Not wishing to further hijack the “Greatest thing ever written thread,” I give you some replies (here) to things written (there).
To mod CKDexter…thanks. I can take the heat, but it’s good to know there are rules and mods who step in if/when needed. What’s the old saying about never discussing certain topics? :smack: 
:dubious: 
:eek: 
My initial quote was: The 23rd Psalm…if you’re convinced you’re 100% atheist, read it. Still sure?
Panache quoted a later post: This is why I say that if someone professes to be atheist, I’d have to think they don’t react at all to these things.
Quoting Panache, Apparently we need a new thread: "The single most stupid thing written by anyone, ever. Possibly.
Panache used my quote without any context surrounding it. I could be reading between the lines wrong, but Panache seems to think I don’t realize they can appreciate these things purely as art.
First, I assume some people who are devout atheists AVOID anything religious in nature as much as possible. And I don’t assume that every atheist is this forum is a “former Christian” or living in a Christian area where you run into the 23rd Psalm at funerals and such, whether you want to hear it or not. I didn’t say “Read it AGAIN” because maybe they’ve NEVER read or heard it. It’s true, OTOH, that maybe they know it but haven’t thought about it in a long time.
Second, everybody has a different definition of art. There are people (believers and atheists alike) who probably don’t see what the big deal is about the 23rd Psalm. If the art isn’t as magnificent in their eyes, then it won’t serve to answer my question. So, I cited some other examples that tug at the heartstrings of many. I only chose them because I knew them…I know zero about the Koran (for instance) that I could quote as an excellent piece of writing, though I’m sure examples exist. Had I known some, I would have used them as well.
Omniscient posted that I should take the proselytizing elsewhere. I wasn’t proselytizing…which specific religion was I allegedly selling? Atheism is the belief that there is no God. That means no Yahweh, which relates to the 23rd Psalm. But atheism ALSO MEANS no Mohammed, no Buddah, no god(s), period—throw out wicca, voodoo, EVERYTHING.
So my question was whether such moving works of art ever caused a person to revisit their religious (athiest) beliefs. I thought it was possible that someone might say, “Damn, that 23rd Psalm is good! I don’t believe in Christianity, but that is so good that it makes me think maybe—just maybe—there is some higher power.”
“Something higher” might be the law of averages or shit happens or yin-yang or what goes around comes around or hell is other people, IOW something as simple as a great truth of some order in the universe. Or it might be more traditional.
To finish with the proselytizing angle, the accusation doesn’t fit. Reason: I’m not selling anything. To those who find that statement suspect, I say: Jehovah’s Witnesses come to your door hoping to bring you to their church or get your financial support, or whatever. I have no church to take you to, no cause to enlist you in, no reason to care what you believe or don’t, no brownie points to make with anyone. As I posted over there, IMO belief or non-belief is an individual journey for sure. Each person takes all the data in and arrives at his/her own answer and I think that’s exactly how it should be. Apologies to anyone who thought otherwise.
That said, I envy people who do think they know because it probably makes their lives simpler. They can’t sell it to me any more than I can sell it to you, however.
Lakai posted: Try to ignore the hostility toward religious people here. Religion hasn’t been as good to others as it has to you.
I appreciate that, but the irony of this comment just blows me away. I’m half-laughing, half-wincing over here. I can’t say I’ve had a good experience with religion because I haven’t had much experience with it at all.
I do have some spirituality, however. I’m more like, “OK, I’ll allow the possibility there is a higher power but I’m not sure what.” Sometimes I put the face of Jesus on it just for my own mental shorthand but if I had grown up elsewhere, I’d go with the local god(s).
I simply wondered if anyone else found transcendent art (especially with a religious theme) to have an effect on them that made them pause a moment and go just a little in that direction of believing or not.
Revenant replied: Amazing Grace, in particular, can set me off - but there are times when i’m unbothered, so I pretty much put that down to the singer and not the writing itself being brilliant. There’s probably a good many atheists (or just people of other religions) who would agree with me.
See the sentence I underlined above. I’ll risk an inference: Revenant is saying yes, these things can be deeply moving, but that never pushes the opinion toward the direction of a higher power. If so, that answers my question. Others atheists may agree with Revenant, or not.
I already posted over there about ethology…oog, I don’t have the strength.
I don’t promise to stick around for every post in this thread. I know dopers enjoy making good arguments for things they believe in etc. Problem here is, I think I’m defending myself against what some others seem to think I believe (but don’t). That’s not nearly as much fun.
