Are you Theist or Atheist? (Poll)

[EveWasFramed]

why is this thread still open?

and again, why is this thread still open? (hehe)

Read here:

It is the decision of the moderators that this thread will be re-opened.

I feel that there is some misunderstanding about "religious discussion" being banned on the forum, in general. That particular statement is actually located in the "Controversial" section of the forum, under the sub-topic of "Up for Debate." It's actually not a forum-wide policy.

Due to the nature of such threads (more so in the past) we felt it best to NOT allow "debates" about religion, hence forbidding it in the Up for Debate section of the forum.
This thread is under the General section, and so isn't a debate thread. Of course, BECAUSE it's in General and not debate, there is no debating here and so far, this thread hasn't shown any signs of it.

Thank your for your patience while we sorted this out.

 

[Lonesome Crow]

****....this thread went this long.

Beliefs has nothing to with religion.
Theres plenty of poeple on this board that believe
Theyre going to be lonely forever.
They have complete fauth in it.

Renae's big titays is ruling ny life at the moment.
I give her all my money.....
And i feel guity if i look at other titays.
If i say i dudnt turn my will and life over to her...
I would be in coplete denial.
Titays help those who help themselves

 

[Felix]

I had my share of religious debates in forums and real life... had enugh of it, is not really interesting anymore for me at least for now.

I keep my atheism to myself most of the time, when I talk about it I can tell by people's faces I'm coming off too strong, even for non-belivers... which is to be expected somehow.

 

[TheOtherWolf]

I was initially a Christian, but after a while I came to drift into Theism. While, yes, it is still a belief in a God, I don't personally believe in the Christian God. I'm sitting in the "limbo" of religions, if you will, as nor do I really include myself in any of the others.

 

[Intrama]

Definitely not an outright atheist. I really don't subscribe to any of the religious beliefs we've come up with as humans though.

I believe whole heartedly there's levels of consciousness and more going on.. I just don't believe the stories and myths cultivated on this planet are real.

No animosity towards anything though, as long as they have love and understanding in them and aren't pushing ppl around.

 

[user 139760]

There's no "other" option.
I think I'm a Dontknowist. Sometimes a Notcareist.

 

[Unsigned]

Roman Catholic

 

[Cherubino]

I voted theist because I believe in the theory of Homo Religiosus meaning the idea of Sacred it is built in the very structure of the human conscience same as the idea of Space or Time ... we cannot think of a thing that does not "take up" space or of a thing that does not "happen" in time and our conscience cannot operate in a Human way without assigning a sacred value to something or someone ... also I believe the first manifestation of humanity in apes was of religious nature when they started to care for the corpses of the closed ones (unlike in the animal kingdom) ... therefore we are reasonably entitled to hope there is a God

 

[TheSkaFish]

I wish I could be a theist. It must be so comforting to believe in a higher power and especially that there is a life coming after this one, where you can experience all the joy you didn't get in this life, and meet up with your lost loved ones again, and all the struggles in this life will be made worthwhile. I would like to meet up with them again in another plane. I'd like the peace of mind knowing that they still exist somewhere, and that I will still exist too, and that the end isn't forever. Thinking that this life is all we get, and that the person we are is all we get, is so depressing.

The problem is, it just doesn't make any sense to me. I'm not really a blind-faith person. It's too easy for me to see how religion came up as a way for ancient humans to explain natural phenomena they didn't understand because the science didn't exist yet. Or, on the more sinister side, that kings and aristocrats, and later dictators and capitalists, realized they could use religion as a social control device. "Oh yeah, don't go against us because then you're going against God, and you'll go to Hell for that! Don't worry that we get to have everything and you get nothing, just keep being good little workers and you'll get yours in the next life!" Boy, that sure is convenient. I can just imagine them having a good laugh about it behind closed doors.

I find it most interesting though, when people that have strong backgrounds in science or math, subjects requiring high intelligence and people with personalities that require hard evidence to believe something, still believe in a higher power. I wonder what reasons they might have.

 

[Unsigned]

I find it most interesting though, when people that have strong backgrounds in science or math, subjects requiring high intelligence and people with personalities that require hard evidence to believe something, still believe in a higher power. I wonder what reasons they might have.

Because I experienced something.
Something real that I will never forget or discount.
I get it though.
It's hard to believe.
Unless you were lucky enough to see/hear it up close and personal.
I was.

 

[user 139760]

Because I experienced something.
Something real that I will never forget or discount.
I get it though.
It's hard to believe.
Unless you were lucky enough to see/hear it up close and personal.
I was.

That's funny. And ironic.
I want to believe. All I've seen is the opposite. Everything pointing to nothing.
If there is a God out there who's responsible for all...THIS...he better have a DAMNED good explanation.
Because if I don't like it, I'm taking over and doing it right. He better get out of my way.

 

[Cherubino]

There are two parts involved in the process ... I (an instance of Human Mind) vs. the Universe (an instance of all possible Existence) ... it is clear enough that the Universe will NEVER ever provide any proof about God ... therefore Human Mind must turn to its own architecture and it is there where Time, Space, God, Soul, Freedom etc can be found as constituents without which the entire structure of "I" collapses ... so either I am God or there is a God that is not "I" ... I vote for the second solution (edit ... courtesy Immanuel Kant)

 

[Unsigned]

it is clear enough that the Universe will NEVER ever provide any proof about God

Totally disagree.
But I also totally understand unless you can experience it up close and personal.
I was Catholic but "on the fence" for the first 53 years of my life.

 

[Cherubino]

Totally disagree.
But I also totally understand unless you can experience it up close and personal.
I was Catholic but "on the fence" for the first 53 years of my life.

(in your case) what experience

 

[user 139760]

Totally disagree.
But I also totally understand unless you can experience it up close and personal.
I was Catholic but "on the fence" for the first 53 years of my life.

Well, also ironically, I think Cherub there has a finger somewhat on the source of the disconnect. On a personal and selfish level (I don't mean that lasy necessarily in a pejorative way, I'm not sure what word to put there, but where it touches nothing but your own life and comforta you in your own views and ego) the idea of God makes sense. Which is probably the way it was developed as. But on a planetary scale, it's crazy. Like really, if you have similar values.
I mean...stats have probably evolved since then, but on 2011, 14 kids died every minute. 14. Every MINUTE. That's 20 000 a day. Now, I don't really care if an adult dies to save each and every one of those kids instead, I can't commune that idea and an all loving god. God from the old Testament, yes. He was a ****** who allegedly was after newborns, if there's any truth for the story.

Even the existence of all of you doesn't make sense. On this site. All the different stories. The hardships you all went through. Some of them are really, REALLY unfair and uncalled for. I'm supposed to believe in divine protection and everything being all right? I do so because I'm crazy. A masochist who doesn't want to give up. A moron who'll forgive those he hates just because he's not hateful.
But God? Or any form of heavenly power? That's a tough, bitter pill to swallow. Especially when I'm trying to tell sone of you you're not ugly, or not stupid, or loved, or wanted. Because at the very least, that supposedly divibe psychopath has made it so you DON'T. Though I might not agree with all of you, or respect some of you, or even think some of you are a few screws lose of a full engine at times lol, I WANT you to be happy.
If a divine power doesn't help me in that, him and me are going to have even more of a problem. Because I'm holding him accountable.

 

[Unsigned]

(in your case) what experience

I prefer not to go into specific details, as I am well aware that people would be inclined to suggest other reasons.
But I know beyond a shadow of a doubt it was something that cannot be explained other than paranormal activity.
And I know who it was and why it happened.
And I am grateful for it.

 

[user 139760]

I prefer not to go into specific details, as I am well aware that people would be inclined to suggest other reasons.
But I know beyond a shadow of a doubt it was something that cannot be explained other than paranormal activity.
And I know who it was and why it happened.
And I am grateful for it.

Well, I hope you know something I don't and that you're right and I'm wrong lol. I don't have that particular comfort to cling to. It's heavy sometimes. Sometimes I even come close. But...
That's why I'm not answering the pole. I'm not an atheist. But I'm not a theist either. Not really sure what I am. All I know is I lost the faith and never really got it back.

 

[Cherubino]

EDIT

... so either I am God (the solution preferred by the Eastern civilization) or there is a God that is not "I" (the solution preferred by the Western civilization) ...

IMO this guy saved all that could be saved of God (my final)
https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Immanuel_Kant

 

[NotThrivingStillSmiling]

pfft, i went theist but with MAJOR caveats. i dont believe in any man made god, like judao-christian or any similar religious structures, to me they are fairytales people told when they didnt have science.

i find it hard to believe we went from a 'big bang' and masses of hydrogen, to be able to cook helium and then all the later elements in these stars, and that all the atoms in my body have come from dead stars, and all the calories and energy i use to breathe and type comes from LIGHT and all the energy we use comes from LIGHT and we've gone from single celled organisms to create a whole tapestry of life including some extremely clever apes with smartphones and spaceships without believing in some 'universal force' 'a creator' 'divine architect'

this isnt suggesting some dude on a cloud judging me or some eternal life or external moral codes of good/evil. no other animal in the world is governed by these...we made them up so we could co operate...the idea that everything in the universe can be condensed into frequencies and vibrations and all the light, sound and experiences we have had comes in just different vibrating energy is so profound i cant believe it is all random chaotic accident...