Any Downside to Atheism?

[mr.guy]

Originally Posted by musamasoud

please excuse my language, but I would believe in atheism if instead of a vagina, women had two assh*oles.

....***?

[Alceste]

Originally Posted by musamasoud

what kind of favorable experiences can you share?

to be honest, i have always viewed atheism as a phenomenon that results from parents being too forceful with religion and causing children to rebel against them. are those rebellious feelings the favorable experiences you mean?

Here's one of mine:

I was in a state of epiphany, stamping out fallacy after fallacy as my altered psychology showed me submerged darkness underlying of everything I believed to be bright. I saw that I could not chase beauty without running from ugliness; that pain is the cost of pleasure; that I could not elevate people I admire without lowering people I find distasteful. I found I could only eliminate “evil” in myself by giving up my attachment to “good” – and everything became infused with goodness. I stamped out the “ugliness” in myself by letting go of “beauty” – and everything became infused with beauty. The icing on the cake was that these were new forms of beauty and goodness, and they came packaged with their own dark opposites. After a few cycles, I began to suspect the process of releasing attachments and revealing ever more expansive forms of beauty and goodness was likely to be continuous.

At the time I was busking for a living on the streets of Vancouver. I left in the morning and stayed out all day, hammering away on my guitar and chatting with the sorts of people one meets while loitering on urban street corners. This era of listening to the stories of mad vagrants and the intoxicated graduates of Canada’s residential schools (while piqued professionals scurried by in wide semi-circles) is the first I time I experienced life with my eyes, heart and mind wide open. I had become the embodiment of divine love, truth and beauty: I felt a love which does not judge; I knew a truth which makes no claims; I found beauty in the ugliest of places.

All this seems very much at odds with “theology”. It’s unlikely I would ever have attained this perspective had I been distracted by the study of a god or religion (although nothing is impossible). As far as I have seen, western religions do not encourage their followers to become the embodiment of divinity; they point to a book, or an icon, or an abstract concept and insist that “divinity” lies within. They practice a “love” founded on shared loathing of the wicked. They dictate a “truth” that makes preposterous claims, then condemns the incredulous. Religious “beauty” is founded on the fear of death and decay, or it consists of nothing more than glamour: beguiling words and pretty things.

link to the whole blog post.

[Alceste]

Originally Posted by musamasoud

what kind of favorable experiences can you share?

to be honest, i have always viewed atheism as a phenomenon that results from parents being too forceful with religion and causing children to rebel against them. are those rebellious feelings the favorable experiences you mean?

And BTW, my parents are not overly religious and applied no pressure. We went to church a bit growing up, but it was the United Church of Canada - the most liberal church in the country. Openly gay ministers, female ministers, gay weddings, no fire and brimstone and a focus on the practical application of the concept of "love your neighbour". I'm not even baptized because my parents thought it was important for me to choose my own path willingly. We stopped going to church altogether in my teens because my mother decided she felt "closer to god" in the wilderness than in church.

Our bookshelves growing up were full of Carl Sagan and Stephen Hawking, not James Dobson.

Both my brother and I are atheists, so there goes your theory.

[IndigoStorm]

Only like you don't get much love and understanding from Christians!

[mball1297]

Originally Posted by musamasoud

i dont know... but ever notice that when everything is going really well everyone loves to thank the holy G-d... but when everything goes wrong, whats the first thing out of everyones mouth:

*****! (our creation is meaningless waste, there is no G-d)

f*ck! (our love is meaningless reflex, there is no G-d)

damnit! (G-d, where are you? please come take me out of hell and send this thing in my place)

I guess you haven't met many people who aren't of your faith, huh? When things are going great, why would I thank God?

As for those things you resort to when things aren't going well, I'd say you need to strengthen your faith a bit. I sure don't act like that, and you shouldn't either (and I don't even believe in your god).

please excuse my language, but I would believe in atheism if instead of a vagina, women had two assh*oles.

I can excuse the language (although the mods won't if they see it). What I can't excuse is your ignorance. I can only assume you're implying that atheism has something to do with male homosexuality. That makes it pretty much impossible to take you seriously.

[Mr Cheese]

Originally Posted by mball1297

I can only assume you're implying that atheism has something to do with male homosexuality. That makes it pretty much impossible to take you seriously.

everyone knows that atheists like Barbera Streisand more than theists

[mball1297]

Originally Posted by musamasoud

what kind of favorable experiences can you share?

to be honest, i have always viewed atheism as a phenomenon that results from parents being too forceful with religion and causing children to rebel against them. are those rebellious feelings the favorable experiences you mean?

Well, my favorable experiences are thinking for myself and having a better understanding of the universe. (Note: This is not to say no religious people think for themselves)

There might be some atheists who come to their conclusions after prodding from their parents like that. However, generally what happens with religious people who become atheists (like me) is we see an inconsistency or a problem with the religion like Christianity. Then, we think about it more and more, and find more problems. Then, we get to the point where none of it makes sense, and we realize that it's all just a bunch of myths that shouldn't be interpretted literally.

[LittleNipper]

Originally Posted by Jeremiah

At least we aren't molesting the live ones. Nor are we strapping bombs to our chest, flying planes into buildings, burning people alive, crucifying people, etc, etc, etc....

Don't think so highly of yourselves. The atheists of this world are likely the ones trying to convince religious people to do their bidding. They just don't make public the fact of their own faithlessness.

Hitler is a wonderful example. Do you really believe he believed in GOD, or did he manipulate the masses to believe he was GOD's righthand man? Can the very same be said of perhaps Joseph Smith? It is very possible.

I believe the Anti Christ will be very religious. He will even have his image placed in the reconstructed temple in Jerusalem.

[tumbleweed41]

Originally Posted by LittleNipper

Hitler is a wonderful example. Do you really believe he believed in GOD,

Yes, and the supernatural, and the occult. Not very atheistic of him was it?

[mr.guy]

Originally Posted by LittleNipper

The atheists of this world are likely the ones trying to convince religious people to do their bidding. They just don't make public the fact of their own faithlessness. .

You're fun. Don't go changing, 'kay?