[Silencer]

Well that would be "Apatheism" which is either 'other' or could theoretically be filed under atheism as the two are closely linked. Of course, technically apatheism is not caring WHETHER god/gods exist, rather than believing that one does but not caring about it. That would probably just be apathy in general and therefore, 'other'.

[worry]

It's like, great great, all of existence and what have you, pretty nice admittedly....but what have you done for me lately?

[Silencer]

worrywort, on 15 September 2012 - 08:18 PM, said:

It's like, great great, all of existence and what have you, pretty nice admittedly....but what have you done for me lately?

Heh. Though I'm sure some could challenge the "pretty nice" bit. And technically if he's REALLY apathetic about it all, it wouldn't matter WHAT any deity did at *any* time.

[Brujah]

i chose other, as I'm not sure. I don't practice any specific religion, and I don't believe there is ONE single being that just popped into existence, and then created everything, etc..

I would say I believe in 'goodness.' God as more of a energy force, or something, not a single being. I'm not Christian, but I believe that most of the commandants are just common sense to any moral being, as well as many of the pillars of Islam.

My wife is Christian, so it does create a semi touchy subject sometimes, but we've always dealt with it by not pushing our beliefs on each other. I just can't bring myself to trust the Bible as the word of God without proof. She, however, believes in many of those biblical stories, and finds happiness in it, so imo, even if it isn't real, if she gains something from it, then I'm happy for her. I'm just far too skeptical.

[213]

I believe god/s exist because whatever it is, world is bigger with it than without it. I don't care because whatever god is, I doubt it needs my prayers and I don't need its blessing.

This post has been edited by 213: 16 September 2012 - 03:33 AM

[Shpetim]

I have to admit I said very little about my faith when I first posted on this thread (still a Muslim, a confused one admitedly, father's a sunni and mother's shiite), so I will now. The reason that I believe is because it makes me happy to think there is a Creator up down and all around, who will ultimately sum up every event that's ever taken place., deeds and actions of everyone and make a conclusive verdict. I also have a deep respect for Christianity and Judaism, since they are sister faiths to Islam and the God of the Torah, the Bible and the Quran is essencially the one and the same God. This may make someone think that the "other" two faiths have been mislead and only Islam is the final answer. I'd like to think not. God (Al'lah means God in arabic btw) is after all allpowerful and allknowing, there is no limits to His power, no confinement to His love. I also believe He has an awesomely infinite sense of humour. Thus for that reason He has chosen to reveal His grace to different people differently at different times.
I also love how in the Holy Scriptures you find talk of things to come, and how some of it has come to be.
That being said, I do try my best to respect atheism, but it leaves me in a dilemma: how to respect an opinion of the non'existence of God when I'm so convinced God is real? thus I've concluded with respecting the right of the atheists to make up their mind on the matter.
I love you all
Peace=)

This post has been edited by Shpetim: 13 October 2012 - 05:48 AM

[Shinrei]

I think perhaps the only thing really surprising about the poll numbers above is that there is only 1 vote for "Jewish". I would expect more than one to be on the forum.

[Gust Hubb]

Shpetim, on 13 October 2012 - 05:47 AM, said:

I have to admit I said very little about my faith when I first posted on this thread (still a Muslim, a confused one admitedly, father's a sunni and mother's shiite), so I will now. The reason that I believe is because it makes me happy to think there is a Creator up down and all around, who will ultimately sum up every event that's ever taken place., deeds and actions of everyone and make a conclusive verdict. I also have a deep respect for Christianity and Judaism, since they are sister faiths to Islam and the God of the Torah, the Bible and the Quran is essencially the one and the same God. This may make someone think that the "other" two faiths have been mislead and only Islam is the final answer. I'd like to think not. God (Al'lah means God in arabic btw) is after all allpowerful and allknowing, there is no limits to His power, no confinement to His love. I also believe He has an awesomely infinite sense of humour. Thus for that reason He has chosen to reveal His grace to different people differently at different times.
I also love how in the Holy Scriptures you find talk of things to come, and how some of it has come to be.
That being said, I do try my best to respect atheism, but it leaves me in a dilemma: how to respect an opinion of the non'existence of God when I'm so convinced God is real? thus I've concluded with respecting the right of the atheists to make up their mind on the matter.
I love you all
Peace=)

I am relieved to hear there are people like you out there.

As for atheism, I thought I could help you there by explaining a little about me. I was part of the Christian part of that trio growing up and had several experiences (and lack of experiences) that eventually led me to conclude that humanity is alone, or at least the Bible is full of holes. Since the Bible was considered literal in all respects to my faith, having undergraduate education poke holes in that foundation crumbled my faith rapidly. Moreover, I lacked any definable evidence of God, so there was no anecdotal evidence to shore up the sinking foundations.

So I gave it up, the Faith. I decided that I was happiest when not trying to practice the many rules and regulations, that pursuing God left me frustrated and empty (ironically). I felt if there was a God, and he loved his children as much as the Bible says, he would act on that love and try to help those faltering. God hasn't pursued me far as I can tell, so I stick with my lack of Faith. A good part of me hopes I'm wrong (oblivion does not sound like a desirable eternity).

On the other hand, I just cannot reconcile the morals I accrued growing up and Christianity. The Christian God, for all intents and purposes, is violent. I still am traumatized by the story of Sodom and Gomorrah, where God calls Lot righteous despite the man's willingness to throw his own daughter to a crowd of sex-crazed thugs in the place of the honored guest that the crowd really wanted. I mean, how is that righteous?

The excuse that I can not know the whole story, that God has his reasons beyond what I can see is an evasive excuse, a double standard. I know I am talking about a Creator, about a being that made the matter of which I am formed, but if he also gave me my mind, my perception, my morals, then I would think he would not be surprised to get my disbelief as well.

Forgive any blasphemy. I know religion is a sensitive topic, especially since it deals with the most sacred to people's beliefs. I just hope that my explanation can shed some light onto an atheist's thinking.

[Shpetim]

Gust Hubb, on 13 October 2012 - 04:22 PM, said:

Shpetim, on 13 October 2012 - 05:47 AM, said:

I have to admit I said very little about my faith when I first posted on this thread (still a Muslim, a confused one admitedly, father's a sunni and mother's shiite), so I will now. The reason that I believe is because it makes me happy to think there is a Creator up down and all around, who will ultimately sum up every event that's ever taken place., deeds and actions of everyone and make a conclusive verdict. I also have a deep respect for Christianity and Judaism, since they are sister faiths to Islam and the God of the Torah, the Bible and the Quran is essencially the one and the same God. This may make someone think that the "other" two faiths have been mislead and only Islam is the final answer. I'd like to think not. God (Al'lah means God in arabic btw) is after all allpowerful and allknowing, there is no limits to His power, no confinement to His love. I also believe He has an awesomely infinite sense of humour. Thus for that reason He has chosen to reveal His grace to different people differently at different times.
I also love how in the Holy Scriptures you find talk of things to come, and how some of it has come to be.
That being said, I do try my best to respect atheism, but it leaves me in a dilemma: how to respect an opinion of the non'existence of God when I'm so convinced God is real? thus I've concluded with respecting the right of the atheists to make up their mind on the matter.
I love you all
Peace=)

I am relieved to hear there are people like you out there.

As for atheism, I thought I could help you there by explaining a little about me. I was part of the Christian part of that trio growing up and had several experiences (and lack of experiences) that eventually led me to conclude that humanity is alone, or at least the Bible is full of holes. Since the Bible was considered literal in all respects to my faith, having undergraduate education poke holes in that foundation crumbled my faith rapidly. Moreover, I lacked any definable evidence of God, so there was no anecdotal evidence to shore up the sinking foundations.

So I gave it up, the Faith. I decided that I was happiest when not trying to practice the many rules and regulations, that pursuing God left me frustrated and empty (ironically). I felt if there was a God, and he loved his children as much as the Bible says, he would act on that love and try to help those faltering. God hasn't pursued me far as I can tell, so I stick with my lack of Faith. A good part of me hopes I'm wrong (oblivion does not sound like a desirable eternity).

On the other hand, I just cannot reconcile the morals I accrued growing up and Christianity. The Christian God, for all intents and purposes, is violent. I still am traumatized by the story of Sodom and Gomorrah, where God calls Lot righteous despite the man's willingness to throw his own daughter to a crowd of sex-crazed thugs in the place of the honored guest that the crowd really wanted. I mean, how is that righteous?

The excuse that I can not know the whole story, that God has his reasons beyond what I can see is an evasive excuse, a double standard. I know I am talking about a Creator, about a being that made the matter of which I am formed, but if he also gave me my mind, my perception, my morals, then I would think he would not be surprised to get my disbelief as well.

Forgive any blasphemy. I know religion is a sensitive topic, especially since it deals with the most sacred to people's beliefs. I just hope that my explanation can shed some light onto an atheist's thinking.

Lol, you give me too much honour friend. I may be disturbed and even frustrated at how you cannot believe in God. But I'm not as arrogant as to start giving you a lecture about how you're in the wrong path, and how you will be damned etc. You know these things as you've already mentioned it. The only thing that I may be able to do, if you would be so kind as to permit me that is, is to try and give an explanation to some of the issues you have with Christianity. Not in the sense of trying to convert you, that'd be condencending from my part (I know more, he knows less, I want to save him etc.) but in the sense that I may share with you my perspective in the matter. It's not just about blind faith. But I'll stop here, and wait for an eventual permission from your part to proceede... should you be willing to give it of course.
peace and love=)

[worry]

GH you reminded me (not directly, I'm not describing you in particular, but just the phenomenon in generall): I often wonder about people who go from very strict dogmatic religious upbringings who go straight to atheism, with no stop at like Unitarianism or equivalent "moderate" positions. It's like realizing that D.A.R.E. lessons in school were full of crap, and going right to the crack pipe (in terms of reactionary-ism and extremes, not deleterious effect). The "rational" aspect of atheism coming second to the rebellion of a wounded, hurt person.

[Gust Hubb]

Fundamentalist Christianity with literalist views of the Bible can be very black and white in their worldview. Thus, it's hard to go from that to a more "soft" version of Christianity, though you do have to account for the fact that there is a span of time in which doubt, anger, and hurt settle in while the still practicing religion. It, at least for me, was a progressive thing over 6 years that took a route through trying different churches, deciding to be more agnostic in my views and finally thinking that even agnosticism seemed silly for me. Thus, it's more of a purge than a switch.

And Shpetim, if you want to expand on your views, that would be fine, but you will have to accept hard questions as well that may be more offensive in nature. Again up to you. Religion is not a science, and often the two are at war with each other due to the history and "religion" of science.

[Kanese S's]

worrywort, on 13 October 2012 - 09:07 PM, said:

GH you reminded me (not directly, I'm not describing you in particular, but just the phenomenon in generall): I often wonder about people who go from very strict dogmatic religious upbringings who go straight to atheism, with no stop at like Unitarianism or equivalent "moderate" positions. It's like realizing that D.A.R.E. lessons in school were full of crap, and going right to the crack pipe (in terms of reactionary-ism and extremes, not deleterious effect). The "rational" aspect of atheism coming second to the rebellion of a wounded, hurt person.

Yeah, I think that in some cases that might be true. Being so hostile to it that one goes in the complete opposite direction.

Myself, I was raised both Catholic and Unitarian Universalist (dad was catholic, mom was UU), so upon gradually realizing that I pretty much didn't believe in the Catholic version of things, I just sorta naturally drifted to being more UU, and eventually paganism (though I'm still UU as well). But I guess maybe that's because my experience in Catholicism wasn't especially terrible, just not what I believed in.

[Shpetim]

Gust Hubb, on 13 October 2012 - 09:47 PM, said:

And Shpetim, if you want to expand on your views, that would be fine, but you will have to accept hard questions as well that may be more offensive in nature. Again up to you. Religion is not a science, and often the two are at war with each other due to the history and "religion" of science.

I am willing to continue the path. Thanks for the headsup though. And I will definitively NOT continue on explaining to GH why's this and why's that (as I see it) unless he's given the green light for it first. I am a optimist in the sense that athists and believers can co-exist just fine, in so far as they curb their individual fanaticism.
Again, thanks=)

This post has been edited by Shpetim: 14 October 2012 - 02:32 AM

[Meese]

Atheist because there almost certainly is no God or gods but if by some small tiny minuscule chance there is one or even a couple of gods out there then I'm also a Misotheist. I really don't like the idea of some knob-end god telling me how to cut my hair, how long my beard is, who I can have sex with, how and when I can have sex, when I can work or not. I don't what to get down on my knees and worship some arsehole who cannot be bothered to left a finger to help an person out of a hole when they fell in through no fault of their own.

The Almighty Christopher Hitchens said -referring to the Christian churches that - Shepherds are not shepherds because they love sheep, first they fleece them then they kill them. I don't what to be a Sheep.

[Gredfallan Ale]

I'm an atheist.

In my youth, I had a hard believing that I, by some incredible amount of dumb luck, just happened to be born into a family that adheres to the One Right Religion out of all the possible religions that exist or have existed.

[Maark Abbott]

Atheist. I would consider this to be the result of going through a Christian school and then turning a critical eye on my once-faith.

[Stormcat]

I am a Pagan and I dislike that Pagan/Wiccan is lumped in to one choice. Meh. I am NOT Wiccan.

[Maark Abbott]

Stormcat, on 12 November 2014 - 10:41 PM, said:

I am a Pagan and I dislike that Pagan/Wiccan is lumped in to one choice. Meh. I am NOT Wiccan.

Druidic Paganism, perchance? I know a few of them.

[Stormcat]

I am eclectic? haha. I am a legally ordained High priestess in the Temple tradition and I do hospice work for other pagans and volunteer with the prison Ministry.

[Gabriel Chase]

I am an atheist.




An ex-muslim atheist.