Why are you an atheist?

[LonePiper]

But the communion wafers are supposed to be his body, aren't they? Maybe his trick was to just get a bread knife and go to work on his own arm?

[Oldandeasilyconfused]

But the communion wafers are supposed to be his body, aren't they? Maybe his trick was to just get a bread knife and go to work on his own arm?

You're into can-of-worm territory there mate.The nature of the host (wafer)was a significant issue during the reformation. At least within the clergy and other 1% or so of people in Europe who could read at the time.

The argument was about TRANSUBSTANSIATION, Viz the Catholics claimed,(and still do)that at the moment of Consecration during the Mass,the bread and wine LITERALLY becomes the body and blood Christ in all but appearance,texture, smell and taste.(No really, I'm not making this up)

Unsurprisingly,Martin Luther took issue with this claim,stating Christ is present only IN ESSENCE,not literally. With this crucial disagreement,each side began slaughtering heretics on the other side as often as possible.

From Wiki:

In Roman Catholic theology, transubstantiation (in Latin, transsubstantiatio, in Greek μετουσίωσις (metousiosis)) means the change of the substance of bread and wine into the Body and Blood of Christ occurring in the Eucharist while all that is accessible to the senses remains as before.[1][2]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Transubstantiation

[LonePiper]

Yeah, I know that. The pastor at my former church kept insisting, like the catholics, that the bread and wine were literally the body and blood of jesus. Ironic considering it's a Lutheran church. I'm still not sure how that's supposed to work though. While still retaining its exact physical properties as bread and wine, it somehow becomes body and blood literally
I mean, blood and flesh are defined by their physical properties - ie the things we can experience through our senses. That is their substance.

Anyway, I was only making a joke. Thanks for ruining it!

(Just kidding!)

[Kyuuketsuki]

But the communion wafers are supposed to be his body, aren't they? Maybe his trick was to just get a bread knife and go to work on his own arm?

Yummy

Kyu

[Tabby]

Here's my story...

I was raised in a Christian family (technically, I'm still living with that family--not the same one, but yeah--but that doesn't mean that they influence me) and I was a devout Christian most of my life. At 11 years old, I read a science book on the big bang, and questioned god. I told my brother (we shared everything), and he said, "Yeah, well God did it! >( " and I never questioned him again.
I found other religions--pagan religions, namely Wicca--that I found fascinating and sooo much more fun than Christianity, and went back and forth between the two because of my brother convincing me that Wicca was the work of the devil. e_e
So, I was going back and forth with Christianity-Wicca-and back again, over and over, for about five years. At 16, my brother shared with me these "other" new age books--Conversations with God, by Neale Walcsh. Very interesting, to say the least. Anyways, it just promoted all these radical beliefs and such, one of them being, "There is no meaning to life, and that is God's greatest gift of all." My brother and I conversed..."If there is no meaning, then why live at all?" Eric (my bro) took this to heart, apparently, because months later, he killed himself.
Later that year, in the summer, I saw a video about atheism, and the idea was just so strange to me--"No god??? what??"--but I played with the idea, and I went from Paganism-to atheism and back again for a while.
Now, two years later, after reading "The God Delusion" and "Why People Believe Weird Things", I am utterly convinced that there is no god.
And honestly...I feel free! No more having to look over my shoulder and apologize for being human, and I can enjoy being with my friends and my family, and just enjoy myself, and I can read about science and philosophy, and so many things and just LOVE it...

However, my deepest and only regret is that Eric wouldn't ever understand this, and he'll never see life, never live through it and see how beautiful it is.

[Purple Rabbit]

That is a really sad story intertwined with a positive one, obsessed_philosopher. I can imagine that the loss of your brother under these circumstances casts a great shadow on the newly found freedom to seek fulfillment by thinking as a free man. You seem to enjoy the fruits of this freedom though and that is a good sign. Just keep questioning allways everything, even free thinking and atheism.

Purple Rabbit

[Edwardo Piet]

A sad story indeed OP. The candle standing in the darkness there it seems to me is how you've grasped reality more now OP. And it is indeed of course a great shame (to say the least) that your brother can't appreciate it...I'm so glad you've shook religion off and that you feel so free now - good luck with the future and all the best.

EvF

[Tabby]

@ EvF and Purple Rabbit
Thanks, guys.
Yeah, and now that I've been reading a BUNCH of stuff on evolution, astronomy, science stuff--it's like, it all just makes sense to me now, you know--and I keep thinking, "Why didn't I realize this before?? It's all so simple~"
Yeah, I'll miss Eric, but in the end, you move on.

[Edwardo Piet]

Well I'm glad you're moving on..

Life can be tough at times of course ...:S

EvF

[Napoléon]

I am an atheist because the bible says so.