Why I love Atheism....

[FleshNBones]

NJ's response was nearly perfect?

 

Am I the only person who thought her response was bitter?

James, you should consider rereading it.

[disgracian]

Why do you think it was bitter? I saw a celebration of mental and spiritual emancipation from silly, superstitious old relics left over from the infancy of human civilisation.

 

Cheers,

D.

[Trialbyfire]

Some serious LS eloquence happening here.

 

I don't know what I am but it's closer to being agnostic, most of the time. I don't love being primarily agnostic, sometimes being an atheist and sometimes falling back to being a believer through childhood foundations. I can only say that I do reject organized religion although I can see the good in it too. Like anything else in life, whatever you believe is real, becomes your reality.

[norajane]

Some serious LS eloquence happening here.

 

Indeed - and yet, James hasn't come back ?

[JamesM]

Indeed - and yet, James hasn't come back ?

 

Ah, James is watching and "listening."

 

I figure maybe I will get more answers if I listen this time rather than moderate.

 

I find some very interesting responses. NJ, yours is well written and complete. Thanks.

 

And yes, I am still hoping for more like yours.

[norajane]

Ah, James is watching and "listening."

 

I figure maybe I will get more answers if I listen this time rather than moderate.

 

I find some very interesting responses. NJ, yours is well written and complete. Thanks.

 

And yes, I am still hoping for more like yours.

 

Is this helping you with whatever you were trying to understand?

[Herzen]

Why I am an atheist:

 

1) I'm an adult who takes personal responsibility for my actions, and neither God nor Satan deserve credit or blame.

 

2) I neither need nor want a comforting illusion or useful fiction that some invisible "being" is watching over me or cares about me. I have an elderly mother: one "parent" is enough.

 

3) If an hypothesis cannot be falsified through rigorous experiment, the "proof" doesn't exist. "God" and two-headed princess pixie fairies are one and the same.

 

4) The problem of evil: the Holocaust, terminal cancer in children, AIDS, torture, plague, famine, war. If this benighted world is a reflection of God's love, I'd hate to see Him in a bad mood.

 

5) Believers often employ their religion as an excuse to harm others. Religious belief, for many, is a license to kill. I won't be slaughtered like a lamb on the altar of anyone's religion.

 

6) The sheer diversity of theological opinion over the centuries. This Tower of "religious" Babel means that religion is a human creation and no supreme being stands outside history or culture.

 

7) Atheists are smarter, on balance, than most believers. More courageous, too. They don't flinch. Atheists are not afraid to stare into the abyss.

[lonelybird]

I notice the one sin you mentioned, lonleybird, is sex. Why is that, I wonder? Why does a god powerful enough to do all of the things you claim (but never does any of them, ironically) care about my sex life? Why did he make sex so enjoyable in such a case?

I meant "sex out of marriage", sex within marriage is ok

[lonelybird]

NJ's response was nearly perfect?

 

Am I the only person who thought her response was bitter?

James, you should consider rereading it.

because James is bitter right now, just he uses others to chanel his bitterness

 

run*****

[shadowofman]

I got one for ya JamesM.

I find being labeled, and labeling myself an atheist embarassing. It is a temporary label only nessessary in the company of theist. I have never refered to myself as an abigfootist (until now), but I would have to if I were surrounded by bigfootists. Rather than loving being an atheist, it reminds me that part of a species that ignores reason and logic, and instead remains locked in sun and star worship of archaic cults.

That being said, I am proud to have the presonality type that grants me such an intense skepticism. A wonder of the world around me. A thirst for understanding of nature and the nature of ourselves. A great capacity for peace without fear of damnation. And the self-esteem that accompanies not being retarded.

[lonelybird]

1 Cor 2:4(1)and my teaching and message were not delivered with skillful words of human wisdom, but with convincing proof of the power of God's Spirit.

 

1 Cor 2:10(2)But it was to us that God made known his secret by means of his Spirit. The Spirit searches everything, even the hidden depths of God's purposes.

 

1 Cor 2:11(2)It is only our own spirit within us that knows all about us; in the same way, only God's Spirit knows all about God.

 

1 Cor 2:12(2)We have not received this world's spirit; instead, we have received the Spirit sent by God, so that we may know all that God has given us.

 

1 Cor 2:13(2)So then, we do not speak in words taught by human wisdom, but in words taught by the Spirit, as we explain spiritual truths to those who have the Spirit.

 

1 Cor 2:14(2)Whoever does not have the Spirit cannot receive the gifts that come from God's Spirit. Such a person really does not understand them, and they seem to be nonsense, because their value can be judged only on a spiritual basis.

 

1 Cor 2:15(1)Whoever has the Spirit, however, is able to judge the value of everything, but no one is able to judge him.

 

1 Cor 3:1(1)As a matter of fact, my friends, I could not talk to you as I talk to people who have the Spirit; I had to talk to you as though you belonged to this world, as children in the Christian faith.

[gerrygirl]

Do people really love atheism? I think it's just a state of mind. I'm atheist because nothing else makes sense. I wouldn't say I love it though, not like my dog, he's cute. He does this thing, like right now, I'm typing, and he's trying to grab my hand so that i give him attention. So if there was a religion for my stupid dog I'd probably follow that because he makes me that happy. Since there isn't, I'm an atheist! Ugh, i'd die without my dog, grrr, now i want to believe in something so i can pray he doesn't die. Dammit.

[katiebour]

The following is not my own, but it is taken from the American Atheists website, which I have visited many times before. I truly believe the following:

 

“Your petitioners are Atheists and they define their beliefs as follows. An Atheist loves his fellow man instead of god. An Atheist believes that heaven is something for which we should work now – here on earth for all men together to enjoy.

 

An Atheist believes that he can get no help through prayer but that he must find in himself the inner conviction, and strength to meet life, to grapple with it, to subdue it and enjoy it.

 

An Atheist believes that only in a knowledge of himself and a knowledge of his fellow man can he find the understanding that will help to a life of fulfillment.

 

He seeks to know himself and his fellow man rather than to know a god. An Atheist believes that a hospital should be built instead of a church. An Atheist believes that a deed must be done instead of a prayer said. An Atheist strives for involvement in life and not escape into death. He wants disease conquered, poverty vanquished, war eliminated. He wants man to understand and love man.

 

He wants an ethical way of life. He believes that we cannot rely on a god or channel action into prayer nor hope for an end of troubles in a hereafter.

 

He believes that we are our brother's keepers; and are keepers of our own lives; that we are responsible persons and the job is here and the time is now.”

 

-Madalyn Murray O’Hair

 

http://www.atheists.org/

[shadowofman]

clap, clap, clap......

Oh Madalyn, if you could see us now. Which you can't. Cause your dead. And that's the way things are.

Thanks katiebour!

[dropdeadlegs]

Although I don't really express atheism, norajane, herzen, and katiebour's posts are right on. I find that I cannot believe what I once did any longer. I don't boast of this, too many wouldn't understand and attempt to "save" me from myself.

[Herzen]

The following is not my own, but it is taken from the American Atheists website, which I have visited many times before. I truly believe the following:

 

“Your petitioners are Atheists and they define their beliefs as follows. An Atheist loves his fellow man instead of god. An Atheist believes that heaven is something for which we should work now – here on earth for all men together to enjoy.

 

An Atheist believes that he can get no help through prayer but that he must find in himself the inner conviction, and strength to meet life, to grapple with it, to subdue it and enjoy it.

 

An Atheist believes that only in a knowledge of himself and a knowledge of his fellow man can he find the understanding that will help to a life of fulfillment.

 

He seeks to know himself and his fellow man rather than to know a god. An Atheist believes that a hospital should be built instead of a church. An Atheist believes that a deed must be done instead of a prayer said. An Atheist strives for involvement in life and not escape into death. He wants disease conquered, poverty vanquished, war eliminated. He wants man to understand and love man.

 

He wants an ethical way of life. He believes that we cannot rely on a god or channel action into prayer nor hope for an end of troubles in a hereafter.

 

He believes that we are our brother's keepers; and are keepers of our own lives; that we are responsible persons and the job is here and the time is now.”

 

-Madalyn Murray O’Hair

 

http://www.atheists.org/

 

Good find, kb. It's the Humanism underlying "atheism" that speaks to so many.I identify myself as a secular humanist--not as an atheist. Why?

 

Because it's human beings that matter, not some pie-in-the sky deity. I don't identify myself against any "god" because, quite frankly, someone's "god" simply doesn't matter enough to me that I must define myself as against it. That's why I don't "love" atheism.

 

For me, god (or any theistic noun) is not so much "dead" as irrelevant. I don't care that He, She or It doesn't "exist. It's people who, in fact exist, about whom I care, and sometimes love.

[girasol]

Huh? That's like asking, 'Why do you love not believing in the tooth fairy?" or "Why are you excited that you're not a sports fan?"

 

I would never say I love atheism, or not love it. I would never say I'm excited to be an atheist, or not excited. I don't think in those terms regarding atheism. It's more of a fact, not a matter for love or hate.

 

But, ok, I'll bite.

 

I love not having to go to church and be forced to listen to someone's dogmatic interpretation of how I should worship god/s. I love not being told how to think and feel and what to believe.

 

I love not being associated with all the terrible atrocities done to man in the name of god/s and relgion/s.

 

I love that I don't have to walk around with the weight of hell in my mind.

 

I love that I can meet people and appreciate them for who they are without feeling the need to save their souls, or that I have to hate them or separate myself from them because they are infidels/heathens/whatever.

 

I'm excited that I can fall in love without worrying whether god and my church would approve of my love.

 

I'm excited that I can live my life without my god and my religious beliefs restricting what I can eat and drink, whether I can dance, whether I can go to a doctor and avail myself of all that modern medicine has to offer, what I can do on Sunday or the Jewish Sabbath, etc.

 

I love that I don't have guilt for having sex and enjoying sex, even though I'm not married. I love having the freedom to use birth control without centuries worth of Church telling me it's wrong and I'm going to hell for doing so. I love that I don't have to listen to a bunch of religious men telling me my place as a woman within a religious society.

 

I love that I don't have to bend my mind into a pretzel to try to accommodate facts and reality with my religious beliefs about Creation and god's place in the universe. I love that I don't have to suspend logical thought and reason to believe in a bunch of religious stories.

 

I love that I'm not waiting for Jesus to come back, Judgment Day, or some afterlife. I love that I can appreciate my life for what it is without needing to believe there's something 'more' after death.

 

I love that I don't have to feel guilt and trauma for having a crisis of faith or for doubting god or wondering if there is a god.

 

I am excited that my life's possibilities are up to me and not part of some 'plan' that some mysterious being has for me. I am excited to hold my destiny in my own hands instead of giving it up to 'god'.

 

Wow. This is a great post! It really sums everything up for me. It has nothing to do with 'loving' being an atheist. It's not WHO I am, but rather just the way I am. That's why I don't like being labeled Atheist with a capital A. It's not anything that defines me, but rather a term used to describe my lack of belief in a god. I don't see it as a 'religion' or even as a category to place "non-believers" in (btw, I hate the whole 'non-believers' thing. I believe in plenty of things- just not a god).

[disgracian]

It is annoying when a group monopolises the use of a term isn't it? The term 'atheist' is an unfortunate and hopefully temporary one. We don't have words to label people who don't believe in Santa, or people who don't believe in UFOs, or people who don't believe in reincarnation. Even though all these other things we don't believe in has one thing in common with god: none of them have ever been proved or demonstrated to exist.

 

Cheers,

D.

[underpants]

For educational purposes only.

 

Sweet and savory.

 

[lindya]

We don't have words to label people who don't believe in Santa,

 

Yes we do. We call them Little Sh*ts. I found this out from my Dad when I was six (during the run-up to Christmas, a couple of older children at school had told me there was no such thing as Santa).

 

He explained to me that those children were Little Sh*ts, that Santa wouldn't visit them because they were Little Sh*ts - but that as long as I didn't behave like a Little Sh*t I'd still be getting my annual visit from him. To emphasise the point, I then received a telephone call from Santa.

 

I've never received a telephone call from God. Perhaps some of the Theists could explain that one for me.

[lonelybird]

I've never received a telephone call from God. Perhaps some of the Theists could explain that one for me.

well, that because God isn't your father, and your father isn't God?

 

If you expect God acts like your father, probably you will never see that:D

[RecordProducer]

I don't have time to write the essay so I'll be short.

 

I don't like how organized religions manipulate people. If the purpose was faith and enlightening, there are ways to achieve that - other than through discrimination, violence, and inhibition of human nature.

 

I don't like the idea of someone watching, hearing, caring and doing something for me or you or anyone. You can raise your children to be moral without introducing the notion of the big supervisor.

 

Love for God is love for the humanity and respecting its values. But believers poop all over this concept when they pray to God "religiously" and expect something from Him in return.

 

Stuff like the Inquisition definitely gives a bad name to the Christianity and I don't even want to comment Islam.

 

Personally, I believe in scientific explanations. People have gone much farther than the magic by which Jesus was born without sperm and Lucifer is waiting in front of hell to put you in a big pot and cook you. I can't get past the BS and trust these people. Religion was invented by people out of convenience. And when people introduce a theory, they better prove it.

[FleshNBones]

Love for God is love for the humanity and respecting its values. But believers poop all over this concept when they pray to God "religiously" and expect something from Him in return.

I don't think you understand. Believers ask for something, and if they don't get it, they count their blessings.

 

One of the major criticisms from athiests here is they aren't getting what they want from God.

I don't like the idea of someone watching, hearing, caring and doing something for me or you or anyone. You can raise your children to be moral without introducing the notion of the big supervisor.

Do you have a problem with God being omnipotent?

 

I don't have a problem with someone supporting me from the background. Is he more like a witness to you?

Stuff like the Inquisition definitely gives a bad name to the Christianity and I don't even want to comment Islam.

Should the Christians of today be held accountable for events that occured hundreds of years ago?

 

Using that same line of thought, should Athiests be held accountable for events that occured in the last 100 years?

 

Does being an Athiest mean never having to say you are sorry?

Personally, I believe in scientific explanations.

I don't think science is an issue for most athiests.

[FleshNBones]

One thing athiests seem to share is the rejection of God's authority. They want to make rules. It must feel very liberating.

 

Athiests don't seem to have a problem with abortions, euthanasia, or purges.

Do athiests of this type enjoy crushing the weak?

[shineonu]

One thing athiests seem to share is the rejection of God's authority.

 

It may seem that way to one who believes in a god.

But I don't reject your god's authority because i don't believe it exists. I also don't reject the authority of Krishna, Zeus, or the Flying Spaghetti Monster. They just don't matter to me. Irrelevance.