If you could boil down your Atheism, Agnosticism or Theism into one issue (soul, atheist)

[Trimac20]

What would it be?

For me, I just cannot fathom how a blind, unconscious universe could magically conjure up conscious life, particularly observers who can look up at the stars and wonder about the big questions of life. In other words, I don't see how consciousness could arise out of non-consciousness. So I think there is a conscious entity called God, if not a personal being, than a sort of being or life-force that sustains the Universe.

[moonshadow]

It's not an issue for me, it's a truth and my personal truth, the one above all else, is that I feel nothing.

I get no sense of an all knowing, all powerful being connected to me, in charge of me, around me.

In times when epiphany would likely come for others it has only served to reinforce my truth and my truth is I am alone, I am in charge of myself and I will be alright.

[Jackyfrost01]

the idea of god doesn't make sense. Simply put.

[sanspeur]

Originally Posted by Trimac20

What would it be?

For me, I just cannot fathom how a blind, unconscious universe could magically conjure up conscious life, particularly observers who can look up at the stars and wonder about the big questions of life. In other words, I don't see how consciousness could arise out of non-consciousness. So I think there is a conscious entity called God, if not a personal being, than a sort of being or life-force that sustains the Universe.

But you can believe how an entity called god can magically conjure these things into being...Why would this make more sense? Simply because as in times gone by, anything not understood, god must have done....Times have changed, and much is now understood about what you call the big questions of life.
Thank goodness, because if everyone had always attributed all to god, we would still be bleeding patients in hospitals to release the vapours of demons. We'd still be living in the rightly named dark ages reading with candles.

As for summing up why I'm an atheist it's pretty simple..I do not believe magic of any kind exists, and gods are a holdover from when people believed it did.

[Trimac20]

Originally Posted by sanspeur

But you can believe how an entity called god can magically conjure these things into being...Why would this make more sense? Simply because as in times gone by, anything not understood, god must have done....Times have changed, and much is now understood about what you call the big questions of life.
Thank goodness, because if everyone had always attributed all to god, we would still be bleeding patients in hospitals to release the vapours of demons. We'd still be living in the rightly named dark ages reading with candles.

As for summing up why I'm an atheist it's pretty simple..I do not believe magic of any kind exists, and gods are a holdover from when people believed it did.

As a kid I sort of believed the Universe had always been; kinda like the Hindu concept. I think now that while THIS universe has a beginning, existence has always been, and I find it makes more sense that existence has always had a conscious, living 'compliment' if you like, to it, rather than an unconscious seed sprouting out into a Universe (in the Big Bang) and life arising through random chemical reactions.

[Reverend1111]

Yes, God has always existed. He was all alone and created the universe. He created it out of LOVE. That is the only common element in all of the religions of the world. If you could have a conversation with one person out of each religious sect and talked about love, you would all get along just fine. Love commands the universe. Man only resorts to control when love is missing.

[induhvidual]

Originally Posted by Reverend1111

Yes, God has always existed. He was all alone and created the universe. He created it out of LOVE. That is the only common element in all of the religions of the world. If you could have a conversation with one person out of each religious sect and talked about love, you would all get along just fine. Love commands the universe. Man only resorts to control when love is missing.

But then who created God. "Always" does not cut it because it implies infinite regression.
"want to believe and still waiting for someone to convince me"

[MontanaGuy]

For myself my atheism is the result of reading the Bible. The stories are just so far fetched and unbelievable that I realized in my teens that it obviously wasn't true and was in fact from the imaginations of the authors.

[sardone]

Let me start off by saying that I'm agnostic. Having been raised in a quite Catholic family, much of my childhood Sundays were spent in mass, but I've always been a questioner - something my grandma would disdain into having weak faith.
It was only until recently where I've been reading philosophy and began looking at religion objectively. From what I've acquired, it broke the camels back by really putting in words the fact there is no evidence or that there was no good arguments that backed up religious doctrines: I believe religion was created by intellectuals to regulate civilization by coining moral.

I'm also a big science nut. I've always liked physics and admired it because it is practically fully definable - it's as close to truth that one can be knowledgeable about. Because of this, I also cannot fathom to believe that the world can come out of nothing, that consciousness can come out of a time of unconsciousness, and for that I believe that there exists a higher being that has created everything we know and feel, but I also believe that this higher being is not fully definable yet, if not ever. In all, after whatever has happened "before time" started, I see it as up to civilization and society to make "the world go round" - whether they conspire religion or not.

[Reverend1111]

Originally Posted by induhvidual

But then who created God. "Always" does not cut it because it implies infinite regression.
"want to believe and still waiting for someone to convince me"

This question will be asked throughout eternity until we actually see God, however, this is an excerpt from one of my teachings from Jesus "In dealing with this question, you must realize that it is not so easy to describe in language that mortals can comprehend the Essence and Attributes of God, and I feel the limitations that I am under in endeavoring to give you a satisfactory description of the only and true God; not because of the paucity of knowledge and conception on my part, but because of the fact that you have not the required soul development to enable me to form the necessary rapport with you, in order that through your brain, may be expressed the exact truth as to who the Father is."

And He goes on to say "God is without form, such as has been conceived of by man in nearly all ages, and especially by those who believe in the Bible of the Hebrews as well as in that of the Christians. But nevertheless, He is of form, which only the soul perceptions of the soul of a man which has arrived at a certain degree of development, that is taken on the Divine nature of the Father and thus become a part of the Soul of God, can discern and realize as an entity. There is nothing in all nature with which men are acquainted or have knowledge of, that can be used to make a comparison, even in the spirit perceptions, with this Great Soul; and hence, for men to conceive of God as having a form in any manner resembling that of man, is all erroneous; and those who, in their beliefs and teachings, deny the anthropomorphic God, are correct."

So what Jesus is saying is that in order to understand God you will have to develope your own spirituality in order to understand who and what God is.