Hi, I gather this area is for introductions. First off, I'm no longer an Atheist, but I'm thinking you guys might benefit from a perspective that doesn't fit any familiar category. Take it, it's good for you. Builds character.

I was raised Christian, my parents left when they got tired of being shaken down for money, I left shortly after when I was a teenager, did some reading, decided to become an atheist. Had atheist friends. Then one of them started taking too much acid and talking about synchronicity. That hurt my soul, but I soldiered on, then started seeing it too.

I've heard the arguments about how it's a cognitive glitch, but I find what I've encountered to be quite convincing to me, but would not expect it to convince anyone else, and am happy to leave it at that. Anyway, I saw this stuff, and something had to explain it, my world view was shaken up. So I developed a theory of my own, one involving something similar to what the religions call God, but lacking many of the riders that have been attached to it. This put me in a really awkward situation, but now I have become a Unitarian Universalist, which is close enough. Recently, I've discovered that my home made theory is astonishingly close to the ancient Chinese movement called Mohism, though with teleological elements from Chardin and multiverse concepts from Everett.

The way I see it, God doesn't need you to believe. You're doing your job just fine the way your are. Carry on.

However, I'd like to state that I find that many people who call themselves atheists are actually agnostic, or rather, what they describe as atheism is actually agnosticism. I'm sure you guys will correct me if I'm wrong, but atheism is a belief that absence of evidence of "God" is evidence of absence. Simply lacking belief is called agnosticism.

Regardless, we share an absolute frustration with the religious majority, though I think you are being played as pawns by them in many cases, set up to be boogie men. I prefer to set an example of how they are wrong when they try to say everything that isn't Christian is satanic. It's based on another fallacy of course, the same one they use to sell insurance.

Enjoy the forum.

And I'm pretty much content with my insurance policy

(March 13, 2014 at 3:53 pm)RDSouth Wrote: Hi, I gather this area is for introductions. First off, I'm no longer an Atheist, but I'm thinking you guys might benefit from a perspective that doesn't fit any familiar category. Take it, it's good for you. Builds character.

I was raised Christian, my parents left when they got tired of being shaken down for money, I left shortly after when I was a teenager, did some reading, decided to become an atheist. Had atheist friends. Then one of them started taking too much acid and talking about synchronicity. That hurt my soul, but I soldiered on, then started seeing it too.

I've heard the arguments about how it's a cognitive glitch, but I find what I've encountered to be quite convincing to me, but would not expect it to convince anyone else, and am happy to leave it at that. Anyway, I saw this stuff, and something had to explain it, my world view was shaken up. So I developed a theory of my own, one involving something similar to what the religions call God, but lacking many of the riders that have been attached to it. This put me in a really awkward situation, but now I have become a Unitarian Universalist, which is close enough. Recently, I've discovered that my home made theory is astonishingly close to the ancient Chinese movement called Mohism, though with teleological elements from Chardin and multiverse concepts from Everett.

The way I see it, God doesn't need you to believe. You're doing your job just fine the way your are. Carry on.

However, I'd like to state that I find that many people who call themselves atheists are actually agnostic, or rather, what they describe as atheism is actually agnosticism. I'm sure you guys will correct me if I'm wrong, but atheism is a belief that absence of evidence of "God" is evidence of absence. Simply lacking belief is called agnosticism.

Regardless, we share an absolute frustration with the religious majority, though I think you are being played as pawns by them in many cases, set up to be boogie men. I prefer to set an example of how they are wrong when they try to say everything that isn't Christian is satanic. It's based on another fallacy of course, the same one they use to sell insurance.

Sure, if you want to call me agnostic, whatever. It works, I guess. Most of us would agree that we're de facto atheists. Like a 6 on the Dawkins Scale.

Other than that, welcome aboard, infidel!

(March 13, 2014 at 3:53 pm)RDSouth Wrote: Hi, I gather this area is for introductions. First off, I'm no longer an Atheist, but I'm thinking you guys might benefit from a perspective that doesn't fit any familiar category. Take it, it's good for you. Builds character.

I was raised Christian, my parents left when they got tired of being shaken down for money, I left shortly after when I was a teenager, did some reading, decided to become an atheist. Had atheist friends. Then one of them started taking too much acid and talking about synchronicity. That hurt my soul, but I soldiered on, then started seeing it too.

I've heard the arguments about how it's a cognitive glitch, but I find what I've encountered to be quite convincing to me, but would not expect it to convince anyone else, and am happy to leave it at that. Anyway, I saw this stuff, and something had to explain it, my world view was shaken up. So I developed a theory of my own, one involving something similar to what the religions call God, but lacking many of the riders that have been attached to it. This put me in a really awkward situation, but now I have become a Unitarian Universalist, which is close enough. Recently, I've discovered that my home made theory is astonishingly close to the ancient Chinese movement called Mohism, though with teleological elements from Chardin and multiverse concepts from Everett.

The way I see it, God doesn't need you to believe. You're doing your job just fine the way your are. Carry on.

However, I'd like to state that I find that many people who call themselves atheists are actually agnostic, or rather, what they describe as atheism is actually agnosticism. I'm sure you guys will correct me if I'm wrong, but atheism is a belief that absence of evidence of "God" is evidence of absence. Simply lacking belief is called agnosticism.

Regardless, we share an absolute frustration with the religious majority, though I think you are being played as pawns by them in many cases, set up to be boogie men. I prefer to set an example of how they are wrong when they try to say everything that isn't Christian is satanic. It's based on another fallacy of course, the same one they use to sell insurance.

(I'm sure you guys will correct me if I'm wrong, but atheism is a belief that absence of evidence of "God" is evidence of absence. )
Ur saying atheism is a belief. .. its not .. its lack of belief.

You are wrong.

Atheism vs. theism is a statement of belief - atheism is not believing in a god, and theism is believing in one.
Agnosticism vs. gnosticism is a statement of knowledge - being agnostic means you do not think it can be known whether or not God exists, and being gnostic means you think it can be known.

Welcome to AF, RD! ^_^

Welcome from an agnostic atheist (don't know, don't believe)! Maybe you're an agnostic theist (don't know, do believe)?

I UU. You UU too!

(March 13, 2014 at 3:53 pm)RDSouth Wrote: However, I'd like to state that I find that many people who call themselves atheists are actually agnostic, or rather, what they describe as atheism is actually agnosticism.

I don't think you'll ever see a consensus on that because people don't 'arrive at' atheism the same way or from the same gods or cultures. I will concede that I cannot prove that god does not exist. Any of them. But seeing as this makes me a bit more honest than your average theist (who will steadfastly insist --with full certainty-- that his god is real but that every other god is not), I also have no qualms about living my life as if their god was in the same non-existent boat as all the others.

Whichever label you want to use is fine with me, in any case. Welcome to the forums!

Welcome.

Happy to discuss these things, just please no prosletysing

(March 13, 2014 at 3:53 pm)RDSouth Wrote: Hi, I gather this area is for introductions. First off, I'm no longer an Atheist, but I'm thinking you guys might benefit from a perspective that doesn't fit any familiar category. Take it, it's good for you. Builds character.

Well the important thing is to retain a good dose of humility, right?