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TITLE CHANGE: Ok it's... Questions to an Atheist - answered
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Being atheist is about attempting to answer question on the basis of our observations, our interpretations and our own choices in life.
There’s no divine source of infallible knowledge.
I think as an atheist we don’t have the solution of attributing everything we can’t explain to the gods or to the one God.
What is thunder when the myth about it is rejected? What is consciousness when it isn’t something God put in his human creations?
There’s an element of reductionism to asking such questions, but I’m not sure it leads to the mentioned physicalism necessarily.
Do people really need religion to tell them the difference between right an wrong?
I'm not saying people need to. I'm just saying that atheists can, & often, say that they don't nessacerily need an ancient book to tell them what's right and what's wrong.
I'm an abrahamic monotheist (Muslim liberal) ... I don't have very many unpleasant conversations with any religion either. My approach is sincere curiosity and a willingness to see commonality instead of differences. I live in Texas, the Bible belt. Islam and atheism are a minority and I feel empathy towards any group considered the under dog.
I seek to understand, rather than be understood. To listen, rather than be listened too. To give mercy, rather than to be offered mercy.
I imagine that atheists (passive) practice and have perfected a form of compassion. Kinda like what I gathered from below.
I am pro gay marriage, pro contraceptives, but I don't support abortion. I agree that secularism is the moderate way in government, schools and laws.
Religion should be practiced inward...
I've no problems with folk who choose to believe in a "god." I'm just a bit confused about a god who takes attendance.
My question to other atheists is, do you ever look up at the stars in silence and marvel at the one miracle we all know exists: the miracle of a conscious mind comprehending the beauty of the universe from which it was born?
I don't care if you believe some celestial old man in a robe or aliens or evolutionary chance created the miracle. If you see and cherish it as a miracle, then we have nothing to disagree about that matters.
Do people really picture God as some man with a beard, dressed like a 4th century bc., Roman Senator?
Weird! I picture him/her as energy and light. Maybe I'm wrong.
In Buddhism the type of God that is denied is a creator seperate from the rest of the universe since cause and effect and interdependence are principle aspects of Buddhist philosophy. Not necessarily that there isn't some kind of metaphysical aspect to the world that touches everything.
Other people are going to give their own answers too. Just know that I've tried to make them concise and short. There's a question regarding Israel. I know there's a lot of history behind Israel. I didn't ask anything about it's history. I only said about it's religious status. I say this as a strong supporter of Israel.
1, Say hypothetically that there is a god and he's either Yahweh or Allah? Do you think you could love a god that eternally tortures people who don't live life by Christianity/Islam? Remembering that if you don't love him, then you go there too.
2, Do you find the concept of Hell the epitome of Evil? If so, how do you look at people who believe it exists and is happy knowing (thinking) that there's a universe of fire and torture where people spend eternity writing in agonizing pain? Do you see them as evil? Or just people who think that way because of something evil?
3, Do you think that religion is the root of (not all) a great deal of evil in the world? Israel and Iran are possibly going to be the next countries to launch nuclear strikes because of religious differences (read above if you haven't already). If not, then Pakistan and India may do soon too. Why? Religion. Religion and politics are a dangerous mix to world safety and freedom. You're American (I assume) your country has tonnes of ridiculous laws because of it's strong affiliation with Christianity.
4, Do you view strict ideologies like Communism or Nazism, to be the same general thing as religion? Do you view a swastika as having the same general purpose as a cross. Or a hammer as sickle the same as a crescent moon and star?
5, Do you want there to be a god? Do you want there to be an afterlife?
6, Do you think that the organised religions (not spirituality) play an important, positive part in the world? Would you like to see it phase out at some point in your lifetime?
I ask these because I personally don't know. Stuff I'm on the fence about.
So what do you think of that from a yogic first person experience of energy. I suppose some neurotransmitters are active when the 'pray' occurs just as with pharaceuticals.
So my lama says there are devotional practices. Trungpa Rinpoche of her lineage purposely said that his sangha was atheistic because in the 60s both in Buddhism and Christianity there was a lot of mindless happy clappy spiritual materialism. Sort of denial of suffering and limiting your realizing your own negative patterns and smoothing them over with devotional practice.
Thus in Buddhism I think you can say it's theistic in some sects, but also use atheistic.
Like Humpty Dumpty said 'words mean what you say they mean' :vimp:
The soul, in western philosophy is eternal. God is eternal. A vampire would be considered immortal. . .
See Thomas Aquinas
I only wish I could have come up with something so intelligent, argument-proof, insightful and well put.Just fabulous - thank you!
Many Blessings,
KwanKev
Is concept of "the Force" something an atheist could embrace?
Many Blessings,
KwanKev
Technically an atheist could accept that idea, since the Force isn't a god, while still retaining their atheism.
Although, I personally wouldn't without sufficient evidence. I do have a feeling that there is some kind of thin veil of something.. "magical, supernatural, higher, mystical, metaphysical" or whatever term you want to use, whether it be the strings of String Theory or a universal consciousness, that is part of this world. Although, I have no evidence or any idea what it could be, so I just keep an open mind and say "I don't know" without taking any of it too seriously.
Still though, the one thing I truly know is that I know very little, and of that I try to remain always conscious : )
Many Blessings,
KwanKev
Many thanks to everyone...
...so far....