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A question for the religious members. Keep in mind there is no wrong answer. I'm genuinely curious and here's why:
Why are you here?
1. You're not allowed to proselytize on this site. Which means you'll have a hell of a time winning souls for Jesus/Allah - whatever.
2. You have to put up with a lot of mockery from the opposition. Lord knows I've done my fair share of ridiculing you.
3. Favor is going to be partial to the atheists should any dispute arise ... after all it is an Atheist's forum.
4. Several of you (Statler Waldorf comes to mind) seem to not even care about the "christian reputation" you leave behind. Some of you actually strengthen our resolve.
Those factors lead me to one conclusion. You're here because somewhere inside you, no matter how faint, there's a part of you that thinks that we might be right and that you might be wrong. Is that the case? If not, what continually brings a person of faith to these forums?
As a show of good faith, I will answer my own question.
I am here because I have found that most atheists and I are very like-minded. Despite my deistic beliefs, I lean heavily toward atheism on the majority of views and come here to engross myself with like-minded rational people who also dislike/hate revealed religions.
Note: In no way whatsoever am I implying that religious people should not be here. I welcome you all ... even the crazies - at least for awhile.
I'm an atheist but I'm here to engage in discussions about reason and science as well as religion. Ive read a lot of books and wish to further my knowledge on the issue.
I find it hard to discuss the issue locally as I live in an agricultural area (central valley Cali).
1. I found that there are many interesting topics being discussed here (both religious and non-religious).
2. I post here mainly to make people understand my religion better, since I know that there is almost a zero chance that anyone is going to actually convert (although such a thing is not impossible either). Either way, I have nothing to lose by staying here, do I? At least I can learn more about atheism and other religions as well as science, philosophy, and other topics of my interest.
3. I think that I'm fairly intelligent and a creative thinker - and I haven't talked about some of my other crazier ideas - which means that I have more threads to make (on topics like the soul, afterlife, the nature of God, and stuff like this). You'll see them as time goes on and that's why I'm still here. I don't want to keep all these ideas to myself. So, I like to share them with others because it gets more interesting that way.
4. Sometimes, I come here to pass the time when I have nothing else to do at home. I'm also a member of an Islamic forum (where I'm a moderator as well), but I also like to talk to people with opposing views as well, hence I joined this forum.
5. I can talk to members who have a variety of beliefs (atheists, deists, agnostics, Christians, etc). Some also have interesting personalities, some are witty and intelligent, and some are crazy enough to declare themselves as gods or goddesses and rulers of the universe and even write their own book of laws. (By the way, I was an atheist myself one time, which I also said in my intro thread, so I pretty much know why atheists are atheists).
On the other hand, I know that there's going to be a lot of mockery, hatred, and bitterness in this forum no matter what. But, the good this is that I get over these things very quickly. They don't bother me. Sometimes, I even laugh at comments which other Muslims might get very angry reading them.
Thank you Rayaan. My view of you is often mixed, more so than the other religious members on this site, but then again, my views on many people and things are often mixed. You were actually the source of my original OP, I just decided to cast a wider net. I was not aware that you use to be an atheist. That fact does indeed change my initial conclusion ... somewhat. It would seem to me that there still seems to be some doubt in you about the validity of Islam. Am I wrong in this assumption?
What brought you out of atheism into Islam of all things??
(if you've already covered this, I will understand if you just give me a link to that thread)
(June 6, 2011 at 12:20 pm)Cinjin Cain Wrote: Thank you Rayaan. My view of you is often mixed, more so than the other religious members on this site, but then again, my views on many people and things are often mixed. You were actually the source of my original OP, I just decided to cast a wider net. I was not aware that you use to be an atheist. That fact does indeed change my initial conclusion ... somewhat. It would seem to me that there still seems to be some doubt in you about the validity of Islam. Am I wrong in this assumption?
Do I have a slightest doubt about the validity of Islam? Yes, but I don't think it's my doubt that brought me here. Rather, I think it's my sense of faith that motivated me to come to this forum. And ironically, my faith in Islam has been getting more and more re-inforced while participating in this forum during the past nine months (though it may sound a little strange to you). Plus, I've been learning more about Islam because the discussions compelled me to learn more about the religion.
I did talk about why I believe in Islam in bits and pieces, in different threads, and here are some of the earlier topics: this, this, and this.
There are other things about Islam which I haven't posted yet, and those are things which you guys have never heard from other Muslims before, and I feel that those are the things which were the main reasons for me coming back to Islam (and it doesn't have anything to do with things like "personal experiences" or "love for Allah"). I'm going to save them for a later time, though.
Obviously, it's not that easy for a theist to explain his beliefs to an atheist, and even after I do it, it turns out to be almost 100% ineffective. The same is true vice versa (or an atheist talking to a theist). However, I think that atheists have it much easier when it comes to debating, since they are not required to give any evidence unlike a believer. But, I still enjoy discussing my faith regardless of whether people think that I'm deluded or not. Some will like me, some will hate me, and others will have mixed feelings, but none of that is a problem to me, because ultimately, what matters to me is that I know myself and the reason for my beliefs better than anyone else.
Anyways, you got the answer to your question in the original post. You caught the main fish that you were looking for. And I think I'm quite an easy one to catch.
(June 6, 2011 at 12:20 pm)Cinjin Cain Wrote: Thank you Rayaan. My view of you is often mixed, more so than the other religious members on this site, but then again, my views on many people and things are often mixed. You were actually the source of my original OP, I just decided to cast a wider net. I was not aware that you use to be an atheist. That fact does indeed change my initial conclusion ... somewhat. It would seem to me that there still seems to be some doubt in you about the validity of Islam. Am I wrong in this assumption?
Do I have a slightest doubt about the validity of Islam? Yes, but I don't think it's my doubt that brought me here. Rather, I think it's my sense of faith that motivated me to come to this forum. And ironically, my faith in Islam has been getting more and more re-inforced while participating in this forum during the past nine months (though it may sound a little strange to you). Plus, I've been learning more about Islam because the discussions compelled me to learn more about the religion.
I did talk about why I believe in Islam in bits and pieces, in different threads, and here are some of the earlier topics: this, this, and this.
There are other things about Islam which I haven't posted yet, and those are things which you guys have never heard from other Muslims before, and I feel that those are the things which were the main reasons for me coming back to Islam (and it doesn't have anything to do with things like "personal experiences" or "love for Allah"). I'm going to save them for a later time, though.
Obviously, it's not that easy for a theist to explain his beliefs to an atheist, and even after I do it, it turns out to be almost 100% ineffective. The same is true vice versa (or an atheist talking to a theist). However, I think that atheists have it much easier when it comes to debating, since they are not required to give any evidence unlike a believer. But, I still enjoy discussing my faith regardless of whether people think that I'm deluded or not. Some will like me, some will hate me, and others will have mixed feelings, but none of that is a problem to me, because ultimately, what matters to me is that I know myself and the reason for my beliefs better than anyone else.
Anyways, you got the answer to your question in the original post. You caught the main fish that you were looking for. And I think I'm quite an easy one to catch.
Honestly, you seem like an intelligent guy and if it wasn't for the violence associated with Islam, we'd probably get along splendidly.
(June 6, 2011 at 10:18 pm)Rayaan Wrote: There are other things about Islam which I haven't posted yet, and those are things which you guys have never heard from other Muslims before, and I feel that those are the things which were the main reasons for me coming back to Islam (and it doesn't have anything to do with things like "personal experiences" or "love for Allah"). I'm going to save them for a later time, though.
I look forward to reading those posts ........... and probably disagreeing with them.
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