Posts by Pika

103

How the WTBTS creates atheists

by Nickolas in

i am an atheist.

i arrived at this juncture in my life despite not wanting to.

when i first met the witnesses at 22 i was a seeker looking for answers to the question of life - in other words, prime cult target material.

Pika_Chu

@Tammy: I'm thinking the thought of God and religion are the same thing. You can have God without religion, but not religion without God. You said earlier that belief comes before religion, and I partly agree on that. Religions are evolved from beliefs and are the sum of beliefs regarding god. I think the idea that someone bigger than everyone else existed and had command over the elements and who decided the ultimate fate of everything was a good tool for ancients to use control and law enforcement (laws are better obeyed if someone believes it came from god and that severe punishment ensues for infractions. Plus, there's the whole "God sees everything you do and knows your motives" part of that whole thing).

Reading your post on page 4, regarding the notion that God exists because he is believed in, I also partially agree. I mean, the fact that people believe in something doesn't make it real in a physical sense, but God indeed exists in the minds of believers (at the very least, he is a theoretical concept). Thoughts exist, but not physically. I think God is a thought and a state of mind, but not a real BEING, though. Commenting on posts further down that page, I disagree regarding the "in the spirit" philosophy. But that's simply because I don't believe in spirits.

109

Could Christians please respond; Is there a penalty for rejecting Jesus?

by nicolaou in

.

hell is pretty much out of vogue these days so if this rabid atheist decidedly turns his back on god and/or christ what will become of me?.

Pika_Chu

Holy crap. I leave for a day and all this fundie crap again?

@snowbird: They're coming, seriously? Well, just so you know, I'll leave the door open for God. I just won't expect him to come by.

@watersprout: in the case that god would reveal himself to me, I would question it. I would be skeptical as to whether such a thing really happened. If it turned out to be verified and undeniable, sure, I would embrace God. But personal revelation isn't very convincing.

@godrulz: the thing is, if we say the notion that God is not real is something made up by Satan, we have to prove Satan is a real person. Evidence first, then conclusions.

@cofty: I totally agree. The "watch" analogy is getting extremely old. The thing is, we see watches and conclude they must be made by men. We don't see watches reproducing, adapting to changing environments, growing on trees, forming due to plate tectonics, etc. No, those things are natural and have natural explanations. No supernatural explainations are necessary to explain NATURE!!!

I also agree that religion is the perfect behaviour control mechanism. Not just behaviour, but thoughts. If God will punish us for being atheists, when we value reason above blindness, like I said before, he would be a very cruel being, one who only loves his creation conditionally. Such a God is unworthy of worship, for he is no better than wicked humans.

97

Everything In The Universe Was Created By Absolutely Nothing.

by Philadelphia Ponos in

jw
friends

this is the purest example of an oxymoron.

repeat this sentence over and over again and you will realize why it's impossible for some people to accept the big bang model.

.

Pika_Chu

There is not now nor could there possibly be (in any remotely meaningful way) anything that qualifies as genuine evidence for these types of theories

Yeah. Just like your metaphysical theories of ancient creator gods.

@James Thomas: I did read your previous posts. However, I don't see what the relationship with light/darkness and what gives things quality versus the lack of quality of nothingness has to do with God being omnipresent.

97

Everything In The Universe Was Created By Absolutely Nothing.

by Philadelphia Ponos in

jw
friends

this is the purest example of an oxymoron.

repeat this sentence over and over again and you will realize why it's impossible for some people to accept the big bang model.

.

Pika_Chu

I just thought of something. If God is omnipresent, that means he's hiding in our peanut butter, under our bed, in our brains, inside the universe, every part of it. If God takes up an infinite amount of space, nothing else can exist because he is taking up all that space. Unless he's INSIDE everything. But, then again, does he exist at the quark level? Is he subatomic? If he is that small, he can't be that big anymore, can he? And the weirdest part of him being inside and outside of everything is this: he is VERY intimate with us. In more ways than one.

103

How the WTBTS creates atheists

by Nickolas in

i am an atheist.

i arrived at this juncture in my life despite not wanting to.

when i first met the witnesses at 22 i was a seeker looking for answers to the question of life - in other words, prime cult target material.

Pika_Chu

@sab: what do you mean, no buts? I understand what you are saying. HOWEVER (I did not say "but" this time), if not for the ancients inventing belief systems in gods, no one today would believe in any gods. Without religion, there is no one to say there IS a god.

109

Could Christians please respond; Is there a penalty for rejecting Jesus?

by nicolaou in

.

hell is pretty much out of vogue these days so if this rabid atheist decidedly turns his back on god and/or christ what will become of me?.

Pika_Chu

@Snowbird: perhaps I misunderstood. Many people I encounter seem to equate being an atheist with rejecting God. I was thinking along those lines.

103

How the WTBTS creates atheists

by Nickolas in

i am an atheist.

i arrived at this juncture in my life despite not wanting to.

when i first met the witnesses at 22 i was a seeker looking for answers to the question of life - in other words, prime cult target material.

Pika_Chu

@Sab, yes, all religions being false doesn't necesarily mean God doesn't exist, but, on the other hand, we get the idea of God from religion in the first place. And if all religions are wrong, what is the true god like? Is he nothing like what people believe?

92

Which posters are male and which are female? Am I getting it wrong?

by Lozhasleft in

jw
friends

this is baffling me...someone suggested a day or so ago that outlaw is female?

and what about bandontherun ?

is that a lady too?.

Pika_Chu

@TD: I do get mad when people call me a girl. And I like asking questions like that. I aim to confuse and cause questioning.

103

How the WTBTS creates atheists

by Nickolas in

i am an atheist.

i arrived at this juncture in my life despite not wanting to.

when i first met the witnesses at 22 i was a seeker looking for answers to the question of life - in other words, prime cult target material.

Pika_Chu

When I started doubting JW doctrine, I also started doubting the Bible. When I started doubting the Bible, I started looking into other religions and found those to be no more true than one another. Then I was an agnostic for a little while. Then an atheist when I realized all the different reasons other atheists (and myself) didn't believe in God. I mean, I started on one end of the spectrum, was in the middle with a liberal, open mind for a while, then I realized atheists weren't really a bunch of deluded idiots, then I thought about why I believed in God up until that point. I didn't have good reasons. I didn't have any, really. Then, one day, it hit me. I didn't believe in God anymore.

109

Could Christians please respond; Is there a penalty for rejecting Jesus?

by nicolaou in

.

hell is pretty much out of vogue these days so if this rabid atheist decidedly turns his back on god and/or christ what will become of me?.

Pika_Chu

If God will through people in hell for not believing in him, when people disbelieve for legitimate reasons, then God is not benevolent. That's pretty bad conditional love.

Pika_Chu

Posts by Pika_Chu