Comment by Gaytor on June 16, 2010 at 10:55pm

I can't offer absolute truth. I don't even desire it. Maybe I don't understand it and that's why I accept not knowing about it? But I won't lie to you about my knowing it.

I'm going to make an assumption that you are in a place where I have been in your understanding of Atheism. Atheism doesn't reject the possibility of a god. We just haven't seen evidence or even a reason for one. If we were to dig into what many of us think, we'll go all of the way back to first cause at the singularity and have some grasp of what happened. We are happy to say, "I don't know." The opposite position says, "I know by faith." (admission of no evidence). I will always choose honesty. God was instituted for the movement of the sun until we understood it. Then it was creation of life, and now we are back to creation of the universe. Why would I expect that it's going to be behind this door? It wasn't behind the last 50 where I was sure to find god? If there is a god, I'll be interested. Until then, I have no reason to pretend.

Good luck on the journey, and write about God any time.

Comment by Blue Sage on June 17, 2010 at 12:49am

I recommend reading, doing some research online, and going where the (valid and scientific) evidence takes you. For example, you might want to read these great books (if you haven't already), they will most likely help:

- Guy P. Harrison, "50 Reasons People Give for Believing in a God"
http://www.amazon.com/Reasons-People-Give-Believing-God/dp/1591025672

- Victor J. Stenger, "God: The Failed Hypothesis. How Science Shows That God Does Not Exist"
http://www.amazon.com/God-Failed-Hypothesis-Science-Shows/dp/159102...

I also highly recommend making yourself familiar with standard logical fallacies, which many religious claims heavily depend on:
http://www.onegoodmove.org/fallacy/toc.htm

Good luck :)

Comment by Renshia on June 17, 2010 at 3:20pm

Greetings D,
First of all as far as an all powerful god goes,There are no answers. The true reality of it is, all it is is pretty words to get you to think one way or another. You look for proof, you seek confirmation but in the end all you will get is pretty words.

Understand one thing, no one really knows anymore than you do already, some have prettier words, more confusing, angry and dark, but in the end no one alive knows any more than you.

I know it sucks.

let's consider for a minute there is a god. Do you really think, the life and focus religion insists on would be what a god would want of a creation of his. Does it make any sense that his purpose would be for us to obsess over what comes next?

We have an unlimited capacity to be more than what we are. We learn, grow, and experience, our world is a world of action and reaction yet, religion would hold us back with bronze age dogma and tribal thinking.

God isn't important, if it was he would have gave us more to go by.
Live the best life you can, learn, grow, experience. Do whats best for yourself and for all concerned. If one day you need to stand before some slave master, at least you will be able to stand proud.
It is not done for that reason because it is immaterial to your world right now.
It is done because why waste it doing anything else. If you want to learn the secrets of the universe do it, if you want to bake cookies do it, if you want to make love to someone experience it. Take care of yourself, take care of those who assist you in your journey. But don't waste life on tomorrow. Soon you will be dead and missing it has to be the biggest sin of all.

Guilt is only for those that can change the past, Learn grow and move on. Never apologize for what you do, just learn from it and do it better the next time. Pick a path with heart and live it to the fullest. What more could anyone ask for, What reasonable being could ask for less?

You do that and all the rest is just fluff.

Comment by Gerald Scott on June 17, 2010 at 9:33pm

"atheist have no magical powers" When did atheist have magical powers? "proof their isn't any god". Why do atheist have to prove there are no gods? There are hundreds of gods out there. Have I got to prove a thousand gods aren't real? Please have some common sense. Why are you only picking christian gods? Since you've tried other religions, how about the Papau New Guinea mud god? You should try that religion. When you die you get a pig and all the coconuts you can carry into heaven. I know you'd like to be an atheist, but I think you're afraid. That's okay, I understand. Maybe you need more education. Go to Atheism.About.com and read the basics of atheism. Good luck.

Comment by Orange on June 17, 2010 at 10:22pm

I’ve shifted my none belief in god/spiritualism to naturalism of a sort (nature) I enjoy trying to feel connected somehow without being to hippyish about it all, I love gardening and just feeding wild bird's, that's my feel good zone, your's maybe different?? we all have our fuzzy feel good place, maybe you could hone in on your's to give yourself some sorta personal fulfilment and self worth else were other then religion/spiritualism?? isn't that what's religion really about anyhow?? personal fulfilment and self worth

philosophical wise, it's just easier to just have an open policy to philosophy if your looking for a deeper meaning or a sense of mental well being (centred) if religious philosophy help's with life's problem's your confronted with and it help's you rationalize situation's where judgement is needed, fine it's served it's purpose, but when you take it as scripture or "the word" blindly with out thought, then that's when harm can be done and you lose your individuality and become just another number to the collective.

Your not alone in this, I’ve been there too, almost considered myself a "Jedi/Sith ?? haha... at period of my life, in the end I don’t believe in a after life and I find organised religion pathetic, also fringe Atheism group’s/churches are bordering delusional quackery as well, I label myself an “Open Atheist” as I’m not interested in being pulled into just another organised support group (church/temple)

Just my small input, hope it help's somehow.

oh, god doesn't exists, so don't toil to much over it, god's a fault/complication not a solution, fault find and eliminate and I'm sure the over complicated religious bull will fall to the wayside and you'll have a simplistic stress less vision forward, .............did that sound really corny?? wasn't my intention haha...

Live long....haha....sci fi freak, couldn't help it haha...

Comment by willailla on June 18, 2010 at 2:35pm

There is no god. Not if you mean a personal, benevolent, omnipotent god. It is easy to disprove the existence of such a being. Whatever is contradictory cannot be true.

1. if god is omnipotent, it would not create anything, for to create implies that it lacks something and couldn't be complete.

2. if god is omnipotent, it knows everything; it is omniscient. It knows the future and cannot change it, thus isn't omnipotent. If it could, it would mean it doesn't know the future and couldn't be omniscient.

3. If man has freewill, then god cannot be omnipotent. For it would not know what man is going to do.

4. If god is benevolent, it wouldn't create a kill-or-be-killed universe as the condition for survival.

5. If an omnipotent god existed, we could never be anything but his slaves. For being omnipotent he could never allow us to be free from his omnipotence.

Comment by Fancy Nancy on June 19, 2010 at 8:58am

My feeling is like when Jonathan Miller explained that he couldn't believe that, with all the terrible things that go on here on earth, there was a power metaphorically in the sky who would part the clouds and say 'don't worry, it's really all right!' .... and that's the bit I can't accept either - if G-d is omnipotent then he's allowing evil .... so what sort of G-d is that???? So IF there is a G-d (yes, I'm stilling following the Jewish trad of not naming) ... then, well, if you try to live a good life surely that's morality enuf. As to what is 'good' ... well there's various philosophies written by religious ppl and atheists (I'm not necessarily prejudiced!) but generally the Golden Rule of doing as you would be done by is difficult enuf, no? And imo this conflicts with many terrible 'religious teachings' eg against gay people, and 'illegitimate' children ... so if G-d has given me reason (well, at least 2 brain cells) then when I use em they seem to question what he is supposed to have 'instructed' ... and I have NO good reason to go against my reasoning so far on this ...

Comment by D.M Barrera on June 19, 2010 at 4:02pm

Thanks for all the comments
they've helped. and yeah....I guess I'm just afraid...it's hard to stand alone among all my believer friends and relatives

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