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That's a very thoughtful question. Personally I don't like the conversations to generate into insults and bad feelings. That's just not my personality and it serves no purpose. I also have people who I love who are deeply religious so that's also in my back of my mind. To be perfectly honest my main reason to participate in these conversations is to try to persuade people that atheism is not only based on reality but is also a rewarding philosophy. The turmoil and self doubt that religious teachings stir up are not very helpful to people as far as I can see and I don't believe that the foundation beliefs of Christianity are based on reality. By that I mean the very existence of God, the virgin birth, the resurrection of Christ and his return in the future. In my mind that is so far fetched it's not even something I could consider. If I had to state my belief in a very simple way I would say that I believe in facing reality. I don't feel it's emotionally healthy to withdraw into the make believe world that Christianity offers. I feel very positive about life because of my humanistic philosophy and I'm trying my best to suggest to those who feel unhappy in the religious world to consider other options. I hope I've explained myself.
That's a very thoughtful question. Personally I don't like the conversations to generate into insults and bad feelings. That's just not my personality and it serves no purpose. I also have people who I love who are deeply religious so that's also in my back of my mind. To be perfectly honest my main reason to participate in these conversations is to try to persuade people that atheism is not only based on reality but is also a rewarding philosophy. The turmoil and self doubt that religious teachings stir up are not very helpful to people as far as I can see and I don't believe that the foundation beliefs of Christianity are based on reality. By that I mean the very existence of God, the virgin birth, the resurrection of Christ and his return in the future. In my mind that is so far fetched it's not even something I could consider. If I had to state my belief in a very simple way I would say that I believe in facing reality. I don't feel it's emotionally healthy to withdraw into the make believe world that Christianity offers. I feel very positive about life because of my humanistic philosophy and I'm trying my best to suggest to those who feel unhappy in the religious world to consider other options. I hope I've explained myself.
Montana I have always enjoyed your point of view
your explaination of your meaning here.... I could feel was truly from your heart
It is exactly the kind of answer I would expect from someone as kind as you
Please don't take this the wrong way but many of us feel by knowing you we are blessed
I'm here in the hope that I can change the mind of someone who thinks the term "faith" means the total eradication of scepticism. I'm here in the hope that someone may read one of my posts and think 'I wonder if I've been wrong all these years'. I'm hoping to plant a seed of doubt in the mind of a Christian in the hope that he will take a good look at what he believes and, after studying the evidence on the other side, will turn away from religion.
Why? Because I believe that religion shackles the human mind. It closes it down and and turns people into something akin to a robot who blindy follows religious dogma and ignores the evidence that plainly shows them that their beliefs are flawed. To me, that's dangerous. Once people lose their scepticism, and the ability to doubt themselves, they can become essentially very dangerous robots, who will unquestionably do whatever they believe that their god/religion/religious leaders tell them. They have sacrificed their own mind and will, and as a result have become the puppets of whomever/whatever they have given their mind and will over to. And this does indeed make them very dangerous.
I believe the religious individual has been duped into this make believe world of superstition. If religion has its way we will be living under a theocratic government. Could you imagine just what that would be like? It would be the return of the dark ages of Christianity all over again, much like it was in Europe for centuries as recorded in history.
I think I've said this before. Frankly, faith offends me. Holding a belief with a conviction or certainty not justified by the evidence is irrational. You cannot have god-belief without first having faith, without first jumping to conclusions and ignoring evidence, without taking mental shortcuts and abandoning reason. The one quality that really sets humans apart from animals is our ability to reason, and it offends me greatly to see that ability abused.
So I come here in the hope that there may be someone out there who is pursuaded by my argument. I've only had two successes in the past 40 years but hey! Two is better than none.
You might think you are doing a service to the faithful by trying to persuade them toward your secular, humanistic worldview. How is this any less offensive then how you say faith offends you?
I would seriously doubt that the quality of your life is affected by the religious professors of our world. But I could argue the opposite, most definitely.
How much war and genocide is caused, not by religious fanatics as many humanists would have us believe, but rather these crimes committed flow directly out of a secular humanist worldview. Did Hitler kill in God's name? The atrocities going on in the Sudan? Did the Columbine killers have religious motivations? No, in fact it was the absence of any belief in the sanctity of life that led to these tragedies and many more. One of the Columbine killers wore a "Natural Selection" t-shirt, and both him and his partner had been followers of Darwin.
Declaring the absence of a God and a creator raises serious questions I believe atheists are incapable of answering. If there is no God, then how can there be absolutes? Without absolutes, any ideal of morality is purely subjective to man. Who says what is "good" and what is "evil"? Why is murder wrong?? Animals do it, and they practice rape quite often as well. How is it wrong for humans to engage in it? According to secular humanists we are simply high evolved animals. Is morality and ethics simply a creation of man?
When I was younger I read much of Ayn Rand. Her philosophy of man being his own God is....... dangerous, more so than religion could ever be.
I'm also curious why atheists come here so frequently. I mean, to deny the very existance of something and then to spend so much time discussing it........ Don't understand it.
I come here mainly because World Religion has always been an interesting topic to me. Even though I am an atheist I guess you can still consider it a belief in some ways. Personally, I don't think coming onto a board to try and convince someone that they are wrong about their beliefs is any better than a guy knocking on my door telling me to read his bible. I do know that sometimes I have strong points, and yes, I do think not to single it out but Christianity has a lot of flaws. I'm not pointing those out with the arrogance that what I believe in is flawless either it just makes much more sense to me to be an atheist. Really, overall, it's just an interesting place to talk in an adult manner on a situation that people normally act as if it is a taboo and unspeakable subject.
great question, it seems they are quite uncomfortable with their beliefs and the beliefs of others. It would make sense if they started their own discussion topic group, but then they would not have anyone to attack, so they come here. It is classic behavior of an egoist or a person desiring attention.
we pray for them and love them -MOD CUT-
Last edited by Hoosier; 05-08-2007 at 07:06 PM..
Reason: rude language
they dont go on ranting about other religions, which doesnt make since because they are A theists, you would think they would go attacking Buddhists, Hindus(with lots of gods), muslims of course, jews, and all the other religions, but they are not. They attack christians because they fear the ONE True God and satan fears HIM and therefore tries to discredit the ONe TRUE God.
You will not seem them attacking Muslims, atheist fear death
great question, it seems they are quite uncomfortable with their beliefs and the beliefs of others. It would make sense if they started their own discussion topic group, but then they would not have anyone to attack, so they come here. It is classic behavior of an egoist or a person desiring attention.
we pray for them and love them inspite of their hate.
See what I mean!
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