God doesn't exist

[FrederickDouglas]

Of course you can take a reversed approach, but my question would be what do you personally give up by belief in God or following religious teachings?

I can honestly say there hasn't been one sacrifice in my life that I've had to make for my religious beliefs that didn't enrich my life.

I personally think from my experiences my life has been enriched following religious tenants. In fact, the times when my life wasn't going well was when I was deviating from the teachings of my faith.

Regardless of a belief in God or not there is such great truth in many religious teachings that help us to live better lives. And living in such a way is more indicative of moral character than professing belief.

In my religion we aren't even supposed to mention who is going to Hell or Heaven and Gentiles or nonbelievers who don't believe but act in what we call righteous ways are to be praised instead of shunned or castigated. But that's not the popular Christianity ur gonna find in ur everyday pulpit brothel. But that's another story.

So yeah I could do whatever I want in life. Live a life of excess, glutton, murder, lies, lust and wrath. I could be selfish and lock myself away. I could be overly judgemental and self righteous condemning people to hell at every turn.

Or I could be an honest person who treats people the way I want to be treated, who finds beauty in the miracle of life and believes that there is far more to life than what my empirical senses can pick up.
If I lived that great of a life and die and there is absolutely nothing on the other side, I still will have won because of the richness of the life I lived based on the wisdom I learned from my religious teachings.

But if I lived the opposite life even if there's nothing on the opposite side, Ive still lost out on so much. Because whether u wanna believe in God or not, lol, the wages of sin is still death. Overeating will still lead to a severely limited quality of life and in many cases, premature death. Excessive lust has led to many deaths. Wrath still results in death.

And so on. So you will have wasted ur entire life and even shortened it in many cases, all because you wanna rebel against an ideas associated with a divine being you think is imaginary anyway? Lmao!

It's like cutting your nose off to spite ur face. Lmao!
Even if you don't believe in God, live a Christian life and I think ur just as good as any believer...
In fact Paul talks about non-believers shaming the Christian community and how God recognizes that. But like I said, we don't wanna talk about true religion.

My bad, lemme get back to my hell mongering...

Heathen!!!! You goin to hell! Infidel!
Smh.

You're confusing "Christian life" with "good life".

You can do right by your fellowman, practice moderation, safe sex etc., but all of that is common sense. You can be a physically healthy atheist or an obese diseased Christian (I've seen them myself)

We are the closest thing to gods there is. Instead of looking to a higher power, we should behave in the way we think a god should.

And yeah, there are some worthwhile principles in The Bible, just as there are in most religious texts...hell, there are good morals in Disney movies and other works of fiction. But do you have to believe in Santa to be "good for goodness sake"? Do you have to swallow the bullshyt along with the good stuff?

If you need to believe in God to be a good person, that doesn't reflect well on you. It's when you accept reality and realize you're alone in this world and STILL choose to do what's right, then you are living up to your potential.

 

[⠝⠕⠏⠑]

You're confusing "Christian life" with "good life".

You can do right by your fellowman, practice moderation, safe sex etc., but all of that is common sense. You can be a physically healthy atheist or an obese diseased Christian (I've seen them myself)

We are the closest thing to gods there is. Instead of looking to a higher power, we should behave in the way we think a god should.

And yeah, there are some worthwhile principles in The Bible, just as there are in most religious texts...hell, there are good morals in Disney movies and other works of fiction. But do you have to believe in Santa to be "good for goodness sake"? Do you have to swallow the bullshyt along with the good stuff?

If you need to believe in God to be a good person, that doesn't reflect well on you. It's when you accept reality and realize you're alone in this world and STILL choose to do what's right, then you are living up to your potential.

Lmao! Now ur speaking in absolute terms much like the religious individuals you critique. So that shifts the burden of proof to you. How do you know with certainty that you are alone in the world?

Also I don't confuse living a good life with living a Christian life. It's merely that living such a life falls in line with the beliefs outlined in my faith and many other faiths so why not follow those tenants?

And if such is the case and living such a life does indeed help you to find the divine within then my friend your closer to the true purpose of most religions than you think.

To partake in the divine unity, to be ye perfect even as God is perfect, to realize that Atman is Brahman, to see past the illusion of maya, to attain holy attributes of ren, and so on. Religion is merely a framework to help individuals realize the best in themselves.

For me it merely provides a language that helps me articulate what I've always had a sense of in my life. Of God.

But if you don't see or feel the same. I'm not personally offended. Many paths up the same mountain good sir.

 

[OG_StankBrefs]

No it means they don't actually know their own religion as well as they think they know it.
People are herd thinkers. Many people are religious or non-religious because it's cool or trendy.
They don't analyze how they feel or think about their beliefs much less employ any meta cognitive processes.

Nope it's all, "Religion is stupid!" Or "Your going to Hell!"

Since when is it "cool or trendy" to think talkin snakes and nikkas walkin on water is ? Logic and rational thought isn't da equivalent to a hashtag or style of clothes.

And uhhh..i dunno too many people who think goin to Sunday school and witnessin bout da good book to othas is seen as "cool or trendy" either, breh.

 

[joeychizzle]

No it means they don't actually know their own religion as well as they think they know it.
People are herd thinkers. Many people are religious or non-religious because it's cool or trendy.
They don't analyze how they feel or think about their beliefs much less employ any meta cognitive processes.

Nope it's all, "Religion is stupid!" Or "Your going to Hell!"

Herd thinkers? It is often the religious are herd thinkers. You cannot, and should not allow anyone to persuade or dissuade you from believing. It's entirely up to the strength of your faith and your beliefs. This is such a big part of your identity that you cannot afford to pander to trends. Every atheist I ever met (this is personal experience, so it cannot be used as 'the commonly accepted truth') was either raised to be one, the same way most religious folk are raised to be religious, or lost their religion at a certain age. On the contrary, I have observed that the religious fit the 'herd thinker' description more succinctly.

Personally, I was raised a Christian and was still practicing until 2008, in my teens. More and more fallacies revealed themselves, questions were neither encouraged nor answered, and the contradictions I continued to discover were boggling my mind. I turned to science, to reason, to logic, and found comfort and the explanations I so desired. Every query I had, pertaining to the evolution of the stunningly vast tree of life that is Earth's fauna and flora, the origin and creation of the Earth, Sun, planets, solar system, our galaxy, our universe - all were revealed to me through research and level headed conclusions. Talking snakes and burning bushes were never going to quench my thirst for 'why'.

I personally cannot 100% prove or disprove religion. I am simply unmoved by the manifested evidence that all organized religions have brought forth.

I hope that helped breh.

 

[⠝⠕⠏⠑]

Since when is it "cool or trendy" to think talkin snakes and nikkas walkin on water is ? Logic and rational thought isn't da equivalent to a hashtag or style of clothes.

And uhhh..i dunno too many people who think goin to Sunday school and witnessin bout da good book to othas is seen as "cool or trendy" either, breh.

Depends on your environment and where you grew up. People follow bandwagons. I know people who actually believe in God but don't profess any beliefs because they feel family pressure to be atheist. I also know people who aren't really religious who just go through the motions.

Social leanings can be a powerful influence on people's beliefs. I feel like you should be true to urself. If you don't believe, then stand for that. If you do believe, stand for that. Either way know urself regardless of what others think.

 

[⠝⠕⠏⠑]

Herd thinkers? It is often the religious are herd thinkers. You cannot, and should not allow anyone to persuade or dissuade you from believing. It's entirely up to the strength of your faith and your beliefs. This is such a big part of your identity that you cannot afford to pander to trends. Every atheist I ever met (this is personal experience, so it cannot be used as 'the commonly accepted truth') was either raised to be one, the same way most religious folk are raised to be religious, or lost their religion at a certain age. On the contrary, I have observed that the religious fit the 'herd thinker' description more succinctly.

Personally, I was raised a Christian and was still practicing until 2008, in my teens. More and more fallacies revealed themselves, questions were neither encouraged nor answered, and the contradictions I continued to discover were boggling my mind. I turned to science, to reason, to logic, and found comfort and the explanations I so desired. Every query I had, pertaining to the evolution of the stunningly vast tree of life that is Earth's fauna and flora, the origin and creation of the Earth, Sun, planets, solar system, our galaxy, our universe - all were revealed to me through research and level headed conclusions. Talking snakes and burning bushes were never going to quench my thirst for 'why'.

I personally cannot 100% prove or disprove religion. I am simply unmoved by the manifested evidence that all organized religions have brought forth.

I hope that helped breh.

And that's okay. So long as ur good with ur reasoning. It doesn't make religious people's experiences or beliefs invalid.

As long as ur true to urself ur not a herd thinker. But many haven't investigated their beliefs fully. Whatever is in, is what they follow. That's unfortunate whether they are religious or not.

 

[tmonster]

See I never understood the tension between religious belief and modern science

well given that you,

"don't see the point of debating somebody's personal experiences of their idea of the sacred."

how will ever understand the tension?

 

[joeychizzle]

And that's okay. So long as ur good with ur reasoning. It doesn't make religious people's experiences or beliefs invalid.

As long as ur true to urself ur not a herd thinker. But many haven't investigated their beliefs fully. Whatever is in, is what they follow. That's unfortunate whether they are religious or not.

It is the responsibility of every single human being to discover the core of what they place their faith in. To blindly stumble as others do.. why, they are but sheep, at the mercy of wolves disguised as shepherds.

Lambchops are delicious though

 

[⠝⠕⠏⠑]

well given that you,

"don't see the point of debating somebody's personal experiences of their idea of the sacred."

how will ever understand the tension?

I don't think the two beliefs are mutually exclusive. Belief in the divine shouldn't result in mistrust of scientific breakthroughs.

I don't have to have people debate their personal understandings of their beliefs to have a conversation about religion and scientific connections.

 

[⠝⠕⠏⠑]

It is the responsibility of every single human being to discover the core of what they place their faith in. To blindly stumble as others do.. why, they are but sheep, at the mercy of wolves disguised as shepherds.

Lambchops are delicious though

Indeed. It's also an amazing journey, learning about urself.

 

[OG_StankBrefs]

Depends on your environment and where you grew up. People follow bandwagons. I know people who actually believe in God but don't profess any beliefs because they feel family pressure to be atheist. I also know people who aren't really religious who just go through the motions.

Social leanings can be a powerful influence on people's beliefs. I feel like you should be true to urself. If you don't believe, then stand for that. If you do believe, stand for that. Either way know urself regardless of what others think.

Again, I'm just at dis idea of athiesim or otha sub branches of uncertainty being "cool or trendy" or some form of a "bandwagon".

Questionin outdated ideologies, and in religion's case, tales of mystism, etc...has nowhere near da same properties of actually subscribin to a religious doctrine and claimin it to be true.

Don't get how anybody can put da two on a parallel scale like dat.

 

[joeychizzle]

Indeed. It's also an amazing journey, learning about urself.

Indeed.

 

[⠝⠕⠏⠑]

Again, I'm just at dis idea of athiesim or otha sub branches of uncertainty being "cool or trendy" or some form of a "bandwagon".

Questionin outdated,and in religion's case, tales of mystism, etc...has nowhere near da same properties of actually subscribin to a religious doctrine and claiming it to be true.

Don't get how anybody can put da two on a parallel scale like dat.

Not everyone who follows atheism is even aware of the reasons they do it. Much like a lot of people are religious without knowing the religion they follow. People follow frameworks without really investigating them all the time.

 

[FrederickDouglas]

Lmao! Now ur speaking in absolute terms much like the religious individuals you critique. So that shifts the burden of proof to you. How do you know with certainty that you are alone in the world?

Also I don't confuse living a good life with living a Christian life. It's merely that living such a life falls in line with the beliefs outlined in my faith and many other faiths so why not follow those tenants?

And if such is the case and living such a life does indeed help you to find the divine within then my friend your closer to the true purpose of most religions than you think.

To partake in the divine unity, to be ye perfect even as God is perfect, to realize that Atman is Brahman, to see past the illusion of maya, to attain holy attributes of ren, and so on. Religion is merely a framework to help individuals realize the best in themselves.

For me it merely provides a language that helps me articulate what I've always had a sense of in my life. Of God.

But if you don't see or feel the same. I'm not personally offended. Many paths up the same mountain good sir.

There is no evidence to suggest that we are not alone. Until such evidence comes along, why would I stake my morality on such a baseless concept? Is the only reason I don't set forest fires because I believe in Smokey the Bear?

You seem to think atheism is banal and bereft of meaning, but I am an atheist, and thus can tell you with absolute certainty that an atheist is capable of awe or feelings of transcendence you would deem "spiritual". Which would make sense because concepts of spirituality are a human invention.

But I'd rather have those feelings in the context of what reason and logic has revealed to me than attach them to some creator myths. It is my actions and the meaning I choose to attach to them that gives me purpose, not some higher power.

 

[Mr210]

this thread again