Hi, this is Hermit ( not a real name ). I was having issues with my religion since i was a graduate student. I did not, still do not find my religion convincing. I am not a believer for sure, but not sure if i can declared myself as an atheist. for me it is a strong word.
I am a new member here and joined this community to learn truth and to share some of my views.
Hopefully will get a warm welcome from all of the members and will get many information to get stronger.
And excuse me,for my mistakes in language as English is not my first language.
Thank you
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@Hermit
I can so sympathize with where you're coming from.
For me too, doubt of the validity of Christianity was what led me into exploring other religious concepts out there to begin with. It's only after, that I found all of them being flawed, incoherent, contradictory and ultimately plain false.
What I had underestimated, and have a feeling you might be too, is that just acknowledging your religion as unconvincing or maybe incomplete is a pitfall in itself. It implies there actually might be some truth behind it, without realizing the more important question:
If it's not convincing, what exactly is the most flawed concept to begin with? Or, to rephrase, what kind of original falsehood would lead to other apparent flaws found in your own religion?
People here have found their answer. Hopefully you will too.
Also, atheism isn't a strong word. It is the misrepresented definition of it by religious, uncaring people that might be concerning you.
Hope you get the support you're looking for, people here might be a bit harsh at times, but they're all Closet Sweethearts in reality ( ^u^)
First, welcome to our little corner of Hell. At least that is what the Absolutists would call us.
We are all open and accepting here. And never about English not being your primary language. I have dealt with many persons who do not speak English very well. The only problem I ever had was comprehension. If I trouble with what you say, I'll ask for clarification.
If you think "atheist" is such a strong word, how about this one that I use for theists: "absolutists." I call them Absolutists because their religious beliefs and convictions are "absolute."
The Ultimate Slogan for Christianity: "You shall do as we say and believe as we believe or you are condemned to Hell forever."
For Islam is much the same except, "we shall kill you."
So... C'mon in. Kick yur feet up and set a spell.
rmfr
I didn't hear him say he was a Christian.
I didn't hear him say he was a 'He". What's a Hermit? It's an old man living in the mountains or a crab living in a shell. It could be a human living in a church.
Well Hermit! Welcome to the site. This would be a great place to explain what you believe and why. Here is the thing, the more honest you get with yourself and the world around you, the faster you are going to find the answers you are looking for. Jump on in, the water is fine.
@cog - I didn't hear him say he was a Christian.
Yeah, noticed the unintended assertion, thanks for pointing that out. Engrish isn't my native either, so I'll leave that part unedited as proof and apology at the same time.
Also, I completely agree that this is probably the best place for questions. Ask for answers, and thou shall receive them. Not always in a kind manner, but don't let it refrain you from inquiring.
No one here will rag on you for a question. There are a lot of good people here who are willing to give you their opinions. What you want to do is avoid making assertions that are unfounded or without evidence. Frankly - You will get chewed up for that.
I get chewed up for that and I am on their side. The people around here are critical thinkers and skeptics. You will be called on silly assertions or information that is just wrong not for just seeking information.
Welcome, Hermit.
If you’re uncomfortable with the label “atheist”, call yourself whatever you like.
LOL: Just don't call yourself Agnostic. That is a word that has nothing at all to do with what you believe. Please do not do that. Agnostic Believer is fine. Agnostic Atheist is fine. But if you say "Agnostic" and think you have said anything at all, you have no idea at all of what you are talking about. You can do it, but it will just make you look silly. A whole lot of people think this is a good "go between word." It's not. It does not address what you believe. The response to "Do you believe in a god?" is Yes or No. That is not the same thing as saying a God does not exist, (Think about it.) If you say "Yes" you are a theist. Any version of "Yes" and you are a theist. If you say "NO' you are an atheist. I;m not going on a rant. If you can not make up your mind and flip flop - YOU ARE CONFUSED. (Agnostic is not a resting place to ease your mind while you decide.)
The Hermit,
Welcome Hermit. Unless you think following a particular religion will result in you getting eternal life in some paradise or heaven there's no reason to believe in a deity or to become a member of a religion. Of course there are financial and social reasons for joining a religion and acting as a member but those reasons won't result in you becoming more moral or a better person. They could help you get rich or avoid being killed, depending on where you live.
Frankly I don't care if one particular God exists or if thousands of the critters exist. They are irrelevant to me. One thing is obvious and that is not one of the thousands of God critters has ever done anything godly since some con man invented him. So they are all imaginary.
The only thing a deity can do for you is grant you eternal life in some sort of heaven or punish you with eternal torment in some sort of hell. So if you don't believe in either of those things then there's no reason to worship a deity. After all, you already know the difference between good and evil (right and wrong) so there's nothing a deity can add to that.
delete, wrong thread
Welcome!
Hi Hermit, welcome to this friendly place (Friendly unless you are an arrogant theist with "proof" of god or a variation on the Kalam argument) .
Watchout for Tin Man, he thinks he has a sense of humor, he forgets I am the funny one here...and Cog, whose name should be "Bonfire of the Vanities" as he burns so many assumptions at the stake of his acerbic wit..
You should have a lot of fun here Hermit, dive in, and don't worry about your English, if we don't get it, we will ask.
....*clank-clank....clank...clank...clankity-clank-clank...clank*..... *grinding gears*..... *brief screech of tires*... *strong odor of burning oil wafting by*....
Hey there, Hermit...*cough-cough*...*waving oily cloud of smoke away from face*... Sorry I'm late. Welcome to the good ship AR. We are a fairly laid back group of misfits here, so make yourself at home and relax awhile. Oh, by the way, if Old Man starts getting too high and mighty, just let the air out of one of his back tires. It is absolutely hilarious watching him ride around in circles, especially after he has had a bit too much wine. Looking forward to seeing you out on the field.
@ Muashkis, @arakish @Cognostic , @CyberLN @Diotrephes, @chimp3, @Old man shouts ...
Thank you all for the cordial and warm welcome. I am really glad to hear you from you guys. Now I believe coming here really was a good idea.
Now Yes it is hard to declare myself as an atheist. You know when u become and atheist u don't have any link with heaven or hell , no after life . When u will die , u die. And nothing happen, yes ofcourse your parents or relatives will cry but in the earth, there will be no reincarnation. Nothing. So to be honest I'm a bit scared. I said atheist a strong word just bcoz of this.
Also I can not calculate one plus one = two about religion. Which is pathetic. When u can't make two out of two one what's the point of doing math.So I am going far from religions.
I will be here reading and learning many experience to get closer to the ultimate truth which I know is not that easy to find.
I also have some points of view which sometimes,even go against some atheist people.
I'm here to, you know mixing with everyone else . To be one along with everyone.
And another issue I also don't like violence. So I will be well behaved.
Thank.you again guys
@ hermit
Everyone here would rather avoid dying. Yet we understand it as natural consequence of our very own lives. Feeling fear is just natural and 'somewhat' rational, clinging to it isn't. If you let yourself get paralyzed with fear, you won't be able to take any action when it counts. So yeah, although I understand it's hard, try and keep your fear in check and continue your inquiry.
Also - people here don't find how unverified assertions of afterlife could be any sort of consolation. Having our works and offspring continue our legacy is rather consoling though, and very much grounded in reality.
And having differing views than some atheists is only natural. Even we ourselves don't fully agree to everything. Which is just fine - as it leads us to inquiring even deeper aspects of ourselves and the reality around us, it's how progress is achieved.
@Muashkis
Thank you very much for your explaining reply. i agree with you. scaring can not be a solution. Thank you again
Making the move from FANTASY to REALITY is not easy when you were raised in that fallacy.
What if you didn't believe in magic?
What if you focused on today, rather than a life of fantasy hereafter?
What if there was no magic man watching your every move and keeping track of your every step?
What if you actually were free to do as you like and you discovered you were a really nice person. Not because some God or Religion told you to be that way but because that is just who you are as a human being?
What if you cared about people because it was your will and not God's will?
What if you grasped the idea that calling people who do not think or believe the way you think and believe "sinners, heretics, blasphemers, heathen, whores, or atheists" is, in itself, a sinful thing to do?
What if you saw the inherent hatred of any faith or belief system that separates out groups of people and calls them special while condemning entire groups of other people?
What if you understood that believers in other faiths, believe just as strongly in their gods as you believe in yours, and, for the EXACT SAME REASONS?
What if you lived in this world and were actually free to do as you like and answered to no one? Do you really think you would be different than you are? Are you hiding a horrible alter ego? Would you rape, steal, and murder because your God and religion were not there to stop you? What if you were actually more moral than you give yourself credit for being?
What if only one more God was a fantasy just like the thousands upon thousands of other Gods?
@ Cognostic
Man u r really something. You really can describe what's u believe. I completely agree with you . It would be cool of me to avoid the truth just to get some false hope about the afterlife.
Bitter truth is always better than the sweet lie.
And I agree with some other points u said.
I also didn't understand , why we say , Don't hurt people good prohibited it. Why we don't day don't hurt others they feel bad. Why we don't kill just because God said. It should be coz if we kill the victim will lose his life. For me I should treat people the way I want to be treated not because God says.
It's now 2018 , people should think more.. they just can't follow god blindly. They should open eyes.
Thanks again
"treat people the way I want to be treated"
This is all you need for morality. Works way better than any fairy tale spanning hundreds of pages, that doesn't explain anything.
A human being in the wild is little more than a walking hamburger. We do not have the speed to escape a predator. We don't have armor plated skin to protect us. We do not have a size advantage. We do not have a strength advantage. We can not fly away, out swim or out climb predators. We do not have venom in out bites. We do not have claws. And whats really horrible is that our children need to be protected for 8 to 10 years, longer than any other animal. Before that, a child has no hope at all of escaping a predator. In short --- We should be extinct. So what the hell happened?
The one survival trait our species of human has (There were four other species who died off) is the ability to bond; the ability to form groups. We survive because we know how to work together. We don't kill other members of our species because when we form small clans or tribes the people who did that were kicked out of the tribe or clan. People that could not get along with others were shunned, exiled or put to death. Only the genes of those who were capable of getting along with others were allowed to perpetuate. We learned to protect and care for one another by inventing weapons. We learned to protect ourselves by strengthening our bonds with each other and inventing ways of seeing the world that only our clan or tribe understood. The other clans and tribes believed in false ways or had evil customs that were different from ours... and religion was invented. As man became more and more complex, both his religion and his morality became more complex. Religion is a tool, an acquired belief system that was once useful in assisting human being to bond, form tribes and clans. It contained the rules and morality of any clan or tribe, but it IS NOT that morality and it is not the rules. Religion is created by man to explain rules and morality. The rules and morality are what we need to survive. Religion is simply the case that we stuffed it all into. We simply no longer need the case. With or without the case, in every country and in every tribe or clan on the planet, human moral behavior continues. Those who can not get along in their clan, tribe, village, community, or country are shunned, incarcerated, removed from the group, or put to death. We feel bad about harming others because those of us who survive are MORAL CREATURES. It's who we are. But we are also creatures who will protect ourselves. Our morality is the line we have drawn in the sand between getting along with others and making the choice to eliminate them.