The Good things about being Atheist/Agnostic (believe, doom, Jesus)

[brikag]

I'm getting tired of the Christian view. Let me hear about the Atheist/Agnostic point of view. Is there a "diety" called god? Adam and Eve, how did they populate the earth. Has anyone heard of the Gospel of Eshua(hebrew for Jesus). The Vatican Corporation has copies. I'd like to hear the Atheist/Agnostic members from this forum. What are your non-beliefs?

Nothing be Praised!

I haven't written this out in a while but conveniently I just did it for another thread so I will copy & paste it here with minor modifications:

I think I have a belief that is very different from most people but I could be wrong. Here is how I look at it:

I consider myself humble. I do not assume I have the capacity to understand how the universe was created, what happens after we die, or why we are here. I just want to live a good life. God may or may not exist but I have never felt it, and the poor condition our world is in where people die for no reason does not give me faith. I believe that if there is a God, and he is truly a just and fair God, that as long as you live a good life you will go to heaven. I don't even know if it exists, but I can tell you I live a better life than almost every religious person I know. I don't drink, do drugs, drive like a maniac, put peoples lives in danger, and I'm very considerate of the world around me. I wouldn't even kill a rabbit and I find it disturbing how many stories there are of animal abuse that people do for "fun".

I find the "everything happens for a reason" and "you won't go to heaven without asking for forgiveness" ridiculous. If I live a better life than someone else, I will go to hell, while they can live a much worse life affecting those around them, but as long as they ask for forgiveness they are saved? That does not sound fair or just to me. I believe I am a strong person without putting God in my life, stronger than most that claim to have God in their life. Most seem to use religion as an excuse rather than a way of life. I lead a good life with no reason. I just feel in my heart it is the right thing to do, and I couldn't imagine doing some of the mean things people do. I am kind to everyone I meet while others instantly regard people with hostility.

If God came to me in any way, shape, or form I would accept it. As I've said I'm very open to it...but it just isn't happening. I went to a private Christian school for Elementary School and LOVED the school. I followed all the teaching and put everything I had into it but I never felt anything.

I live my life in a way that I feel when that time comes, if he's there, God will be waiting for me. I find God would be very logical, and he should understand my position. My position is that there are hundreds of religions in this world, and most people just follow whatever they are raised with. How can I know which of these hundreds of religions are right? They all tell me to "just believe" but none have any more proof than another. Some bicker with each other over minor differences. They all have their own books that they preach out of. There is no way for me to determine which (if any) is the one "true" religion. He can't expect me to possibly know that. Just because Christianity is one of the biggest religions in the world doesn't make it right. It doesn't make it wrong either but how am I to know? And how is that fair that some people are raised with one religion, never even exposed to another one, and they are doomed to hell even if they never knew Christianity existed? This makes no sense to me.

I hope you understand where I'm coming from. I probably missed some things because this is a very in-depth topic and I have thought about it for quite a long time.

[Nea1]

I am agnostic, I just dont know. I know I cant follow all the bible says, sorry but some of it is just to crazy. I hope there is something bigger so I try to be a good person and live an honest decent life, but if not, I will be dead and wont know the difference!! Oh and I get to sleep in on sundays.

[JerZ]

Can you clarify what you mean by agnostic...I mean for the purposes of this thread? I'm not sure whether or not my beliefs count so I'll only add them if they do.

What I'm wondering is--I'm pretty sure the definition of agnostic is that you're not certain of the existance of any diety. BUT I think it might also apply (in common usage/common convos like this one) to people who do believe "something" is out there--they're just not sure what that is. In the first case, you're not sure of a higher being at all; in the second, you pretty much are sure there's something; you just don't have an actual name/visual/etc. for he/she/it.

Anyway, I fall into the second camp, and am roughly pagan since I have a heavy nature focus (tree hugging freak alert!!!!!!!!! Duck, everybody!!!!!!!!!), but I don't have a specific religion within that framework--at all. I mean I don't have this god or that goddess.

Okay. I'll stop now--this is really beginning to no longer make sense!

[brikag]

My definition of Agnostic.... the belief of a greater or higher form of spiritual being. No affiliation to other religions. Belief that every living thing on earth has a certain spiritual energy. Draw your own conclusion.

[JerZ]

Oh! Good! Yeah, then, that's me. What do I find good about being an agnostic? Well...I think it keeps me always guessing and wondering, rather than stagnating.

Now you can draw your own conclusions.

Really interesting thread.

[brikag]

I really don't fit in any religion, because the religions persecute and exclude my lifestyle. How could I allow myself follow a diety that turns to his congregation and say chastise him! Bitter, maybe. But I definately will not give up my lifestyle because of the congregation's prejudice!
Any more willing participants........

[YapCity]

Originally Posted by brikag

I'm getting tired of the Christian view. Let me hear about the Atheist/Agnostic point of view. Is there a "diety" called god? Adam and Eve, how did they populate the earth. Has anyone heard of the Gospel of Eshua(hebrew for Jesus). The Vatican Corporation has copies. I'd like to hear the Atheist/Agnostic members from this forum. What are your non-beliefs?

Nothing be Praised!

I don't believe in now, nor have I ever believed in a "god" or any other form of deity. Even when I was 6 years old in catechism classes, I was the demon child asking "why?". "Why would I believe in something that is not there?". lol. I remember thinking "These people are scary. Don't they know there's nothing up there?".

I can remember the look on the nun's face, lol. Especially when I asked it out loud and the other kids looked at her for an answer. "Faith, you mean believing in something that isn't there? Doesn't that make you crazy?" lol.

I swear, they were a couple of words away from calling an exorcist on me.

My belief system, well, that comes from within, as well as logical analysis. I don't take anything at face value. Everything has to be investigated.


~TT

[irwin]

I'm agnostic, so I don't know the answer to your question!

Anyway, my personal belief is that logically, we can't know at this time whether there is a higher power or not. We can speculate. Some say that Islam is the way, some say the Bible, etc. Personally, I think that if there is a higher power, he probably got the ball rolling at the big bang and then let it roll from there. But who knows? Maybe every little twist and turn in life is not fate or luck, but actually some higher being pulling a lever or something.

Personally, and this is just my personal speculation, I wonder what happened before the big bang. I mean, what was there before the explosion when all the matter in the universe was bound in this infinitely small place? How did it get that way? Was there a god or some higher power that packed the bomb together before the explosion? Maybe...who knows...

[LeavingFlorida05]

I'm agnostic, as well. It means to not possess spiritual knowledge.