Official Atheist doctrine
Posted: Wed Apr 11, 2012 3:51 pm
Since Atheism has been declared a religion by the theists on this board, I suppose it is time for the atheists here to set some rules for fair (pun intended) debate. To ensure the atheist beliefs are not distorted, it is important that any discussion of atheist beliefs is framed on official atheist doctrine, not strawman arguments. Therefore, we need to define official atheist doctrine. Since I am not really an atheist, more of an agnostic, I will need help from atheists to define official atheist doctrine. I'm not looking for a list or beliefs of non-beliefs, but more like a definition of what constitutes doctrine, much like what BC Space has done for the church.
So to start: Official atheist doctrine is found in official publications of atheists. These publications must be approved by the atheist leaders and sustained by a majority of atheists. Youtube videos, books by atheists such as Hitchens and Dawkins, interviews by famous atheists, statements made by atheists in the press, comments by atheist relatives, wikipedia entries, etc. do not constitute atheist doctrine. Furthermore, any statements written on official atheist media, should not be considered doctrine unless it is backed up by at least 3 witnesses who heard the statement first hand. In summary, statements about atheist beliefs and doctrine must go through official atheist channels before they can be considered atheist doctrine. The non-doctrinal quotes cannot be used in debates with atheists. Also, any beliefs backed up by science are automatically official doctrine, even if they fail to meet any of the previous criteria.*
*These rules on official doctrine are subject to change at any moment for any reason.
So to start: Official atheist doctrine is found in official publications of atheists. These publications must be approved by the atheist leaders and sustained by a majority of atheists. Youtube videos, books by atheists such as Hitchens and Dawkins, interviews by famous atheists, statements made by atheists in the press, comments by atheist relatives, wikipedia entries, etc. do not constitute atheist doctrine. Furthermore, any statements written on official atheist media, should not be considered doctrine unless it is backed up by at least 3 witnesses who heard the statement first hand. In summary, statements about atheist beliefs and doctrine must go through official atheist channels before they can be considered atheist doctrine. The non-doctrinal quotes cannot be used in debates with atheists. Also, any beliefs backed up by science are automatically official doctrine, even if they fail to meet any of the previous criteria.*
*These rules on official doctrine are subject to change at any moment for any reason.