Atheism

I could give you some long-winded response, but I'll sum it up like this:

Growing up, I had reasons to deny or doubt the existence of some supreme being. Usually, because this supreme being went against what I wanted to do, or what I lacked the strength/knowledge to change; admitting that wasn't/isn't easy, even today. This isn't to say this is the same for everybody, but it is something to consider -- it was for me.

As I got older, and a little wiser, there were things about this universe that, quite frankly, I did not, and still do not understand -- nobody does absolutely. We are always revealing, always learning, and with that information we can do what we believe is best. Some mysteries become explained, while many more are aroused and take the former's places.

To condense it, I'd say:

I'm smart enough to entertain the possibility of something grand, but I'm clever enough to believe that something grand, knows how I am, made me as such, and will, whenever they are ready, deliberately and directly alert me to their presence and intentions.

Until then, I'm open to the possibility, but I'm not going to let it limit me. Why craft a mediocre creation? Seems very non-divine to me.

 

I consider myself an agnostic or de-facto atheist, which is a fancy way for saying that I personally do not know if there is or isn't a God or Gods, but will live my life as if there isn't a God. I've met a lot of religious and atheist folks who say that they're 100% sure that God does or doesn't exist, and to me, I don't think it's possible to prove the existence of God until after you die.

Also, while being atheist, I'm not an anti-theist. I do see that a lot of people get a lot of good out of church, mosque, synagogue, etc., and they can do whatever they want in their own free time. It just never appealed to me, and after being a theist for years, I gradually found out that I could be good without God, and here I am today. Organized religion, however, can be abused way too often, and the faithful in that religion need to rally against the oppressive and nonconforming nature of organizations like the Papacy, to name a well-known example.

So yeah, those are my beliefs, and if anyone has any questions for me (about being an open atheist in a rural community, religion and LGBT, etc.), I'd always be happy to talk to you, atheist or otherwise.

 

I'm an atheist if you couldn't already tell, and it's not because of a traumatic experience or anything like that, it's simply because I feel that after weighing all the evidence, the simplest explanation is that there is no god. Now I hear all the time people say, "Just because you hate god doesn't make him not exist!" There's some very faulty logic in that statement, as you can probably tell.

I was raised Methodist by a mother who is an absolute zealot, and my dad was a Catholic who had his own opinions of church matters if you know what I mean. I remember being 6 years old and thinking about how of all the religions in the world, that none of them could be true.

Now I have my own theories as to why people believe in religion, and the motivating factors behind religion itself. Some people would find some of that offensive, so even in real life I don't explain that unless I'm asked about it. Feel free to PM me or leave me a wall message if you would like me to elaborate, though.

 

Amen sister

 

I was religious for a long time, but now I don't know what I am. I've stopped feeling God there and I don't know what to do about it.

 

*sheepishly looks to see if this thread has descended into a flame war*

No? Okay *phew*

 

Well I'm basically agnostic (or agnostic atheist, to be specific). I personally think there are some problems with the Judeo-Christian conception of god, but of course that doesn't automatically mean, as some more vociferous atheists seem to think, that there is no god.

Basically there are douchebags on both sides of the debate, as with any debate. I have a mistrust of organised religion since to me much of it misses the point of religion and can easily be used for political manipulation, but then I'm also not too fond of the less accommodating atheists who will just tell you there is no god without really explaining why they think that until you lose the will to continue the discussion with them. So I guess what I'm saying is neither religion nor atheism in and of themselves are bad, but it's dogmatism that turns each pretty sour pretty quickly.

As long as people accept that being religious or being atheist doesn't automatically make you a good person, and we can have a reasonable thought-out discussion about it or just agree to disagree and move on with our lives, then I think that's a good starting point.

 

Atlas does.

GREEK FAITH: 1

NORSE FAITH: 0

 

Like anyone believes in planet-sized Greek titans. :rolle:


















...
(You do realize the sarcasm of the first post, right? Just checking...)

 

Yeah I know. I was just countering it with a similarly silly post.

 

I'm an atheist. It has nothing to do with being gay. I've been an atheist for years now. In my opinion, there probably isn't any sort of benevolent deity/deities as just about anything that could have gone wrong for people so far has happened, and if they aren't benevolent, then I want nothing to do with them.

Odds are, the concept of religion and the afterlife was formed by people who just couldn't cope with the fact that we will all just turn into worm food when we die.

 

I believe religion is nothing other than complete and utter BS. Most if not all religious people make their own version of their religion based on their interpretation which is often plagued by some predisposition, lack of knowledge and bigotry. Take for example, a christian reading the old testament and agree that homosexuality is a sin and should be "punishable", but at the same time completely ignores stories such as the one when God commands Moses to kill a man who is working during the sabbath. It's outright hypocrisy. It's nothing but a way of using a fairytale to somehow try and justify their unsubstantiated hatred towards people. These people, these bigots themselves are so fucking boring lacking any kind of individuality, so weak, decrepit, cowardly that they cannot live with themselves unless they have some kind of outlet for their own insecurities, often on those already vulnerable people who choose to express anything that is in opposition to the norm.

I do not care if you believe in god/gods or not, whether or not you are allowed by your "holy" book to depict your prophet. I do not give a single fuck, as long as it does not infringe on mine or anyone elses freedoms.

 

I'm an evangelical, gay-affirming Christian, and I'm not afraid to say it. People are responsible for their own choices when it comes to faith. If someone comes to me and asks me what I believe, I will tell them. It's not my job to force someone into a relationship with God, but I do believe that hell exists. And no one's sexuality sends them to hell, but I personally believe that a belief in no God sends you there.

 

Well then if the pure belief in that god would send someone to heaven then I guess a rapist can still go to heaven as long as he believes in that god?

Yet, someone like me who does not believe in God, or a god; I who has never raped, murdered, abused etc. would not go to heaven but instead be sent to hell for the simple fact that I did not believe in this deity. Would you care to explain how that makes any sense at all? Or how that in any way is morally justifiable?

To me the mere fact that some Christians use this as an argument just shows the lack of any analytic thinking of that which might conflict with their belief. Because god help you, dare you challenge those beliefs. Who knows, you might just get sent to hell :dry:

 

I'm a devout atheist.

 

I am an Atheist. Always have been, mainly since my family is and so it's what I'm used to.

I don't know why but religion bothers me. Something about it feels terribly uncomfortable to me. When people talk about their religious beliefs it seems messed up... Like, the idea that there's someone who created us and we have to be ultra-respectful to them and worship them just because of that, following all these rules in a book for how we're supposed to live our lives? Idk, it seems so limiting. I'll live my life as I see fit and decide for myself what my morals and opinions are. I don't want any sort of guidance; I can think for myself.

 

Geez, thanks. This why I like living in America. Most Europeans are so hostile to people of faith.

 

Europeans just have common sense. Most Americans are delusional within their own "faith." Not saying you are.

 

Hah the funny thing is I'm way more critical to religion than my swedish friend is

I guess it just depends, as my entire family is atheist/agnostic themselves