Atheism

@edgarblythe,

Mrs Hinge's reaction is avoidance, per se. She just a bit spiritual, thinks her nan is looking after her and I suspect contemplating the universe's indifference to individual existence isn't a place she wants to go. But I can't see how our different interpretations could lead to an argument. The current world gives her a lot of grief on the 'benevolent god' stakes.

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@hingehead,

hingehead wrote:

. . . that we're special on a cosmic scale.

An excellent, succinct way of putting it.

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@Leadfoot,

Certainly the god squad do on a daily basis.

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I never made it a secret to her. When my kids asked me about church I told them in front of her, "I don't believe in that stuff, but you are welcome to go to church any time you like." My facebook profile has atheist for religious belief.

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@edgarblythe,

https://scontent-dfw5-2.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/85053354_10162958138490565_3160096409361842176_n.jpg?_nc_cat=102&_nc_ohc=NMYKBnFMxP4AX90moNH&_nc_ht=scontent-dfw5-2.xx&oh=68bfc7a2163266b669b9b524ab4e494c&oe=5ECF3439

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@chai2,

Maybe it was mistranslated and they meant toe corns.

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Does being an atheist mean you reject any hope of meeting passed loved ones when you yourself pass.

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@eurocelticyankee,

You could cremate loved ones and mix their ashes. That way they could be together for a very long time.

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@edgarblythe,

edgarblythe wrote:

Maybe it was mistranslated and they meant toe corns.

Yeah. Probably. Hadn't thought of that.

Also, I'm thinking the word "God" was mistranslated and it really should have been "Cats"

If that is the case, I'd be a true believer.

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@eurocelticyankee,

eurocelticyankee wrote:

Does being an atheist mean you reject any hope of meeting passed loved ones when you yourself pass.

This doesn't make any sense to me.

Are you saying that you think that there is some sort of way a human can use some sort of force to "hold together" some sort of sentient "essence" and will remain in orbit with the planet Earth? And that when a loved one (what about people you didn't even like?) also expires, their contained essence and yours will come into proximity with each other, and that each will recognize the other?

What if someone dies and no one knew that part of the essence of them was a closet racist, or a serial murderer, or even worse, liked Celine Dion? Or the opposite in that their essence was kind and gentle, but they managed to hide that in their behavior while living.
Do you think one living person really knows the essence of another? One essence could go up to an essence of one recently dead and say "Hi, I'm the essense of the person formerly known as Earl." The other may very well say "No you're not. Earl never (fill in the blank)

Or do you think this essence expands throughout the cosmos, and is here, there and everywhere and newly dead people will just join into it along with everything else, and will "feel" the presense of those they once knew?

Oh, and are you saying that some sort of god isn't necessary for this, and it's all a DYI?

I know I'm being a bit humorous here, but it's a serious question.

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https://scontent-dfw5-1.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/84396202_2225203714249575_2750394621388390400_n.jpg?_nc_cat=105&_nc_ohc=QkArpeRtCMgAX_9e_85&_nc_ht=scontent-dfw5-1.xx&oh=280c7bdcc34eba7b760f5d06811fc1af&oe=5ECBF8C3

If Jesus was even real and I could as him one question, it would be:

If you're the way, the truth and the light and all that, why didn't you just come out in simple Aramaic and provide empirical proof that couldn't be denied by anyone that the particular god you talk about is real?

If I were Jesus, I would have waited to arrive at a time where actual visual and sound records could be made that couldn't be faked.

Doesn't sound like it would have been so hard Jesus, and would have saved a lot of lives.

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Is it possible for atheists to believe in reincarnation (and karma) as phenomena without attributing the universe to a creator?

Likewise, since Buddhism doesn't make explicit reference to God and/or other creator, can atheists subscribe to Buddhist philosophy and still maintain their disbelief in God?

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@livinglava,

Quote:

Is it possible for atheists to believe in reincarnation (and karma) as phenomena without attributing the universe to a creator?

No, not as the concept of reincarnation is commonly understood. "Karma", however, can be interpreted as "reaping what one sows" and doesn't require the activity or existence of a supreme being.

Quote:

Likewise, since Buddhism doesn't make explicit reference to God and/or other creator, can atheists subscribe to Buddhist philosophy and still maintain their disbelief in God?

Yes. Buddhist philosophy can be practiced as a form of mental hygiene yielding practical results in the real world. Gautama basically established that belief in the supernatural is beside the point.

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@chai2,

My wife died 2 years ago, it was actually her 2nd aniversary last Friday.
As he goes Edgar she was cremated.

Now i don't believe in God as such and certainly have no time for main stream religion.

But i like to think, maybe hope there is something after death and there is a chance i might be reunited with her.

And i don't give a **** what science or all the know alls say or think.

Anybody be they priest or scientist who claims to know what this life is, this universe means is full of ****.

Same goes to anybody who claims to know what happens after death.

Religion says we go to heaven or hell, scientists say we shut down, like a robot.

They're all full of **** and none of them actually know for a fact what happens.

So if it's alright with ye all i'm going to keep on hoping i'll meet her again.

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@eurocelticyankee,

Quote:

So if it's alright with ye all i'm going to keep on hoping i'll meet her again.

I sincerely hope that you do. Where do you think your undying love comes from?

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@chai2,

chai2 wrote:

or even worse, liked Celine Dion?

I just ran out of the room screaming!!!!! You scared me.

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@eurocelticyankee,

The fact remains that Science still cannot either explain the origin of the universe, or the means by which it came into existence. Science, after all is an intellectual discipline based on observation; the development of self-consistent theories to explain its workings; and reproducible experiments and observations to demonstrate their validity. Hard to imagine any of this working attendant to a singularity such as the origins of the mass and energy that started our universe.

Attendant to this elementary fact is that, in much the same way, religions cannot prove their theories about the significance of the human soul or spirit, oits relation to a creator, and what may happen after death. They, however, do emphasize that their ideas are based on real, observable human longings and faith ( the choice to believe) in a particular view of our origins and creation.

With these elementary truths in mind, it becomes evident that atheism (i.e. the denial of the existence of a creator) is itself as much an act of faith as is belief in God.

What is your choice?

1 Reply

@eurocelticyankee,

eurocelticyankee wrote:

My wife died 2 years ago, it was actually her 2nd aniversary last Friday.
As he goes Edgar she was cremated.

Now i don't believe in God as such and certainly have no time for main stream religion.

But i like to think, maybe hope there is something after death and there is a chance i might be reunited with her.

And i don't give a **** what science or all the know alls say or think.

Anybody be they priest or scientist who claims to know wha
t this life is, this universe means is full of ****.

Same goes to anybody who claims to know what happens after death.

Religion says we go to heaven or hell, scientists say we shut down, like a robot.

They're all full of **** and none of them actually know for a fact what happens.

So if it's alright with ye all i'm going to keep on hoping i'll meet her again.

I wouldn't intentionally step on your toes, euro. I speak only for one person and that is me. Everybody else on the thread likewise.

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It's too easy to track evolution and other fields of science and see that a concept of god is an animal's inspiration, an attempt to make it so that the universe conforms to our wishes. That a mere animal does not have all the answers is no argument for the supernatural. Somebody else on a2k makes the argument that when you go about the business of the day you will not expect natural law to be broken. You expect the cause and effect of it all to follow certain "rules." To say, but I feel that it should happen, is no reason to expect it.

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@hightor,

hightor wrote:

Quote:
Is it possible for atheists to believe in reincarnation (and karma) as phenomena without attributing the universe to a creator?

No, not as the concept of reincarnation is commonly understood. "Karma", however, can be interpreted as "reaping what one sows" and doesn't require the activity or existence of a supreme being.

Ok, I see your point about karma; but why isn't there a way for an atheist to think of consciousness as something universal, like a unified field, that localizes in a body for as long as it is hospitable, and then retracts away from that body when it is traumatized or dies?

Quote:

Yes. Buddhist philosophy can be practiced as a form of mental hygiene yielding practical results in the real world. Gautama basically established that belief in the supernatural is beside the point.

Is the Tibetan Book of the Dead a Buddhist work? It does not mention God, but rather only talks about a bright white light of pure wisdom.

1 Reply

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