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RE: New atheist here, gotta say, not loving it
November 28, 2017 at 7:53 pm
(November 28, 2017 at 6:52 pm)Lek Wrote: (November 8, 2017 at 9:43 pm)Martian Mermaid Wrote: I don't know what your scared of, or what you believed before, so I'll just tell you why I feel comforted by my inevitable death. Maybe it will help.
Someday, I will die. I will really die, I won't go to heaven or hell, I won't ever see my dead family members again, I won't ever again see the people I will leave behind.
It motivates me to make the most of the time I have. And, if I am to be remembered, I better make myself memorable. When I do, I'll have only myself to blame. I won't have to thank god for my accomplishments, because I did them myself. And my relationships, my friendships, my family...it's all so much more special because I only have right now to appreciate them. I only get one chance at my life, I am making it epic. I am enjoying it all I can.
And, to get to the main point, I feel comforted by the end. All my mistakes, all my thoughts, washed away. Everything I have will no longer matter. Suddenly, nothing will matter. I won't have to carry on forever. Existing can be pretty exhausting sometimes, I'm glad I do exist now, but I'm glad it's not something I will get to do forever. Everything I earn now will not matter anymore some day. This is all the more reason to live for myself.
If he's afraid, it's probably because he's not 100% convinced of his atheism. In order to not fear death an atheist must be totally sure that there is no God. Otherwise there will always be the thought of the possibility of existence afterwards and if he has prepared himself for that possibility. Bold mine.
I don't agree with that. The two aren't mutually exclusive. I am terrified of death. I still don't believe in a god though and I have yet to see evidence of any sort of afterlife.
Disclaimer: I am only responsible for what I say, not what you choose to understand.
(November 14, 2018 at 8:57 pm)The Valkyrie Wrote: Have a good day at work. If we ever meet in a professional setting, let me answer your question now. Yes, I DO want fries with that.
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RE: New atheist here, gotta say, not loving it
November 28, 2017 at 7:54 pm
(This post was last modified: November 28, 2017 at 8:04 pm by Lek.)
(November 28, 2017 at 7:44 pm)Succubus Wrote: (November 28, 2017 at 6:52 pm)Lek Wrote: If he's afraid, it's probably because he's not 100% convinced of his atheism. In order to not fear death an atheist must be totally sure that there is no God. Otherwise there will always be the thought of the possibility of existence afterwards and if he has prepared himself for that possibility.
Is this another lead into the atheist vs agnostic argument? Agnostics are all cunts!
I have more respect for fudies than I do for agnostics.
It doesn't have anything to do with agnostics vs atheists. It's simply my observation. People have a fear of the unknown. Belief in God has been around almost as long as humanity has and is woven into our prevailing worldview.
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RE: New atheist here, gotta say, not loving it
November 28, 2017 at 8:54 pm
(This post was last modified: November 28, 2017 at 8:56 pm by Simon Moon.)
(November 28, 2017 at 7:54 pm)Lek Wrote: (November 28, 2017 at 7:44 pm)Succubus Wrote: Is this another lead into the atheist vs agnostic argument? Agnostics are all cunts!
I have more respect for fudies than I do for agnostics.
It doesn't have anything to do with agnostics vs atheists. It's simply my observation. People have a fear of the unknown. Belief in God has been around almost as long as humanity has and is woven into our prevailing worldview.
Yes, belief in gods is like a security blanket, for many people. It makes up answers to help alleviate the unknown.
The only thing is, some of us are not happy with security blankets. We would rather have as many true beliefs as possible, and eliminate as many false beliefs as possible.
Quote:100% convinced of his atheism
There is no need to be "100% convinced of atheism". All that is necessary to be an atheist, is to not be convinced of theism.
Seems like a subtle way to pass the burden of proof.
You'd believe if you just opened your heart" is a terrible argument for religion. It's basically saying, "If you bias yourself enough, you can convince yourself that this is true." If religion were true, people wouldn't need faith to believe it -- it would be supported by good evidence.
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RE: New atheist here, gotta say, not loving it
November 28, 2017 at 8:55 pm
Quote:Belief in God has been around almost as long as humanity has and is woven into our prevailing worldview.
But "belief" does not equal "knowing."
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RE: New atheist here, gotta say, not loving it
November 28, 2017 at 9:01 pm
(This post was last modified: November 28, 2017 at 9:01 pm by Edwardo Piet.)
Belief in god can't have been around as long as humanity, tbh. It's memetic not genetic.
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RE: New atheist here, gotta say, not loving it
November 28, 2017 at 9:11 pm
(November 28, 2017 at 6:52 pm)Lek Wrote: (November 8, 2017 at 9:43 pm)Martian Mermaid Wrote: I don't know what your scared of, or what you believed before, so I'll just tell you why I feel comforted by my inevitable death. Maybe it will help.
Someday, I will die. I will really die, I won't go to heaven or hell, I won't ever see my dead family members again, I won't ever again see the people I will leave behind.
It motivates me to make the most of the time I have. And, if I am to be remembered, I better make myself memorable. When I do, I'll have only myself to blame. I won't have to thank god for my accomplishments, because I did them myself. And my relationships, my friendships, my family...it's all so much more special because I only have right now to appreciate them. I only get one chance at my life, I am making it epic. I am enjoying it all I can.
And, to get to the main point, I feel comforted by the end. All my mistakes, all my thoughts, washed away. Everything I have will no longer matter. Suddenly, nothing will matter. I won't have to carry on forever. Existing can be pretty exhausting sometimes, I'm glad I do exist now, but I'm glad it's not something I will get to do forever. Everything I earn now will not matter anymore some day. This is all the more reason to live for myself.
If he's afraid, it's probably because he's not 100% convinced of his atheism. In order to not fear death an atheist must be totally sure that there is no God. Otherwise there will always be the thought of the possibility of existence afterwards and if he has prepared himself for that possibility.
Hey Lek, glad to have you back. Hope you've been doing well.
"Of course, everyone will claim they respect someone who tries to speak the truth, but in reality, this is a rare quality. Most respect those who speak truths they agree with, and their respect for the speaking only extends as far as their realm of personal agreement. It is less common, almost to the point of becoming a saintly virtue, that someone truly respects and loves the truth seeker, even when their conclusions differ wildly."
-walsh
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RE: New atheist here, gotta say, not loving it
November 28, 2017 at 9:17 pm
(November 28, 2017 at 8:55 pm)Minimalist Wrote: Quote:Belief in God has been around almost as long as humanity has and is woven into our prevailing worldview.
But "belief" does not equal "knowing."
Also, belief in "gods" has likely been around since humanity truly evolved into a thinking species. The belief in the Abrahamic god can be traced back around 10,000 years (at the most).
A god concept was something humans likely invented to explain what they could not, much as it is used today as the god of the gaps.
And, it seems that almost every ancient culture had multiple or many gods, and monotheism was the minority belief system throughout human history. An example of the response to enforced monotheism can be seen in Egypt during the reign of Akhenaten.
Playing Cluedo with my mum while I was at Uni:
"You did WHAT? With WHO? WHERE???"
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RE: New atheist here, gotta say, not loving it
November 28, 2017 at 9:20 pm
(November 28, 2017 at 9:11 pm)Catholic_Lady Wrote: (November 28, 2017 at 6:52 pm)Lek Wrote: If he's afraid, it's probably because he's not 100% convinced of his atheism. In order to not fear death an atheist must be totally sure that there is no God. Otherwise there will always be the thought of the possibility of existence afterwards and if he has prepared himself for that possibility.
Hey Lek, glad to have you back. Hope you've been doing well.
I too hope he's fine. Now, do you wish to contribute to the discussion.
It's amazing 'science' always seems to 'find' whatever it is funded for, and never the oppsite. Drich.
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RE: New atheist here, gotta say, not loving it
November 28, 2017 at 9:22 pm
(This post was last modified: November 28, 2017 at 9:23 pm by curiosne.)
(November 28, 2017 at 7:54 pm)Lek Wrote: (November 28, 2017 at 7:44 pm)Succubus Wrote: Is this another lead into the atheist vs agnostic argument? Agnostics are all cunts!
I have more respect for fudies than I do for agnostics.
It doesn't have anything to do with agnostics vs atheists. It's simply my observation. People have a fear of the unknown. Belief in God has been around almost as long as humanity has and is woven into our prevailing worldview.
This is argument is terribly worded and executed. What you mean is, belief in magical deities have been around since time immemorial but belief in the Jewish God has only been around since 1500 BCE while the Judeo Christian God started in the 1st Century CE.
Ofcourse everyone fears the unknown and that's why magical explanations have been put forth as a comfort blanket. How is your reply above a good argument for the existence of your Juedeo Christian God since all beliefs in the different types of magical explanations can't all be right.
I don't understand how you can determine your's is right above all others, unless you've looked into every magical explanation which is nigh impossible in a single lifetime.
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RE: New atheist here, gotta say, not loving it
November 28, 2017 at 9:43 pm
(November 28, 2017 at 7:53 pm)Joods Wrote: (November 28, 2017 at 6:52 pm)Lek Wrote: If he's afraid, it's probably because he's not 100% convinced of his atheism. In order to not fear death an atheist must be totally sure that there is no God. Otherwise there will always be the thought of the possibility of existence afterwards and if he has prepared himself for that possibility. Bold mine.
I don't agree with that. The two aren't mutually exclusive. I am terrified of death. I still don't believe in a god though and I have yet to see evidence of any sort of afterlife.
Same here. I’m not afraid of stupid shit like hell. I’m convinced that it, or any other kind of afterlife, does not exist. What scares me is non-existence. Of everything that I am simply ceasing to be. Of no longer having any kind of awareness.
And, I think that similar thoughts are what convinced early peoples to concoct things like an afterlife or reincarnation. Because it’s utterly terrifying if you actually think about it.
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