"And barefoot in the shallow creek, I grabbed some stones from underneath."

[greygirlbeast]

Yes, I am an atheist. No, I do not believe in the soul...or any other "spirit" inhabiting the human body. Consciousness = mind = the function of the brain. Period. No breath of god/s. Meatbags that have evolved a degree of self-awareness, which can only be considered "higher" relative to other meatbags (say gorillas, or frogs, or sea cucumbers

Comments

[mellawyrden]

I'm curious whether you believe in magic, or energy, that people can stir up and direct in different ways.

[greygirlbeast]

I'm curious whether you believe in magic, or energy, that people can stir up and direct in different ways.

No, I do not. I am not a superstitious person. The word "energy," as used by the superstitious, is the most ill-defined and abused word in their entire lexicon.

[mellawyrden]

How would you define the difference between a living body, and a dead body?

[greygirlbeast]

A living body is alive. It is able to avoid decay, in most instances, via metabolic functions. A dead body has no defense against entropy, and so decays. And the electrochemical phenomenon we call "mind" shuts down as soon as the brain dies, and so ceases to exist. The matter locked up in the body is redistributed, recycled. Only in that sense is any potential energy recycled (for example, scavengers may convert dead flesh into kinetic energy via caloric intake). But there is no mystical event or events. There is simply dissolution and redistribution. Our constituent atoms are close to eternal. Each form they assume, and the functions if those forms, are finite.

[kurtmulgrew]

I've been an atheist for maybe 15 years. I don't understand how anyone still believes all that old superstitious crap anymore in this time and age. I sometimes try to imagine how long it will take for religion to completely disappear from the earth.
Nice pictures by the way.

[greygirlbeast]

I sometimes try to imagine how long it will take for religion to completely disappear from the earth.

Given what we are learning about how the need for religion is hard-wired into most human minds, never.

[mastadge]

I can't remember not being an atheist. I can remember when I realized everyone else wasn't -- that at least some and probably most of the people at shul actually believed and weren't just there for the community and tradition. I still have to remind myself when talking to some family members that they have a basically and fundamentally different idea of the the way the world works than I do, that there will be no reasoning past the teleological/stochastic divide, and that when they're trying to save me they're sincerely worried about the soul in which I don't even believe and not just trying to get on my nerves.

But, yeah, I don't see religion going anywhere anytime soon.

[greygirlbeast]

I can't remember not being an atheist.

Sadly, I do.

[ashlyme]

I'm trying to write about atheism without sounding pompous: but, yeah. I'm godless. I wasn't always, but fear of a lot of things made me Xtian for a time. Now, I'd rather look for wonder and mystery from nature and the human beings I *can* give a toss about. Eternal life scares me far more than the thought that I'm temporary, that the universe is indifferent to me. That said, I'm "superstitious" to the point that I have to salute single magpies for "good luck". It isn't anything more than my own OCD; no different from rattling doors I've locked, or making sure taps are switched off.

[greygirlbeast]

Eternal life scares me far more than the thought that I'm temporary, that the universe is indifferent to me.

Truthfully, I'd not mind eternal life. But that doesn't make it so.

[ashlyme]

I'd like more time than I'll get, but yeah. Reading you on "souls", I thought of an Editors lyric: "all sparks will burn out in the end".

[greygirlbeast]

"all sparks will burn out in the end".

Nice.

[elven_wolf]

In my experience, d) just makes them try to convert me even harder. Most of the time I just have to walk away.

[greygirlbeast]

d) just makes them try to convert me even harder.

Still, I have the intellectual satisfaction of knowing they've lost the game.

[elven_wolf]

True. There's not much one can do beyond that. It truly is like playing chess with a pigeon.

[greygirlbeast]

It truly is like playing chess with a pigeon.

Thank you; I'll laugh about this all damn day.

[ext_999196]

Wikipedia says you're Wiccan. Does that need an update, or are you atheist Wiccan?

[greygirlbeast]

It badly needs an update. I resent that was ever put on Wikipedia. It'd describe myself as an atheist pagan, yeah. It's complicated. If you do the updating, however, be sure to link back to this LJ entry as evidence, or one of the wikipedes will freak.

[ext_999196]

Updated, with link back to this LJ entry.

[greygirlbeast]

Whoa. Thank you. There is so much bullshit in that entry.