[High Praise! to Freedom Is Just Another Word]
Full disclosure: I’m an atheist, but that doesn’t stop me from appreciating the point being made here. An optimistic attitude towards overcoming adversity transcends denomination.
[High Praise! to Freedom Is Just Another Word]
Full disclosure: I’m an atheist, but that doesn’t stop me from appreciating the point being made here. An optimistic attitude towards overcoming adversity transcends denomination.
Yeah, I’m a life long atheist myself.
I appreciate and cherish those who have faith.
Wish I could, but can’t.
If God exists, He is doing a very shitty job of running things.
Somebody needs to tell Him to stop.
My theological perspective – were I to have one – is that God won’t change the world, but if you ask him for strength, wisdom, or patience, he’ll hook you up.
He’s not a meddler in the affairs of man, just an adviser to those who seek counsel.
Does he have the power to mess with things? Sure.
Will he do it? Of course not. Unlike liberals, he’s aware of the unintended consequences of interfering, so mostly he chooses not to.
This has been another edition of Atheist Theologian. Caveat emptor.
Sorry, Steel. That’s not how God works. If we didn’t have free will, you wouldn’t be an atheist.
If there is a God, he has degrees in Mathematics, Physics and Philosophy from “Divine University” where he’s also Dean of Curriculum!
I don’t have enough faith to be an atheist
Kris – Absolutely. It’s definitely not for everyone. That’s why I’m not one of those horrid Evangelical Atheists who wants everyone to convert.
If I wasn’t an atheist, I’d be a Christian. Realistically speaking, Christianity and Judaism are the only decent religions out there, and they’re DEFINITELY the religions most capable of sustaining an advanced civilization.
God likes to eat and he likes sex.
BACON! for God!
Likes sex?
He INVENTED it 🙂
But of course! Why would he invent something he doesn’t like? It’s not how he rolls.
before this devolves any further…
harv, it would seems that to acknowledge God can intervene (but in your view doesn’t, because while He is powerful enough to create the world, can’t gauge the ripple effects of His actions) is to simultaneously assert He exists.
i respect and appreciate your lack of vehemence, though, as it bolsters your conservative credentials.
…and sorry jimmy, but pascal’s wager alone should be enough to stop you from making that statement. it’s all fun and games till someone loses a soul!
Atheist, by way of Taoism. (Not a theistic religion.) I respect all life (okay, most life, parasites serve as nothing but an engine of disease, and I have no reservations against slaughtering them by the score to preserve health), the liberties and the rights of others so long as their expression of their liberties isn’t stepping on anyone else.
And yes, before anyone asks, I too love Bacon. Humans eating meat is the natural way of things.
Using the term “I’m an [capital]Atheist isn’t really much different than saying you’re a [insert name of religion]….
I’m a non-practicing atheist myself, I converted from non-practicing anything else. I prefer non-believer who is probably going to burn in Heaven (I’m Irish, we burn easily), Heaven is too close to the sun and with all the evil rich republicans destroying the ozone layer, it’s not so heavenly up there these days. All I know is when I die, I’m pretty sure I won’t be running into Ted Kennedy or the soon to be ex “president”. That’s good enough for me.
Oh Jimmy there won’t be any of that nonsense in Heaven. ; P (just kidding)
As for God, He runs things in as much as He created the Earth, put in place a plan for his children, gave them the physical elements and mental capabilities to function here and will help us if we ask and if it is our best interest. This is why things aren’t perfect, this is why sometimes the answer is no, this is why bad things happen to good people. If everything were perfect we would learn absolutely nothing. Any thing worth having is worth working for and every trial teaches important and life altering lessons if we pay attention. The greatest gift he’s given us (after providing a Savior for us believers) is the opportunity to CHOOSE. We get to make the decisions, we pay the price but it is our choice what we want out of this life and in the next, for God will force no man to heaven. For anyone confused that is the most basic difference between God and Allah. Free Will and Choice.
This message has been brought to you by the letter G and the numbers Alpha and Omega. Have a pleasant day.
@ seanmahair. I couldn’t have said it any better!!! We make the choice of where we end up. Also another difference between Allah and God. Allah doesn’t have a son. God does!!! I love this site, you all have kept me laughing for well over 4 years!! Thanks to all of you!!!
Oh, seanmahair, I think there will be!
When I was in Catholic grade school, the subject of “What is heaven like” always came up. I asked, “Will their be chocolate milkshakes in heaven?” The sister, said, “Of course, and you can have as many as you want.” I remember smiling. At the time, I didn’t know anything about sex.
I agree with everything you said Harvey.
Any God that requires my submission is a God that doesn’t deserve my submission.
Christian and Judaism Gods seem to require the least submission, but its still submission.
Concerning God…we have a problem…Man has a finite skill for apprehension of the Infinite Mind.
The Dominicans and Jesuits teach that God is The Uncaused First Cause.
For those out there who give honor to Nature as the tentpole of their spirituality and touch hand to forelock when before the altar of Science…ponder this: what was the “spark” which gave impetus to the big bang? What was the consciousness that aligned and arrayed the universe, along with the precise structuring of this very planet which resides within said vast universe and sustains us so?
Science is but one meager effort to explain the infinite made by finite minds.
God requires my submission….erm, no. God has set forth his instructions on how to stay on the good side of things but gave each and every one of us the free will to follow them or attempt to tread a different path.
Were God to require submission in such a manner as suggested, much more divine force would be seen.
As it is, what is wrong with honoring He who has set out such a natural bounty before us? Doing right by one’s elders? Not thieving and stealing? Keeping one’s eyes off of the stuff owned by another?
Then he sends down His Son…and what’s the first miracle? Jesus is making the scene at a wedding reception in Cana and the wine starts to run low…so what does he do? Does He inveigh against the boozers? Make with the Temperance lectures? No. He quietly excuses Himself, heads to the back and changes water into wine. Not the other way round. Nor does Jesus skimp. This isn’t MD 20-20 or Ripple getting poured. It was the best stuff.
There’s also the parable of Jesus calling to the fishermen, who were caught in a storm, to step out of their boat and walk on the water to Him. Ignore the thunder and lightning, the roiling waters, keep your eyes on Him.
It’s a quiet, and enduring, puzzlement for me how anyone, with so much evidence of His handiwork before them, could ever deny the existence of God Almighty.
[Signum Crucis]
Dominie non sum dignus…
The fool has said in his heart, “There is no God”.
The fool has said in his heart, “There is no God”.
The liberal has said his heart that there is no God….but there is GLOBAL WARMING!!!
“If it be true (as it certainly is) that a man can feel exquisite happiness in skinning a cat, then the religious philosopher can only draw one of two deductions. He must either deny the existence of God, as all atheists do; or he must deny the present union between God and man, as all Christians do. The new theologians seem to think it a highly rationalistic solution to deny the cat.”
― G.K. Chesterton
Helpful Researcher: It’d help if you took a close look at Judeo-Christian doctrine. God doesn’t demand submission. God only demands belief. With belief comes willful submission and obedience through a journey of gaining wisdom (phrased by evangelicals as a “relationship”). Probably the most overlooked (and, for many, enlightening) aspect of Judaism and Christianity is the notion of personal liberty, e.g. the freedom to choose to believe or not believe. If one chooses through their free will to believe, then they submit willingly. Ergo, God does not demand submission.
That is one of the doctrines that suffered greatly in the Dark and Middle ages. The Church at the time was run by men who whether for heavenly glory or earthly power suppressed the doctrine of free will and supplanted it with submission. If however you read the books of scripture it becomes apparent that Choice is a fundamental doctrine of the Gospel. Just because there are unrighteous people (flawed human beings) associated iwith religion doesn’t mean it’s not important or useful. That would be like saying because their are liars, thieves and criminals in government we should dismantle it. The foundation is sound but the supports need work, which of course is why we have repentance, because as flawed humans we will always make mistakes.
Thank you, Harvey, Steel, and others, for being atheist – without G_d – over being anti-theists – contrary to G_d.
One is a valid life choice; the other seeks to undermine my choice to have faith in The Almighty.