Use of Calendar. Shame follows
It's been nearly two months, which means it's almost time to update. But seeing as it's Christmas I thought I'd jump the gun a little as a gift to you guys. Another result of this period of holiday cheer is that I'll actually be writing a non-fictional entry today. I know I've said that before (and many of you actually believed me), but this
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Moving right along...
It's really cool to see you writing a serious entry. You do it well. I also really enjoyed it for hearing your view point, because it is different to most people I know...
I've been christened as my parents used to be somewhat religious. At primary school, we were given religious instruction classes and I remember having an argument with one of the teachers and more then half the class about evolution. My parents also tell me that one day, when I was 6 years old, I came home and declared that I did not believe in God, because how could there be a God when kids were coming to class who had been beaten up by their parents.
So, for years, I didn't believe in any sort of God. I called myself an aethiest without knowing their was an alternative name 'agnostic'.
It seems to me that all signs point to there not being a God, it seems to me that we are probably just machines for our genes... (And did you know that they've discovered a part in our brain that makes us have what we call 'religious experiences?') and I've never doubted evolution, it just makes sense. However, BECAUSE of how much we know about our world, it seems to show to me that there's still a heck of a lot that we DON'T know. We're so small in such a gigantic fucking universe, how can even begin to think we might be getting our heads around it?
Therefore I cannot call myself an Aetheist. I think you are right when you said to Lucas that Aetheism is a religion of sorts.
However, I LOVE the sounds of the group you are in. By what you say, it sounds as if I live by the ideals of Aethiesm. Because, yeah, while the question about whether or not we physically exist is interesting... it does not seem to be unanswerable. In which case, there is no point asking that question in seriousness.
One must accept that they are physical and one must accept the responsibilities that come with that acceptance. There is a lot of joy in the physical and in living, whether we have any meaning or not.
Sorry if I babble a bit, you're obviously more well-read in the matter then I and so probably all I say sounds silly... but I just really enjoyed your entry.
Blah. I don't even have time to proof-read this because our computer still needs work and I'm about to be kicked off... so sorry it's going to be a real jumble!
I'd like if you could suggest any reading matter though...? I'm guessing we have no such groups in my small town... but you've got me interested! (and I've often meant to read up on Kneechee so...
I'm going now.
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No offense intended, everyone.
I used to be an agnostic too, until I read an article by Douglas Adams about atheism. I forget what he said, but it had a big effect on me.
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But it's not like I know you well enough to be able to take such an entry as anything but serious! It's in my nature to take people seriously and give them a bit of credit when they start talking about their beliefs. You don't wanna go messing about with people's beliefs! Although I was surprised to see you acting a teensy bit overzealous, I don't KNOW you very well!
Yeah, it all seemed a little contradictory... but still interesting curse you! I got that you were making fun of yourself but still thought you meant some of what you said.
I simply figured, hoped, that you might actually HAVE some good arguments! I thought to myself 'hmmm, perhaps he can offer a different perspective...'.
SORRY. I'll just go crawl into a hole and die now!
Ok, in seriousness though, you DO call yourself an Atheist? If so, why? Be nice! In serious! I really am curious! :P
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I don't really like talking about religion, because atheism actually has nothing to offer. A lot of atheists seem to forget that. I don't WANT other people to be atheists, because they'd probably be happier in their current religions anyway. We don't promise an afterlife or divine justice or anything like that, so there's really no reason to tell people to become atheists. If atheism IS so correct and logical, then, it should be our gift to the world to make sure nobody ever hears our arguments.
Sadly, I have no choice. One of the few things in the entry which is based on reality, is that once you become an atheist, there's no going back. Nothing will ever, ever happen to you that you cannot logically explain. In the movies people always go "Oh, we survived the planecrash! There must be a God!" If you're smart, this should never happen. You SHOULD say "We survived the planecrash. This is because the plane came with liferafts. If god wanted us to survive he probably wouldn't have crashed the thing in the first place." Any other response is emotional and very poetic and beautiful and all very nice, but is unfortunately total bullshit. If you really believe in God, then you shouldn't say he would save you anyway. If you believe in Heaven, then all that matters is the afterlife - everything up until then is moot, so God saving the plane or getting you a good job would be entirely pointless.
I haven't actually listed any of the arguments for atheism yet. You may have noticed. I have many arguments. I can't be arsed listing them here, and as I said, there is no point. It's an argument I don't actually want to win. But seeing as you've asked... I guess it all depends on how much you trust the human race. There's a problem with souls, you see. Philosophically, they can't exist. I mean, pretty much anything can exist within the realms of metaphysics and philosophy, but souls can't. They are a faulty concept that are unable to explain any of the stuff that happens to us, and they have been abandoned by philosophers. Christian philosophers have tried to come up with a way of explaining how a soul could exist and still be compatible with the real world, but for two thousand years they have failed. I won't explain all this, because it's hundreds of years of philosophy at play. Read the books yourself if you want to find out about this stuff. But anyway, if there's no soul, there's no afterlife. So there, philosophy has actually proved something worthwhile.
The lack of an afterlife is a serious problem if you want to believe in the god we all know and love. Not that big a deal, though. There's other complications like the Problem of Evil, How God Created Himself, and Why Is It All the Miracles Stopped Right About When Science Arrived? But these are all fairly superficial. The main reason I'm an atheist is because there is not one single fact nor piece of evidence that suggests to me that there is a God. If we start off believing nothing, and then slowly build up a base of knowledge by observing and thinking about evidence, we should never come to the conclusion that there is a God. There is no proof, there is no evidence, but most importantly, there's just no need for one.
The most important thing to me is Truth. I want to be absolutely sure that the things I think I know are actually True. Believing in God involves taking a step away from that, and moving into Faith. But why would I have faith in something that doesn't make any sense to me? The answer is, I wouldn't. That's why I can never be anything other than an atheist.
That's my general mindset, why I don't think we should believe in God. What I haven't said is why we should definitively say there isn't a God. I can't be bothered getting into that. Maybe if I meet you for real one day and we both get drunk with a couple of hours to spare.
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Yeah, that was one of the many points that drove me out of my belief of the existence of a god. With September 11 for example, as I was slipping away from the church, people there were saying things like "god is testing us" or "god needed them to be with him". There are so many illogicalities within those reasonings that it is simply laughable.
I don't want to go rubbing people up the wrong way here, but I just really feel sorry for them.
I am also one who could discuss my reasonings for hours, but in the end, it's up to the person, and if they have their mind firmly set in mere "faith", there's not a whole lot anyone can say to change that.
Though I would love to discuss my thoughts on the subject with both of you at some point. Just not in writing - it would take months.
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You're right. 'Tis a topic best talked about when tipsy!
(Though I can't drink so I'll just have to settle for a sugar high)
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