Intellectual Laziness of Atheists

The buddha couldn't have said it better

Thanks for the deep wisdom and insight you have added to this thread.

 

What if:

Whatever one thinks, or feels, or knows God to be (or not to be), is actually a God-shaped, cognative model formed in the mind to recreate one's connection to the divine. It is, hopefully, based on those things that one can perceive in reality and believes to be memorable, important, valuable, good, holy, etc.

This model is the measure of one's spiritual development, which, in turn, either serves to nurture or retard one's growth (intellectual, emotional, creative, cognative and functional) as a complete human being.

Of course, God (or, reality, The Universe, the Divine, The Tao, Allah, HaShem, etc.) transcends all of this. God is greater than any model, or example, of reality. Reality is always greater than anyone's understanding. The Tao that is named is not the Tao.

In this light, I would argue that God is greater than the Bible, the Qu'ran or the Bhagavad Gita. God is greater than Moses, Mohammad, Buddha or Jesus. The Divine is greater than Judaism, Christianity, Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism, Taoism or all religion put together, in exactly the same way that music is more than just the Beatles, or Rock and Roll, or the Western Tradition.

This is not a good reason not to listen to the Beatles, their music is still worth hearing. But you know there is music you have never heard. Just try to imagine what it sounds like.

Of course, none of this is an answer to the question - Why not believe in the possibility? Maybe there is more reality than just what you (and I) know. Maybe God exists and you just aren't ready to see it yet. Who knows?

Just a thought,

Peace and Love

 

yes, bla indeed.

 

Oh yeah, Bla!!!

 

sorry this is a bit off topic, but varuna the line in your sig is one of the best lines of all time

 

Not only have scientists proved "god" or conciousness is the ground of all being...

But they now have proved that you can have your cake and eat it too.

So live it up!

 

how is it intillectual laziness to refuse to pretend to believe that it makes any kind of sense to expect what you believe to be greater then yourself to begin and end with what you think you know about it? i should think the exact inverse opposite would be the case.

 

actually, most athiests are more intellectually active than believers. We do more research, we read more holy texts, because if you are going to not believe in something, you should know what it is you don't believe in. As an athiest, i know more about christianity than many "CHRISTIANS" i know

 

There is a difference between reading a book about something and knowing about something.

 

You obviously aren't familiar with either.

 

the point wasn't that we knew more, it was that we read more, we are more INTELLECTUALLY ACTIVE, hence, thats what i said, not we know more about everything. true i said I know more, but that's because when I read stuff, I learn it. Maybe I'm just a genius......

 

Happy, I'm in no way defending the religious, but you'll be surprised how much some christians read about other religions, a lot more than many athiests.

Sadly, its often about nothing more than 'knowing one's enemy' and gathering intellectual armoury than scrutinising their own beliefs.

To me, the difference between and Athiest or Agnostic and a fundamentally religious person is that the former thinks a lot, while the latter seem to know a lot.

 

You misinterpreted what I wrote (and it was only one sentence): There is a difference between reading a book about something and knowing about something.

 

Misinterpret kharakov?!?

Surely not! Who could EVER do such a thing? He makes SO MUCH logical sense and is at the pinnacle of reasonable thinking.

 

lying in a field,
that may be true, i was speaking on behalf of many of the christians i knew personally. there are both types of people at both ends of the spectrum, really.

 

Yes, i know that. But you have to watch what you say. When you talk in terms of 'us' and 'them', that is 'we' read more. 'they' wont take you seriously. And 'they'll get offended, because you're speaking on behalf of them. Try to say 'some' or 'most of'. I know you're not trying to put them in a box, but don't let it appear that way, because people will use it against you. Its happened to me.

 

i agree with what you're saying, but i did use the terms most and many. I said we....well because i was speaking on behalf of myself and the many other athiests like myself. no hard feelings