I'm the prof for this course, PHIL 3310, Atheism & Philosophy. I hold degrees from the University of Missouri and Vanderbilt, and I'm here because the question of god continues to perplex and divide people. I'd like for this course to address that perplexity and lessen that division, by exploring the implications of a godless universe and disabusing both believers and non-believers (and "nones") of some of the prejudices and preconceptions that foster mutual mistrust and disrespect. I believe we can, with the right intentions and a willingness to hear one another out, surmount many if not most of our differences.
I've done this course many times, always with mostly-different texts and a different thematic focal point. This time it's "neuroexistentialism," "Darwinian existentialism," meaning and purpose, and the perennial tension/hostility between some exponents of science and others of religion. Can't we all just get along?
I also teach courses on Bioethics, Environmental Ethics, and Happiness, among others. Last summer I did a fun summer course in the Master of Liberal Arts (MALA) program called Identity and Truth, I'm offering one next summer called Evolution in America.
Enough about me, unless you want to look at my slightly longer introduction in the CoPhilosophy (Intro) course.
Who are you? Why are you here? (Bear in mind, as you reply, that this is an open site. There's nothing preventing the world from reading what we post here, except of course the world's own considerable distraction.) Post your introduction below in "comments," and read your classmates' intros.
I also teach courses on Bioethics, Environmental Ethics, and Happiness, among others. Last summer I did a fun summer course in the Master of Liberal Arts (MALA) program called Identity and Truth, I'm offering one next summer called Evolution in America.
Enough about me, unless you want to look at my slightly longer introduction in the CoPhilosophy (Intro) course.
Who are you? Why are you here? (Bear in mind, as you reply, that this is an open site. There's nothing preventing the world from reading what we post here, except of course the world's own considerable distraction.) Post your introduction below in "comments," and read your classmates' intros.
Hello, my name is Patricia Hummel, and I am an Economics major here at MTSU. I'm taking this course because I believe that the foundations of Economics were constructed by philosophy, so I try to take philosophy courses for my electives. A bonus is that I've had this professor before, and I liked how he ran my Intro to Philosophy class, and it seems like he will run this class similarly. Regarding religion, I consider myself unaffiliated with one religion as I believe there is knowledge to be found in all of them, and I understand faith to be something that everyone must have to reach any type of clarity. Thus, the topic of this course interested me.
ReplyDeleteI find the differences in religion interesting, but even more so the similarities. What you say about all religion having knowledge to be found in them is something I personally believe to be true as well, but what knowledge is the 'truest' in each of them or what not is where I become skeptical and take with a grain of salt.
DeleteI am Ed Craig. I am retired from at least three different careers, maybe more depending on how you count what I’ve done. I am here working toward a bachelor’s degree in philosophy. I’m not finally getting my college degree, however. I hold degrees from the University of Tennessee, the University of Florida, and Georgetown University. I’m studying philosophy because it makes me happy. I know this because of what I learned in the Philosophy of Happiness class. I’m taking this class because I want to understand and be able to articulate the reasons people have for believing or not believing in a god.
ReplyDeleteLike many southerners raised in Christian families, I have had a life-long struggle with the question of God’s existence. My family ranged from the fanatics, who had “actual” conversations with God, to wonderfully sincere Christians who simply lived their lives consistent with the philosophy of Jesus, to “social Christians” (my immediate family), who went to church on Sunday but never talked about religion or did anything more than say grace at dinner. It was confusing. I generally opted out of it all in my young adult years. I was reintroduced to it in my 40s when I sought to increase my spirituality/transcendence by taking a 9-month long course at the Episcopal church near my home. I was fortunate to find a priest with a doctorate in psychology and a great appreciation for the metaphors of biblical mythology and how they helped, in a non-judgmental way, us live our lives. I found in the music and traditions of the high church a path to transcendence, and came to believe that it did not matter if any of this was true, because “believing” it delivered what it promised; i.e., a peace that passes all understanding, shalom. That lasted about 20 years. Then came the split in the church over gay marriage, and the increasing anti-Christian behavior of “Christian” fundamentalists. I became a “none.” I struggled to answer the potential question from others of whether I was a Christian. I finally concluded that my answer was that, if being a Christian means believing that Jesus of Nazareth was conceived by the Holy Ghost, born of the Virgin Mary, was crucified, dead, and buried, descended into hell, the third day he rose again from the dead, ascended into heaven, and sitteth on the right hand of God the Father almighty, from thence he shall come to judge the quick and the dead, I was not one. But if being a Christian means being a follower of the philosophy of Jesus, then I was. Just like being an Epicurean. It turns out that I am a Jeffersonian Christian. My expectation for this class is that I will develop a greater understanding of the idea of god and why it is so much a part of human experience.
I tend to think of myself as a Jeffersonian humanist, some of whose best friends are Christians. Maybe it comes to the same thing, pragmatically.
DeleteI too have come across a wide range of Christians (those who take every word of the bible literally and others who rarely attend church). When I was struggling with my religious identity, I also found it difficult to determine what being a Christian really meant. Since then, I have determined that I am an atheist, but I agree that one can certainly follow the philosophy of Jesus without being a Christian at all. I think there is a lot of wisdom in certain religious principles and values that even non-religious people can apply to their lives.
DeleteEd, I am glad to know that I am not the only one who has had interactions with people who believe they can speak to god. You're southern christian upbringing reminds me of my own in various ways.
DeleteHi, I'm Cooper Halk, a senior journalism student at MTSU. I enrolled in this class because I personally consider myself an atheist, though the questions of god, gods and religion continue to fascinate me. Seeing as how religion is such a great influence among the people of the world, it is, in my opinion, very vital and important to the understanding of people, which is integral to my chosen field of study. I hope this class will give me that greater understanding and help broaden my outlook on things pertaining to philosophy and religion.
ReplyDeleteI agree full-heartily with your statement about understanding individuals through religion. Religion guides so many people through life and influences so many of their choices I believe its very important to understand it's patterns in order to understand the people who follow it because it can change their own outlook in life.
DeleteHello,
ReplyDeleteMy name is Crystal and I am a Psychology major with philosophy/religious studies minors. I chose this class specifically because it was one of the ones that would work best with my other classes/job. I am an agnostic who believes that there is probably something in the world that could be labeled as a 'god' but I have no proof or desire to waste time worshiping something I don't know to exist and will rely on my own kindness towards others in my lifetime to make up for the lack of praise and hope that keeps me out of whatever hell or bad reincarnation the world keeps to. Humans are flawed and religion is a byproduct of them. When a prophet for a religion comes along I have no doubt that by the time they are buried their teachings have been distorted by others whether they were god-sent or not, there is no true way to know what is right or wrong, or to know what some entity in the cosmos demands in compensation for bestowing life to humanity and the world.
So I don't give faith to religion, only courtesy.
I love that you mentioned that religion is a byproduct of humans and how most of it is probably skewed by human error and time. Those are both very good points that no one really ever discusses.
DeleteGood point; I imagine Jesus and Ghandi have rolled in their graves on multiple occasions, seeing what others have made of their teachings. Also, I like the way you write, especially the second-to-last sentence.
DeleteHey Crystal, I love what you said about teachings being distorted by the time a prophet dies. I have always found that to be an issue of mine with the bible. The bible is a collection of accounts from other people, not directly from jesus or god... so should they be considered reliable?
DeleteI admire your commitment to extending that courtesy you mentioned at the end of your introduction. I find it much more difficult to embrace that perspective in my own life.
DeleteHi, my name is Magdu Qasim. I am English major and Philosophy minor here at MTSU. I decided to take this class after taking Philosophy of happiness out of curiosity for Atheism. Happiness was an idea i was skeptical of and still am and Atheism is a topic i haven't had much direct contact with. I wouldn't classify myself as a religious person, but i am a practicing Muslim. And i am just curious to learn about Atheism.
ReplyDeleteMagdu, I'm glad that you're here and hope to learn a lot from you given where you're coming from. I would ask how you consider a "practicing Muslim" different from being a "religious person." Is it that you don't necessarily believe the tenets or doctrine of Islam, but you still practice the customs as a tradition of your family/culture/etc.?
DeleteI was raised religious and we were encouraged to be wary of atheists. I appreciate that you are so interested in other beliefs. Also curious about what Jamil asked, how you differentiate practicing a religion from being religious? Is it more just a cultural thing, or is it something more?
DeleteHello!
ReplyDeleteMy name is Heather Faulkner. I am majoring in Psychology and minoring in both Criminal Justice Administration and Philosophy here at MTSU. A little background on me is that I was raised in the Mormon church, but I have been an atheist for several years now. I chose this course because I am hoping to investigate and challenge my secular viewpoints even further. The God question is one that I am very fascinated by and enjoy learning more about, so although I don’t personally believe in God, I love to hear different viewpoints on the matter. Becoming an atheist has transformed my life in many ways, so I am excited to be in an academic setting where this topic can be openly discussed and explored.
I would be interested in hearing how your views changed, specifically how it affects your everyday life today. I believe that religious views can have a dramatic effect on those who hold them and am curious to how it changed your world view.
DeleteYou have such an interesting combination of studies. It would be interesting to see how they all intersect in your life.
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ReplyDeleteOkay, third time trying this, so you'll excuse my brevity.
ReplyDeleteJamil Grimes. Grad student in Liberal Arts (MALA).
Took this class b/c of long interest in secularism. French existentialists, my kind of people.
Researching thesis in religious studies. Hope class helps, especially around the idea of human transcendence.
Grew up Missionary Baptist. Mom's very religious and wonderful. Church was great. No hard feelings. Just couldn't believe the claims.
Figured this out only after I went to seminary. All good though. Made me, among many other things, more sympathetic. Let's all try to get along.
I prefer secular humanist. Atheist is a negative statement. If I only have a word to say what I believe, I'd rather speak positively.
You seem really excited about RS, I hope your thesis go wells and the class helps you out in it!
DeleteI had to go through a religion major and a ministry school and then suffer for years with doubt before I figured it out so...solidarity!
DeleteI am Debria broadcasting journalism major and african american studies minor and i was raised Christain and i still follow its teachings. I believe in God and in his son Jesus christ. I am taking this class because I want to know how to talk with all people and i am interested to hear a different perspective and way of life.
ReplyDeleteHi Debra, I think it is awesome that you are interested in hearing different perspectives! I think this will be a great class, that will give everyone an opportunity to learn from each other. Looking forward to it!
DeleteI look forward to hearing your perspective in class. As a former christian, you will probably bring up points that I have been taught my entire childhood and I am excited to hear you out. Also, I applaud you for being so open about your faith in a class about atheism. I know it's probably a little scary to be one of the only ones, but this a place where we all get to voice our opinions without being judged, so yay for us!
DeleteHi!
ReplyDeleteMy name is Rebecca White and I am a psychology major. I actually just switched into a philosophy minor just because I love philosophy. I took two philosophy courses at my last school, one being philosophy of religion, which was extremely interesting to me to study arguments for and against the existence of a god, so I decided to take this course to see a different side of the religion debate.
I grew up a devoted, fully believing Christian (once even crying about the prospect of my atheist best friend going to hell), but once I started to grow up and learn more about the world and think about the nature of things, I started questioning everything. Throughout my time as a student, even from spending a full year at a Christian university in bible classes, I came to the firm conclusion that I do not believe in the presence of a god. I of course still respect and love others who are Christian or do believe in a god and don't try to argue or change anyone's beliefs because I think that everyone is entitled to believe in what they please.
I'm Jessica. English major/philosophy minor. Writer, weirdo, INFP, Taurus sun, Capricorn moon, Venus in Gemini, ay ay ay. 4w5. Wellbutrin. Love language is quality time. Strangely good at tarot.
ReplyDeleteWas raised Southern Baptist; first college Nazarene; married a Catholic (recently divorced, but it's ok); spoke in tongues once; wanted to be a missionary, but that's a whole thing. My family on both sides is full of ministers and gospel singers. I am a black sheep. Unlike a lot of people who leave the Christian church, I didn't leave because of the people (keeping my expectations low helped), but because after years of study, it just didn't hold up. I also didn't get the warm fuzzies from church like I was supposed to. I figured if God was real they'd let me know. As an adult Christian, I was frustrated by the backwards beliefs people felt the need to hold onto, most of which was based on misinterpretation of the Bible and lack of basic knowledge about the Christian religion. I still admire and respect many Christians from history, like St Francis of Assissi and CS Lewis and JJR Tolkien and Kierkegaard. I also love some of the Sufi poets, Rumi in particular. Many of my good friends are still believers too, so I have no problems with religion on an interpersonal level (until someone tries to tell me what to do). I am however vehemently opposed to forced religion, mind control, abuse and neglect, all of which can be found anywhere in the world and in all religions. I tend to think that religion is not the enemy, but our own obstinacy and foolishness.
I hope to gain resources and perspective from the material in this class, and of course all of you, who seem delightful so far. Really looking forward to it!
it's not showing my name, but this is Jessica Carlan
DeleteInteresting intro, Jessica. Totally with you on Tolkien and Kierkegaard. And I can personally relate to the lack of "feeling" in church, especially during a time when I was going to a more charismatic place. When I was a younger person though, I did often get carried away by some really good sermons. At that point, I don't think I separate the rhetorical effectiveness of preaching from the existence of God--the latter doesn't necessarily follow the former, although many a preacher would have their audience believe otherwise!
DeleteHi, I am Makayla Barrett and I am an English major. I am in this class because I am at a point in life where all that i know religions wise, is that I know nothing at all. I was raised as a christian and was even baptized. As time went on and I began to develop my own opinions and thoughts, I grew away from the church and got very hesitant to just believe what I was "supposed" to. I would consider myself agnostic, because I honestly just have no clue what to think. I cannot prove the existence of God or other deities, but I cannot say there is no higher power either. I took this class in hopes to gather clarity in my thoughts, but who knows maybe I will get even more confused :)
ReplyDeleteum, dont know why it posted as unknown instead of my email but jessica carlan is my actual name
ReplyDeleteMy name is Ben Trent. I am a political science major and a philosophy minor. I am from Mount Juliet, Tennesee. I am in this course because I have been victimized by religious organizations for much of my life, and I want to be able to competently defend my choice to pursue a secular lifestyle and worldview.
ReplyDeleteI thought that I would share this podcast featuring Richard Dawkins that I really enjoyed.
ReplyDeletehttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_bN4spt3744