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Originally posted by CaDreamer
being an atheist is already taking a stand, making a choice. Making the decision to call oneself an atheist, is a decision to never take sides because ALL of those "sides" are all false and misleading.
i choose none.
Originally posted by Akragon
Originally posted by CaDreamer
being an atheist is already taking a stand, making a choice. Making the decision to call oneself an atheist, is a decision to never take sides because ALL of those "sides" are all false and misleading.
i choose none.
Love is not false or misleading... It will show you truth in everything
Just thought i'd add that
Originally posted by CaDreamer
Originally posted by Akragon
Originally posted by CaDreamer
being an atheist is already taking a stand, making a choice. Making the decision to call oneself an atheist, is a decision to never take sides because ALL of those "sides" are all false and misleading.
i choose none.
Love is not false or misleading... It will show you truth in everything
Just thought i'd add that
look at the history of religion...love is not really in their vocabulary, it is only lip service... a long history of violence and fascism, not love, they are, rather, cultist mobs.
love does not = religion.
Originally posted by CaDreamer
reply to post by Akragon
love wasn't a "side" given in the OP and is irrelevant to the discussion. the statement you replied to said nothing about love, only religion and choosing sides.edit on 17-9-2011 by CaDreamer because: (no reason given)
There is this tax system where organizations get a 501c3 or whatever status and then they have moderators in the church like you would have moderators on an internet discussion forum to where if you do take a stand for right, then you will be silenced. Joining any such organization is sharing in the evil of the world by not standing up to denounce the evil in it. Joining is your ticket to hell.
Originally posted by Aeons
Originally posted by jmdewey60
I would never take a side and would reject any religion offered to me.
If they put a gun to my head and said I could live if I just join a church, I would say, Pull the trigger.
What if no one was doing that. But the people around you it was happening too. Join my religion, join my cult, join my political cause...or else. Would you step up, even if you didn't have the same views as the people around you? What if they wouldn't stand up for you? Would you do it anyways?
Even if/when there is truth in that statement, most outright Christians aren't interested in telling you that. But your reaction is a self-fulfilling prophecy. You will hear what you insist upon hearing from people. You will force that conversation from people, even against their will by insisting that this is solely what they believe in.
Originally posted by XelNaga
this is getting obnoxious. there is no reason for the consistency of threads like this all of which are blatantly bashing atheists and agnostics. we can't post anything involving marijuana, but its ok for some bible thumpers to tell us were bad people and going to hell? wtf...
The OP noted that most people already have a secondary choice. You do not, so you'd remain what you are even in a theoretical land of what ifs (Candy Land, whatever.). The OP also noted that most of those who did have a secondary choice, their frequent motive was to choose their "birth religion". Which is pretty dead-on with a few psychological beliefs out there. You either embrace what you were taught from birth or you rebel from what you're taught from birth, and there's no surprise that there's some partial longing to get back to a nostalgic childhood.
why do we need to choose a side? why cant we just be who we are and believe what we wish to? none of this should matter and this kind of stuff shouldn't be on ats anymore... its causing more of a divide (at least in my opinion) then bringing forth any type of understanding.
If you are an atheist and insist you do not have any spiritual beliefs, then technically this is so, but the following contradicts the heart of this message:
i am an atheist thus have no side and prefer to keep it that way because my spiritual beliefs DO NOT define who i am as a person and that is what you religious folk need to understand.
A belief system or philosophy that you truly believe in will have an effect on the choices you make in life. You're not likely to spend your Sunday mornings in a Church Building because you believe it to be filled with people believing in the unreal. So your Atheism does affect what you do. Does it influence every single thing you do? No, but each Atheist has varying levels of what they allow their beliefs to influence, just like every other belief system. That's the whole point to a philosophy or a religion--to live life by what the philosophy influences. There's no point in being an Atheist if you still have to get up and go to Sunday morning Services, or turn the other cheek (going beyond what is necessary) or give up control to another being.
also: atheism is not a religion. it is a belief, a philosophy if you will just like how Confucianism is not a religion, but a philosophy
Well, one thing that's easy to get Atheists and Agnostics alike to point out is that for society to function, you have to have a basic moral code to society. The problem is whose authority is this moral code on? The will of the majority? Mob rule never works. To the point where our freedoms don't trample on other's rights? Well, who is defining the rights? It is far simpler to have a "Creator Stamped moral code" than it is to muddle through it all on our own. And from most of these people I hear from such people is, "I'm not bound by any of these moral codes, but it is easier to function when other people are."
Originally posted by Aeons
What is it that you think these people are noticing, and what is it that is missing from the non-religious/non-traditional choice that makes people sure that they may not have as an option being committed to a secular or multi-religious national interest?
Everyone who is of a sound mind ought to have doubts and weak moments. To be an open minded person, you've really got to allow for the chance that you can be wrong, whether or not your beliefs ever change.
Originally posted by Aeons
I want some people to fess up and commit to saying it outloud. I think that they are afraid of saying it because it is unpolitical correct, or it may show that they are not 100% "committed" to their usual political beliefs as others would like them to be.
The saying goes, "To be truly wise, you've got to realize how little you truly know." When you get to the point of such humility, often what accompanies it is a whole world of doubts. But at the same time, there are still plenty that are fully committed. The things is, those who doubt are not likely to lay it out here because this place isn't a bosom buddy here to deal with the monster under your bed.
But I suspect that there are more of them than are letting on. I think that yelling them down, by their own, is preventing people from seeing that there is a problem that needs to be addressed. They know that what they are going to get is "the problem is you" and so they remain quiet, and make their secret deals with themselves while shaking their heads at the people that they mostly agree with but who are too radical in their cultural ... revolution? blindness? dedication to the point of silliness? I'm not sure what the head shake they give is about.
And some would throw themselves in front of the bus in effort to save them as well.
I suspect that some of them have figured that the sociopolitical religious people that they are most aligned with right now, would push them in front of a bus.
I swear, you'd do good by belonging to "the church of Seal".
Originally posted by Akragon
I leave people to their beliefs, if you do not agree with what i believe... so be it... i love you just the same. Its not my place to judge others. I would die to protect anyone from harm, but theres other ways around such things...
Love solves all problems, you can not attack someone who loves you, but if it does happen.. so be it. If i am to die protecting another person from harm.... then that is my fate. But again i would do everything in my power to solve the conflict before it came to that
I swear, you'd do good by belonging to "the church of Seal".
Originally posted by CynicalDrivel
reply to post by Akragon
I wasn't serious. Was pointing out that the performer Seal holds strongly to Love being all-important...and as far as I remember, he's more vaguely New-Age than anything.
I read your post with interest, and so as to not derail the thread, I will start a new thread and invite you to comment on it.
I hope I have contributed in some helpful way