mr.guy
crapsack
....***?
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Any Downside to Atheism?
- Thread starter Cobblestones
- Start date
Alceste
Vagabond
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 Canadas 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. Its 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
Vagabond
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.
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IndigoStorm
Member
Only like you don't get much love and understanding from Christians!
Magic Man
Reaper of Conversation
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).
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
Well-Known Member
Magic Man
Reaper of Conversation
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
Well-Known Member
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
Resident Liberal Hippie
Yes, and the supernatural, and the occult. Not very atheistic of him was it?
mr.guy
crapsack
You're fun. Don't go changing, 'kay?
Jeremiah
Well-Known Member
"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."
Which atheist? Me, are you accusing me of this? Do you have any proof on this secret atheist organization bent on ruling the world? Do you have any idea how crazy you sound?
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mr.guy
crapsack
Shuuut uuup....this guy's awsome.
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MSizer
MSizer
No, don't worry, he's talking about me Jeremiah. I've been infiltrating churches for years and slipping mind altering pills into their after service coffee and tea. At 12:00 midnight on Dec 31 they will all simultaneously betray jesus by denouncing him and taking up arms against any remaining believers. I've got lot of churches yet that I haven't gotten to, so I could use some help if you could spare some time. It will be great. A whole army of little white haired stretchy pants ladies fighting for atheism. It's so ingenious if I may say.
Jeremiah
Well-Known Member
" i have always viewed"
No, you don't. You are just prejudice against atheism, so you want to belittle it. That is all you are doing, you are just belittling atheism, just like LittleNipper. You two don't actually care about a fair assessment of atheism, you are just out to mock it and belittle it.
Jeremiah
Well-Known Member
I edited that.
mr.guy
crapsack
Ok. Then I'll call him stupid.
Luminous
non-existential luminary
Hitler was a protestant Christian. read his autobiography. Aryans were God's chosen race to him. Hitler thought atheists were idiots. nvm. yeah ur right. Jesus was very possibly an atheist. :bow:
Vile Atheist
Loud and Obnoxious
I love the Hitler was an atheist "argument".
Let's for a moment accept this ridiculous hypothesis. Now tell me who carried out the atrocities on behalf of Hitler? Mostly Germany's Catholics and Lutherans.
Thank you for shooting yourself in the foot.
Let's for a moment accept this ridiculous hypothesis. Now tell me who carried out the atrocities on behalf of Hitler? Mostly Germany's Catholics and Lutherans.
Thank you for shooting yourself in the foot.
That hasn't been demonstrated yet.
