For a newish member who has messaging off, I hope you see this:
You list that you’re agnostic, atheist etc., but you also state that you think god hates you. I would just like to point out that a god can’t hate you or bless you in any way if you don’t believe they exist.
For some that were raised to believe “it’s” always watching, has a plan, ask and you shall receive, it’s difficult not to feel guilt that they’re turning their back on a good & loving being when they first leave religion.
Atheism presupposes there is nothing to reject. One of the most freeing epiphanies I had was the realization that there was no invisible being to thank, or to blame. We alone decide what paths to take and when to fish or cut bait.
I hope that helps you.
Already a long thread, but I guess I'll add to it. The post apparently references someone still grappling with questions and doubt. I have read a lot of responses here about why god does not exist. Great, but fear of punishment for being wrong about that is powerful. It is what keeps so many captive to religion.
I want people to realize it is ok to be wrong. The idea of a vengeful punishing God is oxymoronic. Suppose, hypothetically, God exists. If God is all-powerful, all-knowing, and loving, and cares about your individual life, then such a diety would absolutely understand why you doubt, why you can't make yourself believe. "He" would understand your confusion, because he made you and your brain, with all its limits, tendencies, blindspots, etc. ...all your flaws. NO loving god would punish you for being as you were made.
So what if said god is not loving, but harsh. In that case we would all be hapless puppets tortured for god's amusement, and trying to please such a god would be impossible and pointless.
Bottom line is, fearing punishment for not believing is contrary to all reason. The only thing any of us can reasonably do is be honest with ourselves about our questions and what we think the answers are. No all powerful creator of the universe needs your belief in order to be god. So chill out and just trust yourself to do your best effort. That is all you need.
That rock I stubbed my toe on the other day hates me as much as any deity. Most arguments seem to default to the abrahamic deity and fail to account for the many hundreds humans have invented over the millennia. And none have the will to hate any more than that rock. I've never encountered a freethinker who claimed such crap, either.
People are not always speaking literally when they speak.
I spoke with God last night and … You guessed it... She actually does hate that member!
What time was That? She spoke to me around 9 central.
A god gives one the power to blame it all on someone else. We can't blame anyone, and must endeavor to find answers for our own issues! And some things are just luck of the draw and random chance.
It is much harder to be an atheist than a Christian. We have to take responsibility for everything. They get to shrug off the responsibility with a care free "It's in gods hands" or "the lord works in mysterious ways", such a load of BS.
@brcjacks Yep!
@praytothemilkjug, @brcjacks “I prayed for a bike, but never got one. So I stole one and prayed for forgiveness.”
@Pjsmylz Remember the words of the sages of yore, "It is easier to ask forgiveness, than to ask permission"
chuckle
Good point When I teach my students I always say:
-For Thor's sake
They always find it very amusing and also realise that I don't believe in god
I had a student tell me I was going to Hell once. Of course I didn't respond and gave her no satisfaction, nor did I ever say anything ANTI god in class. Interestingly, she took all my electives though.
@Beowulfsfriend Little twat... I can't believe they he/she did that.
Perfect answer: How do you know?
Or: Cool, Ill be joining Jim Morrison, Kurt Cubain etc.
@tsallinia Yea, well, I knew that 2 years later, as a senior, she was having anal sex to keep her "virginity." Small school with few secrets, even for people like me who tried not to know. And, my kids were there.
@Beowulfsfriend Oh dear... Your story reminds me of a song... Have you ever heard of a band called Garfunkel and Oates?
@tsallinia no, but I will look them up. Tnx
I wonder how many of us can relate to having been raised in a faith community which believed that the scornful sneer or judgment of the Heavenly Father was more emotionally painful than anything imagined.
Even if there WAS a god, it wouldn't hate anybody because:
There's no more evidence for karma than there is for god(s) which is to say none. Don't give up on believing in gods only to substitute karma.
@Theresa_N PLEASE, respectfully, don't tell me what to believe!
Having said that, I'm agnostic so I don't BELIEVE anything. I leave it up to theists and atheists to buy into belief systems.
Having said THAT, I guess I'm more accurately an 'Ignostic Neo-Deist.'
Whew! These labels get complicated sometimes! What that (sort of) means is, if there IS a 'god,' IT is so far beyond our comprehension it's really foolish and presumptuous (among other things) to even pretend to be able to talk about it intelligently.
Finally, my (wild) guess is there IS something--certainly not a personal Abrahamic entity who knows we exist and with whom we have any kind of 'relationship'--which by some unknown definition we can refer to as 'god.'
But we can only do so on this forum if we first go through a laborious explanation, and even then you're inviting a lot of blowback and a very tedious discussion by, usually, dogmatic, 'hard' atheists.
So do me a favor? Don't tell anybody I even brought it up!
It's not a matter for belief, although it is for you. It's a matter of evidence. For karma there is no evidence and it is extremely unlikely, so you are no better than the theists. You believe in something extremely unlikely for which there is zero evidence.
@Pjsmylz You say, "whatever created DNA;" what IF nothing created DNA? What if it ALWAYS existed? I know, that's counterintuitive, because it seems to go without saying it HAD to have been created at some point.
But if the universe has always existed (e=mc√ --. Energy and Mass are two forms of the same thing, so cannot be created or destroyed, ergo the Big Bang Theory is wrong, the Big Bounce says it's an eternal cycle), then so has DNA.
BUT it may be irrelevant, if you say instead, 'Whatever causes DNA.'
THAT is, the physical processes which cause DNA to form in the presence of carbon, hydrogen, oxygen and nitrogen. Since (it's believed) these elements are everywhere, so is life.
We're told 'god' wasn't created, has always been here, and will endure forever. Maybe 'god' is the universe.
Does that make any sense?
Like I said, I border on being Ignostic. It's a mystery because no matter how far down the labyrinthian path you go, you always end up back where you started.
Maybe science will solve the riddle some day.
Good luck.
I just have a hard time believing in 'nothing.'
She may need some help with regards to mental health. She said she felt worthless. I tried to be nice to her and help. She posted that a member was telling her that her life was worth living and they should mind their business. When I read that I blocked her. Didn't want to see her posts. Didn't want her to see mine. I hope she's okay but I'm out.
She continued to be unreasonably combative, so I had to block her too. It’s a shame she’s unable to recognize when people are genuinely trying to help & support her.
Funny! (Though I assume they’re joking??)
I wanted to message them privately but that wasn’t possible. I’m trying to send them some feedback and support.The message is apparently confusing to others but that’s ok. It’s only directed at them based on their bio.
“ I would just like to point out that a god can’t hate you or bless you in any way if you don’t believe they exist.” It’s logically possible for you to disbelieve in god and for god to hate/bless you.
Of course, it’s contradictory to assert god doesn’t exist and then assert god hates you.