I am an Atheist and always have been.

TeePee said:
I don't know about athiests necessarily trying to force their beliefs or non beliefs on people, but it irks me when they talk about the spaghetti fairy, the flying spaghetti monster, and things like that referring to God. Whether it's religeon, politics, or anyone's way of thinking, I don't like it when people or their beliefs are being made fun. (exp: Sleepy Joe). I think it's disrespectful.
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I'm sorry that you feel I was being disrespectful. The flying spaghetti monster is something that I've thought very little about, let alone talked about. Why other people have, I can't speak for them. (I think some are trying to be funny, as to the others, it might be disrespect; I don't know.)
 
asp3 said:
@rbtvgo

The answer for you is obviously god, but how did god come to be? I usually hear people say that god always was and always will be. It's just as valid to say that the conditions which lead to the big bang existed before it and they lead to the conditions that allowed us to exist due to evolution.
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I've asked that question & the answer is exactly what you posted
Quote
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people say that god always was and always will be
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How do they know that? Where did that "fact" they claim come from?
 
Messy said:
When I divorced they put me on prozac after I gave birth and it had suicide attempts as a side effect. The psychiater did not believe me when I called him to say I got these thoughts and doubled the dose.
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How is your child today? I've read that children born to mothers who are under a lot of stress and into stressful environments can experience long-term mental health issues and learning disabilities.
 
C50 said:
Religion is a tool used to exercise power and control, it's base is fear.
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That's man made religion.

James 1:27
27 Pure and undefiled religion before God and the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their trouble, and to keep oneself unspotted from the world.

I'm glad that my parents never took me to a hell preach church nor talked about that. I had never heard about that stuff. I was just interested to find out if God existed. My cousins, they went to a very strict reformed church. One cousin got totally depressed from it. Later he went with his wife to a happy clappy church.
 
Can you pray if you're an atheist? My friend (Christian) says if I'm praying I can not be an atheist as I claim. I disagree, I am a true atheist as I believe there is no god, yet I pray daily. I am not necessarily praying to a god, more just just acknowledging my mistakes and the wrong I've done but more importantly praying is a way of expressing my gratitude for the good in my life.

Expressing gratitude daily is important to me, it keeps me focused and appreciative of the positives in life instead of wallowing in despair.
 
Rakaia said:
No, it's a binary option you believe or you don't. Yes, no or abstain.
There's no flip side to the holier than thou scenario.
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Nope. You can believe in any of these:

A Nothing

B something(s)

C Everything


Of those the only one I find impossible is “A”. Biologically we as organisms are compelled to believe something just to make sense of our environment.

But I lean toward accepting whatever my fellow human believe to be the truth for them. And I don’t choose to judge what others believe.
 
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David777 said:
On the basis of known facts, there are obvious reasons increasing numbers of people in this modern era have become atheists or agnostics. It is also true, many older people have lived their lives, are tired and diminished, so don't care if their existence ends forever. I wish to live forever.

Went to 11am mass yesterday, that was Palm Sunday, with a lengthened gospel period reading Mathew's passion of Christ. Our church each Sunday has 4 English masses and 2 Spanish masses with a seating capacity of 1200 people. One of the most ethnically diverse groups in the nation. And it was full yesterday.

Although I choose to believe in Jesus Christ, my religious ideas as I've posted herein numbers of times, have very different aspects than that any of Christian denominations. As a strong science person, I do seek eternal life and understand scientifically how that may be possible. Jesus very clearly told those who seek eternal life to attend the church Peter was the first to lead and to consume his Bread of Life, so I do. A small weekly burden.
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Maybe I am confused, but Peter was the leader of the 12 Apostles, but
Jesus was the bread of life. John 6:35
 
All religions start at some point in time. Their basis of belief comes from what they know from the past thru scriptures, history and what is known about the world we live in. No religion starts from the beginning of time. No religion can. simply because the information is not available.
That being said then God becomes the explanation for all that we do not know. God did it. Says he did in the bible. What's the Bible? Who wrote it where did it come from???
So here we are. Debate! debate! debate! all of course based on what we know as opposed to what we don't know.
There are some interesting statements made in the bible such as:
“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” (John 1:1)
“For the word of God is alive and active…” (Hebrews 4:12).
Now if I consider these statements I would have to consider this one

“Truly I tell you, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it.”
— Mark 10:15

So now we get to faith which is without explanation. Believe in something you can't prove.
Goes against everything you know and understand.

Here is where I make my stand. This infinite being who supposedly created the universe and is the explanation for all that we do not know......talks to me. Knows me. Castigates me, points out my sins and yet loves me. Doesn't coddle me, doesn't agree with me. Doesn't give me the answers I would like to hear. Answers my questions with questions. Makes me think. Makes me stand up and do what needs to be done. Yet I know he is there. I know he loves me, why, I have no idea.
I can run and hide from him but he knows where I am. He is patient, loving but also stern. Your sins are forgiven before him but they still have consequences that you will bear.

For most of you I probably make no sense. I really don't care. Everything I said is heart felt. It is who I am and what I am.
God is real and out there.
have a Happy Easter
bob
 
rbtvgo said:
All religions start at some point in time. Their basis of belief comes from what they know from the past thru scriptures, history and what is known about the world we live in. No religion starts from the beginning of time. No religion can. simply because the information is not available.
That being said then God becomes the explanation for all that we do not know. God did it. Says he did in the bible. What's the Bible? Who wrote it where did it come from???
So here we are. Debate! debate! debate! all of course based on what we know as opposed to what we don't know.
There are some interesting statements made in the bible such as:
“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” (John 1:1)
“For the word of God is alive and active…” (Hebrews 4:12).
Now if I consider these statements I would have to consider this one

“Truly I tell you, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it.”
— Mark 10:15

So now we get to faith which is without explanation. Believe in something you can't prove.
Goes against everything you know and understand.

Here is where I make my stand. This infinite being who supposedly created the universe and is the explanation for all that we do not know......talks to me. Knows me. Castigates me, points out my sins and yet loves me. Doesn't coddle me, doesn't agree with me. Doesn't give me the answers I would like to hear. Answers my questions with questions. Makes me think. Makes me stand up and do what needs to be done. Yet I know he is there. I know he loves me, why, I have no idea.
I can run and hide from him but he knows where I am. He is patient, loving but also stern. Your sins are forgiven before him but they still have consequences that you will bear.

For most of you I probably make no sense. I really don't care. Everything I said is heart felt. It is who I am and what I am.
God is real and out there.
have a Happy Easter
bob
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Happy Easter and you make a lot of sense to me. :)
 
I can't say that I was always an atheist, because like many (perhaps most) people, I had my parent's views stuffed down my throat from an early age. It's only after a while that you learn to examine these views and make up your mind about them.
My parents could never explain their blind acceptance of religious teachings nor understand why I rejected them.

No matter what you believe, have a happy and safe Spring holiday
 
Capt Lightning said:
I can't say that I was always an atheist, because like many (perhaps most) people, I had my parent's views stuffed down my throat from an early age. It's only after a while that you learn to examine these views and make up your mind about them.
My parents could never explain their blind acceptance of religious teachings nor understand why I rejected them.

No matter what you believe, have a happy and safe Spring holiday
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I'm grateful that my parents weren't extremists at all and didn't shove anything down my throat. Just good people with a healthy grip on reality, and for that I thank them, may they rest peacefully.
 
I remember one day, when I was informed by my mother that she and my father would no longer force me to go to church, but she hoped I would go sometimes, which was a good compromise that I took seriously.

I was not anti religion and searched for years to find a meaningful relationship with a god, and even came up with new age variations of his being before I had ever heard the term new age. But I could find no evidence for that which has no evidence. I understood the faith based feelings of personal revelation, which I considered possibly the only convincing way to know God, but I had already experienced those psychological reactions in other areas of my life in my young adult years.

I still have them too. They are referred to as peak experiences in psychology, with no religious components necessary. Some people call these spiritual experiences, as best I can gather, but they are just things that cause a release of dopamine and other biochemical reactions. For me it was usually when alone in remote mountainous areas. I have been told that I am spiritual because of that, but that is based on personal semantics. I know what people mean and don't argue the point. It's a wonderful feeling.
 
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