Even if theism is a failure, it's still superior to atheism

[Mister Agenda]

Jehanne:reading the author's book would let me know his definition, but not that of any of the users here.

Grand Nudger: first, thank you for taking the time to explain this; i may read over this again.  i hope you bear with me as i try to make sure i understand where you're coming from.  is your perspective the result of the knowledge of the history of religions, and the process of how theyve all changed over time?

Boru: what is it that makes you believe God is cancerous?  to answer a question youve asked in the past, if God is in us and God damns someone, i believe it means we've damned ourselves.

Atheism and theism are mental states; one where there's no belief any gods are real (or in some cases, really gods) and one where there's belief that at least one god is really real.

By 'god', most atheists (I think) mean the dictionary meaning, a superhuman being or spriit worshiped as having power over human fortunes or nature. A pantheist may define God as the universe, but it's not a being or spirit so I don't accept 'God is the universe' any more than most Christians would accept 'God is my dog that I have named God'. Some religions may say a particular natural feature is a god, or a particular person is a god; but to me they're just natural features and people, and calling them something different doesn't change that.

All that said, I would like more Christians better if they seemed to be trying to live up the teachings of what I call the 'hippie version' of Jesus. Not the one that curses fig trees for not being in season or advises people to hate their families; but the one who is supposed to have said to help the poor, visit the imprisoned, and care for the sick.