i'm_an_atheist nah....! yes, yes i am. but don't bash me. that wouldn't be nice. respect my not believing, and i'll respect your believing. m'kay? yeah, i thought so. bye bye. 011127 ... ClairE So am I. Because in the way that people have faith, I just believe it's so. I've cried about it many_a_night, so don't knock me. It's like homosexuality. Lynn said, "Yes, I just can't." 011127 ... nocturnal I think there are lots of us here in the blue realm. 011127 ... nah....! yeay! cool beans and flying machines! or, um, something. goddamn, i'm too fucking silly for my own good. sometimes i wish i'd just shut the fuck up. but don't second me on that, or i'll feel like a *real* idiot. 011127 ... nah....! in any case, atheism rocks. : ) 011127 ... silentbob that sounds like a music festival: Atheism_Rocks where all the artists play, like, acoustic guitars and reek of pachouli and sing songs that go, like, "I don't believe in you, because i just can't digest your existance. People that believe in you, i respect them, but i think they're wrong. I might be wrong about this, but i don't beleive in you, and if i go to hell, well i guess you'll be relieved toooooo oh yeaaah" and on the word EXISTANCE, everyone will CHEER really loud and throw beer cans. but it's kind of funny. its not like atheism was created to make money. there's no money involved in atheism. in christianity to you donate to a church, or pay lots of money to attend christian retreats and camps and festivals. but there are no atheist camps, and there are no atheist festivals. Sure, there are festivals where majority of the people happen to be atheist, maybe like lilith fair, but theres a lot of Christian Festivals, too, and christian records, and atheist records. the merchandise is equal for christian stuff and "secular" stuff. ooooh. enough of this talk. 011128 ... god atheism is cool 011128 ... anti-social butterfly clairE and nah....! did you really think people on this site were gonna bash you for being atheist? well, i guess i can see that if you are attacked for your beliefs in your life. the main religious bashings i have seen on this site so far have been against christians, and i must say often times with reason. every once in a while there are these long preachy things on here and i am like WTF! me. i am not an atheist. i used to be. not anymore. technically christian just to simplify things, but i really hate that word and all of its negative connotations. also, i have been attacked by both christians and atheists for my beliefs. christians tried to come up and "save" me i guess due to my blue, purple, etc. hair and my oh so liberal beliefs. well, and basically all atheists i talk with have been very hostile to me about my beliefs. so you know, it works both ways. i think that preaching is dumb as shit. silentbob, you should start some sort of atheist festival if you wanna. it prolly attract a lot of people. i think it is sad that christianity is so commercialized. it is not just sad, but disgusting. but then extreme commercialization of most anything is pretty disgusting to me. i should hope that we could all respect each other and each other's beliefs. see clairE and nah...!, i am scared to write this cuz i am scared that people will not respect my beliefs. 011128 ... whoknows respect = good 011128 ... anti-social butterfly whoknows, this_is_true. so true. 011128 ... god i'm an atheist, too! 011128 ... ClairE Did I think people would attack me? See I_have_words. 011128 ... anti-social butterfly clairE. sorry if you did not think that. i was simply saying i could understand if you did. i thought you implied that you thought that based on what you said, like "so don't knock me" or "it's like homosexuality". i didn't understand the homosexuality statement. could you explain? sorry if you are mad at me for thinking that you were afraid of being "attacked". i also realize now that that was a bad word choice. can we still be friends? smiles. 011128 ... SuicidalAngel I feel like I am.. but I dont really want to be. 011129 ... ClairE Oh, don't worry about it, butterfly. I didn't mean that. I am saying I WAS worried because of seeing, for example, the way chrity shoves i_have_words everywhere, or, in another example, the way people complain and attack her for her beliefs. The homosexuality statement means it's not a "choice" to not believe--I can't help it. It's who I am. ::kisses:: 011129 ... ClairE I hope chrity is not a guy. I apologize if you are. 011129 ... pralines&cream I am not an atheist. I'm a Christian. Maybe i shouldn't post on this page. But i felt compelled to. 011228 ... cube As i was reading the posts, i thought 'this must have been how Jesus felt when consorting with the heathen'. It's a thrill - finding the heart of an enemy encampment like this. Thank you all for coming. I am here (with P&C) to uphold the existance of God. First i must ask you: If God does not exist, what purpose in life? ³ 011228 ... Teenage Jesus The purpose is to leave as much goodness in your wake as you can. Andy Griffith actually said it pretty well once; "...and try to act like Somebody!" BTW-I'm a polytheist. This is a big Universe with lots of inhabitants at various stages of advancement (and decline.) Some of them appear as if they are gods; and not all of them are benevolent. Anyway, I respect athiests, agnostics, and christians. I've only met two or three people that are what I consider "real" christians, and they are excellent people. I just don't like hypocrites; This could be long, so I'll just quit; and again, "...and act like Somebody!" 011228 ... satan satan satan i've been building a special room just for Jerry Falwell won't he be surprised to find out how right he was about SOME things. too funny. 011228 ... Buddha wasnt a Christian but Jesus wouldve made a There IS a God. That's the only reason I can find to explain the miracle of human existance. He (i use the term "he" simply for convenience) is beyond all comprehension, though. God and heaven are not physical entities that can be seen, touched, or felt physically, but they are spiritual realms that can only be felt through the spirit. I am a very religious person, and the thing that makes me the most angry about other people who call themselves religious is when the condemn other religions as "wrong" or "hedonistic." All religions are the same - Christianity, Buddhism, Hinduism, Islam, etc. The different religions are just God's word translated to fit each culture. God has been with us from the beginning, and our cultures have adapted to his presence as each sees fit. There is a parable that explains this idea further. Three blind men are walking along when they come upon an elephant. One feels the elephant's leg, and says, "This is a tree." Another feels his trunk and exclaims, "No, it's a huge snake!" and shits himself. The last feels his tail and decides, "No, this is a rope." Each man represents a seperate culture/translation, and their ignorance of what the creature actually is represents our inability to fully understand God. Another example is the idea that, on one mountain, there are many different trails that lead to the same apex. I call myself a Christian, because that is MY path, MY translation of God's word, the translation I grew up and am comfortable with. There are other Christians who condemn me for these ideas, but I'm a (religiously) liberal-ass Methodist, so it doesn't bother me. I ask non-believers to PLEASE find your path, because, even though it is against Christian belief to condemn others to hell, I fear that is the fate of those who do not walk with God, and neither God, nor me, nor anybody else but the devil himself wants anyone in hell. So go to some beautiful spot, like some mountains somewhere, eat some shrooms, talk to God, and find your spiritual path. 011228 ... B.W.A.C.B.J.W.M.A.G.B. sorry that was so long and "preachy." I'm at work and I didn't get much sleep last night, so I took a couple Xenadrine, and that stuff makes you REALLY like to talk. 011228 ... oren I'm somewhere between Christianity and Agnosticism at this point in my life. Christianity's idea of organized religion has batted me around too many years in my life. I'm tired of the game they're playing. There are very few "believers" who I've met in my life that seemed genuine in their love for God and mankind. The hypocrisy of the modern church has taken me to a place where I get nauseous when I hear their jargon being spouted about. Love transcends all the crap. Thank God. 011228 ... kerry i don't like the word Christian either, but i guess i am. sometimes i think i am just so that i won't feel so vulnerable... it sounds dumb but the thought that maybe there's something bigger out there, bigger than us, it just makes me feel kind of safe. SO, anyways, i totally and completely respect atheism or buddhism or judhaeism (DAMN I CANNOT SPELL!!! u know what i'm trying to type, right??) or whatever you want to believe in/practice. i think we all need some sort of an outlet. and christianity isn't exactly where i focus any or all of my thoughts but at least if i get upset or desperate enough, i'll have somewhere to turn, u know? 011228 ... helel ben sahar it's judaism, but we understand dammit, i lost my knish again. bastards 011228 ... ClairE Since none of us has answered your question: you could probably see the_meaning_of_life or some related blathe for what I have to say on that. I'd write about it, but I am tired and a little sad, and I have to go tell_the_world what I had for dinner. 011228 ... reitoei i'm an atheist but also a buddhist 011228 ... silentbob thats kind of like saying I'm an atheist but also a christian. Or maybe like saying, i'm agnostic. 011228 ... reitoei buddha is not god. there is no god in buddhism 011228 ... (ice) cube Claire Elizabeth, You flatter yourself thinking that i would spend the time searching through hundreds of your inane posts in order to find a nugget of serious thought. By the way, i never did find out what you had for dinner. I guess you thought you'd keep just one insignificant detail of your life to yourself... ³ 011229 ... B.W.A.C.B.J.W.H.M.A.G.B. Did I change anyone's minds? 011230 ... cube I'll let you in on a little secret which could save you many hours of fruitless effort and will certainly help lower your bloodpressure - you cannot change anybody's mind about anything important. People will only change the course of their lives from within themselves. You can act as an agent of change only by your example. If people see you as having something they want (i.e. a better life), then they will consider it. After all, if you're broke or your life is a mess, you become living proof of a failed doctrine. Avarice has always been the best way to change the course of history... ³ 011231 ... pralines&cream To be saved (according to the Bible), is to believe in Jesus Christ (the son) as your savior and worship him as your savior. [Not to mention the other two parts of the trinity as well]. Therefore, i am confused by the above comment that Christianity (based on Christ being our savior, as the "christ" in "christ-ianty" implies) is the same as Hinduism and Buddhism, when it's they are completely different beliefs. Sure, there is a God for every belief, but Hinduism and Buddhism don't believe in Jesus as God, which is the whole platform and core of Christianity. It especially boggles me as to how a Christian, having at least a mild familiarity with their beliefs according to the Bible, could make that statement. 020106 ... pralines&cream I'm referring to "Buddha wasnt a Christian but Jesus wouldve made a"'s comment. 020106 ... cube P&C; BWACBJHMAGB's heart may be in the right place. I also found his comments to be confusing and took some time to point out a few of the more obvious discrepencies (see i_am_an_atheist)... ³ 020106 ... tourist True believing Atheist's loose out on some Major Swear Words. 020107 ... pralines&cream tourist, it took me a long time to figure out what you were saying in that short and should-be-simple post ... that has nothing to do with God ... but, anyway. 020108 ... tourist It's the Eternity of consciousness Factor really, and I'm not sure if an Atheist would believe in "Hell" or "Damnation" and so what would speaking such words mean? Let alone "Jesus Christ!" or the ever popular "God Damn!" But What do I Know 020109 ... Teenage Jesus My wife is agnostic (best I can tell) but still doesn't like to hear me say "goddammit" or "fuck god" (no offense dad) or stuff like that. I find the phrases quite fulfilling. I don't understand why she cares. I mean "shit" and "fuck" are cool (and by cool, I mean acceptable;) what's wrong with taking the name of the lord god almighty in vain if you don't even believe he exists, per se? I mean really. BTW- I heard something very funny over the holidays - "...people don't want to be bothered with jesus at xmas time!" 020109 ... rip I THINK EVERY ONE HAS THE RIGHT TO OPION BUT WHO REALLY GIVES A SHIT 020109 ... good people i am an agnostic, leaning towards atheism. i believe in evolution. it makes the most sense to me. but, i could very well be wrong. oh well. 020109 ... silentbob this is in reference to some things i read after reading this entire thing. someone said that all the religions are the same, christianity, buddhism, islam, jadiasm and hinduism. then someone said I am atheist and buddhist, and my reaction was how can you be an atheist while also following a religion, but i can see the point, since there is no god in buddhism, you're still practicing buddhism and denying the existance of gods. my question: how can all the religions be the same if there is no god in buddhism? maybe they aren't all the same, and there really isn't just one path with different culture's translations, and there actually are differences among people. 021007 ... unhinged i think that what that person was trying to say when they said that all religion is the same is that they were all created for the same reason and serve the same purpose: to explain the unexplainable and give human beings a morality base. i am taking an intro to world religions class this semester and my study of christianity in that class has led me to believe that the religion i was supposed to live under as a child isn't as bad as i condemned it to be when i got older. it's just that a vast majority of 'christians' have no idea what their religion started out as and no idea what jesus actually stood for. yes yes yes, jesus was love and all that other nonsense, but jesus wanted all of us to change our lives. how many self-centered christians do you know? they are missing the point. and while they might not be central to the religion, gods do exist in the buddhist religion. yes, anyone can be a buddha, but there are other realms of existence that we can't see in our sleepy state where all kinds of 'gods' exist in eternal happiness or unhappiness or wrath or whatever the case may be. i don't think i'm an atheist but my systematic study of religion on closer examination is leaning me towards agnosticism. the creation of every major religion was a practice in morality and control in the childhood of civilization. it seems to us that there has to be something higher than evolution, but that's just because we think about things too much. maybe i'm more of an atheist than i originally thought. but when i listen to the chants of hildegard and i think about the supernatural and i walk in the park on a fall day and on the occasions that i am happy to be alive, i find it hard to believe that something else doesn't exist. maybe it's just quantum_physics. can we tell that i have a mid-term in religion this week? 021007 ... god amen 021007 ... Chris aka Christ without the cross Oh my gosh. I have met someone who thinks the way i do. I also think that all religions are the same. See THE_ABSOLUTE_MYSTERY 061006 ... bricks no shit all religion is the same. 061006 ... on the road haha. I know of an entire religion that thinks that all the religions are the same. As in, they are originally the same in essence, but people change them for silly motives. 061007 ... Chris aka this was anew revelation for me. I am very excited about it. And the funny thing is for most of my life i was basically told that all other religions are from the devil. I never contested that. But now because my eyes are open i can see how they all have the same heart which no onw seems to follow. They rather attack other beliefs. So to the "no shit" guy, I would tell you to suck my dick but i find it rather distasteful. I have decided to say I love you too 061008 ... bricks but now that you realize it doesn't it seem so obvious? i felt like an idiot after i realized, thanks to my dad sort of nudging me along. so yeah, no shit. 061009 ... bricks and i love you too :) 061009 ... Chris aka Christ without the cross cool playa. I get your tone now. And yeah it is pretty obvious when both your eyes are open. 061010 ... forgotten a christian priest went down on me when I was a child. he said god would forgive me for my sins if I would let him because it would make me a nice person. 061109 ... theFish buddhism has come up a couple times and i just wanted to clarify because i hold a fair number of buddhist beliefs. There are two main schools of buddhism, theravada and mahayana. One views budda as a godlike figure and falls more into the catagory of a religion. The other views budda as an example to be emulated but only human, it is more a philosophy than a religion. 061109 what's it to you? who go blather from