THE GLADIATOR

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Posts by THE GLADIATOR

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  81

  How Did You Become An Atheist?

  by NewChapter in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  since there seem to be a number of threads in this spirit, i'd like to ask how others became atheists.

  for myself, i learned some things that made me understand the bible wasn't true.

  i looked deeper, and it became even more unlikely.

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  THE GLADIATOR

  I enjoyed the youtube clip posted by botchtowersociety.

  Also the comments by thinking_1 Both on page 2.

  Also enjoyed the link posted by leavingwt and many other contributions from others.

  As for the opening question: How Did You Become An Atheist? I too prefer not to wear a label and be suddenly viewed as belonging to an organisation. I realised that God, as promoted by major religions, does not exist, 9 years before I left Jehovah's Witnesses at the age of 30.

  I examine Christianity but realized that without belief in God I would make a poor candidate. An examination of Eastern religion and philosophy was more promising. I have some respect for Zen Buddhism and Tao. In the end though, I do not see a shred of evidence that an Abrahamic God exists or any other personal God. God is AWOL. It’s the no-show factor that convinced me.
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  473

  How do I hear/feel God?

  by doinmypart in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  this is a serious question.. i know people that hear/feel god (and see postings about people's experiences), but i have not experienced this.

  i have never heard anything audibly (or otherwise) nor "felt" anything inwardly.. i've prayed, read, quieted my thoughts, etc...but still nothing..

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  THE GLADIATOR

  poppers So good to see you still posting. A voice of reason and calm in stormy seas.
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  81

  What does faith mean to you?

  by exwhyzee in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  we all memorized the definition of faith... faith is the assured expectation of things hoped for...yadda yadda.. it seems like more and more as time goes by and our scientific knowledge base grows, we need less and less faith and fewer things can be attributed to god.. do you think we need faith or is faith just a word we use to feel ok about being too lazy to keep looking for the answers ?.

  what does faith mean to you now?.

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  THE GLADIATOR

  cofty " Is faith a dirty word ?"

  Tarnished and misunderstood perhaps, but faith has enabled humankind to reach for the stars.

  Scientifically speaking and in an, as yet, inconclusive spiritual way.
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  473

  How do I hear/feel God?

  by doinmypart in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  this is a serious question.. i know people that hear/feel god (and see postings about people's experiences), but i have not experienced this.

  i have never heard anything audibly (or otherwise) nor "felt" anything inwardly.. i've prayed, read, quieted my thoughts, etc...but still nothing..

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  THE GLADIATOR

  doinmypart Like many here, I have great empathy for your quandary.

  Our sarcasm reflects our own disappointment. The difficulty I have is that we are expected to speak on God’s behalf in his, her, its absence.

  We are not qualified to do so. Why does the being you are trying to talk, ignore you?

  Absent, not bothered, too unreachably high, or non-existent? Take your pick!
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  45

  Can Atheists Be "Religious"?

  by AGuest in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  it appears so (may you all have peace!):.

  http://firstchurchofatheism.com/.

  http://www.factschurch.com/.

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  THE GLADIATOR

  Re: Can Atheists Be "Religious"?

  In as much a religious can mean - e xtremely scrupulous or conscientious .

  Sometimes atheists pursue their abhorrence of religion in a religious way. Attacking religion or faith can become an obsession.
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  473

  How do I hear/feel God?

  by doinmypart in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  this is a serious question.. i know people that hear/feel god (and see postings about people's experiences), but i have not experienced this.

  i have never heard anything audibly (or otherwise) nor "felt" anything inwardly.. i've prayed, read, quieted my thoughts, etc...but still nothing..

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  THE GLADIATOR

  Hasn't he replied to you post yet?

  Probably on a coffee break.
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  81

  What does faith mean to you?

  by exwhyzee in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  we all memorized the definition of faith... faith is the assured expectation of things hoped for...yadda yadda.. it seems like more and more as time goes by and our scientific knowledge base grows, we need less and less faith and fewer things can be attributed to god.. do you think we need faith or is faith just a word we use to feel ok about being too lazy to keep looking for the answers ?.

  what does faith mean to you now?.

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  THE GLADIATOR

  NewChapter “I think that accepting something because one has testable evidence, does not take faith. Religious faith is not the same as the acceptance that some have in the scientific

  method. Having confidence in the scientific method does not require blind faith, because the method itself demands skeptism and accepting the possibility that we could be wrong. ”

  This is true. In my life I have come to doubt religion, relatives, and people generally, including myself.

  What is - is. Faith is a luxury I can no longer afford.
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  81

  What does faith mean to you?

  by exwhyzee in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  we all memorized the definition of faith... faith is the assured expectation of things hoped for...yadda yadda.. it seems like more and more as time goes by and our scientific knowledge base grows, we need less and less faith and fewer things can be attributed to god.. do you think we need faith or is faith just a word we use to feel ok about being too lazy to keep looking for the answers ?.

  what does faith mean to you now?.

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  THE GLADIATOR

  It would suit me to be highly sceptical of things outside of proven parameters. It would keep things simple and allow a sense of order in my mind. But alas, throughout my life, from my earliest years, I have had many uninvited vivid dreams and premonitions sometimes concerning myself, but more often, and more importantly, other people.

  As I grew older, I started writing them down in detail and had other people witness them. They have always come true in startling detail for the people concerned who were not told. To do this could influence the outcome. Other times, I phoned people to check if what I had seen taking place many miles away had actually happened. They have always verified every detail. Over the years I have shared a few of these experiences on this forum under my real name. I now choose to no longer do so.

  The point of my mentioning this is that my present understanding of the physical world offers no explanation for these occurrences. I would like to see it all as nonsense which has a simple explanation to do with brain activity. Yet, I cannot deny my own experiences that were shared and verified by independent witnesses. So I keep an open mind and wait to see what happens. Perhaps we will one day understand more of how the universe functions and what part we play in it.
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  81

  What does faith mean to you?

  by exwhyzee in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  we all memorized the definition of faith... faith is the assured expectation of things hoped for...yadda yadda.. it seems like more and more as time goes by and our scientific knowledge base grows, we need less and less faith and fewer things can be attributed to god.. do you think we need faith or is faith just a word we use to feel ok about being too lazy to keep looking for the answers ?.

  what does faith mean to you now?.

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  THE GLADIATOR

  A good post jgnat

  From my perspective, faith in unseen things is different to faith in things that are part of our physical world. To believe in unseen things requires a leap of faith, a letting go of what is certain and embracing a concept that is un-provable.

  This inner faith is subjective, in as much as it cannot be demonstrated in the physical world. Those who believe it does not exist because they have not seen it demonstrated, wait for evidence. Those who have embraced their subjective experience are fully convinced. They attribute it to something they have sought and asked to communicate with them. How we interpret this inner experience is a personal matter.

  Sharing these experiences on a public forum helps to strengthen the belief, or one’s faith. The downside is that it attracts a lot of attention from people who rightly feel a need to offer alternative suggestions as to what is responsible for these subjective experiences.

  ‘Never the twain shall meet.’
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  81

  What does faith mean to you?

  by exwhyzee in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  we all memorized the definition of faith... faith is the assured expectation of things hoped for...yadda yadda.. it seems like more and more as time goes by and our scientific knowledge base grows, we need less and less faith and fewer things can be attributed to god.. do you think we need faith or is faith just a word we use to feel ok about being too lazy to keep looking for the answers ?.

  what does faith mean to you now?.

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  THE GLADIATOR

  cantleave "Faith was a girl at school. She was a right bitch but drop dead gorgeous. I wonder what she is up to now?"

  Not all men want to be in Possession of Faith, but this could be an exception!