Hello Tonus
I've also abandoned organized religion, I practice theism in my own way. Throughout my life I haven't always been a theist either, at times I questioned the existence of God. The problem is I can't be an intellectually satisfied athesit. Its not hard to have a mere 'lack of belief' in God the problem comes in attempting to explain the existence of the universe, life and sentient life if in fact God (an intelligent Creator) really doesn't exist. To be confident in that belief I would need reason to believe that mindless forces somehow bootstrapped themselves into existence (or always existed*) then congealed into a universe with just the right characteristics for planest, stars, solar systems and galaxies to exist. Then I would have to believe that mindless lifeless forces without a plan, without intent or design or an engineering degree stumbled upon the formula to create something totally unlike the source it is alleged to have come from, life and mind. Most atheists avoid these questions like the plague. If anyone questions the ability of mindless lifeless forces to create a universe with life and mind its chalked up to personal incredulity, which actually means a lack of faith. If someone told me a laptop was created unintentionally by mindless forces I would be incredulous of such a claim (barring solid evidence such could or did occur), if someone told me the pyramids were the result of time and chance I'd be incredulous. If someone claimed they flipped a coin heads a thousand times in a row I would be skeptical of such a claim. I would suspect the coin was fixed somehow...wouldn't you?
Quote:I don't believe in god, which is to say that I do not believe one exists. Having left religion and theistic belief behind, I have not found any compelling argument for the existence of one since then. The argument from design strikes me as just another gap. I have no counter explanation for the existence of the universe, and lacking one is not a compelling reason for me to believe in god. If the universe is the creation of a sentient being who will never make himself known, that's fine with me. Not knowing doesn't bother me.
I've also abandoned organized religion, I practice theism in my own way. Throughout my life I haven't always been a theist either, at times I questioned the existence of God. The problem is I can't be an intellectually satisfied athesit. Its not hard to have a mere 'lack of belief' in God the problem comes in attempting to explain the existence of the universe, life and sentient life if in fact God (an intelligent Creator) really doesn't exist. To be confident in that belief I would need reason to believe that mindless forces somehow bootstrapped themselves into existence (or always existed*) then congealed into a universe with just the right characteristics for planest, stars, solar systems and galaxies to exist. Then I would have to believe that mindless lifeless forces without a plan, without intent or design or an engineering degree stumbled upon the formula to create something totally unlike the source it is alleged to have come from, life and mind. Most atheists avoid these questions like the plague. If anyone questions the ability of mindless lifeless forces to create a universe with life and mind its chalked up to personal incredulity, which actually means a lack of faith. If someone told me a laptop was created unintentionally by mindless forces I would be incredulous of such a claim (barring solid evidence such could or did occur), if someone told me the pyramids were the result of time and chance I'd be incredulous. If someone claimed they flipped a coin heads a thousand times in a row I would be skeptical of such a claim. I would suspect the coin was fixed somehow...wouldn't you?
