think i'm becoming an atheist

by rather be in hades 43 Replies latest jw friends

• 

  King Solomon

  NC brings up a good point about not needing to go to agnostic first: to be honest, I was kinda young when I asked the big questions that couldn't be answered (mine was, if God made everything, including Satan, where did evil come from?" After the usual nonsense that I knew was BS, there was nothing but crickets chirping...).

  So I went through the motions of attending meetings, FS, (well, i HAD to: you cant exactly call the shots when youre living under Moms roof!), but i only wanted to play music (in a family of musicians) and as time went on, I did too. God wasn't even a thought, before too long....

  (and college sealed it: you cannot study biological sciences and make any sense of all life, unless as seen thru the lenses evolution provides: it's THAT critical of a unifying theory.)

  It's trite to say, but the less time spent looking back is time you can spend looking forward: that's all you CAN control, anyway: tomorrow...

  (pssstt, how was that, NC? Am I off probation now?)
• 

  Chariklo

  rather be in hades

  I don't think it helps to congratulate you. It sounds to me as though you are very young, and also rather depressed. You are very angry, and that's understandable.

  I am sending you a PM.
• 

  darthweef

  Personally, while I don't believe that a "God" exists, I can't really prove that with any sort of imperical data, so I stick with the moniker of Agnostic. I know he/she/it doesn't give a shit about me, and I pay he/she/it the same courtesy.

  I find it ironic that Atheists have a habit of touting the believe in only what you can prove, but are the loudest about stating there is no god .. so my response.. prove it.
• 

  Chariklo

  That is a very reasonable position to hold, darthweef.
• 

  umadevi

  I am at the crossroad too, to believe or not to believe. I have been reading some books on atheism, and then some books on the power of mind. Ended up being confused as hell. In the past there were some prayers answered, many were not. Now I think back of those times when I got what I prayed for, I am not sure that was it God who granted my prayers or was it me (and my mind) that made it happen.

  Am I making any sense here?
• 

  King Solomon

  "I find it ironic that Atheists have a habit of touting the believe in only what you can prove, but are the loudest about stating there is no god .. so my response.. prove it."

  While I cannot prove the non-existence of a deistic God who wishes to hide (no one can, although God himself could solve the whole silly question yesterday, if He wanted to!), I sure can disprove beyond a reasonable doubt that YHWH, the God depicted in Abrahamic religions, is a creation of mortals. They wrote fatal continuity errors in the Bible, not to mention just flat-out untruths and scientific inaccuracies which, while maybe they were the best information in 400BC, are now just known to be flat-out wrong, incorrect.

  (it's OT in this thread, but ask and I'll start a new one.)
• 

  Chariklo

  umadevi, you do make sense.

  But just remember, don't base your belief or non-belief or whther or not prayers get "answered".

  And especially, don't base belief/non-belief on an experience as a Jehovah's Witness. JW's are taught a particular, not-very-pleasant version of God. They have belief in a God of retribution drummed into them.

  There are other views of God, or rather, a divine element. You could try picking up one of the little books around by the Dalai Lama. Or one of the little paperbacks in a series edited by Robert Llewelyn, "Enfolded in Love".

  It is a perspective unknown to the Watchtower.
• 

  THE GLADIATOR

  rather be in hades "maybe my prayers weren't answered because maybe god doesn't exist."

  Your posting has been answered very thoroughly by the comments made by the people who have responded. Your comments above says it all. You are still at the ‘maybe’ stage.

  I would add that you don’t believe in a God in the sense that you don’t believe he is doing his job properly, so you don’t trust or like God. You consider him a failure. You are starting to doubt whether a personal God as defined by major religions exists - that is an objective being with feelings and rules.

  Next you will have to consider whether there is an impartial, invisible presence pervading the universe manifests as life? If you decide there is no such presence you will be an atheist.

  You will be an atheist when all anger has gone; all questioning has ceased; when you get up in the morning and enjoy your day, forgetting to think about a bogey-man in the sky.
• 

  Phizzy

  Darthweef is hiding behind the old canard that you cannot prove a negative, so, Tee Hee, just because those smart-arse atheists cannot prove there is not a God, that means a God must exist.

  Can those with critical thinking skills see what is the fallacy here ?

  A negative can be proved, I go back to my old Piggy Bank example.

  I do not believe there is any money in it. A negative. I smash it open, being unconviced of the negative by merely shaking it, and I find no money, I see no money , cannot feel any money, and above all, cannot spend that money that "evidently" does not exist.

  Voila ! I have proved a negative.

  Smash open the "Piggy Bank" where God is supposed to be hiding and see what you find.
• 

  smiddy

  What posters on this site seem to confuse with the question , of beleiving or not in a God is whether your a beleiver who now has doubts, is how you are influenced by christendoms religions ,judaism ,and your jehovah`s witness upbringing. Correct me if I am wrong ( and I`m sure you will ) but I would go so far as to say a third or less of the worlds population are of the christian religion ,and if that is not accurate it wouldn`t be far off it. So two thirds of the worlds population,or theirabouts are non christian beleifs , no jehovah ,no jesus ,no adam,and ,no eve. What does that tell you ? 2/3rds of the world have never heard of the so called promised land/new world/paradise after Armaggeddon , and this after ALL THIS WITNESSING THAT`S TAKEN PLACE THIS 20th CENTURY ? by a small group of dedicated jehovah`s witnesses who have to continually change /modify/re-interpret/adjust/revise/transpose/substitute/metamorphose/alter/amend/revamp/rewrite,which is all the WTB&TS have done, and much more these past 130 + years

  smiddy