You are wrong. There is no god.

[Thief]

I have had religious people tell me that deep down I must know that god does exist, and that my attempt at disbelieving god is stupid.
I always found that way of thinking ridiculous.
I never understood why people would say stupid things like that.

But something occured to me today.
I am sitting sitting in my sofa under a blanket drinking tea and feeling sorry for myself because my throat and ears hurt, looking out the window on the beautiful autumn colors. Apparently I get really philosophical in situations like this
What occured to me is that I am guilty of the exact same stupid way of thinking.

When I hear religious people talk about their deities and how their religion tells them how to live and how to look at the world, I always think "how can these people bring them selves to live like this? Deep down they must know that it is probably all made up."
I wonder how people can spend their lives pretending that something is true.

Just like those religious people who can't believe that I don't actually believe that any gods exist, I can't really believe that some people actually believe that gods are real.

To me my way of seeing the world makes sense to me, and I guess I find it very difficult to understand people who see things differently, because it so obviously doesn't make sense to me.

So my question is: Is it possible to understand, I mean really understand, other people who see the world differently from yourself?

And the alternative is to face death and become dust.
Now there's a scenario to believe in!

Nothing greater than yourself?
Not a chance?
7billion+ copies of a device that produces a unique spirit on each occasion.....
and not one to survive the last breath?

Pretending... Something Greater can't be real?

 

[LuisDantas]

And the alternative is to face death and become dust.
Now there's a scenario to believe in!

"Alternative"?

Do you think Atheists have the power to choose between immortality and mortality?

Nothing greater than yourself?

Many things are greater than me. It just doesn't look like any of those is supernatural or divine.

Not a chance?

A chance of what?

7billion+ copies of a device that produces a unique spirit on each occasion.....
and not one to survive the last breath?

Pretending... Something Greater can't be real?

Is this supposed to be understood?

 

[Wherenextcolumbus]

I understand why someone would believe in god and a religion, because that was me once. although sometimes I still feel spiritual almost like there is a god or are gods but not really believing it at the same time. Does that make sense? Probably not.

 

[LuisDantas]

I understand why someone would believe in god and a religion, because that was me once. although sometimes I still feel spiritual almost like there is a god or are gods but not really believing it at the same time. Does that make sense? Probably not.

Why would it not make sense?

 

[nazz]

I have had religious people tell me that deep down I must know that god does exist, and that my attempt at disbelieving god is stupid.
I always found that way of thinking ridiculous.
I never understood why people would say stupid things like that.

But something occured to me today.
I am sitting sitting in my sofa under a blanket drinking tea and feeling sorry for myself because my throat and ears hurt, looking out the window on the beautiful autumn colors. Apparently I get really philosophical in situations like this
What occured to me is that I am guilty of the exact same stupid way of thinking.

When I hear religious people talk about their deities and how their religion tells them how to live and how to look at the world, I always think "how can these people bring them selves to live like this? Deep down they must know that it is probably all made up."
I wonder how people can spend their lives pretending that something is true.

Just like those religious people who can't believe that I don't actually believe that any gods exist, I can't really believe that some people actually believe that gods are real.

To me my way of seeing the world makes sense to me, and I guess I find it very difficult to understand people who see things differently, because it so obviously doesn't make sense to me.

So my question is: Is it possible to understand, I mean really understand, other people who see the world differently from yourself?

I already responded once but I have more to say. I think I totally understand why atheists don't believe in any gods. If it were not for my own personal experiences I would not believe either.

I also wanted to say I wish there were more atheists like you out there.

 

[Uberpod]

Will any people of faith admit to some wavering? Do you ever feel like you are just going through the motions despite very real doubt? Do you ever feel like an inposter?

 

[nazz]

Will any people of faith admit to some wavering? Do you ever feel like you are just going through the motions despite very real doubt? Do you ever feel like an inposter?

I've never felt like that. But what I can say is that over the years I've jettisoned a lot of religious beliefs that I no longer found defensible.

 

[nazz]

I think you've asked an interesting question here. Would you consider making it a separate thread?

 

[chinu]

You are wrong. There is no god.

You mean, the God which known for "His" Godhood ? tell me.

 

[FranklinMichaelV.3]

Well, I wouldn't say the idea is stupid (modesty ) but what I will say is the idea of atheism/naturalism is irrational...nonsensical, and any other synonym that can be included, and here is why...

I have eyes to see, ears to hear, a digestive system, reproductive system, circulatory system, immune system, a brain, a mind, etc. So basically, to be a naturalist, I have to believe that a mindless, brainless, and BLIND process that didn't know what it was doing...this process gave me eyes to see, ears to hear, mouth to speak, etc. The process didn't know what it was doing...didn't have a clue, no agenda whatsoever...yet it did all of these SPECIFIED things.

The process didn't have eyes, yet it gave me eyes to see, it didn't have ears, yet it gave me ears to hear. It didn't have a brain, yet it gave me a mind to think. Now without getting in to any technical biological/cosmological stuff, that is what the situation boils down too.

Now, I just can't get myself/force myself to believe that kind of stuff. There is no way you can convince me how a process that doesn't have a brain can somehow create creatures with brains. No way. But hey, people will continue to believe what they want.



Well, I don't think my religion is made up. I have logic, science, and history on my side to corroberate my view.



If I can't begin to understand how a blind man that is mentally challenged can paint the Mona Lisa, I can't begin to understand how a mindless and blind process can create not only life...but specified life with minds, brains, eyes, ears, etc. I just can't.

You say it as if the process has a goal, and what the process gave you, is flawed.

Blind spot

Mediocre hearing

A mediocre sense of smell

A way of eating that results in death (over 2000 choke to death a year).

And a way of producing energy...that leads to death.

 

[Akivah]

Will any people of faith admit to some wavering? Do you ever feel like you are just going through the motions despite very real doubt? Do you ever feel like an inposter?

At the time of my life that I had doubts and felt like I was just going through the motions, that's when I classified myself as an atheist. Now that I have certainty, I feel like the arrow from the bow, free from doubt and able to recognize my Creator.

 

[Kilgore Trout]

At the time of my life that I had doubts and felt like I was just going through the motions, that's when I classified myself as an atheist. Now that I have certainty, I feel like the arrow from the bow, free from doubt and able to recognize my Creator.

It's often been my experience and observations that religion often apeals to people who feel a strong need for certainty. It's good to find something that works and satisifies one's emotional and psychological needs.

 

[Akivah]

Hi Trout

Yes, it is good to have a philosophy that works and satisfies one's life.

Which do you think comes first? Do people that seek certainty find religion or do people that seek religion find certainty?

 

[nazz]

It's often been my experience and observations that religion often apeals to people who feel a strong need for certainty. It's good to find something that works and satisifies one's emotional and psychological needs.

Yes, and some who feel that need reject religion and embrace materialism.

 

[Call_of_the_Wild]

You say it as if the process has a goal, and what the process gave you, is flawed.

Blind spot

Mediocre hearing

A mediocre sense of smell

A way of eating that results in death (over 2000 choke to death a year).

And a way of producing energy...that leads to death.

Frankie, regardless of how less than perfect you think things are, the question remains; how can a mindless and blind process create intelligent life with specified parts, all of which performs a specifed function. On naturalism, this view is absolutely absurd to me.

There is nothing irrational about a perfect being creating less than perfect creatures. So I don't see how your response offers a defeater of what I said.

 

[Wherenextcolumbus]

Why would it not make sense?

Maybe that would not make sense to a lot of atheists? Or maybe just the ones that are overly concerned with the rational? I'm not sure.

 

[Kilgore Trout]

Hi Trout

Yes, it is good to have a philosophy that works and satisfies one's life.

Which do you think comes first? Do people that seek certainty find religion or do people that seek religion find certainty?

I think people tend to find what they're looking for, whether they realize it or not.

 

[Kilgore Trout]

Yes, and some who feel that need reject religion and embrace materialism.

I suppose people do all sorts of things out of sense of needing certainty. Personally, I don't require it, and instead use reason to provide the most likely and consistent explanations for things. You may want to give it a try some day.

 

[ImprobableBeing]

Frankie, regardless of how less than perfect you think things are, the question remains; how can a mindless and blind process create intelligent life with specified parts, all of which performs a specifed function. On naturalism, this view is absolutely absurd to me.

There is nothing irrational about a perfect being creating less than perfect creatures. So I don't see how your response offers a defeater of what I said.

It didn't purposefully "create" anything at all, it's just the result and as great as you think we are we are the epitome of thinking to highly of ourselves, for gods sakes even our sexual organs weren't made for our body temperature and placed so that if we ever were to trip we might just kill our chances of ever reproducing.

If this is design then even the Ford Mondeo is the epitome of an exquisite masterpiece of art in comparison.

 

[ImprobableBeing]

Yes, and some who feel that need reject religion and embrace materialism.

Everyone rejects the overwhelming majority of religions (there are 15 000 in the world today) and declare theirs to be the one that is true even though it's just one in fifteen thousand and the only reason they believe in it is because they live in a society where it's present.

Objective reasoning is available to everyone and when used, pretty much everyone agrees that what we can see, feel, measure and observe in one way or the other is more likely than what we can believe in because someone said we should believe it without any form of evidence.

For some of us it's actually IMPOSSIBLE to believe in anything that holds incredible claims that are literally out of this world without so much as a single shred of evidence.