AS ATHEIST WE DO WORSHIP A GOD!

[Vocaloldfart]

We as atheists do worship a god!!

It has as many names as there are nations on earth, yet we all worship, revere and seek it.
Our global god  is also as man made. It  promotes war and peace and justice.
It has its "priests" and houses of "worship". A myriad of "evangelists" who preach its virtues and  show  us of it's great powers .
It is responsible for some great good , but also for the worst of human depravities.
The official religions also demand its presence.

What do we call this global god in all languages and cultures??
The names are many but collectively we call It MONEY.
Let's face it we all worship money in our own fashion. We find life without difficult if not impossible.
Should we still claim to be atheists???

[Recusant]

Perhaps elaborate a bit and define terms. For instance, what is meant by worship? Money is a necessity in our world, does the inevitable pursuit of money constitute worship? Water is a necessity as well, it always has been. Does the inevitable pursuit of the all-important liquid constitute worship as well?

Certainly money conveys power. However, if money is a god that even atheists worship, a working definition of god is required. One characteristic that seems common to gods is that they possess supernatural qualities. It seems reasonable to ask: What supernatural quality does money have that even atheists acknowledge?

If I put more time into it I think I'd come up with other observations on the thesis, but these will serve for the moment.

[Vocaloldfart]

Perhaps elaborate a bit and define terms. For instance, what is meant by worship? Money is a necessity in our world, does the inevitable pursuit of money constitute worship? Water is a necessity as well, it always has been. Does the inevitable pursuit of the all-important liquid constitute worship as well?

Certainly money conveys power. However, if money is a god that even atheists worship, a working definition of god is required. One characteristic that seems common to gods is that they possess supernatural qualities. It seems reasonable to ask: What supernatural quality does money have that even atheists acknowledge?

If I put more time into it I think I'd come up with other observations on the thesis, but these will serve for the moment.

We apply the same religious fervor to money as we do religions.
Some religious fanatics would certainly argue that their god is not supernatural construct but real.At least in their (minds???).
All the emotions reserved for religious fervor, are present in the desire of money.
Money has more supernatural power than all religions but we fail to seek or recognise  the power money has on all of us
Ok money is a physical construct, no less than the crosses, rosary beads novel fantasy books etc and other paraphernalia used in religion.
Both are strictly human constructs that address human needs and desires.
Both invoke human  emotions.
In a sense we are slaves to both religion and money. Both have their angels and demons. eg  everyone knows the  mega  rich are all evil and corrupt whereas the beggar is the salt of the earth.(Yea right)
The mafia Dons buy their way into the afterlife with hefty donations to the  church. Covering their bets using one god to appease another.

As to the water analogy, there are some sainted ones I take great store by. namely Jim Beam, Johnny Walker and hey even Captain Morgan rum..Admittedly I do not worship them, but they do hold an elevated regard in my life.

[The Magic Pudding..]

I don't agree, it's the sort of thing the religious marketeers say when people aren't buying enough god, and they're never buying enough god.  Money is the medium between effort and worldly reward.  I don't worship money, though I was a numismatist as a kid and a bean counter as an adult.  I do like worldly reward, alas I have resigned myself to never owning a super yacht.  I don't buy the mystical marketers product, I can eat the tangible.

Then when you get the money, you get the power. Then when you get the power, then you get the women

That's cute but it's very hard to get better value than an early Lennon vocal, and it'll only cost you an internet connection and a device to play it.

[hermes2015]

[Vocaloldfart]

Although it is hard to admit, money like religion defines us, our beleifs our culture.
Sure there are tangible are results and efforts which makes money more visible that the religions.
One must remember that religion has also delivered tangible results.
Alas I can only think of the negative ones like burning women at a stake,  forced religious conversion as in South America and children being stolen and put into religious slave academies.If one were to look hard enough there probably are some positive tangible things religion has and does provide.
My point is we are ruled by  money just as we are ruled by religion.

[Recusant]

We apply the same religious fervor to money as we do religions.

A few problems with that sentence. We to begin. If this we is atheists, as one might presume given the topic of the thread, then one might observe that atheists generally are not known for their religious fervor.

However, assuming that your we is our species, then you need to support your assertion. I don't think the pursuit of money has the same sort of fervor that religions evoke. You're essentially assuming that your basic argument is true rather than offering anything to show that it's true.

It's true that most people spend more of their time in pursuit of money than worshipping some deity or collection of deities. That's not built into our nature though. It's the result of the operation of a particular economic arrangement i.e. capitalism. We managed as a species for rather a long time before we invented money.

I think that it is in the nature of our species to tell tales though. Also a tendency to believe particular tales that purport to explain what life is all about, especially if they can provide some comfort in difficult times. The devotion to those tales can be fierce.

Certainly some people are entirely motivated by obtaining as much money as possible. It appears you've generalized that to assert that the will to  pursue money is so powerful in all of us that it amounts to religious fervor. I'm not convinced.

Some religious fanatics would certainly argue that their god is not supernatural construct but real.At least in their (minds???).
All the emotions reserved for religious fervor, are present in the desire of money.

For some people not all, and perhaps not even most.
 

Money has more supernatural power than all religions but we fail to seek or recognise  the power money has on all of us

If I don't agree with your position, I'm simply deluded. Sounds familiar.

Ok money is a physical construct, no less than the crosses, rosary beads novel fantasy books etc and other paraphernalia used in religion.
Both are strictly human constructs that address human needs and desires.
Both invoke human  emotions.

Might say the same of loos.

In a sense we are slaves to both religion and money. Both have their angels and demons. eg  everyone knows the  mega  rich are all evil and corrupt whereas the beggar is the salt of the earth.(Yea right)
The mafia Dons buy their way into the afterlife with hefty donations to the  church. Covering their bets using one god to appease another.

As to the water analogy, there are some sainted ones I take great store by. namely Jim Beam, Johnny Walker and hey even Captain Morgan rum..Admittedly I do not worship them, but they do hold an elevated regard in my life.

We are not necessarily slaves to religion. In some places and times yes, but in general no. In the world as it stands the slave-holding capacity of religion is notably diminished. Meanwhile in the world as it stands money is nothing more or less than an essential means to a large number of ends. You can say that we're slaves to it, but as I pointed out, to the extent that you've established any criteria for slavery we could equally be considered slaves to water.

I appreciate the flippant reference to alcohol, and even    . . .

Doesn't dispose of the point though.

[zorkan]

We need to keep growing our economies until we destroy the world.
So fuck the world and worship money!
Somewhere out there is the money planet where we will get everything we desire for the rest of time.
Provided we worship money first here on earth.

[Icarus]

If admittance to heaven requires that I have been saved, does my meager money saving play into the bargain?

[Vocaloldfart]

If admittance to heaven requires that I have been saved, does my meager money saving play into the bargain?

Ask some of the mafiosi who publicly donate to the church in the hope savior to get tytto heaven

[Vocaloldfart]

We need to keep growing our economies until we destroy the world.
So fuck the world and worship money!
Somewhere out there is the money planet where we will get everything we desire for the rest of time.
Provided we worship money first here on earth.

 

[zorkan]

If like me you believe in Discworld (Terry Patchett) which runs off magic and not laws then there is a magic money tree.
It will find a way of germinating here on earth soon by the process of panspermia.
We'll all have as much as we like to buy anything we want.

Look forward to economics being a thing of the past.
https://gimms.org.uk/2018/12/28/magic-money-tree/

[billy rubin]

We as atheists do worship a god!!

no we dont.

[Asmodean]

We as atheists do worship a god!!

Generally, no. Atheism does not in itself preclude a lot of people from having faith of the most irrational kind in causes they find agreeable, but if we agree to separate a deity from, say, a natural force by the presence of intent and further agree that "worship" is a stronger word than "respect" or "admiration," then quite simply no. No, "we" do not.

It has as many names as there are nations on earth

Less than two hundred, then? Not too bad.

The names are many but collectively we call It MONEY.

Use it - all the time. Try to manipulate it for personal gain - sure. Seek it - less so, as what many are looking for, is the things money can do and buy for them. Worship? No.

I think your postulate would have a little more validity to it if you used "wealth" in stead of "money," but then it would have been even more valid if you used "food" in stead of "wealth."

Money is, for the most part, a means to an end. It's better to have more of it than less, but it is rather meaningless if you find yourself living in a cave in Antarctica.

In my experience, people generally want to improve their level of comfort and overall quality of life, help their kids succeed as best they can and leave a legacy behind - for them, and/or the world in general. Money is a useful tool towards that end, as it much simplifies the barter economy that would otherwise exist by allowing for a unified measure of exchange.

If that's your idea of "god" and "worship," then so be it, but you are wrong.