Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
I am not an atheist because I do believe that something is out there, just not sure what thing is. This is going to sound completely corny, but it has more to do with the Force (yes, as in Star Wars) then anything else. Which is why I generally label myself as a Taoist. However, I don't fully subscribe to that either. Now, it is possible that I am an agnostic, however, it is not a question of whether God exists or not as I think that is irrelevant, but whether or not God exists within the confines of the Abrahamic sense, which I firmly believe is a solid no. I dunno. Maybe I am a deist?
Location: In the North Idaho woods, still surrounded by terriers
2,179 posts, read 7,017,657 times
Reputation: 1014
K-Luv: Not The Force, but The Source. There seems to me to be a Source of Life...an energy that started this whole thing called the Universe and Life...but I don't think it is a Big Giant Head in the sky. I believe we all eminate from that Source and we return to it eventually...what happens in between is a mystery, but it sure is quite a ride!
I am a Bokononist. Lionel Boyd Johnson is our prophet.
You are the first of that fictional Religion I have come across.
How about all the other fictional religions?
Seriously, I call myself agnostic, although I just tend to leave any request for religious affiliation blank on a form (come to think of it, maybe I'll just start leaving it blank in my head too. )
I tend not to label myself, but if I had to, I would say agnostic, with spiritual leanings. I don't believe that the Bible is the actual written word of God. I believe that through the centuries, people translating it have twisted the words to fit their agendas. They're still doing it.
My father was an ordained Methodist minister, and my mother minored in religion in college. However, neither of them thumped the Bible. My father also had a degree in mechanical engineering, and by the time my sister and I came along, he had switched from preaching full-time to a career in engineering.
We went to church until I was about seven years old. While we attended church, I didn't go to Sunday school like other children my age. I preferred to sit in church, and I was allowed to do so. Growing up, none of my friends even knew that my father had been a minister, until I told them. He was truly a model of what Christianity is supposed to be - a loving man, absolutely non-judgmental, always willing to believe the best of people (almost to a fault). He never, ever intruded into people's personal lives by preaching to them.
When I was seven, my father was laid off from his job, and my mother had to start working. In those days, it was pretty rare for a woman to work outside the home. People at church were pretty critical of that, and said some very nasty things. My parents also disagreed with some of the things the church was doing. As a result, we stopped going altogether. (I remember being happy about that, because it meant I didn't have to wear ankle socks any more. )
My parents never attended church again (other than for weddings, funerals, etc.) At first I was worried, thinking God would be mad at us. My father told me that you don't have to go to church to believe in God. I also remember sometime at that age being afraid to go to bed at night, because I was afraid I would die in my sleep. He comforted me, saying that God would not allow anything bad to happen to me.
I will say that one of the benefits of having a father who was an ordained minister is that he officiated at my wedding. That's something I wouldn't trade for the world.
I don't know whether there is or isn't a god. I'm not against faith; I'm against organized religion. No matter what the faith, organized religion has done more harm than good in this world.
A big part of me wants to believe in an afterlife, because I want to see my loved ones again. However, I do believe that if God does exist, he will judge me by the way I treated others in life - with love and compassion. I don't think he will cast me to hell for eating meat on Fridays, or being supportive of people who are different from myself.
I don't know if any of this made sense, or if I was just babbling. I will say that if a stranger asks me about religion, I tell them it's none of their business.
I just say that I'm an atheist because that's what I am an I don't see any reason that I have to conceal or disguise it in any way.
I say im not a religious person to avoid any awkward questions.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
. There seems to me to be a Source of Life...an energy that started this whole thing called the Universe and Life...but I don't think it is a Big Giant Head in the sky. I believe we all eminate from that Source and we return to it eventually...what happens in between is a mystery, but it sure is quite a ride!
)
