(March 4, 2011 at 1:40 am)Cinjin Cain Wrote: First of all let me say that you will NOT find an uninformed ranting fundamentalist imbecile here. As a matter of fact, I have no tolerance for any organized religion. I despise the religious "right" and hold Christianity and Judaism primarily responsible for nearly every act of madness this planet has ever experienced. My personal view is this. Live and let live. Believe in God - Don't believe in God ... I could care less. Just don't kill anybody cause I don't happen to agree with you.
That being said, I still believe in God. All religion is nonsensical lunacy to me, especially Christianity, but I still believe in the existance of a God. Don't get me wrong. I offer this faith no value. I assign this God no name, no emotions, no concepts. I don't suppose to know him (or her). I don't believe he's sitting in the room with me or reading this thread. I don't suppose that he can see the future or that he even has any interest in the events of this world. Hell, I don't even think he's perfect. I don't think he's out to get anyone, and by that measure I don't think he's out to save anyone either. I don't pray to him to help me find my car keys, get a raise, or save my aunt from cancer. I don't believe in "heaven" or hell". I simply believe that God made this little universe, set it in motion, and said, "have at it." I think religion (especially Christianity) made God out to be something he never ever was and never will be. I think intelligence in creation can be seen in some cases, but in reality "God" got the worst wrap in history ... all thanks to the religions of mankind. I have found that this concept of a God with no religion REALLY pisses off christians in general. No surprise there, but what I was so very surprised to find is how often it irritates atheists. This is upsetting to me because I MUCH prefer the company of atheists to christians. I get it - christians cannot seperate their God from their religion, but why would some (not all) atheists find me so offensive. I don't give a shit if you believe in God or not ... why does it offend you that I have a faith without a flag. A belief without a book, and a God without an army.
I would really like to hear some thoughts on this. Speak freely ... and I know you will.
Live and let live.
So, the most common response I got - among many, was ... "why bother believing in God at all if he's not involved with your existence?". Which honestly, is a very fair question. Why do I bother?
The only way I can really put it into words is to compare it to a child who grew up never knowing one or both of his parents (no, I am not adopted and yes, both of my parents are well known to me). It has been well documented that the majority of people who grow up never knowing their birth parents have an undying need to know where they came from. "Who is my mother/father?" is tant amount to "Who is my creator?" for billions of humans. Perhaps a true atheist can never understand this concept, but it's very real for the rest of us. The difference between me and the religious nut jobs is that I don't need my God to be my "missing dad" ... I don't need him to save me. I don't need him to protect me or make me feel like I'm a good person. But for whatever reason, one I cannot necessarily define, I need a Creator. Yes, even one that is flawed (maybe even preferably so). To answer your question ... I believe there's a God merely because I've always had an unexplainable desire to meet him.
