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I admire your courage in believing in (to me) the equivalent of the tooth fairy.
It does not take courage to believe in or not believe in the tooth fairy, that's a thing of no consequence.
But as I see it, it takes a great deal of courage to profess to believe that the few mortal days we are granted is the entire substance and purpose and meaning of our existence and that our individuality, personality, character, uniqueness, love, and relationships are totally and forever snuffed out the moment after our physical body takes its last breath of this planet's life sustaining air.
That makes no sense to me at all, it's not logical, it defies reason, it's a dark and dismal hopeless philosophy the way I understand it. Take God out of it if you must, I grant that the way people understand Him with such diversity of opinions can be confusing, but why must you also in your belief package forever extinguish life/awareness/consciousness/relationships at the death of the physical body? Are we mere animals to you?
I'm sure that the bottom line with the owners and shareholders of Fox News, as it is with any for-profit corporation, is profit. Controversy brings in new viewers and retains old viewers. New viewers bring in more advertising revenue, seems to be working for them. My understanding is that huge numbers of new viewers are flocking to Fox News and away from other news channels.
But then, I heard that on Fox News, maybe it's a lie...
Could be.
Anything I might pick up off that source I always try to check up on.
By far, most times it is either an outright lie in and of itself, or a mere spin, which is another type of lie.
I'm sure that the bottom line with the owners and shareholders of Fox News, as it is with any for-profit corporation, is profit. Controversy brings in new viewers and retains old viewers. New viewers bring in more advertising revenue, seems to be working for them. My understanding is that huge numbers of new viewers are flocking to Fox News and away from other news channels.
But then, I heard that on Fox News, maybe it's a lie...
That is quite understandable considering the number of whack-a-loons in the US.
It does not take courage to believe in or not believe in the tooth fairy, that's a thing of no consequence.
But as I see it, it takes a great deal of courage to profess to believe that the few mortal days we are granted is the entire substance and purpose and meaning of our existence and that our individuality, personality, character, uniqueness, love, and relationships are totally and forever snuffed out the moment after our physical body takes its last breath of this planet's life sustaining air.
That makes no sense to me at all, it's not logical, it defies reason, it's a dark and dismal hopeless philosophy the way I understand it. Take God out of it if you must, I grant that the way people understand Him with such diversity of opinions can be confusing, but why must you also in your belief package forever extinguish life/awareness/consciousness/relationships at the death of the physical body? Are we mere animals to you?
Your opinion of "dark and dismal" translates to "make every moment count, for yourself and others" among the "godless".
It does not take courage to believe in or not believe in the tooth fairy, that's a thing of no consequence.
... I think you may be starting to get how I feel about "god"
Quote:
Originally Posted by justamere10
But as I see it, it takes a great deal of courage to profess to believe that the few mortal days we are granted is the entire substance and purpose and meaning of our existence and that our individuality, personality, character, uniqueness, love, and relationships are totally and forever snuffed out the moment after our physical body takes its last breath of this planet's life sustaining air. ?
"Courage"??!! Vast majority of the people follow the religion they are born into. It takes greater courage to arrive at your own conclusions and deliberately become a tiny minority - like most atheists. As the the meaning of life, that is exactly what religion and philosophy should help us understand.Religion does not seem to have the answers (other then the "canned" responses) - else we would know and agree with them by now. Seems some would like to believe in afterlife or others in 72 virgins etc, and that is ok since it helps you give your life meaning. I look for real evidence, not a fairy tale.
Quote:
Originally Posted by justamere10
That makes no sense to me at all, it's not logical, it defies reason, it's a dark and dismal hopeless philosophy the way I understand it. Take God out of it if you must, I grant that the way people understand Him with such diversity of opinions can be confusing, but why must you also in your belief package forever extinguish life/awareness/consciousness/relationships at the death of the physical body? Are we mere animals to you?
yes we are simply animals but animals that have evolved in many ways. (Pl dont link this to morality and religion etc as those are different topics.)
That is quite understandable considering the number of whack-a-loons in the US.
Oops, maybe if you were a US citizen or at least living in this nation you could get away with that comment, but some patriots, even fellow atheists, might find it quite offensive eh.
Your opinion of "dark and dismal" translates to "make every moment count, for yourself and others" among the "godless".
I'd be interested in knowing how you do that "make every moment count" better than do those who are in touch with God; maybe you can teach me something I didn't know.
I'd be interested in knowing how you do that "make every moment count" better than do those who are in touch with God; maybe you can teach me something I didn't know.
You will never truley understand until you unembrace god.
It does not take courage to believe in or not believe in the tooth fairy, that's a thing of no consequence.
But as I see it, it takes a great deal of courage to profess to believe that the few mortal days we are granted is the entire substance and purpose and meaning of our existence and that our individuality, personality, character, uniqueness, love, and relationships are totally and forever snuffed out the moment after our physical body takes its last breath of this planet's life sustaining air.
That makes no sense to me at all, it's not logical, it defies reason, it's a dark and dismal hopeless philosophy the way I understand it. Take God out of it if you must, I grant that the way people understand Him with such diversity of opinions can be confusing, but why must you also in your belief package forever extinguish life/awareness/consciousness/relationships at the death of the physical body? Are we mere animals to you?
You can close your eyes real tight, but that doesn't make the truth go away. We are finite. Just as there was a beginning, there will be an end. I know we have a survival instinct that hates to hear that and fights to find a viable theory that will allow us to live for ever, (in one form or another.) But the best evidence we have suggests that at some point our consciousness will be taken from us, we will no longer be self-aware, and that will be the end of us.
The appeal of atheism isn't that it feels good to believe in it. Its appeal is that it appears to be true. That's its main virtue.
My experience may not be typical, but it took a little work before I gave in to the idea that my fantasy of life eternal was based on what I wanted, not what was likely to be true. I had some sleepless nights as I learned to accept my fate, and came to understand what that meant.
But I eventually got through it. I came to terms with my fate, and now I not only accept it, I don't fear it. Just like I don't miss being awake when I'm asleep, I know I won't miss being alive when I'm dead. The fear of death is a reaction to the survival instincts, and not based on logic.
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