05-02-2004, 01:33 AM
Just want to point out that it's all about belief. I'm not going to deny my beliefs and opinions of the world and lie that I believe in a Christian or Jewish or any other God to essentially cover the bases and ensure I go to heaven if in fact there is one. He's omnipotent, so probably would realize that I'm lying about my true beliefs and therefore it wouldn't matter.
And by the way, I have as much faith that I will not go to hell for not being baptized or not being a Jew or Christian as those who have faith to the contrary. I firmly believe that if there is a single all powerful god that he would realize my personality and assessments of life are inherent to me, and I was a good person and there'd be no reason to send me to hell. As much as one is afraid of an afterlife of hell, I am unafraid of reaching that eventuality as long as I do what I believe to be right. If I'm a fool for believing in what I TRULY believe, then so is everyone else for believing in whatever it is they believe in, whether organized religion, philosophy (which is sorta like a personal religion), or completely atheistic.
To briefly defend atheists, most atheists aren't like that, SE. Atheist just simply means they don't believe in vastly powerful deities, it doesn't mean they find no purpose to or in life. Although there are some like you describe, and I do find that kind of sad, but to each his own. Also, agnostic simply means we don't have an organized religion... again, it doesn't mean we don't believe in ANYTHING, or just sit around and say "well maybe there is and maybe there isn't, I'm neutral." No, I for one believe stuff from my assessments, but I do have an open mind. So yeah, I believe there is some kind of god(s), just in the way everything is so elegant in life, there's such great balance, but I wouldn't totally write off the possibility of there being no god(s). Somehow I find it harder to explain myself to others than others explain themselves to me. I completely understand someone's beliefs in religions and such, but I am constantly told I just believe in nothing and I'm a fool and I'm gonna go to hell and all of that bullshit. Not sure where the misconception came in that someone MUST have a labelled religion in order to have any beliefs. They MUST have faith in a named god. They MUST get their beliefs from some source, ie the Bible, Koran, etc. Generally I have to flash the yin yang in defense just because it's the closest symbolic representation of what I believe.
OK so I wasn't so brief. Sorry, just got a bit defensive about being called foolish, as I guarantee I'm far from it.
And by the way, I have as much faith that I will not go to hell for not being baptized or not being a Jew or Christian as those who have faith to the contrary. I firmly believe that if there is a single all powerful god that he would realize my personality and assessments of life are inherent to me, and I was a good person and there'd be no reason to send me to hell. As much as one is afraid of an afterlife of hell, I am unafraid of reaching that eventuality as long as I do what I believe to be right. If I'm a fool for believing in what I TRULY believe, then so is everyone else for believing in whatever it is they believe in, whether organized religion, philosophy (which is sorta like a personal religion), or completely atheistic.
To briefly defend atheists, most atheists aren't like that, SE. Atheist just simply means they don't believe in vastly powerful deities, it doesn't mean they find no purpose to or in life. Although there are some like you describe, and I do find that kind of sad, but to each his own. Also, agnostic simply means we don't have an organized religion... again, it doesn't mean we don't believe in ANYTHING, or just sit around and say "well maybe there is and maybe there isn't, I'm neutral." No, I for one believe stuff from my assessments, but I do have an open mind. So yeah, I believe there is some kind of god(s), just in the way everything is so elegant in life, there's such great balance, but I wouldn't totally write off the possibility of there being no god(s). Somehow I find it harder to explain myself to others than others explain themselves to me. I completely understand someone's beliefs in religions and such, but I am constantly told I just believe in nothing and I'm a fool and I'm gonna go to hell and all of that bullshit. Not sure where the misconception came in that someone MUST have a labelled religion in order to have any beliefs. They MUST have faith in a named god. They MUST get their beliefs from some source, ie the Bible, Koran, etc. Generally I have to flash the yin yang in defense just because it's the closest symbolic representation of what I believe.
OK so I wasn't so brief. Sorry, just got a bit defensive about being called foolish, as I guarantee I'm far from it.