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I have had the same experience. I am an atheist in terms of the Bible God and various other "gods" that are really just a product of the human mind. But when I sat down to meditate, a whole deeper reality became clear to me. There is a God in the sense that the Universe is quite literally MADE of energy, of love, of a creative force. And everything from thoughts to feelings to physical things is made up of that source. I generally shy away from the term "God" because of the Judeo-Christian connotations behind that word, but if I were to say I believe in a god, that would be my God.
The choices we make that are based on other people's opinions.
I want to have "prayers" and to sit down and say them and KNOW they're the right thing to say and that somebody is hearing them.
I want to feel important. I do want to feel like somebody "made" me purposefully, simply because humans are so uber-cool and I'm one of them.
I want to believe that when they die, truly awful people, albeit in my definition (even if that definition matches that of many other people), get punished somehow and that people who are good get some sort of reward for their day-to-day earthly sufferings.
I want to believe that there's something bigger than myself. One thing. One big thing. (I guess I already said "big.")
I want to feel...not alone. Like there's a reason. A purpose.
But...
I can not seem to get a grip on "believing in God" and "choosing" a religion. Period. I can't do it. I have tried for so, so, so many years. From the time I was very little, I told myself (and everyone else) that I believed in God. For a while that was the Christian God or at least my interpretation of Him. For a while it was the Goddess. It's been Hindu god names...Celtic god names...etc.
But I never TRULY felt I was telling the truth to whomever God was, nor was I telling the truth to myself.
I don't know if I believe in God. At all.
This puts me in a horribly, horribly, horribly lonely place. I can't describe it. And I don't know what to believe anymore. This is all quite serious, folks. I'm not being facetious or trying to make a point.
I am lonely. Because I don't have a God. No matter how I try...I don't have one. Not for real. I just can't seem to outright "believe"...except when I'm VERY scared of bad things that could happen after death. And WTH is that? Not love, that's for sure!
I'm certain a few people will say, "Why do you feel the need to believe in some skygod in order to feel like you're not alone?" and the answer to that is: I don't know why. I really don't know. I don't consider myself a stupid person. I think constantly. It's frightening how much of my day I spend thinking, pondering, wondering...about everything. I DO know how to think; I'm not a puppet and never have been, particularly to a religion. So: I don't know why I feel this way.
I shouldn't be lonely, God or no God. I have a family. But I am. I am so, so, so indescribably sad. Somebody help me through this. I just don't know how to feel. I just feel all alone...the person who doesn't have a God.
Thanks for reading.
Check into Pantheism. I find it very comforting believing that everything in the Universe is linked by energy. I share yours and that of the tree outside my window.
The choices we make that are based on other people's opinions.
That's the very way language works. We agree on a meaning for a word so that when we use it we can be understood. You can insist on trying to redefine a word but you risk being misunderstood. I'd rather be understood than try to redefine language in this case.
That's the very way language works. We agree on a meaning for a word so that when we use it we can be understood. You can insist on trying to redefine a word but you risk being misunderstood. I'd rather be understood than try to redefine language in this case.
Limiting the definition of a universal to the preferences of a single world view is not useful when there is no conceivable way to establish ANY of the preferences about the universal scientifically. Whatever is only BELIEVED ABOUT the universal should not be determinant. It is too subjective. Atheists believe nothing or an inscrutable "we don't know" constitutes this universal . . . and consequently pretend it doesn't even exist . . . because they don't like the religious versions of beliefs about it. They also insist on imposing this nothing or "we don't know" derived non-existence on everybody else as the default. This neither enhances communication nor increases understanding. It denies reality.
Last edited by MysticPhD; 12-18-2010 at 06:37 PM..
Atheists believe nothing or an inscrutable "we don't know" constitutes this universal . . . and consequently pretend it doesn't even exist . . . because they don't like the religious versions of beliefs about it. They also insist on imposing this nothing or "we don't know" derived non-existence on everybody else as the default. This neither enhances communication nor increases understanding. It denies reality.
Ohhh no. how inaccurate!
1) Atheists don't believe in "nothing", ol bud. Having critically examined what you surely agree are some real "whopper" myths if taken literally, we've moved to examining what other available concrete empirical evidence is out there that perhaps explains observable and even predicted phenoms better. And as you also know, we've found a bunch of really excellent concepts and facts, right?
This is more than enough for us, though perhaps not you, to summarily dismiss the various, contradictory, inflammatory, fatuous, faltering and scantily supported Christianic versions, to boldly strike off on our own, enabled by relentless, vigorous, (yada yada yada) scientific evidence. Evidence which strongly suggests credible alternate realities, however they might exist beyond our currently limited & incompletely evolved intellect.
To date, and knowing this is all very early in the Modern Science Game, we have not solved some of the really difficult Big Questions, but I'd say it's worth our continuing investigations rather than succumbing to the religious alternative: that all the answers are to be found in The Holy Bible and people should NOT look any further least they go directly to Hell!
If we'd all stopped looking and learning when the research got a tad bit tough, we'd not have attained much of anything in this world, now would we? Better to keep an open mind, accept what we currently don't know, and press on with a clear conscience.
1) Atheists don't believe in "nothing", ol bud. Having critically examined what you surely agree are some real "whopper" myths if taken literally, we've moved to examining what other available concrete empirical evidence is out there that perhaps explains observable and even predicted phenoms better. And as you also know, we've found a bunch of really excellent concepts and facts, right?
This is more than enough for us, though perhaps not you, to summarily dismiss the various, contradictory, inflammatory, fatuous, faltering and scantily supported Christianic versions, to boldly strike off on our own, enabled by relentless, vigorous, (yada yada yada) scientific evidence. Evidence which strongly suggests credible alternate realities, however they might exist beyond our currently limited & incompletely evolved intellect.
To date, and knowing this is all very early in the Modern Science Game, we have not solved some of the really difficult Big Questions, but I'd say it's worth our continuing investigations rather than succumbing to the religious alternative: that all the answers are to be found in The Holy Bible and people should NOT look any further least they go directly to Hell!
If we'd all stopped looking and learning when the research got a tad bit tough, we'd not have attained much of anything in this world, now would we? Better to keep an open mind, accept what we currently don't know, and press on with a clear conscience.
Ohhh no. How inaccurate! There is no "having your cake and eating it" allowed, Rifle. You can dismiss all the absurd and incoherent "beliefs about" the universal Source/God that is responsible for our reality. But you don't get to say it is non-existent just because you believe (or have established scientifically) that the "beliefs about" it are ridiculous. Our beliefs about reality do not determine what reality actually is and the falsity of those beliefs cannot be used to deny the existence of the underlying reality.
I can see that I'm going to have to decide on something polytheistic. (sigh) Lemme go get my checkbook. Warning, you guys: $.30 only goes so far three ways.
YUP! a sense of humor is but a sense of perspective, Hummmmmm, I wonder how much postage it would take to send a dime??? Undoubtedly more than the dime is worth, particularly since it is no longer made of silver. (government issued slugs in lieu of currency). Sometimes I suspect the satire gods are having fun with us.
Limiting the definition of a universal to the preferences of a single world view is not useful when there is no conceivable way to establish ANY of the preferences about the universal scientifically. Whatever is only BELIEVED ABOUT the universal should not be determinant. It is too subjective. Atheists believe nothing or an inscrutable "we don't know" constitutes this universal . . . and consequently pretend it doesn't even exist . . . because they don't like the religious versions of beliefs about it. They also insist on imposing this nothing or "we don't know" derived non-existence on everybody else as the default. This neither enhances communication nor increases understanding. It denies reality.
Mystic, we're talking on different levels. I'm arguing purely semantics. You're delving into actual philosophy. I was merely referring to the usage of the word "God."
Mystic, we're talking on different levels. I'm arguing purely semantics. You're delving into actual philosophy. I was merely referring to the usage of the word "God."
Indeed! I just think it is foolish to limit the concept to a few extant belief systems about something so universal to existence.
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