it just dawned on me.
the existence of god can't be proved, neither is there evidence of god's inexistence.
so, i'm neither theist neither atheist.
Hi eden , surely if there is no evidence either now or ever of a theistic god existing in reality, as opposed to the one as conjured in the brain then lack of presence is non applicable. Another way to convey lack of presence would simply be' there is no evidence of said being ever to have existed'.
Best wishes.
it just dawned on me.
the existence of god can't be proved, neither is there evidence of god's inexistence.
so, i'm neither theist neither atheist.
The word absence when referring to the theistic god surely must be married with ' as exists in the mind ' this then would distinguish the notion of an actual being existing to that of the existance of the belief in god which is derived from the brain.
Although the definition of the word absence may include ' non existance ' it could and imo mean not existing in the given scenario but either has or does exist in reality outwith the subject of discussion. I feel that the use of the word absence in referring to god ie ' god is absent ' is counter productive and leans toward belief that indeed god exists. Therefore if you truly feel god does not exist through lack of evidence or otherwise I feel the use of absent in that context is misused.
it just dawned on me.
the existence of god can't be proved, neither is there evidence of god's inexistence.
so, i'm neither theist neither atheist.
For me the real issue is not whether theistic or deist gods exist or that they may possess supernatural influence...it's whether the person who holds such a belief if challenged can justify their position given that their belief stems from within themselves, begging the question..why the need?
The claims of theists or deists re the workings of their gods,influence and requirement of obeisance or you will suffer by punishment of death or that your crops will fail are imo reasons to confront and demand evidence for such given that many people past and present have been killed,punished,ostracized made to feel unworthy because they are seen to have failed to meet whatever the human brain conceived gods standard is.
The absence of such a god ( as in non existant in a particular scenario) is really irrelevant. To call oneself an absentheist is as relevant as saying..im an absentoxygenist because oxygen is absent in an experiment with certain gases. The oxygen may not be present in the experiment but proof can be provided that it does exist outwith,whereas to say god is absent but still not be able to provide proof that said being exists outwith the subject which prompts the condition of its absence is surely a misuse of the word and is irrelevant in a discussion of the existence of god or gods (outwith mans perceptions of themselves as gods or physical forms of gods or idols )which are supernatural and of which there is zero proof
it just dawned on me.
the existence of god can't be proved, neither is there evidence of god's inexistence.
so, i'm neither theist neither atheist.
Wouldn't an 'absentheist ' by your reasoning ,be someone who believes that the god of creation..is absent , therefore must have at one time been ' present '.
Reminds me of the ' god is dead ' claims of a few decades ago ie god once existed . It seems to me that people who once believed in god who have come to realise through critical thinking now doubt god exists still have a fear of absolutely concluding that the theistic god is a man made concept, and come up with the type of op which you have presented. It really is circular and says nothing of substance. The fact that you resort to trying to give the example of a sun god which does not relate to being an absentheist as you see it , bears this out imo.
i must say that i have always loved jehovah and his son jesus christ.
i have a 12 inch diameter telescope.
i would go outside and listen to the psalms that praised to my god.
Hi vinman..you say your ' soul ' craves a relationship with jehovah and jesus. Are you able to define what your soul is ?
Do you agree that your perception of your soul is as a result of your brain function?
Do you accept the workings of the human brain can include delusion?
Do you accept that you may strongly disagree or judge as deluded people who crave relationships with other deities opposed to jehovah?
Can you consider the possibility that the same brain processes ( although differing conclusions ) can result in irrational belief. The precedents set in human history bear out the absurdity in supernatural belief despite the fact that
all would have believed with all their heart and soul.
My advice would be seek evidence and understanding for the things that bring you wonder and awe and appreciate it without the help of supernatural myth and superstition.
Best wishes.
after leaving the dub religion behind, i read everything that i could get my hands on, be it about other religions, beliefs, gods, occult, evolution - you name it - i read it.
i did this to 'catch up' and to educate myself, so that when i can to a decision it would be an intellectual / educational one.
not just because some book or person told me to believe it.. i have over time and with reading aids come to totally believe and accept evolution.
i realised something today.... we all happily accepted something really ridiculous.....something that if worded how i will word it now, we would have rejected as ridiculous, but after a moments thought, would have to concede.. we once followed the governing body because we believed they had supernatural powers.
how ridiculous you may say, no we didn't!
of or relating to things that cannot be explained according to natural laws.
i've been looking on this site for some time but never posted.
i'll give a little about myself, but not too much.
i'm a ex-bethelite ( brooklyn )and currently serving as an elder (10 years) (thinking about stepping down) on the service committee.
http://yle.fi/uutiset/jehovahs_witnesses_to_hand_over_top_secret_manual/7244267.
16.5.2014 7:00 | updated 16.5.2014 17:10
jehovah's witnesses to hand over top secret manual.
when i was young we were taught to refer to other adult jws as aunt or uncle.. was this also the case in other countries and does it still happen?.
was it just a custom or has the literature ever commented on it?.
thanks.
