How'd You Get Here

Have you always been non-religious?

If not what religion where you?

When did you become non-religious?

And what brought you to your current belief system?

 

Pretty much, I've always been non-religious. The weird thing is most of family is religious, but my father has never been religious. I've never been a church goer, and I've never felt any need for organized religion. So, being non-religious started when I was young, and it's continued.

 

I'm pretty much the same as BeachBoy. My parents were raised Christian, but neither of them ever went to church once they got older. Therefore, I wasn't really raised with organizied religion. But I do believe in some form of Power(s) That Be.

 

I have alway been atheist, and was raised not as an atheist but simply in the absence of religion. I think my mother does actually believe in God, I have no idea whether my father does.


The way I see it I wouldn't go believing in god (or anything) without a reason, and I see no reason to.

 

I simply sense a great mystery in life - in existence. Most religions seems to act like they have the answers, as if they have unravelled the great mystery. The more convinced they are of their correctness the more convinced I am of their ignorance.

I do think there is more to life than coincidence and accidents, but the major religions of the world seem to be the furthest from really understanding the magic that is taking place on this rock. I mean if you can't even accept the beauty of life evolved, how can you begin to appreciate the complex and amazing thing that is unfolding here?

 

Q. Have you always been non-religious?
A. No

Q. If not what religion where you?
A. If calling yourself something makes you it, than I guess I was a lutheran up till about 8 years of age
Other than that, I studied buddhism fer a while and got myself calling me that too.

Q. When did you become non-religious?
A. Well, I've never believed in a god sense I was like 8, but if religious can mean buddhist and still atheist, than I guess I turned non religious later at about 16

Q. And what brought you to your current belief system?
A. My parents were never overbearing on me about religion. They were brought up more strictly with christianity... and they would tell me horror stories about the christian schools they used to go to... but they were hippies their lives... they studied a lot of supernatural things... my mom does rei-ki... my dad does past life regressions and can sense/communicate slightly with spirits... they told me to find my own spiritual path, and so I did.. I really think being christian is caused by being fed it your whole life and not being allowed to disprove of it... they believe in god, but they believe that god is in everything around us... the whole connected life force/energy flow thang...

My brothers also had a lot to do with my upbringing, they were pretty much the people I looked up to in my life and they are smart guys... they've taught me a lot about politics, history, and things like that... they are atheist communists too... "its a family thang, so dont even trip"

I found buddhism because of my friends at the time of my life... were mostly asian... (lots of thai and laos kids in my town) Always been interested in eastern philosophy... so i decided to learn a lot about it.... went to the buddhist headquarters in ny lol... that was cool! meditated every day for a few years...
But I found that enlightenment was the same placebo as Heaven was in a christian sense... To explain this...
you meditate every day, because you will achieve enlightenment someday... this ultimate sense
and you pray and believe in god, to go to a heaven

both are placebos... like sugar pills... you take them and they make you think your going to get better, but really whats making you feel better is yourself... not this spirituality... its just that meditation makes you feel well, and helps you learn about yourself...

There is no higher state of mind, there is no lower state of mind... there are no classes, no values...

thats what I came to

and thats where I stand
No gods, no saviors, just me and my surroundings and what I experience throughout life...

It is the ultimate bliss

 

My whole family is christian and i remember going countless times to church baptise here, communion there. I never bought into it, i thought it was insane (at the time i didn't know what is religion).
People talking about this God character, Jesus guy, putting a white disk in their mouth, putting their hand in dirty "holy" water, my mother telling me to do the sign of the cross, etc... I was raised like a christian but i never bought into it.
My parents are not pushy with their beliefs though.

 

Its all a bit dull for me..we have been on this planet for a very long time and all we can come up with is some bloke 'built' it and we look a bit like him. oh and we may come back if we are good. I realise this only aplies to some religeons ..and there are multiple variations on the theme ...but like i said its all a bit dull for me.

And all these peole that hug trees instead or as well as believe is some infalable entity...well...

 

My parents raised us in a non-religious houshold, and for that I shall be ever greatful. Even from a very young age, I just thought the whole idea was silly. Also, my infatuation with dinosaurs probably helped, what with them being subconciously linked with evolution. I remember when I was in third grade, passionately arguing with another schoolkid that "YES! Humans DID evolve from monkeys!" and him saying we didn't, and also that God placed dinosaur bones on Earth to test the faith of "beleivers". Well, that just did it for me. "Dinosaurs were real, so God is unreal!" Off course, my grasp of evolution, philosophy and the world has certainly matured since i was a eight year old, but still, I'm an athiest.

 

I used to just say I was Christian because I knew my parents were, but as a kid I always doubted all of it. It was strange, I was afraid to speak up because I didn't know I was aloud to think differently. Then when I was 11 I went through a few painful expieriences and lost all religion. By 8th grade, I was reading and studying about Atheism, The Big Band, evolution as well as the bible and Christianity. I decided to just be Atheist and believe in science instead. I suppose I'm rather Agnostic because I'm open to the view of a higher power out there, I just don't agree with any description of this entity in any of the present religions.

 

Honeyhannah

1. Yes
2.As occam has never been religious
[that is , believed in a theory of god proposed by an organisation or single individual, that one takes for their own belief]
He might offer to you why he has never been religious..

It is because religion is words, about words and nothing more.
Human words.

Humans lie..

Occam trusts not the words of men to describe something they can offer NO existent support for.
Religion says god is this or that, and and supports its propositions with more human words. [from a book]
Religion is human acceptence of a story.
The story invariably comes from antiquity so none can question it without doubt.
For none alive today were there.
But. Sometimes it comes from more contemporary sources.. Like the mormons.
An individual, through charisma and the longing of the converts. Creates a new religion. [smith]

Not a single religion has ever shown one iota of existent evidence to support the descriptions of god and his domain of heaven and hell [and all the others]
The sole evidence is AGAIN. the words of humans.
And occam asks ANY to show one piece of verifiable evidence that their interpretation of a god that they describe it . exists.

Occam believes that a creator PROBABLY exists.
The evidence is not words in a book.
Or etherial feelings that such a god must be.
The evidence is the very organisation and complexity of the reality we live in.

If you understand, even peripherally, the MASSIVE complexity and organisation of reality..
You may. as occam has. call that evidence. [but not conclusive]

We are fools who think we understand that direction...Humans, generally, are adverse to the idea that they dont know whats going on.
THAT IS WHY THERE IS RELIGION.
Ego .
Religion exists because we are irrational enough to think we can understand
that which requires reason. Without using reason.

As monty python proposes. [a truely rational school of philosophy..hehe]

"I hope there's intelligent life out there. Cause theres bugger all here on earth"

Which is true...but only 1/2 [] true.
Because we made the statement of ignorance. We Thus take the first step towards understanding.

By such criteria...Socrates is the 'messiah' of man.
And who is to say he was not.

Occam

 

I've never been religious. I wasn't taught any kind of belief or none belief (in fact i wasn't properly concious of the fact that i was until i was abou ten when we had a debate on it). I was always aware and understanding of religions from a young age, so i had the opportunity to associated myself with one of these groups.
My lack of my belief isn't a conscious decision, and I wouldn't call it active in any way - I don't associate myself with the statement 'I do not believe in God' (though I don't) because what i feel isn't so solid as that. It's just not believing. It's hard to explain - I'm sure this last paragraph is just waffling to you

 

weaselpop
Much as occam was raised...
Without much predjudice or dogma.

You sound like an open mind.
Never loose that.
It is the way to wisdom
Or so it seems.

Occam

 

Oh, shucks. *blushes* My ego's going through the roof right now.

 

Weaselpop

Why

What has ego to do with an open mind?

Occam

 

Because someone telling me i have an open mind makes me feel big a clever and, i don't like saying this, superior to those without.

 

WeaselPop

Good stuff.
To hear honesty is a refreshing thing.


Occam

 

Occam, you are making sweeping generalizations. Many religions don't require words and in fact distrust words. This is why you will often see the use of similes and parables; the purpose of the words is to evoke a message. Many of these religions were spoken in a language designed specifically for that religion; the sounds themselves teach, even when they are without meaning. Do not think that scriptures are always written in languages; sometimes the languages are written in the scriptures. The expression and energy of the teacher also transmits messages as does nature. Experience is always fundamental, my dear. How can you even begin to understand it if you are not willing to experience it just because they have words as a subtitle?

 

Nephthys

Quite correct.
Yes it was a sweeping statement... religion is more than words.
To those that accept it.
It can be a way of life..

Experience is always fundamental.
In occams 44 years . he has no experienced one speck of anything that supported the idea that a god described by the majority of human organsised religions..exists.
[he speaks here, specifically of the monotheism, adherents, 2 billion plus.]

If you are speaking of a personal spiritual understanding...that is one thing.
Occam was speaking of the actual existent status of the god described by human organised religion.

He will not say that an individuals belief in a god is false.
He will say that it is a subjective fact..Not an objective one.
The confusion is that many think that because they believe something..
It is a FACT. [verifiably existent]
Now facts are accurate descriptions of reality
If what the religious believe was fact.
The earth would be jamm packed with gods, demigods, deities, minor deities, minions of hell, spirits, ancestors, ghosts,valkyries, angels and 'god is reality'
Occam is no biggot
Each sounds just as reasonable to him as any other..

?

Occam

 

The one thing that we can really prove is that" we were born, we live, and then we die". Does it really matter where people came from or where we go after we are dead? Just concentrate on having a good life in the "right now". Don't act like "well it don't matter what I do now because some god will save me later and then I'll have a better life".