Can I claim, for myself, to be a true atheist? I cannot answer that question for myself. Before I came to the realization that I believed myself to be an atheist, I came out of Christian Science. In fact, for over 40 years I studied CS and it had a profound affect upon my thinking. I was content in my thought-embracement of CS. I never thought about ever leaving CS.
I was attracted to CS because they don't believe that Jesus is God (something I never intuitively believed) and CS doesn't proselytize something I very much like. Also, the CS god is a non-personal god. The god of CS is interpreted as spirit, mind, matter, principle, life, truth, and love.
Finally, I came to the realization that even though I thought I was happy intellectually, I wasn't. Believing something to be true, for me, isn't the same as accepting something to be true. I left behind the theology and teaching of CS and now I am a much happier person, because I am being honest my understandings.
My problem has to do with my feelings towards the founder of CS - Mary Baker Eddy. whom I came to admire, respect, and yes even love. Mrs. Eddy was a very complicated person, but she taught her followers to do good, be good, think for themselves, not criticize the beliefs of others, and not proselytize. Basically, I no longer believe in the theology and teachings of, CS but I cannot and will not renounce my admiration for Mrs. Eddy, the founder of CS. In this, am I being a disingenuous atheist?
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Feel free to reply to any comment by clicking the "Reply" button.I am an agnostic - anti-theist.
I'm with Penn Jillette on this:
Agnostic and atheist answer two different questions:
We cannot know fur shur how our universe started: agnostic (without knowledge)
There ain't no all-powerful invisible critters fucking with humans on the earth: atheist (there is no reliable proof of such beings)
And I agree with Sam, and Christopher,... I am an anti-theist because I oppose religionists imposing their mental illness on all us good folks.
JacarC
Level 8
Apr 11, 2019
0
what has admiring a person who is wrong about something and right about a lot of other things got to do with believing that a god or gods exist? an atheist is someone who doesn't believe there are any gods, or who believes there are no gods. there isn't a rulebook. it's not a religion, or a club. it's just a definition. do you stand on two feet? then you're a biped. there aren't rules about what bipeds may do. it's just a definition. do you believe in any gods? no? then you're an atheist. admire who you want!
g
genessa
Level 8
Apr 11, 2019
1
Tomm:
The personal dilemma I have is that I great admiration for an individual who founded a religion. Of course that doesn't prevent from being an atheist. I can live with it, but it does seem very oxymoranish.
Use whatever’s label you want and be true to the definition you have for it in your mind.
indirect76
Level 7
Apr 11, 2019
1
Tomm:
Your right, I maybe making too much of this, Mother Teresa considered herself a christian, but privately doubted the existence of god in her correspondence.
Point one: there are and have been in the past, plenty of good people who also held mistaken religious beliefs and we can admire them for what they do rather than what they believe. Point two: you se m a little confused as to whether you are an atheist or not. Atheists simply have no beliefs in any supernatural deities. They see no need for them. Spend time with us and join in discussio s and you may clarify your thinking.
CeliaVL
Level 7
Apr 11, 2019
0
Never heard of her before.
margarida
Level 5
Apr 11, 2019
0
Tomm:
Let me reiterate, I am a great admirer of Mary Baker Eddy. While I was in Christian Science,i made an in-depth study of her life. Here,are some interesting things about her personal. She was married three times, two of her husbands died. She divorced her second husband due to his infidelity. She had one child (from her first husband) that taken away from, and whole she seldom saw during the rest of her life. Although highly intelligence, she had little formal education. Throughout most of her adult life, she suffered from back pain and renal pain. In middle age, she often took morphine. When she started teach CS almost all of her family turned their backs on her. When she was a child, she suffered uncontrollable fits. She endured many other heart-ships to mention.
With the background of the above and including the fact that when she was about forty years old she was virtually penniless going from boarding house to boarding house, sometime kicked out due to her "crazy" ideas. She lived to by eighty-nine and when she died, she established a religion that went world-wide in her lifetime. From whatever perspective she's viewed, remarkable doesn't even begin to describe her.
You can admire anyone you want and in fact believe anything you want. Definitionally, ALL an atheist is -- nothing more nor less -- is someone who lacks any beliefs concerning any deity. Beyond that ... knock yourself out. There's not an atheist organization, holy book or dogma to conform to. It's just a belief position on a very narrow topic.
mordant
Level 8
Apr 11, 2019
2
Tomm:
By your definition, I certainly quality as an atheist. Thanx.
Call yourself whatever you want. All of your feelings are okay.
It is not "disingenuous" to admire and appreciate people. Being open-minded is a good thing.
As an atheist in a rural area, most of my friends are Christian.
I love and admire Billie; she is a wonderful role model for kindness. Dr. Joseph Roy is the wisest man I know. Both are non-judgmental, liberal Christians.
LiterateHiker
Level 9
Apr 11, 2019
1
Tomm:
Thanks for you encouraging reply.
You can call yourself anything you want.
I personally believe that you can not be an atheist and believe in a God. It doesn't matter if this God of yours is a personal one or not; it's still a belief in God.
kiramea
Level 7
Apr 11, 2019
1
Tomm:
I definitely agree, I just don't see any difference in life between being an atheist, and believing in a non-personal god. For myself, I don't believe in the existence of any god.
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