreciating and acknowledging stuff that doesn't agree with them. We're always seem to think in extremes where it comes about the people that think/believe different, but this is exactly what makes people go wrong and the convo/discussion go in circles again.

 

Prefer to be surrounded by family and friends and talk with them.

 

The one who is praying for you don't have to be physically at your deathbed. I have no particular idea how I want to pass away at all, but it is fair to say I probably don't want a bunch of strangers around me neither. That's understandable. Probably prefer family and friends as well (or perhaps wonder off in the woods and lay down and die on my own ).

 

Some random person praying who is out of sight, out of mind seems odd to me but it is more innocuous than the deathbed repentance thing, which is what I thought was primarily what we were discussing. If they praying on their own time, in their own confines I see it as basically like a sympathy sentiment but I still understand how families who lost loved ones in the holocaust might find the Latter Day Saints example of proxy baptism in bad taste.

 

That's why it is useful to not assume too much right away (which is probably also done because we think we know eachother a little by now). Praying for someone else who does not believe in things you do is not a problem, but yes, having all kinds of people around your deathbed you weren't waiting for of course is. I bet Chinacat had the first thing in mind (just praying for someone else) and is coming from that stance with his posts about this matter. He can probably also see the reason in that not everybody is waiting for representatives of every religion one is not part of at their deathbed But he got ovely concerned about all these reactions against the praying for someone else (it seems like this to me, you may correct me if i'm wrong China )

People have prayed for me at metal festivals. They were near the entrance and no festival visitor was bothered by them unless those people got overly bothered by the idea themselves and start agitating against those christians. I for one had a chat with them in the morning when I crawled from the camping to the festival terrain and got a great cup of coffee they brought with them in thermos cans. Did I saw any usefulness in them praying for us? No. Did I appreciate the thought? Why not. At most i would be indifferent to it. I did find it a little amusing to be honest but hey, they came from good intent. Some people make a problem of things merely because they don't like it or don't agree with it. Seeing everything you disagree with as a problem is well.... making people sound frustrated

 

Great Post!

 

I agree!
Wow, me again. Wow!
Thank you for putting into words what I couldn't.
BRILLIANT!

And why is this an issue.
I am not obsessed with people's beliefs whatever they may be or not be!
Does it make you feel better about yourself to call atheism a religion?

 

I already explained I fully understand people do not want these people at their deathbed. I think Chinacat should understand that too. It does not make an atheist (or any other person) lame at all. But if someone wants to pray for them in another place (which may seem odd but is done by certain christians all the time, they pray for people they never met that died in a disaster, they light candles in church for people they never met (just like other people, even atheists, do at disaster/remembrance sites, it is really only as odd as you feel it is ).

It is not different from a religious person not wanting people blathering things they feel they don't have use for at their deathbed.

Of course lots of people don't want strangers at their deathbed, especially if they would talk about things you never believed in and are not waiting to hear now. People, this is all very logical and understandable. The fact that a lot people don't like that shit does not mean praying for someone else is a nasty thing. Intruding on a person's privacy or rest when he's dying in whatever way is. Confusing these things or portraying as if they are inevitably connected to eachother is what is so pointless.

 

Thinking for others may be another reason why these threads go in circles.

 

I said what I said so we hopefully would get out of a circle (yeah right like that would happen ). I went out of my way to say I am trying to explain where I see people going wrong and if it is not right I hope they correct me. If you are implying I am thinking for others maybe you are exactly one of those people who's stuck in certain assumptions. Everyone in this thread has projected stuff on others because they assume too much. Everyone is too eager to conclude the other is this or that because of a certain belief they have (or lack)

 

I don't see how humiliation is an issue with praying for someone else when they're dying, as long as no one's privacy or personal space is intruded on.

 

Two threads about "the atheists"
Those people.... Us and them is an issue.
And for the record, I hate it whenever says to me I will pray for you.
Please....you give yourself too much credit.

 

D00d you straight up did it again in the following post too..

I don't see the benefit in providing these proverbial cushions where the poster doesn't have to critically examine his or her thoughts.

 

Sigh... I am the one worded it like that. But I am not literally thinking for him at all. I am trying to explain how I see things. In fact if you see that as 'thinking for others' then everyone who is trying to shine a light on what someone else said is doing so... I'm not trying to think for him. I am also not agreeing with Chinacat on many things. Not sure why you are so focussing on this. Aren't we all at times explaining what we think where others go wrong? It's nothing more than that.

Me neither. If you think I am trying to say China does not have to critically examine his thoughts I don't know what you've been reading.

 

Too much credit at my expense.
I don't need anyone praying for me who has not been there for me or loved me all along, as if they are....words are not even necassary.
It is a given in that case one who loves me wants the best for me.
I will pray for you from people who could give two shits about me are just words people mutter like robots, as they don't know what else to say. Who needs that?
I don't.

 

Some people love praying for every dying stranger, they might do it in church. It does not matter what such a dying stranger thinks of it. They wouldn't even know

 

Let's unpack this a bit then...

Why is having all kinds of people around your deathbed you weren't waiting for a problem and what has ChinaCat said that leads you to believe that that is not what he is supporting?