For Atheists: have you done the Beatitudes?

[lewisnotmiller]

Seriously?
I see some good in Christian Scripture and you refer to it as stealing?

Thanks, but no thanks. I'm not changing my opinion about the Beatitudes, but individuals I am.
Tom

Wisdom is where you find it, mate.

 

[TagliatelliMonster]

NIV:

The Beatitudes
He said:

3 “Blessed are the poor in spirit,
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
4 Blessed are those who mourn,
for they will be comforted.
5 Blessed are the meek,
for they will inherit the earth.
6 Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness,
for they will be filled.
7 Blessed are the merciful,
for they will be shown mercy.
8 Blessed are the pure in heart,
for they will see God.
9 Blessed are the peacemakers,
for they will be called children of God.
10 Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness,
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

Very hard if you think about it, I can't do it.

I don't need a bible to tell me to be a nice guy.
Nore do I need a bible to tell me what being a nice guy is all about.
Nore do I require promises of eternal bliss, or threats of eternal pain, to find the motivation to be a nice guy.

Being a nice guy, comes with its own reward.

It's nice to be nice, and I don't require anything in return for it.
Eventhough being a nice guy will generally be repaid by other people being nice in return.

 

[Jedster]

I don't need a bible to tell me to be a nice guy.
Nore do I need a bible to tell me what being a nice guy is all about.
Nore do I require promises of eternal bliss, or threats of eternal pain, to find the motivation to be a nice guy.

Being a nice guy, comes with its own reward.

It's nice to be nice, and I don't require anything in return for it.
Eventhough being a nice guy will generally be repaid by other people being nice in return.

NIce one. Simplicity at it's best.

Now I have to find out what 'the quarters' are?

 

[ChristineM]

I may not be a true atheist but I agree. We are evolutionary designed to be social which requires some meekness to avoid conflict, empathetic to feel others pain (mirror neurons and a healthy Insula) which helps us be merciful, respect for what is sociably right for healthy relations. Not sure why we have to be poor of spirit though. The rest as you say is just myth.

Thanks but i have one question, What's a true atheist? One either believes in the existence of god or not. Like being pregnant or not, a little bit pregnant only counts one way.

 

[Bear Wild]

Thanks but i have one question, What's a true atheist? One either believes in the existence of god or not. Like being pregnant or not, a little bit pregnant only counts one way.

Well that was not one of my best terms I suppose but then I really do not know what a god or goddess really is. My concept of gods and goddesses are that they aspects of the natural world. I celebrate mother earth (Hertha) not as a supernatural goddess but as the Earth. I celebrate Thor as the storm approaches and with it life supporting rain. So I consider myself as honoring what you might the old gods long before they were reduced to human form and the natural world is the creative force for everything. Why think that way you might ask, and the answer is in creating the symbolic connection to the land for me as a human. When I see the Earth as mother earth it reminds me of the appreciation and respect for a world that sustains life. Evolution is my creation story and Ecology is the source for many of my morals. For many Christians this places me clearly in the atheistic corner.

So tell me what you think makes a god or goddess be a god or goddess and then I can better answer your question.

 

[MonkeyFire]

As an atheist you don't need all that blessing and mythical stuff, simply being a good, compassionate human being works, in my view, much better

This would be true but there is no life without fundamental belief in life.

 

[Bear Wild]

'True' atheist? Membership is not too strict, mate. They let me in, after all.

So do you think there is hope for me?

 

[lewisnotmiller]

So do you think there is hope for me?

Absolutely! But I'm an optimist, so take it with a grain of salt.

Heehee.

 

[ChristineM]

This would be true but there is no life without fundamental belief in life.

This is true, human morality preceded religion and in my view it still out is a far better thing than religion.

 

[ChristineM]

Well that was not one of my best terms I suppose but then I really do not know what a god or goddess really is. My concept of gods and goddesses are that they aspects of the natural world. I celebrate mother earth (Hertha) not as a supernatural goddess but as the Earth. I celebrate Thor as the storm approaches and with it life supporting rain. So I consider myself as honoring what you might the old gods long before they were reduced to human form and the natural world is the creative force for everything. Why think that way you might ask, and the answer is in creating the symbolic connection to the land for me as a human. When I see the Earth as mother earth it reminds me of the appreciation and respect for a world that sustains life. Evolution is my creation story and Ecology is the source for many of my morals. For many Christians this places me clearly in the atheistic corner.

So tell me what you think makes a god or goddess be a god or goddess and then I can better answer your question.

If you have to consider something(s) god then the belief that nature is the ultimate is pretty outstanding. How some Christians choose to misunderstand your faith does not surprise me.

As for me i am past atheism and out the other side. I not only have no belief in god or gods, i am as sure as i can be that no such beast exists, be it natural or supernatural.

There are things i respect, nature in most of its forms, family and friends, contentment.

I have on occasion cried out to the goddess of love although i wouldn't call that worship.

And i sometimes invoke the small goddess Anoia with the chant "How can it close on the damned thing but not open with it? Who bought this? Do we ever use it?" whenever there is something stuck in a drawer and it won't open.

With me its what you see is what you get. Provide falsifiable evidence for something and i will consider it.

 

[Hermit Philosopher]

Hi All

Can anyone help me understand the question, please?

Thank you .


Humbly
Hermit

 

[Nakosis]

Various

I would like to understand why you don't think these things can't be done by an atheist but I don't feel you are actually interested in that conversation.

 

[MonkeyFire]

This is true, human morality preceded religion and in my view it still out is a far better thing than religion.

Religion is a ethical thing. Most people dont know what faith is a therefore cant judge it.

 

[ChristineM]

Religion is a ethical thing. Most people dont know what faith is a therefore cant judge it.

Most people know precisely what faith is, they live with it ever day of their lives. They lived with it before religion was a even a twinkle in some warlords eyes

 

[MonkeyFire]

Most people know precisely what faith is, they live with it ever day of their lives. They lived with it before religion was a even a twinkle in some warlords eyes

Faith is the essence of hope, truth, and love.

 

[ChristineM]

Faith is the essence of hope, truth, and love.

And?

Yet still human morality preceded religious morality by thousands of years, and is far more moralistic than the religious clone, no matter how hard you push the goalposts

 

[MonkeyFire]

And?

Yet still human morality preceded religious morality by thousands of years, and is far more moralistic than the religious clone, no matter how hard you push the goalposts

Belief is a ethical corner stone, and I'm not a right winger.

 

[McBell]

Faith is the essence of hope, truth, and love.

Faith, like god, means so many different things to so many different people.

 

[Bear Wild]

If you have to consider something(s) god then the belief that nature is the ultimate is pretty outstanding. How some Christians choose to misunderstand your faith does not surprise me.

As for me i am past atheism and out the other side. I not only have no belief in god or gods, i am as sure as i can be that no such beast exists, be it natural or supernatural.

There are things i respect, nature in most of its forms, family and friends, contentment.

I have on occasion cried out to the goddess of love although i wouldn't call that worship.

And i sometimes invoke the small goddess Anoia with the chant "How can it close on the damned thing but not open with it? Who bought this? Do we ever use it?" whenever there is something stuck in a drawer and it won't open.

With me its what you see is what you get. Provide falsifiable evidence for something and i will consider it.

I need to get to know Anoia. Does she help with opening jars and things overly packaged bought at a store also?

The way I perceive the rest of the world can be seen as animistic given the approximate view of Animism as - the perspective that all things including people, animals, geographic features, natural phenomenon, and inanimate object have a spirit that connects them to one another.

Why animism you may ask. The answer is believe that humans are neurologically designed to see things from an animistic viewpoint as a result from evolutionary adaptations for social behavior. We needed to develop empathy behavioral and theory of mind which can easily be applied beyond humans. There is much more to this topic but this is a regression from the topic.

 

[ChristineM]

Belief is a ethical corner stone, and I'm not a right winger.

You believe what makes you happy. Belief is a simple emotion, for some thing's its naturally occupying, for others its conditioned, often from birth.

Same with morality.