I got sick of being an atheist

[chinu]

Before all else a human being and unlike many religions, atheism is not a club

But, you seems more worried than a club.

 

[Howard Is]

Then why you so worried ?

What makes you think I am ?

 

[Unveiled Artist]

These things are hard to put into words. From what I hear God's love is of the highest virtue and can transform the soul. God's love is for others souls. Soul is just a deeper meaning for person.

I can quite imagine that God's love is all about loving others as yourself. Growing up the highest love I experienced was my mother. She cared deeply for all her children. And she cherished us equally.
She was the ultimate friend. So the love I feel there is a forever love. So I assume a God would care for everyone just like that if a God existed. Only thing is God would know best how to care for each of one of us.

With God I can imagine love that goes beyond all understanding. Imagination is important in conceiving of a God's love.

That's beautiful. I imagine the idea of gods love is a reflection of your mother's love?

Usually, we can understand and even make more personal experiences of the spirit when we have experiences of the flesh as a foundation. If one hasn't experienced love before, by what qualities can he learn to experience god if he has no pre-existing information to fall back on?

I'd assume god would be greater than our need for experiences, scripture, and practice to recognize it?

 

[wandering peacefully]

And unless the atheist is willing to avoid the nonsensical gibberish about "unbelief" and actually discuss the reasoning behind the theist's proposition. And the actual reasoning behind the atheist's counter-proposition.

Reason behind theist belief:
Belief in God feels good, provides hope, provides communoty with like minded believers, provides answers to the unknowable, creates security that God is the one in charge when theists are in doubt, God will provide the answer.

Atheists reasoning about above theist reasoning:
Disbelief, unbelief, lack of belief in theistic positions about Gods.

 

[lewisnotmiller]

So I tried atheism, and found that it didn't work out for me, so I'm back to faith again and realize how much I appreciate Christianity and Christian culture. It's the best, and I love it.

Glory be to God the highest. And peace to his people on earth!

How does one 'try' atheism?
#confused

 

[wandering peacefully]

Not only did a lot of bad things start happening, but I realized that the culture I was becoming a part of was cold hearted.

What specific differences have you discovered between cold hearted and warm hearted people when it comes to believers and non-believers?

 

[lewisnotmiller]

Psshh, we all know the secret is that there is no handshake.

Damn...now we have to invent one, just so we can tell you you're wrong.

 

[lewisnotmiller]

I hope it continues to provide you with positive life results. I agree that atheism is mostly just a lot tiring egocentric gibberish. I can accept that someone would choose to simply ignore the theistic proposition as being personally unnecessary. That's fine. Maybe they'll need it and choose to adopt it in the future, and maybe they won't. Again, this is perfectly reasonable. It's always available to them if they find the need or desire for it.

But all this self-righteous blather and absurdly illogical "logic" claiming out of one side of their face that no gods exist because there's no evidence while claiming to be agnostics out the other, is just insulting and exhausting. It's just a lot of fear and ago-driven idiocy. Much the same as we would find in any fundamentalist religious cult. Baseless pretense masquerading as 'knowledge'.

And you accuse atheists of blather...

 

[chinu]

What makes you think I am ?

this reply.

 

[Howard Is]

^ this reply.

You are doing your best to annoy me.
Fortunately, your best is **** ****

For a guy so in love with God, you spend a lot of time being aggravating.

 

[chinu]

For a guy so in love with God, you spend a lot of time being aggravating.

When I said that I am in love with God ? I don't know from where you got this wrong perception.
You always get wrong perceptions.

Yes, I believe in God. But that is NOT love.
Whereas, I believe that "Love-God" is a very dangerous game -- that I don't even hold the guts to play it in my dreams.

 

[Hockeycowboy]

Glad you are happy in your choice.

Although can i ask? what did you find boring (or whatever) about not having any evidence for a god, you have the same quandary as a christian

We see evidence for God everywhere, from our unique human nature -- even as alienated from God as we are, at the moment -- to the functional structure & harmony of matter, living and non-living.
As Fred Hoyle put it:
"A common sense interpretation of the facts suggests that a super intellect has monkeyed with physics, as well as with chemistry and biology, and that there are no blind forces worth speaking about in nature."

 

[Hockeycowboy]

Before all else a human being and unlike many religions, atheism is not a club

Are you including Christianity in your phrase "many religions"? Just for the record, I was wondering if you're calling it "a club."

 

[Howard Is]

You always get wrong perceptions

There you go again, doing your best to be aggravating.
Does God always put you in an aggressive mood ?

 

[chinu]

There you go again, doing your best to be aggravating.
Does God always put you in an aggressive mood ?

Actually, I don't "Love" God. If I would have did -- then of course he would have saved me from all this.

 

[osgart]

That's beautiful. I imagine the idea of gods love is a reflection of your mother's love?

Usually, we can understand and even make more personal experiences of the spirit when we have experiences of the flesh as a foundation. If one hasn't experienced love before, by what qualities can he learn to experience god if he has no pre-existing information to fall back on?

I'd assume god would be greater than our need for experiences, scripture, and practice to recognize it?

That's a great point. If you have never experienced love you might not even be aware of it. I would assume God would be greater than our need as well.

I suppose people can live their entire lives and not know love. But not knowing love at all, we still want someone to care enough to be someone to us, wouldn't you think?

I have the luxury of comparison.

 

[Howard Is]

When I said that I am in love with God ? I don't know from where you got this wrong perception.
You always get wrong perceptions.

I always get wrong perceptions ?
That is very insulting, and obviously intended to be.


You always ask the questions. When asked about your own beliefs, you almost never give an answer.
After years on RF, your beliefs are still pretty much your secret.
So it is to be expected that everyone would have wrong perceptions of you.
You have made sure of it.

Why is that ?
Why do you start dozens of threads asking others to reveal their beliefs, but you keep yours hidden.
It is very strange behaviour.
And now you want to mock me because I have misunderstood some detail of your belief.

That is perverse.
And honestly, I suspect deliberately so.

 

[Revoltingest]

I think @sun rise may have started a thread on that.

He's accomplished at not providing answers.

 

[Valjean]

Making a cause of atheism is not fulfilling.
I would rather be religious whereas one has the sincere aim of doing good.
My atheism is a lack of belief, and has nothing to do with a sense of community. I miss certain aspects of religion. Having high aims to love others is something I miss. Atheism seems to be about doing what you want to do.

You're mistaking atheism for hedonism. I'd bet there are more idealistic atheists doing good work than there are Christians doing so.
Atheists question convention, Christians take refuge in it. Atheists think, they question -- out of moral sentiments. Atheists are philosophical. Christians have the option of not thinking about these things. They can claim nominal Christianity while paying no heed to philosophical questions.

 

[Valjean]

I agree about the difference between someone who believes something and someone who lives like it. The argument seems strong that people like to believe things as long as it doesn't require us to change our behavior much. People like beliefs which give compliments to our way of life. A philosopher likes a religion which praises philosophers.

I am confused by the use of the term ontological there. It is the "branch of metaphysics that deals with the nature of being?" So you're suggesting that religions can be sorted by how they treat this topic. Do you believe that this controls the behavior and culture of the religious, too?

No. People are people. Moral development varies. There are good Christians and bad, good atheists and Buddhists -- and bad.

Theology, Particularly Abrahamic theology, describes reality, both on Earth and in Heaven. They have an ontological 'truth' built into their theology.