For a start, I appreciate your friendly discussion. Second, I do not mean to offend and I hope I'm not.
Thanks. Don´t worry, I have not gotten offended. Sorry for the delayed response, btw.
That's not a belief, it is the obvious conclusion unless you believe otherwise. Reincarnation is a believe for example. You believe in something that is beyond the obvious, or what you called supernatural.
For example, if we know there are aliens in space, then it is no longer a believe, it becomes a fact.
I don´t know what happens after death, nor do I claim to know. That nothing will happen is just what makes sense to me. But that does not negate that it is a belief, since there is no way for me to actually know what happens. The only ones who do are the dead, and I have no wish to join their ranks just yet. Bottom line, I don´t know what happens after death, I believe nothing will happen, which is a belief, even if it is not a very religious or supernatural one.
As I said earlier, the first step is to believe that there is a creator. This can be observed by looking at the universe and its complexity and perfection. To me I cannot imagine that our human body alone could be this complex and it came out of nowhere. I do believe in Evolution when it comes to how the fish became a lizard and how Human beings evolved from living in caves to building skyscrapers. But I believe it is a lesson from the creator to teach us that we live in a very sophisticated creation based on laws and facts with a little mystery to keep us thinking a bit outside the box.
If you do not believe in the creator, then there's no religious believe to discuss. You refuse everything that cannot be physically proved and therefore no one can provide a proof that you would accept. The existence of the creator is only observed through his creation.
The universe is indeed very complex. But I personally do not think a creator is needed because it is complex, and I do not believe we come from nothing. Do not know what we come from, but what I would guess is that our existence is the result of natural processes.
I do not deny that I have a quite materialistic view on the world, in the sense that I do not believe in anything supernatural or, in lack of better words, anything "more". Would not underestimate the power of observation, though. None of us has been on a star yet we managed to figure out how to determine what they are made of. The man who first managed to figure out the size of the Earth did it with a stick, a well and a brain. He actually did a fairly good estimation.
I believe that if there is a God and we can observe him, even though indirect influence, then it is possible to prove his existence. But since I am a layman and not a scientist I would not be the best person to do that, nor am I that interested in it, because, as stated, my religious desire is more on a philosophical level then a desire to know if God exists or not.
I think it is good to keep your interest in religion philosophically and try to make sense out of religion. Not necessarily to embrace any religious concept. But at least to understand what drives people of religion and why they bother to believe.
This I agree with. Understanding is always important.
I'm sorry for stereotyping atheists, but that was the impression most atheists gave me. However, I appreciate those who consider that the unknown is open for interpretations and does not have to make sense at the time. Example, the roundness of earth was unknown and open for interpretation, but it was considered not to make sense. History has taught us that whatever we don't 100% know already, can be anything we expect or don't expect.
If that is your experience then I definately understand where you come from. My own experience is another, so maybe you just haven´t been that lucky
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History has taught us that even what we believe to be 100% right can be wrong. Unfortunately some people don´t realize that.
It is of course comforting to believe that something good is waiting after death, but not all religions makes it easy and comforting. Islam for example requires a lot more than just believing. Unfortunately I'm too lazy and getting busy with life and missing a lot of my duties as a Muslim. If I die today, I will be punished for a lot of things that I did not follow properly. So it is not really a straight forward road to eternal happiness for most Muslims. Two things God does not forgive people about, one is not to solely worship God and to claim another God with him. And the second is the rights of other people who we hurt during our life (this only the person we hurt can forgive us for). This puts emotional pressure on a true Muslim to ensure that we do not falter in worshipping God and not to hurt others.
I can understand what you mean. Just saying that my own beliefs do not come from what is easy. I have high moral standards myself that I try and live up to. Unfortunately my mind is chaotic in nature which makes it very hard to have self disciplin, but I am working on it.
If I was an atheist, I would not worry about the afterlife because it does not exist. I would simply try to make the most out of my life and make sure that I will be remembered as a good person. That looks pretty easy to me, no strings attached.
But that is not who I am. I don´t want to die. I don´t want that the people I care about to die. The best I can do is to make the best of the time I have, to cherish the time I have with the people that I care about. But that is not easy. I am far from a person without issues and I try to be a genuinly good person (as in I try to be a good person and not trying to be percieved as a good person). Life is not easy, no matter if you believe in God or not.
If you find that a problem, then why not get a long and just think that something better is waiting. It is not a fact that nothing will happen afterlife because no one knows for sure.
It wouldn´t be me to do that. One of the guidelines I try and live by is to be myself, and I could not make such a turn to comfort myself because I would regard it as self deception.