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The recent passing of one of our long time members of the forum had me thinking about old conversations from years ago. I thought about how my viewpoint and understanding of others has evolved.
I'm more solid in my atheism than ever I was but I have a far better understanding of why others believe what they do. It really was a completely mystery to me before. It's actually helped me make peace with it in my own mind. A bit like checking off a box mentally and being able to put it aside.
I understand now how people are able to embrace science AND believe in god at the same time.
I understand how religions which to me are (sorry) completely bonkers can, in the minds of those people, enhance their lives and make them better people. In fact I think they would have been great people without their religion, but if people want to belive that their religion is the cause, I'm not going to argue with that.
I'm interested to know what others have learned from being a part of the forum?
I have become more negative about christianity since joining the forum because of what comes of the mouths (or keyboards) of some of the christians on the forum. My increased negativity is not about what atheists have said about christians and christianity, it's about what the christians themselves have posted.
I am becoming more aware that there are probably far more people who, like myself, don't believe or no longer believe in christianity.
But I am still reminded, on an almost daily basis, that there are some fine christians out there who cancel out the negativity and unreasonableness I see in other christians.
The recent passing of one of our long time members of the forum had me thinking about old conversations from years ago. I thought about how my viewpoint and understanding of others has evolved.
I'm more solid in my atheism than ever I was but I have a far better understanding of why others believe what they do. It really was a completely mystery to me before. It's actually helped me make peace with it in my own mind. A bit like checking off a box mentally and being able to put it aside.
I understand now how people are able to embrace science AND believe in god at the same time.
I understand how religions which to me are (sorry) completely bonkers can, in the minds of those people, enhance their lives and make them better people. In fact I think they would have been great people without their religion, but if people want to belive that their religion is the cause, I'm not going to argue with that.
I'm interested to know what others have learned from being a part of the forum?
Sadly. I have learned that intellect is rather impotent in such matters.
The recent passing of one of our long time members of the forum had me thinking about old conversations from years ago. I thought about how my viewpoint and understanding of others has evolved.
I'm more solid in my atheism than ever I was but I have a far better understanding of why others believe what they do. It really was a completely mystery to me before. It's actually helped me make peace with it in my own mind. A bit like checking off a box mentally and being able to put it aside.
I understand now how people are able to embrace science AND believe in god at the same time.
I understand how religions which to me are (sorry) completely bonkers can, in the minds of those people, enhance their lives and make them better people. In fact I think they would have been great people without their religion, but if people want to belive that their religion is the cause, I'm not going to argue with that.
I'm interested to know what others have learned from being a part of the forum?
That is a great post. Thank you for sharing your atheism and evolution in your thinking in such a graceful way.
More than my view of religion and spirituality evolving, I have grown to understand this forum and its purpose better.
I came to it expecting a more philosophical, even scholarly, discussion around spirituality because of the way it was set up, Religions (incomplete, but nevertheless a separation) and Religion and Spirituality. I did not know about the forum's own evolution to the present state.
While I find many thoughtful posters and posts, they need to be patiently culled. Which is what brings me back here, to see what is new.
Otherwise, as far as spiritual evolution, not so much. Forums such as this is not for that purpose anyway.
Maybe THAT is my evolution.
It has shown me the average poster does not know much about any religion even their own
mostly know somebody of a religion and like them and that is good enough for them to have vehemently strong opinions about the religion in question
It has shown me the average poster does not know much about any religion even their own
mostly know somebody of a religion and like them and that is good enough for them to have vehemently strong opinions about the religion in question
it taught me atheism has some people that define reality and beliefs based on atheism.
I used to think we just describe how the universe works and god/religion just never come up.
I'm learning all the time, about all sorts of things. The Nativity thread answered a lot of questions about the history and dating 5 BC to 6 A D which really knocked on the head the popular '2nd census' apologetic. And the 'Unquestionable evidences' thread scuppered efforts to validate the 'fresh and salt water don't mix' (Quran) fallacy and even better the history of the 'battle in the low place' which looked like it was nothing to do with the Dead Sea but was at Antioch.
And a long time back, someone arguing the Jebl Laws 'Moses' site tried to argue all sorts of stuff like Hyksos 'Jewish' scarabs and the 'storm' papyrus, taught me a lot about the Hyksos and the 15th- 17th dynasties. On would think this has nothing to do with religion, but the apologists can grab anything out of context to make an apologetic out of it, and so one has to check up.
Like the effort to prove a 1st c Nazareth with the priestly families inscription. That was an odd one with a dodgy Creationist fiddling around on an archaeological site (which he shouldn't do) and (reportedly) finding part of an inscription that everyone had missed and which subsequently vanished important finds do not vanish on archaeological sites.
But then...apparently,..this piece was not the one that mentioned Nazareth so it didn't matter anyway.All very odd.
Last edited by TRANSPONDER; 11-21-2020 at 11:06 AM..
What I learned is that is possible for people to get along and be respectful to each other (who I didn't think would ever get along). Also, while some posters give me the impression that they are pulling their hair out at the computer while trying to make a point to the opposite side, they rather do that than hang out in an echo chamber.
What I have found is that people have thought deeply about why they think the way they do. It is very difficult to follow them down their personal quest and even if I attempted to follow them, there is that idea that you can't step into the same river twice.
The recent passing of one of our long time members of the forum had me thinking about old conversations from years ago. I thought about how my viewpoint and understanding of others has evolved.
I'm more solid in my atheism than ever I was but I have a far better understanding of why others believe what they do. It really was a completely mystery to me before. It's actually helped me make peace with it in my own mind. A bit like checking off a box mentally and being able to put it aside.
I understand now how people are able to embrace science AND believe in god at the same time.
I understand how religions which to me are (sorry) completely bonkers can, in the minds of those people, enhance their lives and make them better people. In fact I think they would have been great people without their religion, but if people want to belive that their religion is the cause, I'm not going to argue with that.
I'm interested to know what others have learned from being a part of the forum?
No. This forum in no way reflects the real world. The posters that generally post here are generally devoted to their worldviews until death does them part. Some have been doing this for over 40+ years. And I do not mean this as any slight but what I have learned is that some adults never grow up. They are like children in that their happiness and truth depends on others. Who knew if you believe/think so and so or reject so and so you could be so deeply be hated?!
yeah ... we been thinking the wheel is best made round for thousands of years ... we better change that.
some people think its only a wheel if we make it like they did 2000 years ago. some people think that people that believe in wheels are so dangerous we should obscuring wheels for everybody.
some people actually think its a strawman to talk about any other possibility of wheels out side of talking about "we are saying that people that believe wooden wheels are the best are wrong.
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with a dodgy Creationist fiddling around on an archaeological site (which he shouldn't do) and (reportedly) finding part of an inscription that everyone had missed and which subsequently vanished 
important finds do not vanish on archaeological sites.
