Atheism As A REJECTION OF--Not Disbelief In--An Evil God (Mormonism, Methodist, Hinduism)
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Believe it or not, some of the other books do make sense to me, in some ways. Seems that a lot of what's written overlaps with the bible.
If ALL other books said, in so many ways, "Love thy neighbor", I would say that that PART of the teachings is squared with my own learning. And, loving our neighbor makes sense to me. My "neighbor" isn't necessarily my next door neighbor, although it can mean that. To me it means, help where and when I can. Sometimes, it might mean that I have to make a sacrifice for the good of my neighbor. If we ALL did that, wouldn't life be a lot better than it is now?
The teachings of the bible will only make sense to you IF there's a promise of an after life. A GOOD after life.
About time for me to sign off again for me today, but thanks for offering up an above average comment to respond to before I go...
Lots of things make sense to me that I read in a great many books. I've read the Koran and the Book of Mormon too. Not many people have, yet they believe in the Bible as if it's the only holy book there is. That tells you one thing for starters. Lots of books that are not "holy" also argue the right of loving thy neighbor, also make sense to me, but none of what makes sense to me or how I feel about my fellow man has anything to do with God. Nothing that suggests I should believe in God, or the Bible exclusively or above all else. Quite the contrary in fact.
I certainly don't believe the way to make sense of holy books is to assume a promise of an after life, good or otherwise. In fact that's the sort of thing that makes the least sense to me. We differ in this regard like most people who are religious differ from people who are not. The criteria we consider important in order to properly distinguish what we should believe from what we shouldn't is profoundly different.
It's something like the difference between someone who thinks the best way to solve a mystery is by way of gut emotion rather than cold hard facts and evidence. The sort of difference that simply can't be reconciled. Best we can do, really, is to understand why we don't agree or understand one another. My rationale in any case.
No one need waste time in this forum in the first place, and I can't speak for anyone else of course, but for me it's simply the want to address the thoughts and comments that seem worthwhile addressing one way or another for whatever reason(s). The reasons are varied and of course all the more given the many who post comments in this forum. Interesting for me to compare and contrast what people think and believe in any case. Also the many different attitudes, styles, sources of heartburn, manner of communication, etc..
None of that would be a reason to repeatedly post here telling people that their experiences have no value to atheists, correct? Perhaps, based on what you've said here, it's sort of a data-collection hobby for you ... seeing what sort of repsonses you can provoke. Okay.
Quote:
Originally Posted by LearnMe
Not sure anyone really matters to anyone else in this forum in any case. Not really. It's an anonymous forum after all..
None of that would be a reason to repeatedly post here telling people that their experiences have no value to atheists, correct? Perhaps, based on what you've said here, it's sort of a data-collection hobby for you ... seeing what sort of repsonses you can provoke. Okay.
Speak for yourself.
Yes, whatever as you note. Hardly tends to make a difference. Not to me anyway. Like my daughter is famous here for saying at a young age, "people are different."
If I had to pick a reason for why I waste time here I'd start with entertainment I think. Tends to amuse me. I don't collect all that much data in this forum as a rule in any case. I read the news before I dabble here for a bit. The daily news is where I tend to get most of my daily "data."
I'm not looking to "provoke" responses either. I'm simply sharing my thoughts and opinions in light of others doing the same thing. For better or worse always remains to be seen depending on who is involved in the exchange. That some people engage with me here and there is cool, sometimes not so cool, but the variety is part of what makes for the entertainment, so I accept the good along with the bad and the ugly.
As I sign off now I would also like to add that I've read many a comment in this forum posted by people claiming spirituality who emphatically emphasize they don't care what others think. That what atheists think has no value to them whatsoever. What's the difference? Again whatever, but not everyone who comments in this forum is focused on making those sorts of comments. Nobody changes their mind about anything anyway regardless the nature of the exchange. I don't lose sleep over any of it in any case. That I can assure you. Or get heartburn. Always amazing to me how much heartburn is expressed about one thing or another in this forum by some people.
Okay, I might care a little about you in this forum, but no one else really...
How do you know for certain that God has "let them down"?
There are plenty of blind, deaf, mentally retarded, amputees, comatose, vegetated and homeless people, even victims of crimes, who don't believe that "God let them down".
If *YOU* had any of those experiences, *YOU* may think that God let *YOU* down.
But you don't get to speak for ALL others in the same circumstances.
Would it surprise you to know that some of those "less fortunate" people do NOT see themselves as "less fortunate", but who actually THANK GOD for their disability?
Perhaps you could share with us some disabilities you would ask for in your life so that you could thank god even more than you do already. Have you prayed to be given some of those disabilities?
As I come to know about people in this forum, I find those who turn to the ignore list are never people who surprise me by doing so.
I think it depends on how long one's ignore list is. I always restricted by ignore list to no more than 5 posters. A few months ago I went mostly to an "in mind" ignore list, but it's more about ignoring a poster by not responding to them; I still often read their posts, depending on the thread. But if I'm going to just keep reading the same old stuff over and over and over, then I tend to skip over them unless the thread is particularly interesting. I can only watch Lucy stomping grapes so many times.
*snip*
Point is that for those who God DOES visit, no evidence is left, ever, so I can understand how frustrating it must be to have those visits and
not be able to do other than say so. Not my problem in any case, because I haven't had a visit
from God since I was a very young lad and didn't think to ask such things then.
Hasn't visited me ever since or given me another chance to ask anything!
This reminded me -
ADDED afterwards: And all the below happened before I had ever owned or opened a Bible...no real concept
of Jesus and the gang.
After a party of some drinking Sat night - 10:30am on the following Sunday...
I suddenly had a Divine Visit in my bedroom - started in the right hand ceiling corner
and spread like charged air sweeping the entire room...stunned, breathless, alert like a deer in headlights,
the barometric pressure changed with a tingling;
my mind obviously changed, by Grace, to perceive this 'supernatural event'.
For 5 solid hours I couldn't look at a tree, a red ashtray or the Colorado mountains and the air in between
without all of it breathing and alive and conscious. (Not my first time --haha and with no drugs starting at 8 yrs old.)
From the mountains it seemed like a wave coming
towards me yet, already around me. (A month later, flipping channels, stopping on a Christian station..
I thought, "Oh, ok. I could call this the Holy Spirit and be more relatable to certain people, at least Christians...").
I realized the next day, I had not had a Visit from, say, 'the Other Side or from the spiritual world' or
was taken to an altered state for 15 years...and not any those lasted 5 hours - then, changing my vision and awareness
for another 2 yrs..and changing my life (positively) from that point on. (Oct 2005)
But, there is no frustration, LearnMe. Probably like an NDEr that sees and gains knowledge extraordinaire
has no 'need' for anyone to know about it or believe them...who the heck cares...you know it
was an individual blessing meant for 'you'.
Anyone that doesn't have a similar exp - obviously doesn't need it! I must've.
When they need it or are more open to it - maybe they will...luckily even caring about is above my pay grade. Not my concern. Outta my hands.
I see no 'sadness' as many do in anyone's situation cuz they are in the perfect place for them; learning, growing opening to their own necessary understandings in their own time.
I think frustration goes hand in hand with the ego's need to change things externally and to judge...
I have
given that burden away as instructed and cast my cares.
Ah, the Freedom! This was directed to you, LearnMe - maybe I should have sent you a message...oh well.
Most won't relate anyway and pass it by.
Last edited by Miss Hepburn; 05-03-2020 at 12:11 PM..
Not sure anyone really matters to anyone else in this forum in any case. Not really. It's an anonymous forum after all...
You miss the most important aspect of the anonymity in the forum. We ONLY have the posts and their CONTENT to form our impressions of one another. That comes as close to MLK's injunction as possible. Responding to the expressed character is the best way to develop true respect and fondness, even deep caring, for one another. Of course, this feature is diminished in the presence of deception and outright falsifications. But such things eventually reveal themselves over time.
Yes, whatever as you note. Hardly tends to make a difference. Not to me anyway. Like my daughter is famous here for saying at a young age, "people are different."
If I had to pick a reason for why I waste time here I'd start with entertainment I think. Tends to amuse me. I don't collect all that much data in this forum as a rule in any case. I read the news before I dabble here for a bit. The daily news is where I tend to get most of my daily "data."
I didn't ask why anyone spends time here. I asked specifically about why some atheists have a "need" to repeatedly interject into threads about spiritual experiences, that those experiences have no value.
Quote:
Originally Posted by LearnMe
As I sign off now I would also like to add that[b] I've read many a comment in this forum posted by people claiming spirituality who emphatically emphasize they don't care what others think. That what atheists think has no value to them whatsoever. What's the difference? Again whatever, but not everyone who comments in this forum is focused on making those sorts of comments. Nobody changes their mind about anything anyway regardless the exchange anyway. I don't lose sleep over any of it. That I can assure you.
I've read such posts as well, and not just directed at atheists, but to me and anyone else who doesn't agree with them. I'd say, there's no difference.
However, I've posted that "it doesn't matter to me" that an atheist doesn't find value in my experiences. It was obvious, I thought, in the context in which I said it, that I mean I don't expect it SHOULD matter to an atheist. And I've seen others post similarly. And yet, some atheists took such comments out of context and responded to them as if something else was being said. And so it goes.
Quote:
Originally Posted by LearnMe
Okay, I might care a little about you in this forum, but no one else really...
That's because I'm so entertaining and amusing, surely.
I have no problem with anyone chiming in on any thread. I simply said "I wonder why" people feel the need to continuously interject that other people's experiences don't matter to them.
Many anti-theists come to R&S specifically to ridicule religious and spiritual beliefs. They seek to shut down any discussion of R&S. They’re emotionally driven to do whatever they can to disrupt genuine discussion religious and spiritual beliefs, and to make R&S an unfriendly place for people to discuss these topics or their experiences. That’s their primary reason for being here.
Lots of people believe in the Book of Mormon and the Koran also because it works for them!
Does that also make sense to you? If so, if this is the criteria for why you/we should believe in such things, which of all these books that seems to work for so many people is not worthy of our faith or belief in them?
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- 10:30am on the following Sunday...
I must've.
