...and by far the commonest - lolOriginally Posted by RobinHood3000
We all doubt. Such is Humanity's lot. We just don't all admit it. Of course, it's easier for an atheist to admit that he may be wrong - there's no fear of DIVINE RETRIBUTION. So perhaps we can forgive the rest for their dogmatism.
...Nah - let's not!!
those who live like animals..
JUST eat....drink.....play....
eat....drink.....play....
and sin for ever ...ignoring Hell..!
What do you mean, "no fear of divine retribution?" If we're wrong, divine retribution is exactly what we end up with.
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If you don't believe in a divine being, then how can you be subject to divine retribution? Religion extends no farther than one's mind, and to call something a "religious truth" is merely to find a group with a similar theological belief who concur with each other. Athiests rely on the nonexistence of belief, and collectively they then believe a divine being doesn't exist. Can you have punishment without a punisher?
I am an athiest depending on how you choose to define the term. I do not believe in a religious being. I do, however, believe in something. My dad, however, is a classic athiest.
Well, that's what atheists believe. That's why they're atheists; no point in behaving as if there's a God if you think it's all in your head, is there? People who do believe in God honestly think there is someone there to punish them. And, if they're right, and atheists are actually mistaken, then the souls of athiests may or may not be in real trouble when they die (depending on what sort of guy God happens to be).
If you had to live with this you'd rather lie than fall.
You think I can't fly? Well, you just watch me!
~The Dresden Dolls
...and that risk is as great through choosing the wrong religion as from choosing none! In fact, any catholic will tell you that all other 'so-called' christians are damned because 'theirs' is the only 'true' faith. You can't follow every religion (and I have yet to come across any that is more convincing than any other) so I prefer to follow none.
In my opinion (and lacking any concrete evidence from a certifiably divine being, that's all we have to go on, a bunch of opinions) there is no reason to believe in anything that we cannot experience with our senses, or which we can deduce from those experiences.
Any deity that seriously wanted us to believe without question would (given his/her/its absolute infallability) provide incontrivertible proof to base that belief on (unless he/she/it is just toying with us, in which case they are guilty of a sick joke and not worthy of praise).
Instead, all we have are a selection of ambiguous, self-contradictory texts, all obviously penned by far less sophisticated and wordly-wise people than ourselves. I expect that when I die, I die. I have no soul, only a brain, and I will use it to analyse everything for as long as I am able, the existence of god included.
If I'm wrong, I will argue the toss with whatever deity I find in the 'next world'. And I will be wanting some pretty good explanations!
Something to add to this as well....it doesn't take a religious person to be a moral person. Do we need a god to tell us we shouldn't kill people, or can we be civil and understand that doing so is not in the best interests of everyone involved? Of course, morality is also just in someone's head...look at all the murderers who have thought that killing was the "right thing to do".
Regarding religion, I equate it to a bottomless cup. Why? A bottomless cup is still empty after you have put everything you have into it. A bottomless cup leaves you with what you started with when you are done with it...nothing. Both of these things I have found true of religion. How many times have people asked theological questions only to be given more questions just because religion cannot be "proven" ? Why can't we prove religion existent? Is it because some god doesn't want us figuring it out, or because we're supposed to be on some "quest for the truth"? If I'm going to go on a quest, I want an end and some sort of tangible answer. "Feeling" the call of a certain god is nothing more than someone convincing themselves that their god is real, and the reason people say they feel peace in doing so isnt because they've been invaded with all-pervasive grace....it's because they've decided to stop rationalizing. Religion is just an intellectual drug that uses the unknown to addict people. Just my thoughts.
...I'm guessing XxDarkClarityxX is an atheist, as well.
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It's a result of Catholicism being shoved down my throat as an augmentation to my education...I wasn't always an athiest, but I've turned out to be that way. Too much of a good thing, or should I say SOMETHING, will cause a reversal of the desired effect.
It has been a while since I posted on this thread but XXdarkclarityXX made a good point about you do not have to be a person of faith to be a moral one. I am a person of faith but I know many people whom are atheist that are more moral then a person who believes in the Bible. It a matter of how you choose to life your life and that it is okay to believe or not to believe.
Words can either heal or harm I choose for my words to heal and do no harm.
Ah, yes, I'm familiar with the phenomenon. If you look elsewhere on these forums, I think that you can find my post on a hardcore Christian who pretty much poured cement over my feet on the "Atheist" side of the line.
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Sorry, Xamonas, don't mean to nit-pick, but I always feel compelled to defend the religious against such blanket statements, citing my own experience with religion. I was raised in an, admittedly, very liberal Catholic church, but was always taught that any Christian, be they Catholic or Protestant, was accepted by God as his own. Now, I always took issue with the "you have to be Christian" aspect of that (I recall asking my mother when I was little, "What about all the good people who aren't Christian? What about all the people who live in the Amazon and will never hear about Jesus, but are still good people? Do you mean they don't go to Heaven? Is God really that unfair?" ...and then I aged a few years and decided it was all total BS), but my point is that there are plenty of Christians, and specifically Catholics, who do not believe Christian denomination makes a difference to the fate of one's soul.
That's all.
If you had to live with this you'd rather lie than fall.
You think I can't fly? Well, you just watch me!
~The Dresden Dolls
This thread is so stupid. Atheist is defined on a negative, meaning that it tells you what the person does not believe in. It does not tell you what the person believes in. The end, /gg.
Perhaps I can put things into perspective for you.
Could you answer briefly what theists believe in? Without leaving anyone out?
Last edited by RobinHood3000; 01-22-2006 at 02:29 PM.
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