Godelsensei Posted July 1, 2005 Share Posted July 1, 2005 You don't choose to be an atheist in the same way you don't choose to stop believing in Santa Claus or fairies. I can't believe in God or the afterlife, because [i]they simply don't exist[/i]. I find it bizarre that any one [i]could[/i] believe in them. And I must say I find it incredibly lame of you to assume that just because some one finds divinity false in its entire concept, they have no reason to live a meaningful life. Life is about enjoying yourself, making a difference to the people around you. It's about achieving what you want to achieve, simply because it's something you can be proud of. If you get too caught up in the idea of an afterlife, you'll never take advantage of your [i]life[/i]. [spoiler]Also, it was the religious folks who thought they were the center of the universe, if I remember correctly? I believe they sentenced our pal Galileo to house arrest for suggesting otherwise.[/spoiler] No one is the center of the universe, unless you are Zaphod, and that's only sometimes. Nothing you've suggested about "the atheist mind" holds any degree of legitimacy because, well [i]it's not true[/i]. Tch. My god, and there's nothing painful about it, either, unless you're some kind of hopeless loser who must needs cling to the thought that there's a little bit of magic in the world to cope with the fact that their new houseplant just wilted a little bit. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
grecords Posted July 1, 2005 Share Posted July 1, 2005 [quote='Adahn"]Those of us who have a belief system of some sort surely devote parts of their mind to faith. The thing about faith, in any religion, is that it cannot exist if it is proven. To know, without a doubt, how to obtain your best possible afterlife would require no self-searching for truth or questioning of your religion. This does not mean that you cannot believe, with all your heart and soul, that your religion is true, but basing that belief on evidence would destroy one of the most essential parts of religion; faith in the unknown. Those who have no religion, correct me if i'm wrong, would probably consider themselves at the center of the universe. If you believe there is no life after death, then life must be spent with the knowledge that your own life is the most important part of you. If you recognize yourself as all-important, then the most sacred knowledges must be gained through life, and true insight must also be gleaned from the unknown, because the most sacred things are those not easily obtained.[/quote] Interesting point of view so say the least. I've never heard religion expressed this way and its quite refreshing on the ears. I like to believe that a person can find something to believe in besides the religions passed onto us. I don't mean jumping from religion to religion but finding something on your own to believe in. As a joke George Carlin made mention to worshiping the sun. The main concept of the joke was that Carlin could count on the Sun to always rise and fall. It was something not completely understood and It is in the center of our immediate universe. The punchline was that he found it answered his prayers at the same ratio that he felt God did. Not funny to all, controversal to some, but it provokes an interesting point if you dwell on it further. Does it make sense to worship a star? Again it is the center of our immediate universe. Our planet revolves around it. It provides the energy for things to grow and changes our seaons depending on where we are in position to it. It plays a direct role in our direct day to day lives. If someone had trouble believe any other religion they probably would have an easier time with this concept. It has no bible, no priests, and no requirements. Me personally I've had a hard time accepting concepts of afterlife. I believed that most people did the right things in lifes just for the promise of immortality in the afterlife. I also didn't understand how something could be mortal and then be immortal in the afterlife. The term afterlife didn't seem to make much sense either. How do you live after death. Obviously my faith wasn't very strong. I didn't want to accept atheisim however. A few quotes/comments helped me to find what was right for me. I believe Einstein said that all matter never ceases to exist, it changes and takes different forms. A quote that made more sense about life and death was "all things have a beginning and an end". This sounded like the most fair thing in life you'll find. Everyone will have a chance to live. Everyone gets a turn. But what to believe in? The concept of energy is the easiest to believe in. Energy is all around us. I found it easy to believe in the energy of the planet flowing like an ocean/river all around us. I like the thought that maybe when I die I could join that energy and flow around the planet forever. I wouldn't be sentient but I would be here still. Basically thats where I stand. I still take bits and pieces from other religions like the teachings of Christ since I believe in his lessons and the way of life he propossed. I also believe in Karma as the energy around us would ensure that what goes around comes around. I hope I don't offend anyone, but this is where I stand on this subject. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Raiyuu Posted July 1, 2005 Share Posted July 1, 2005 [font=Trebuchet MS]People, this thread was last posted on in [b]2003! [/b]Please don't resurrect long-dead threads. I know a couple of you have replied now, but I'm still going to lock it. If you feel the discussion's worth having, please start a new thread. [b]Thread closed.[/b] [/font] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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