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I'm going to state my beliefs and don't feel like debating about if I am right or wrong.
I tell people that I am an atheist because I don't believe in a literal omnipresent, omnipotent, all knowing "god". I feel "god" exists in the minds of believers due to fear of the unknown.
I do however believe that there was someone named Jesus (or what has been translated to Jesus) but that he was nothing more than a moral teacher. What he taught as "sins"/wrongdoings and the punishment that goes along with it; read as Hell was actually his way of emphasizing something along the lines of karma.
So basically, I have a lot of christian beliefs - I just do not believe in a literal "god". Does that truly make me an atheist?
A-theist are simply people without theism. That's it.
You don't have to deny Jesus to be an atheist, so long as you don't accept all the legendary myths that are associated with his story. I think it's plausible that a Jewish teacher named Jesus existed. He ended up getting in trouble with the law and nailed to a cross. That's about all I'm willing to accept.
Most christian morals, the good ones anyway, didn't originate in Christianity. You don't even have to think of them as christian beliefs.
I recommend the following for anyone who gets chubbies over Jesus. Thomas Jefferson took the original Bible and took out all the crap supernaturalism, leaving only the Life and Teachings of Jesus of Nazareth. The book is public domain (meaning it's not copyrighted--I.E. free), but Amazon does have them for sale.
I'm going to state my beliefs and don't feel like debating about if I am right or wrong.
I tell people that I am an atheist because I don't believe in a literal omnipresent, omnipotent, all knowing "god". I feel "god" exists in the minds of believers due to fear of the unknown.
I do however believe that there was someone named Jesus (or what has been translated to Jesus) but that he was nothing more than a moral teacher. What he taught as "sins"/wrongdoings and the punishment that goes along with it; read as Hell was actually his way of emphasizing something along the lines of karma.
So basically, I have a lot of christian beliefs - I just do not believe in a literal "god". Does that truly make me an atheist?
I'm going to state my beliefs and don't feel like debating about if I am right or wrong.
I tell people that I am an atheist because I don't believe in a literal omnipresent, omnipotent, all knowing "god". I feel "god" exists in the minds of believers due to fear of the unknown.
I do however believe that there was someone named Jesus (or what has been translated to Jesus) but that he was nothing more than a moral teacher. What he taught as "sins"/wrongdoings and the punishment that goes along with it; read as Hell was actually his way of emphasizing something along the lines of karma.
So basically, I have a lot of christian beliefs - I just do not believe in a literal "god". Does that truly make me an atheist?
Yes. If you believe in a historical Jesus as a man who taught but not in any 'god', then you are atheist.
That sounds odd even to me. One can perhaps be a follower of Jesus, revering his words and teachings, but qualify as an atheist.
But then, I believe that is just what Thomas Jefferson was. He was not much on organized religion and did not believe any of the supernatural or divine claims for Jesus, but he did believe that the Bible, or at least gospel code of morals was the best model for an individual or a society.
In that basis, he called himself a 'Christian'. An atheist (or close to it) Christian.
One thing about your belief system that I must point out.
It actually seems plausible.
Although there is no concrete evidence that Jesus ever existed outside the gospels there is evidence that there were many individuals that could be described as similar to him in various ways.
There were many essenes, zealots, messianic delusionaries, pacifists....
The mystic parts of the Jesus story are probably pieces brought in from earlier mythologies, however much of his story could be based on real individuals during that time or an amalgamation of individuals.
I just would get stuck on how this complex gorgeous world could of come from nothing.. I have seen explosions and collisions before and even those came from
something and they sure did not result in anything wonderous..
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