Atheists, my frustrations, and your opinions :P

[shadowcast]

Well im interested to see, as my country is mostly a Christian government, I'm an atheist because I was raised that way, and in no way do I feel sorry that i am an atheist.
What bothers me though is that through my life time I've never judged or try to convert a believer yet believers automatically see me as a sorry poor sob that needs to be guided to the "right" way. That in ways irritates me and who are you to say what way is the right way, for I maybe am an atheist but in my opinion i live life more to the rules of God than most Christians do. Hell some people when they hear I'm an atheist go, hmph satanist, or hmph he's an idiot etc. What believers in most cases say is atheists are close minded, yet they are the ones who believe there is an almighty being that is watching over us, and anything else is out of discussion. For now I do not believe in God, or any religion because besides a book that was written a few decades after the death of Jesus (as the story tells it) there is no physical proof of him existing.
To be quite honest, if the same scenario happened today, a man claimed he was Jesus and he had powers and that was the son of God...he would fly so fast in the mental institution that it would boggle your mind,
Now that i got all of this out of my system you are free to flame on me

 

[KYnetiK]

I think The God Delusion enunciates these frustrations better than i could in a forum.

 

[sub]

"Wow, look at all of this around me. I could never comprehend how all of this was created. I know magic doesn't exist, so a supernatural being who is all knowing and all powerful must have done it."

Magic doesn't exist, therefore magic exists. The thought process is scary.

Anyway, I think 90% of this forum is atheist/agnostic, so you probably wont get flamed

 

[Synth]

I like to see the "word-play" in everything.

religion = rely on or relying on (a belief system for motivation)

or

science = psi-ends (psi as in mental) and (ends as in nerve endings) so, maybe we satisify our nervous system, which could include confidence, sanctity, brain power.


In the end, religion or science, or just words and concepts that we're currently using to label our progress/evolution as a species. We can all acknowledge the romantic extremities of being vowed to either labels, and how it's a fundamental flaw in the grand scheme of things. But, I suppose it's a price for the passion some things require.

The main issue is people are using each label for the wrong things. Why do we use religion for political aspirations? It's selfish and completely obscures any long-term solution for any of the people involved. You're not focusing on economics anymore than you're focusing on suicidal thoughts, which religions invite vicariously.

I also have issues with science, which seems to be religion's counterpart. Yes, science has served us well, but it doesn't transcend society properly. Is that religion's fault? Yes and no. Any achivements in science should never be considered a personal victory, but a human victory. Too many times, people are coaxed into trying to be "more right" or "rewarded semiotically" and dillute the original purpose of the experiments.

It's obvious that religion and science have sadly become tools of individual power, instead of tools of global salvation. It's got to the point where we are mutally afraid of both religion and science, respectively. We've failed when the progess of humanity is more of an individual competition, than what it needs to be... our only focus.

When you see a guy claiming to be Jesus... is he doing it to be popular or to send a message? It's not good when we can't answer that question instantly. The point of religion has clearly been ruined for centuries, so why do we still pursue it?

I'm under the assumption that most of us play video games, read books/comics, and watch television/movies because we don't like the way the world works, completely.

 

[Brosiris]

Sub, I'm offended that you would speak so poorly of my (and J-Dude's) religious beliefs. You're an *******.

Goddamaera you to hell.

 

[Eacos]

Well, I don't want to get all boring, but I can't help it. Religion and Science is one thing, faith (or persuasion) is an entirely different concept that has been rooted out by Descartes when he proposed duality between soul and material. This caused the breach between spirituality and science which, at the very beginning, were harmoniously integrated into a greater whole; there was no such thing as opposition. Post-Modernism (and this is debatable) was actually the movement in which scientist began to consider material gain in knowledge as supreme and predominant over all other forms of thought, primarily spiritual or metaphysical, and more importantly, axiological. (Principals, morals)
This has caused our world to be subject to rapid technological expansions and a decadent political system based purely on economic interests. Yes, it sounds like cliche, but in God we Trust does not reference Catholicism but money in itself.

I myself am pretty much going through a transitional period of faith, so for the moment I consider myself somewhat agnostic.

You're not focusing on economics anymore than you're focusing on suicidal thoughts, which religions invite vicariously.

That's exactly what Nietzsche says about Catholicism in his book Moral Genealogy. That's a good book you might want to pick up, Shadowcast.

 

[Prozac]

I still remember being mad at my parents after they told me santa wasn't real.
I got over it, so will you.

 

[Chakra-X]

Really all religions, not just Christianity, have their fallacies. I consider myself agnostic and I have posted paragraphs to why religions bother me, but without it thousands of years ago, we would not have come this far as a civilization. Though I am curious if it would be possible to build a civilization like this without religion period.

 

[wheres_]

I like to see the "word-play" in everything.

religion = rely on or relying on (a belief system for motivation)

or

science = psi-ends (psi as in mental) and (ends as in nerve endings) so, maybe we satisify our nervous system, which could include confidence, sanctity, brain power.


In the end, religion or science, or just words and concepts that we're currently using to label our progress/evolution as a species. We can all acknowledge the romantic extremities of being vowed to either labels, and how it's a fundamental flaw in the grand scheme of things. But, I suppose it's a price for the passion some things require.

The main issue is people are using each label for the wrong things. Why do we use religion for political aspirations? It's selfish and completely obscures any long-term solution for any of the people involved. You're not focusing on economics anymore than you're focusing on suicidal thoughts, which religions invite vicariously.

I also have issues with science, which seems to be religion's counterpart. Yes, science has served us well, but it doesn't transcend society properly. Is that religion's fault? Yes and no. Any achivements in science should never be considered a personal victory, but a human victory. Too many times, people are coaxed into trying to be "more right" or "rewarded semiotically" and dillute the original purpose of the experiments.

It's obvious that religion and science have sadly become tools of individual power, instead of tools of global salvation. It's got to the point where we are mutally afraid of both religion and science, respectively. We've failed when the progess of humanity is more of an individual competition, than what it needs to be... our only focus.

When you see a guy claiming to be Jesus... is he doing it to be popular or to send a message? It's not good when we can't answer that question instantly. The point of religion has clearly been ruined for centuries, so why do we still pursue it?

I'm under the assumption that most of us play video games, read books/comics, and watch television/movies because we don't like the way the world works, completely.

Quoted for individual belief.


Edit:

I still remember being mad at my parents after they told me santa wasn't real.
I got over it, so will you.

lawls

 

[Denz]

I wonder what happened to Jediism thingy..

edit

this site told me to show you how smart I am

 

[Eon]

Religion used to be the substitute for science, now science has gotten like, decent. True it is responsible for getting stuff done, but people are above the cult-like hoodoo arcane practices people still use today.

like does anyone get creeped out by anyone in weird robes and funny hats, chanting and singing to the sky? These are usually very bad guys/bosses/warlocks in video games, but IRLz they are clergy.


I dunno shriners/religious attire is creepy enough. I had the fortune of having a Baptist family at first, the churches and weird youth programs I was in just started to piss me off when I was growing older, especially when we had a 2 month sunday school course, each sunday for 8 sundays the pastor would go over other religions, and tell us why they are wrong.

Then amongst all the "other religion" stuff we "learned" about, there was one talking about all the fallacies of evolution and they urged us to protest any work about evolution at school. I got stuck going to this crap alot when I was 13-14 before I got creeped out enough to stop. The crappy thing was I lived in Oklahoma at the time, we didn't go to a "southern baptist" church, but we still went to a baptist church...in the south.

They were pretty much shaping hate soldiers in youth group, the church was huge, the pastors were rich, it was classic. And about 40% of the adults there have all screwed each other.


On another topic it's funny how sinful a large church can get.

 

[wheres_]

Yeah it's funny majority of all this sin they go on about they actually cause- and inflict upon those who do not believe in their 'faith'.

 

[Eon]

oh I was talking about the aristocratic debauchery.

 

[Grega]

Well people dont really get what an Atheist is. An Atheist doesnt believe in anything. So if even a thiny speck of you believes in a god, supernatural force or some other stuff that cant be explained at this time, then you really arnt an Atheist.

As for the Satanist thing. Tell the dude straight. Atheists dont believe in anything so they cant be Satanists, sicne Satanists believe in Satan.

And if he whines about it tell him to go check the word up in a lexicon and shut the hell up ^^

About the poor sorry sob thing. Tell me did you realy expect somehting else?

Relligion is based on one thing. "We are correct and anyone who doesnt agree is a poor sorry sob"

Relligion doesnt allow open mindedness. If it did then that would mean that it would be voulnurable to influences of other relligions. Plain and simple. But to cheer you up. Not all Christians are closed minded, die hard, homophobic, atheist hating morons who cant think with their own heads

 

[Killface]

Not all Christians are closed minded, die hard, homophobic, atheist hating morons who cant think with their own heads

I'm a prime example of that fact. I left the Catholic faith solely on the fact that I believed it was completely retarded and contradictive. I can't be known to belong to something with THAT much ignorance and intolerance.

Of course, I'm one of the die-hard supporters of Glenn Beck and his "tyranny", as so many choose to put it. So go figure, right?

Also on a side note, Killface and Deman. When? 2012.
Vote your asses off.

 

[shadowcast]

Really all religions, not just Christianity, have their fallacies. I consider myself agnostic and I have posted paragraphs to why religions bother me, but without it thousands of years ago, we would not have come this far as a civilization. Though I am curious if it would be possible to build a civilization like this without religion period.

Well...after the fall of Rome, due to religion, in this case Christianity, all the advances in science and foremost art were thrown away, the greek canon, perspective everything was thrown away, our art took appearance of a childs scribbling, yet just hundreds of years ago, art was at its peek, especially with the Greeks, and Christians due to them started all over again from zero...so infact we've lost 100 years of advance in science and art due to religion...i mean for a huge period the human body was a forbidden thing in art...

 

[Dokutayuu]

All you can do is hope that natural selection kills off the people stupid enough to believe in Christianity.

I was raised as a Roman Catholic and spent a couple of years going to church. I admit I'm far less religious than I was a few years ago, religion tends to get in the way of a couple of my moral beliefs, but religion tends to unite people as a community.

There are certainly some Christians or members of any religion who take things too far or dismiss other peoples' views as ridiculous or of the devil but it happens between any groups with different ideals.

Do remember that many Christians do believe in science and electricity ^^.

 

[Disguise]

I don't think stereotypes fit in either cases, that religion is all full of one thing and non-religious are the other. We're all people guided by our experience and our wants, and religion is just another language to express that. You can have very spiritual people I'm sure who claim they don't believe in a God, and you can have faithless people who cling to God to keep life simpler for themselves.

Essentially God has always been a combination of economic and cultural respect between people. It unifies power and control. It gives people something in common they can talk about and relate with. Language without structure will mean something different to every ear, so for language to make sense, it needs a moral basis, I think. Things that are presumed to be true without proclaiming them every sentence.

God is an imaginary word that means whatever you want it to, just like every other word in the dictionary. The difference is that it describes something that exists but doesn't exist, which is the perfect representation of a stranger or a person you've never met. You don't know everyone in the world, yet you know they exist. I'd argue your attitude towards God may be the same way you approach greeting a person you've never met before. And it may be how you approach problems that have no answers. Science only made it this far because people believed there was something beyond what we know and live for today. God is really an ideal of social peace, economic prosperity, and continual personal growth in a single word, which you are free to define for yourselves.

If I say there is only one way to worship God, I'm more likely saying there is one kind of stranger I'll accept into my life; most likely someone who believes everything they believe.

Republicans and Democrats, our modern polytheistic religion. Two sides of the same coin, never seeing face to face.

 

[Pain]

Republicans and Democrats, our modern polytheistic religion. Two sides of the same coin, never seeing face to face.

[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gvYEFKe3-pA[/ame]


As for all the religious douchebaggery in the world, if you need to be brainwashed from birth to believe in something, there is something wrong with your belief. End of story.

 

[sub]

That video was just stupid. There are plenty of valid arguments that republicans can put forth, he just ignored all of them and claimed that the republicans are offering a tub of **** without ever saying why.