Here's something for me to think about: I don't believe in God anymore, but more because I don't want to believe in him rather than merely not being able to. Does that make any sense? I'm still figuring it out.
Who here are basically athiest now???
by What-A-Coincidence 77 Replies latest jw friends
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Narkissos
The other day I came across the following quote, ascribed to Bismarck: "There is no greater fool than he that says, 'There is no God,' unless it be the one who says he does not know whether there is one or not."
I do think that the question "whether there is" is, indeed, the dumbest one you can ask about "God" or any other mythical character. But it is soo natural.
Whatever our starting imaginary parameters, the reality we are all approaching from different angles is the same. What some call "God" and others call "chance" gets all the more similar as they allow either notion to be modified by experience. But those who get stuck in the question whether may never realise that.
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dawg
I studdied molecular biology for 3.5 years, until I had to change my major because organic chemestry dropped my GPA to 2.9 which meant I wouldn't get into Augusta medical College. NO one can create life, no one can explain exactly how it came about, no one has ever made anything come to life. We may one day make this happen but up to this point, nothing. Science is desigend to explain the natural casues-up to this point they can't explain why something has life from molecular structures that don't spring to life on their own. Something is happening that we don't understand; we may never understand. It's like being in hell, but what makes me the maddest is that if there's a higher being, it hasn't reveled itself. This is what gives the JW's a point, not a valid point but a point... it seems hard to beleive that there's nothing higher that made this mess when we can't make something come to life. If it was that easy why can't we do it? Right now, we have to say we simply don't know... it may be reveled one day but for now we're clueless. God, if he exists, may have a plan, it may be something better no matter the moniker religion has given it, heaven, new world, samsura, whatever. I'm a dieist in that I think it's all working according to the will of the maker, he wants us to figure it all out on our own, that's why he don't do shit to help us. Religion had it's place, but now that we're becoming more advanced as a species we'll evolve and solve our own problems abd destroy the myths. Obviously, it (whatever we call God) must want us to do this as it don't do squat right now to help us in any way, and it never has... waiting for it to do something is a waste of time. So we better suck it up, work together and make somehting good happen for ourselves. THat is my religion.
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flipper
as far as I'm concerned, man created god in his own image - I mean, good grief! God of the bible - genocide, conceit, jealousy, trickery, manipulativeness, conditional love, politics. I don't get how people can take a collection of written material so seriously. As for the existence of God, it doesn't seem to be any of our business as to the details or it would be right out there for everyone to see, not just the "prophets" or whatever. It's entirely possible to want to be a good person and do the right thing without threat of punishment or promise of reward. That's my brilliant outlook.... flipper
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helncon
Not basically
I am!
I guess i just don't care about much of anything to do with ANY religions. To me they are about the same with slight variable differences.
All i worry about is having the basic things in life and looking after number one. ME!
Helen
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IsaacJS2
To me, this isn't terribly important. But I just wanted to point out that scientists claim to have produced completely new life forms on at least 2 separate occasions in a lab. At least one of these was by accident. I don't recall the details on the articles just now, but these events were reported in popular science magazines years ago.
Whatever the case, I don't think the ability to create life matters as much as a lot people think. Creationists will say that they still used things God created to do that, so they won't be overly impressed. I think it's very interesting, but I don't think that will change anyone's opinion much about any thing they already have opinions about.
One of my "writer wannabe" ideas was a civilization, or even a solar system, where everything was based on nanotechnology. The nanites would perform the same tasks as the organelles in a living cell. It isn't hard to see how you could organize them into something that is, by every scientific definition, alive. They could even reproduce sexually, asexually, or whatever you designed them to do. They could look and function like us, or be something bizarre. With this in mind, I tend to look at living things as complex biological machines of a sort.
Just a thought for anyone considering this stuff who hasn't thought of it already.
IsaacJ
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JWdaughter
I would like to believe in a God/god, but life discourages that belief. All the judeo-christian excuses for the neglect we have experienced from their god no longer ring true to me. God comes across to me as a racist, misogynistic, chauvenist who has a personality disorder and needs bi-polar meds, to boot. I would like some loving God, but where IS he? And if would punish me for logically looking at the situation and saying "hmmmmm", then I don't know if I would want to spend eternity with him. Even without JW think, the God of the Bible isn't a very attractive god.
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JWdaughter
Greendawn said: " Almost Atheist there were successful pagan cultures with a measure of achievement but none were truly civilised eg the ancient Greek society was functioning on slave labour the Romans delighted in the murderous gladitorial games, the Incas sacrificed humans on a very large scale, the Hindu Indians had and still have the abominable caste system and the untouchables and not so long ago they used to burn alive, widows with their dead husbands."
Until 140 years ago (for 2000 years) christians tolerated slavery, even thrived upon it. Christianity has rather delighted in fighting for 'the cause of christ' (really, killing, conquering, raping and looting in the name of Christ). Jews have shown themselves willing to sacrifice their children, and had in one notable case done so. Christians TO THIS DAY do things such as scourging, mutilating their bodies. In earlier christian times cut off breasts and reproductive organs to maintain their chastity and virginity. People are screwed up and religion is often the vehicle of their screwyness.
I do think God/organized religion was used by ancients to give order to a disordered world, to give rules and standards so that there could be progress and growth. I think men totally abused the concept.
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Mile 0
I'd have to throw in a slighty qualified affirmative. I don't entirely discount the idea of a higher power of some sort, but "God" as portrayed by the bible - that's a tough one. But if anyone offered definitive proof, I'd be open-minded enough to accept it. I think that christians and for that matter, anyone that believes in an all-supreme diety of some description, see atheists as "godless" people who lack "morals" and reject the idea of GOD simply for selfish reasons,etc. Scientists get the same deal too. We just want to know what is and what isn't based on proof, that's all. Show me proof, and I will follow the direction in which the proof points.
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LtCmd.Lore
Who here are basically athiest now???
Me.
I am an atheist. So, while I accept the idea that there may theoretically be some form of superior entity out there somewhere, there is simply so little evidence to support that theory that it would be foolish for me to base any aspect of my life on it.
LtCmd.Lore