How do you see, God?

[Maniacc]

i'm not necessarily saying that atheist go from religion to no religion, i just feel like there are far too many religions in the world, and it's natural for ANYONE to second guess "who's right/who's wrong." i believe that's the battle that creates "non believers." athiest tend to look more on the intellectual side of things, where everything has a definitive, and sometimes "tangible" answer. the religious rely on faith, and hold the "unknown" to a higher standard.

Actually im gonna have to disagree with you on this. The majority of atheist don't convert to atheism simply because there are countless religions out there. Everyone has a different way of seeing things, I've always never really believed in religion, even as a kid. I don't think anyone can guess how someone becomes atheist because there are simply too many factors that play a role in it.

the 3 entities is something that i can't give you a definitive answer to...but i can try. God, being the creator of all, needed a means of communicating with man. he sent down a direct decendent of himself, Jesus, whose goal was to physically show man there is a higher power. the Holy Ghost...i have no idea of how to explain it...i'd say it's more like those "feelings" your mom mentioned. i believe our only way of actually seeing God (without dying), was through Jesus...who died at the hands of man. therefore, when we "feel" God, we're referring to the Holy Ghost.

Interesting. What I would argue with this post would be the fact that their is no proof of this happening. And like Jesus, there have been numerous 'deities' before him - so who are we to say which one is true and the truth? Make senses?

because you don't hold a faith in religion, don't mean you lack it. you still hold faith in science. the difference between my faith and yours can be seen if we were both on our "death beds." while i would pray for God to return my health, and give the doctors whatever skill it would take to fix me....you would hope that science alone can fix you. in my mind, your hope, and my prayer, are one in the same. i'm putting my faith in the hands of the Lord, and you're putting yours in the hands of man & medicine.

Like I said before, our definition of 'faith' are totally different. An absense of faith is not a faith - The way I look at science is not through faith, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Faith I look at it as a tool for gaining knowledge. Not a guidance or a sense of comfort. The only minor point of faith we must take is that our senses are reasonably consistent and reliable. That's how I see it.

religious people also live to enjoy life, but death is inevitable. the 2 most traumatic things a human can experience is LIFE and DEATH. to me, life and death represent the "tangible" begining and end of our bodies...while our spirits can't die, they return to the creator. lol, i highly doubt anyone is ANXIOUS to return their spirit to the creator (except maybe suicide bombers), but it is an idea that eases the stress of knowing your life will be over. do you believe that you have a spirit? you've never thought about what the WHOLE purpose of life is? it's just hard to believe that we're here, we go through all of these trials and tribulations, and for it all to be for nothing. is that TRULY that easy to believe? that's harder than accepting God!

When you come to the realization that we're not a 'big' as we might think, you start to wonder and say - who am I, and what makes my life so special. Think about it. Our existence isn't all that glamorous, there are so many things out there that we just can't relate to. Our species in general isn't as advance as we'd like to think it is. Living life is just that, an experience - to me of course. I don't see it as anything supernatural or 'out of this world.'

a trip in reality would tell you that our bodies aren't easy to duplicate. sh/t, our bodies can't even duplicate itself at some points. think about how in the womb, your body creates this perfect human from NOTHING. now what happens when we lose limbs...they don't grow back, but they started from nothing right? what about when we lose large amounts of skin? yeah, sometimes the skin will return, but it will never be the same BEFORE it was damaged. the only possible way for us to duplicate a human (cloning) would be to have a human to start with. although we have to have 2 humans to reproduce, there was still a point where the FIRST humans came from NOTHING....that's something we can't re-create. if you believe we can, and haven't seen it...then why is it so hard for you to believe in a God you can't see????

Your trust in the bible and Adam and Eve have blinded you from truly understand how and why we're here. And why we are/look the way we are/do. If it wasn't for the cro-magnons wiping out the neanderthals - a much lesser intelligent being, we might or could've gone extinct. Cro-magnons lived on, because they were ahead of the game. The times were changing and they were changing with the time.

The whole Adam and Eve story is just that - a story. I personally don't believe it, because it's just not scientifically possible for two mere human beings to populate the Earth. There is just no way. It's a nice way to think about it, a male and female living together in a wonderful field of flowers with no troubles at all - a very nice description of how life was back in that era(hope you catch the sarcasm).

i almost missed the whole last paragraph you wrote. it's true, maybe your day to day life isn't any different if you believe or not, but a little positive energy can't hurt you. like i said, there's a lot of things you've never seen, but feel like there's plenty of evidence out there to support your opinion...well religion is the same way. to me, that's one of the greatest joys faith can give you....POSITIVE ENERGY. i can wake up and enjoy the sunrise and nature just as much as you, but i can also wake up and thank the Lord for giving me life, and being able to enjoy EVERYTHING that life has to offer.

Life in itself would be enough positive energy, having kids, making money, dating, sex, ect. Religion is constantly talking about death and the death of jesus and how bad people go to hell ect ect. While others are out enjoying life for what it really is. I don't see how coming out of a church on sunday morning can boost your energy to an extent where you just feel as if you were to die at that very moment - that everything would be ok. It just doesn't work that way.

[stephen]

Actually im gonna have to disagree with you on this. The majority of atheist don't convert to atheism simply because there are countless religions out there. Everyone has a different way of seeing things, I've always never really believed in religion, even as a kid. I don't think anyone can guess how someone becomes atheist because there are simply too many factors that play a role in it.



Interesting. What I would argue with this post would be the fact that their is no proof of this happening. And like Jesus, there have been numerous 'deities' before him - so who are we to say which one is true and the truth? Make senses?



Like I said before, our definition of 'faith' are totally different. An absense of faith is not a faith - The way I look at science is not through faith, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Faith I look at it as a tool for gaining knowledge. Not a guidance or a sense of comfort. The only minor point of faith we must take is that our senses are reasonably consistent and reliable. That's how I see it.



When you come to the realization that we're not a 'big' as we might think, you start to wonder and say - who am I, and what makes my life so special. Think about it. Our existence isn't all that glamorous, there are so many things out there that we just can't relate to. Our species in general isn't as advance as we'd like to think it is. Living life is just that, an experience - to me of course. I don't see it as anything supernatural or 'out of this world.'



Your trust in the bible and Adam and Eve have blinded you from truly understand how and why we're here. And why we are/look the way we are/do. If it wasn't for the cro-magnons wiping out the neanderthals - a much lesser intelligent being, we might or could've gone extinct. Cro-magnons lived on, because they were ahead of the game. The times were changing and they were changing with the time.

The whole Adam and Eve story is just that - a story. I personally don't believe it, because it's just not scientifically possible for two mere human beings to populate the Earth. There is just no way. It's a nice way to think about it, a male and female living together in a wonderful field of flowers with no troubles at all - a very nice description of how life was back in that era(hope you catch the sarcasm).


Life in itself would be enough positive energy, having kids, making money, dating, sex, ect. Religion is constantly talking about death and the death of jesus and how bad people go to hell ect ect. While others are out enjoying life for what it really is. I don't see how coming out of a church on sunday morning can boost your energy to an extent where you just feel as if you were to die at that very moment - that everything would be ok. It just doesn't work that way.

you're right...there are multiple factors that make someone an athiest. you do realize though, that you did in fact help confirm my idea with a question in your second paragraph...
"And like Jesus, there have been numerous 'deities' before him - so who are we to say which one is true and the truth?"

that question is also an ambiguous question. it all depends on which faith you're asking. every religion feels like they have the right "story." you have to remember, a lot of people are born into their religion. when you live your life believing in something, and feeling like you've experienced it, then it's difficult to one day think "hey, all of that was just fake..."

i don't think we'll ever agree on what "faith" is. we can both show each other different opinions to prove our point, and we'll still never see eye to eye. i really just wanted you to have a better understand on my view (much like how i understand yours).

when i think about why life is more than just an experience, i think more about my impact on others. there's going to be a countless number of people whose lives you WILL impact (the most important...family). there's absolutely NOTHING in existence, that doesn't require the help of something/someone else.

one thing that i don't think you know, is that the bible does mention Adam and Eve as the first human beings, but they weren't the ONLY ones (i'm talking about other people ASIDE from them and their children). you also have to understand that the story of Adam and Eve isn't about how the earth was populated; it has more to do with why man now has to live with sin and struggle. i hear exactly what your saying when you make the references to evolution, mutation, and cavemen....but there is still one question that science CAN'T give a definitive answer on....what's the origin of life? how is that any different than religion??? there are a number of different "scientific" theories, much like there are a number of religions. the difference is, if there are scientist out there who feel like they KNOW how life originated, then duplicate it....create a human from SCRATCH.

you're exactly right when you say that life itself is positive energy. just like a family, money, dating, sex, etc. brings joy into your life, religion does the same for some people. there are people out there who have lost their family, money, health, etc., and sometimes the one thing that keeps them motivated is their faith in God (not everyone, but some people). religion isn't all about death. yes it talks about death, but is death not something that we all have to face? everything that you mentioned also has a hand in death, and we see the stories EVERYDAY on the news, in movies, books, music, etc. atleast once a week there's some special on tv with scientist talking about to HORRIFYING end to earth.

as an individual you have values, goals, and dreams that help you cope with life. if you find something that works for you, then by all means give it your all. i appreciate you giving me a better understanding of how some athiest view things. like i told you before, i respect your opinions whether i agree or not. much respect to you for having an open mind and taking the time to get a better understanding of something you don't agree with. lol, i was always taught, there are 3 things people will never agree on...religion, abortion, and alcohol.