first timer

[fishmagnet]

I was riding with a co-worker today talking about this past Easter. We stumbled into our personal beliefs. I am a news photographer and she is a reporter and we're driving to a story. Discussions of this nature are not unusual and always remain in the van. She is a soft core christian and I am an anti religious non god fearing agnostic. She was explaining how faith brought her peace in dealing with the job she has reporting on all the awful things we report on a daily basis. That view is quite common in our industry but today it struck me funny, faith in what? When I asked faith in what, she responded that she had faith in god, the bible, jesus, and that if we are good there will be heaven blah blah blah. All very nice white bread christianity.

But faith in what stuck in my head today. I can't understand how a seeming intelligent person could have FAITH in writings that are 6000 years old and translated untold times by who knows who and for what purposes.

Lately the bible has been on my mind. Why do so many hold onto these ancient beliefs? These are the last vestiges of our primitive past. I believe that man created god to answer the unanswerable. Back in ancient times almost everything was unanswerable so god was pretty busy. As we gain knowledge and answer the question of life why can't they evolve their beliefs? Why hold onto stories written by ancient jews that make absolutely no sense what so ever?

And god, really? If one exists it would be far beyond our level of comprehension . When I hear people tell me they know what god wants from us or what "he" thinks I immediately dismiss them. Most people cannot even comprehend we are a floating speck of a rock in an unending sea of cosmic flotsam.

In my life god's existence is irrelevant. I will live my life being fair and kind to other people. I will try to do little harm to others or to our beautiful planet. When I die my stardust will return to the stars, my mind will be silent and lost to time. I will be at peace knowing I had a chance to experience a wonderful experiment in life.

OK, that's who I am. Maybe I'll write more maybe I won't, just needed to get that off my chest today.

[The Valkyrie]

I was riding with a co-worker today talking about this past Easter. We stumbled into our personal beliefs. I am a news photographer and she is a reporter and we're driving to a story. Discussions of this nature are not unusual and always remain in the van. She is a soft core christian and I am an anti religious non god fearing agnostic. She was explaining how faith brought her peace in dealing with the job she has reporting on all the awful things we report on a daily basis. That view is quite common in our industry but today it struck me funny, faith in what? When I asked faith in what, she responded that she had faith in god, the bible, jesus, and that if we are good there will be heaven blah blah blah. All very nice white bread christianity.

But faith in what stuck in my head today. I can't understand how a seeming intelligent person could have FAITH in writings that are 6000 years old and translated untold times by who knows who and for what purposes.

Lately the bible has been on my mind. Why do so many hold onto these ancient beliefs? These are the last vestiges of our primitive past. I believe that man created god to answer the unanswerable. Back in ancient times almost everything was unanswerable so god was pretty busy. As we gain knowledge and answer the question of life why can't they evolve their beliefs? Why hold onto stories written by ancient jews that make absolutely no sense what so ever?

And god, really? If one exists it would be far beyond our level of comprehension . When I hear people tell me they know what god wants from us or what "he" thinks I immediately dismiss them. Most people cannot even comprehend we are a floating speck of a rock in an unending sea of cosmic flotsam.

In my life god's existence is irrelevant. I will live my life being fair and kind to other people. I will try to do little harm to others or to our beautiful planet. When I die my stardust will return to the stars, my mind will be silent and lost to time. I will be at peace knowing I had a chance to experience a wonderful experiment in life.

OK, that's who I am. Maybe I'll write more maybe I won't, just needed to get that off my chest today.

Welcome.

Some people, in my experience, just need something "greater" to get them through life, to help them with their insecurities, and to overcome their fear of death. There's also the sense of community that religion and church can create - something atheism hasn't yet achieved but is slowly creating.

[ThePinsir]

For me it was fear - fear that I'd go to Hell if I didn't believe.

Oh, um, welcome aboard!

[Whateverist]

When I die my stardust will return to the stars, my mind will be silent and lost to time. I will be at peace knowing I had a chance to experience a wonderful experiment in life.

OK, that's who I am. Maybe I'll write more maybe I won't, just needed to get that off my chest today.

You sound like a Bokonist to me. It sure is fine getting to be sitting-up mud even for a little while, isn't it? Some appreciation is called for whether you think there is any entity to receive it or not. It's more about expressing who you are than literally thanking a creator. Welcome.

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Some people, in my experience, just need something "greater" to get them through life, to help them with their insecurities, and to overcome their fear of death. There's also the sense of community that religion and church can create - something atheism hasn't yet achieved but is slowly creating.

For me, it isn't that I need something greater so much as it is that I sense it. But I don't think the something greater is "out there". Nor is it "in there" in a literal way. To get the full flavor of experience, one should always fully savor impressions in an as-if manner.

I think god was the concretization of unconscious functions of ones mind, not the deliberate invention of anyone's conscious mind. "As-if" is the antidote for literalism.

[Minimalist]

Why do so many hold onto these ancient beliefs?

Mainly I think they are lazy. Religion gives them nice pat answers to stuff that they would never think about anyway.