It's funny how your almost never born atheist, you become atheist. I personally think the whole religion thing is far fetched. Why cant we just be dead after we die? Why does there HAVE to be an afterlife? Dont get me wrong i respect others decisions, I just don't believe in it, who's with me? I'm going to be some grass fertilizer one day And home to some maggots + worms.
I don't know, the whole atheism thing seemed kind of hopeless to me. If there's no God, then what happens when you die? If nothing happens, then what's the point of life if it just ends and there's nothing more? If something does happen, then who made it happen?
But,from a non-religious standpoint, I think that we're born not knowing or considering religion, and therefore are in a state of innocence. When we consider religion, we pick whatever one allows us to do what we want, and gives us an excuse to do whatever we want. Personally, I'm not an atheist. I'm Christian, and if you want to flame me for it, there's probably a thread for that.
It's funny how your almost never born atheist, you become atheist.
Actually EVERYONE is born atheist, you just become indoctrinated to one religion or another later in life, or not. Atheism is simply a lack of belief, and without the idea of religion being present then a lack of belief in said idea is the 'default'.
i think that it's more of a personal choice to pursue a god or not. I don't really see the god up in the sky. I instead belive that religion is a final way of gettin back at wrong doers.
If nothing happens, then what's the point of life if it just ends and there's nothing more?
Why should I define myself by what's going to happen rather then what is happening? This is like saying eventually your going to get dirty so what's the point in bathing? The action has meaning in the here and now just as we ascribe meaning to our own lives in the here and now. If there is nothing after this existence then being sure we accomplish as much as we can in the here and now is even more important, as we only have this time to do it in.
When we consider religion, we pick whatever one allows us to do what we want, and gives us an excuse to do whatever we want.
How does this translate into reality though? If I wanted to believe that by jumping into the air gives me the ability to defy gravity and float around the room it's not going to make that physically possible. So why would believing there is a perfect existence waiting for me after I die make it so?
I instead belive that religion is a final way of gettin back at wrong doers.
I don't see how that works? As stated above belief doesn't translate into reality. So just by believing a wrong doer is going to be punished it's not going to make it so.
I have faith in everyone to come to know God someday. I am a christian. i was dedicated to christ after i was born. I really do have faith that everyone would come to know God, even those who hate him =)
I don't see how that works? As stated above belief doesn't translate into reality. So just by believing a wrong doer is going to be punished it's not going to make it so.
No it dosen't make it so but it makes people feel more satisfied and gives people order if they think there will be reprocussions from actions.
I have faith in everyone to come to know God someday. I am a christian. i was dedicated to christ after i was born. I really do have faith that everyone would come to know God, even those who hate him =)
Would love to know God, hes got an open invitation to show up at my house and say hi any time.
No it dosen't make it so but it makes people feel more satisfied and gives people order if they think there will be reprocussions from actions.
There are numerous repercussions for our actions that have nothing to do with requiring a religion.
Why should I define myself by what's going to happen rather then what is happening? This is like saying eventually your going to get dirty so what's the point in bathing? The action has meaning in the here and now just as we ascribe meaning to our own lives in the here and now. If there is nothing after this existence then being sure we accomplish as much as we can in the here and now is even more important, as we only have this time to do it in.
Explanation, please? If we only have now, and we live short lives of only about 100 years, in a world that is obviously flawed, and this is the best it's going to get, then why would you have anything to look forward to? And if you die,and nothing happens, then you just... cease to exist, I guess. And if that's just going on forever, or until time ends, then isn't mankind simply on a freefall to oblivion, attempting to keep the pain away long enough to forget his imminent death. If death is the end, then life is a line, with a beginning and an end. That, in my opinion, sounds kind of depressing.
Explanation, please? If we only have now, and we live short lives of only about 100 years, in a world that is obviously flawed, and this is the best it's going to get, then why would you have anything to look forward to? And if you die,and nothing happens, then you just... cease to exist, I guess. And if that's just going on forever, or until time ends, then isn't mankind simply on a freefall to oblivion, attempting to keep the pain away long enough to forget his imminent death. If death is the end, then life is a line, with a beginning and an end. That, in my opinion, sounds kind of depressing.
It certainly can be a depressing thought, yes. I think that is part of why religions are so popular. They offer a story that allows one to hope for more than just this life. Unfortunately that just isn't grounded in reality, at least not any portion of reality that anyone has been able to discern.
I, however, look at it rather the opposite. I find the idea of an eternal existence depressing. If there truly is an eternal life waiting for us after this one, then this life is even MORE pointless. What meaning can one ascribe to a few decades in the face of eternity? What can one do now that is going be of any importance when compared to an eternal existence?
I think that it is because life is fleeting and finite it is important. We don't get any second chances, no retries or promotions to something eternal and better than this. We have this one short life on this one small rock and because of that we should make the most of it.
Love, Laugh, and Learn all you can, whenever you can, with everyone you can, because each day could be the end, and the only eternal life we can ever have is in the memories of those who knew us.
If we only have now, and we live short lives of only about 100 years, in a world that is obviously flawed, and this is the best it's going to get, then why would you have anything to look forward to?
You know, if people would stop waiting for some probably inexistent being to come end the world, things would get better faster. What's wrong now is everyone fighting mainly OVER religion.
And if you die,and nothing happens, then you just... cease to exist, I guess.
So? What was it like before you were born? That wasn't so bad was it? What's so wrong in living to be happy and accepting that you can't be around forever.
There is more evidence for SANTA than there is for god. At least Santa delivers (Regularly) what it is you asked for. Sometimes he doesn't but often he does, and the presents are marked oh so nicely, "From: Santa Claus"
If we only have now, and we live short lives of only about 100 years, in a world that is obviously flawed, and this is the best it's going to get, then why would you have anything to look forward to?
That's what makes it so important to make this world the best that we can. There are things I can look forward to in this life, such as spending time with my girlfriend or playing with my birds. Those moments are made even more important by the fact it all eventually ends. It makes life all the much rarer and precious.
And if you die,and nothing happens, then you just... cease to exist, I guess. And if that's just going on forever, or until time ends, then isn't mankind simply on a freefall to oblivion, attempting to keep the pain away long enough to forget his imminent death. If death is the end, then life is a line, with a beginning and an end. That, in my opinion, sounds kind of depressing.
Yes, the ultimate fate is we die. But we got to be the lucky few who got to live and experience what we have and ask all these questions.
Think about it like the best meal you ever had, with all your favorite foods but you only get this meal once. You get to enjoy every bite even though each one just means it will eventually be gone. But the fact you will eventually finish doesn't lessen the experience and what you get out of it, and since you only get this meal once that makes it all that more precious. You wouldn't think twice about it if you had the same meal every single day. You'd probably get sick of it after a while. Life is like that one meal, we can either enjoy it to it's fullest or be depressed that it will eventually end. Worse yet with an afterlife we fool ourselves into thinking there is a better meal ahead and the meal we are having is tantamount to dog food. Thus not allowing us to ever fully enjoy what we have.
Would love to know God, hes got an open invitation to show up at my house and say hi any time.
Well, if you want something i.e. a new car, you don't sit there and say "okay, I'm waiting for the car to show up" and then once a car doesn't show up, you conclude that cars don't exist because you couldn't find one.
