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truth is found in what the opposites have in common. you and i share much the same viewpoint. i see much value and purpose in every religion i've ever been exposed to, but have never felt the need or desire to embrace one above any other. what delights and inspires me when i read the texts from different theologies is finding the golden thread of truth that runs through them all.....and it has nothing to do with the invention/personification of any entity/deity, and certainly not the elevation of any human as a savior of all mankind.
I agree with both of you. I am pretty much the same. I am on a quest for knowledge from all forms of religion and spirituality. It cannot be quenched with one religion or giving up.
truth is found in what the opposites have in common. you and i share much the same viewpoint. i see much value and purpose in every religion i've ever been exposed to, but have never felt the need or desire to embrace one above any other. what delights and inspires me when i read the texts from different theologies is finding the golden thread of truth that runs through them all.....and it has nothing to do with the invention/personification of any entity/deity, and certainly not the elevation of any human as a savior of all mankind.
Thanks for the input. For me, since I have great respect for the traditions and faith practices of others (partly from having traveled some, including experiences of studying abroad, but also from living in an area of religious diversity) I also have to respect the one I grew up in. It doesn't mean I think it is better than others, but it is mine. Just as I speak several languages and recognize the beauty and utility of each, I still have only one native language, English. So that is how I think of my religion, as my native one. I practice it because without people practicing them they would not exist to be admired.
Thanks for the input. For me, since I have great respect for the traditions and faith practices of others (partly from having traveled some, including experiences of studying abroad, but also from living in an area of religious diversity) I also have to respect the one I grew up in. It doesn't mean I think it is better than others, but it is mine. Just as I speak several languages and recognize the beauty and utility of each, I still have only one native language, English. So that is how I think of my religion, as my native one. I practice it because without people practicing them they would not exist to be admired.
it is such a beautiful frame of reference you have described and share from, thank you. you've given my eyes cause to smile.
i was not raised with any particular religion.....my family lived in a very small town when i was a child, less than 200 residents, but there were two churches, lutheran just across the alley, and united just down the block. i decided on my own at the tender age of 5 to investigate...first the united church, and i quite liked it there because i loved my sunday school teacher mrs. larsen, and enjoyed many artistic activities she encouraged in class.
but somehow i got it in my head that the pastor just 'had gotten god all wrong', and so i began going to the lutheran church instead.
well i was mortified, lol.....it was a 'scary' church to my young constitution, and they didn't have art in sunday school classes, it was serious stuff, and all i 'knew' was that the lutherans had god more wrong than the untied church did, but i felt so bad and guilty for leaving the united church that i couldn't go back and face mrs. larsen again.
we moved away from that town shortly after, and though i dabbled in a couple of christian organizations geared towards young teens a couple of times, it just wasn't for me, and i never felt any real desire to attend church again.
well would ya look at me, got the gab bug today, my apologies, i'm not really active at message boards usually....must be the coffee.
I'm not on the list. I was not raised in a religious household. I have attended many different churches but I seem to have a problem with faith. I even talked to a pastor about it but we didn't get anywhere. I am a tad stubborn, lol. I just don't know how to have faith in something I can't see....so this is what I believe and how I live my life.
Treat "all people"(regardless of color, sexual preference, religion etc. etc.) the same way you would like to be treated.
I believe I am responsible for all of my actions. I don't have regrets and I don't offer forgiveness. If someone does me wrong the they are basically dead to me....no need to forgive because it becomes forgotten to me. I don't dwell on the past, I move forward. If you don't respect me then I can't respect you. If you treat me nice I am the most honest thoughtful person you will know.
well would ya look at me, got the gab bug today, my apologies, i'm not really active at message boards usually....must be the coffee.
Why apologize? Let it all hang out.
Have you ever considered writing a spiritual autobiography? Just for yourself, or to share with anyone you want to. Write about your early awakenings, the people who influenced you, your own development of ideas of religion and spirituality. It can be a useful exercise.
Youth perspectives on religion are one thing, a lot of that gets turned on its head in adulthood. I had a long period of chucking it all, but when life became especially tempest-tossed I felt an instinctual need to hold onto something. I was fortunate to land somewhere among some very open-minded people who also spent time wrestling with doubt and lots of other issues.
Anyway, those of us who can exercise freedom of/from religion are indeed very lucky.
To say athiesm is silent regarding the origins of the universe is a joke. Athiests have a major opinion when it comes to religion. It also does have a position on religion and religious practices. Why do athiests care so much about people believing in a God(s) or practicing their faith? I know most people would say they only care because religious people shove it down our throats. Again, that is only a select few. The vast majority of religious people could care less about what you believe in.
I know several people who are atheists who live to prove religion wrong and to end it for everyone. There are even major organizations, protest groups, charity events and groups that are all atheists, the live as atheistic as possible. Many would say that being an atheist is a way of life.
Look up the definition of religion. Atheism is a religion that just doesnt believe in a god, period.
Let's try again. Since you like the dictionary let's appeal to it's authority. Will dictionary.com work for you? Name your dictionary if you don't trust dictionary.com.
First, let's define atheism (Atheism | Define Atheism at Dictionary.com ). You will see by going to my link that atheism means:
"1. the doctrine or belief that there is no god.
2. disbelief in the existence of a supreme being or beings."
Also,
"rejection of belief in God or gods"
OK, did you see the word "religion" in there anywhere? Did you see any "guiding principles" or theories about the origin of the universe? SHOW ME. Oh, you can't? Imagine that, it is because it is not there! Only in your imagination.
The only thing atheism rules out is that god cannot be used as an explanation for the creation of the universe because atheists believe god does not exist. But, the question of how the universe did come to be is still open and unanswered to one who does not believe in God. Atheism did not and does not provide a mythology like genesis of anything.
Now, let's take a look at the definition of religion. There are a lot of definitions, but let's look at the first one (the one you quoted earlier):
"1. a set of beliefs concerning the cause, nature, and purpose of the universe, especially when considered as the creation of a superhuman agency or agencies, usually involving devotional and ritual observances, and often containing a moral code governing the conduct of human affairs. "
Atheism, which again is NOTHING MORE than "disbelief in the existence of asupreme being or beings", contains no set of beliefs concerning the cause of the universe, nature of the universe, or purpose of the universe. If you say it does, first and foremost you are lying or can't understand a simple definition written in English, and second, you must be thinking of something else other than atheism and have confused it with atheism. Now plenty of atheists have their own beliefs about the cause of the universe, the nature of the universe, and/or the purpose of the universe, but they did not get those beliefs from atheism, because atheism is only the disbelief in the existence of supreme beings.
When I first came to the conclusion that a god is very unlikely to exist, I thought, "So, ok, now what?" I had to go about the business of determining what my life would be about; I had to figure out what is important to me and what is not; I wondered where did everything come from and whether there was a purpose to all of it. I had many things to figure out because atheism provided me with no answers, only questions. Believing that god doesn't exist did not give me any roadmap for life. It doesn't tell me anything about the nature of reality, or anything. All atheism does is wipe the slate clean. The atheist then determines what he or she will write upon it.
There are many competing ideas out there about what the purpose of the universe is, what the universe is, and how it came to be. I found scientific method to be the most persuasive as a method for learning about the nature of the universe and how it came to be. I chose it out of my many options and many atheists do, too, but we certainly did not have to. There are many "origin stories" that do not involve gods, and an atheist could choose any of them. Just because many atheists also believe in science does not mean that to be atheist one must believe in science.
As for the purpose of the universe, I don't believe there is one. Many atheists would answer like me, but other atheists might say the purpose of the universe is whatever you make of it, others might say it is to replicate one's genes.
Atheism has no devotional or ritual observances. There is no baptism, no sacrament, no confession.
Atheism has no moral code. Not believing in a god gives no direction as to how to live one's life, nor does it give any insight into what is good or bad behavior. Here, too, when I became an atheist since I had no divine commandments anymore, I had to figure out what would be my basis for morality and whether morality is something worth concerning myself over. There are many philosophies about morality: hedonism, stoicism, consequentialism, deontology, etc. Atheism does not tell you which to choose.
So, on every part of the definition of religion atheism does not fit. I think you are confusing what some atheists do or believe with what atheism is. Many Catholics eat chocolate, that doesn't mean "eating chocolate" is a tenet of their faith.
You wrote, "There are even major organizations, protest groups, charity events and groups that are all atheists". There are, but that doesn't make it a religion. There is a major organization called the Tea Party, which sponsors protests, and fundraising events, but it is not a religion.
You wrote, "live as atheistic as possible. Many would say that being an atheist is a way of life". What the he11 does it mean to live as atheistic as possible? Does not compute. Atheism is not a way of life. Not believing in a god does not even suggest a way of life. Whatever it is you think an atheist life looks like, you are getting that from something other than the definition of atheism. Atheism is not whatever an atheist does. Most atheists go beyond atheism and find some way to live their lives and there may not be a name for it. It is just a path they found for themselves. But, atheism is not a path; the moment one is on a path, one has gone beyond atheism.
I have proven my case. No atheist considers atheism a religion. The scientific community does not consider atheism a religion. Atheism at most may be considered a movement, more in common with the gay rights movement or the green movement than with a religion. Just like those movements, there are favorite speakers and authors, but no rituals, no answer to the purpose of life.
to b honest theres many things that drew me to the way of islam but i couldnt tell you one thing in specific because it was an abundance of things. i researched some of the miracles, what people claim to be "contradictions", the way muslims are in general by being so humble and peaceful, researching why they do the things they do really and i was just drawn to it.
Let's try again. Since you like the dictionary let's appeal to it's authority. Will dictionary.com work for you? Name your dictionary if you don't trust dictionary.com.
First, let's define atheism (Atheism | Define Atheism at Dictionary.com ). You will see by going to my link that atheism means:
"1. the doctrine or belief that there is no god.
2. disbelief in the existence of a supreme being or beings."
Also,
"rejection of belief in God or gods"
Thank you for confirming what I was saying. "Doctrine" What else has doctrine... Oh, that's right, religions have doctrine. They also have a belief that there is no God(s).
No, I did not see the word Religion in there. But did you know that some "religions" out there claim not to be a "religion."
Would you accept me calling Atheism a cult fallowing? No, wait that wouldn't work.
Listen, to give yourself a title in regards to religion is to state that you have a belief in something and that it is a form of religion.
Why give it a name if you don't practice any beliefs? Why not simply put N/A or non-religious?
Spiritual and a bit pantheistic, but not exactly, with witchy tendencies. Before you get a mental image of me waving a magic wand (not that there is anything wrong with that) the witches of TV & movies I am not. I do not 'claim' to be a witch, but by definition I am. And ironically, first thing my christian grandpa said when he saw me after I was born, 'looks like a witch with all that hair!'. I'm not a big show and tell person, one really would not know what I am, but others have called me witch, in a good way.
I study astrology, read tarot, communicate with nature, I work the Law of Attraction, I believe our dreams are very important and then some.
I am similar to heatherism
Things can change, but have been pretty stable for a while. And in some cases, well, it's still up in the air. Basically 'anything is possible' unless found impossible, however, in science there are no absolutes...so revert back to anything is possible.
As others have stated, I also believe in being good towards others, compassion, respect, I don't judge anyone- to each his own. I believe in personal freedoms as well as taking personal responsibility.
I have a bumper sticker I had to have because I love a good play on words and it sums up what I feel at my core 'LOVE is our SOUL purpose'.
If I had to claim a 'religion'.....A song title from Ziggy Marley says it best....'love is my religion'.
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