Memory is subject to the subjective parts of your brain, your subconscious. Less than objective not more. The chemical and electrical impulses created by and perhaps contributing to an emotion are not the emotion. The study of emotions would be relegated to psychology and a great deal of psychology is subjective. Other concepts such as individuality, belief structures, thought processes, and all sorts of other phenomenon are naturally subjective. Dreams are subjective. Your imagination is subjective. Aspects of markets are subjective based on this human component. Advertisers do their best to brainwash your subconscious but much of it is still your own. Science will get you through most everything but to prop it up as the sum of all human potential and achievement is what it seems like you are doing. Replacing God with Empirical Knowledge as if it is the key to life, the universe and everything
Welcome Which God? Christian? Allah? Zeus? Flying Spaghetti Monster? There are literally thousands. There's also a list of people who have been considered deities. "To me I see a pattern of" chaos created by centuries of sheep following anyone in a robe that pretended to know what some particular God wanted when in reality they often were simply interpreting the text of scriptures to suit their needs and or ambitions.
I used to be a militant agnostic but I suppose I am too optimistic for it anymore. I choose to believe there are some things that can be known and experienced about God. I'm willing to be wrong if you are
thousands + 1 I personally don't think there is a single person on DP that would want the stories of Zeus to be true more than me. Zeus was badass and would shove a lightning bolt up your butt quick for using his name in vain.
I would like to make a distinction between what we don't yet have enough technology to study, and that which is by definition impossible to study. Emotions them selves are just electrochemiconeural impulses. We don't yet understand the information codified in these impulses, but I guarantee you we will. We can also study the effects of this emotion, ie Brain scan, heart rate, vocal expression etc. This would give us a pretty good understanding of said emotion, if done on enough people. A god is another thing entirely. This god would have to live outside of the universe, and thus be absolutely unobservable. No technology could see him, her, or it. Thus a god would be unstudyable, not observable at all. Yet it still interferes in our universe? Reductio ad absurdium.
I believe what I can see and prove, which eliminates most religions. However I am spiritual and walk the path of Taoism, but that's not religion, it's a way of living. Science can prove just about everything, so I tend to go by what it says. As for death/afterlife, I'll deal with that when it happens. No point in worry about it until then since there really is no way of knowing.
I can respect that. I would consider that close to how I live. I try to focus on being a whole person and following a code of behavior I think and feel is "correct". A lot of that becomes faith based. As far as concepts about the nature of God or Gods, I seek out that sort of thing in a personal quest for wisdom more than for any sort of afterlife benefits.
You don't need religion to be good, though. Certain people lack common sense to the point where they can't tell good from bad, but that, of course, stems from good or bad parenting (as do religious affiliations). It's an endless circle.
Atheists don't assume. We just don't believe in deities. There was never any claim to know there were no Gods... and why gods? Why not any other mythical creatures? Should we be agnostic about all of those? We simply do not believe something without evidence. If I was God I would definitely accept you into heaven. Also the atheists, since they wouldn't be like little kids calling out to me every second and putting words in my mouth. I would consider them spiritual adults.
Many theists don't claim to know that god exists, they simply believe he exists. As a Atheist, from your quote above, you don't claim to know god doesn't exist, you believe he/it doesn't exist. There is little difference. Most Atheists, it would seem, don't like being put in the same camp as the religious because it makes them feel stupid. They have a need, like most of us and perhaps more, to feel intellectually superior. The existence of a juju man in the volcano, fairies, unicorns, or the Keebler elves wouldn't answer any of the questions that science doesn't. Why are we here? Is there a purpose to my life besides reproducing like a rabbit? How did the universe/life begin? How did so much order come to be? Why is killing wrong? The concept of God provides answers to some of these questions, religion and philosophy others. Science is working to gain some answers to some of it's beliefs without physical evidence by building new tools for observation and measurement. Perhaps one day the light of science be sufficiently bright to make general statements with a high degree of confidence regarding the existence or non-existence of god(of course we would have to define the meaning of the word first). I'd say that until science can say with some confidence how many dimensions there are, and fully explore those dimensions, perhaps the science pundits should hold off on making any general and authoritative statements regarding the existence or non-existence of the unknown.
The christian god is certainly impossible, the characteristics attributed to him alone prove that. An all loving entity that will, and more importantly wants to, torture you forever just for not believing in him? it makes absolutely no sense.
Maybe you were too young or skipped most of it. The belief of the bible is not blind following. Throughout the bible from beginning to end it does indicates to follow by faith and let it grow. With this growth you become what they say "stronger". The faith of Christainity has a lot of hard proof for those willing to step into it. Its not just "yo, let's do what the bible says". There are a fair bit of Christains out there who do just that, but some proud few don't need to worry about that because they have gotten their proof. When you read the bible and heard the loads of testimony's of people actually linking with God on a personal level are not examples of only the past. People experience them today. By saying that you don't believe in God because there is no solid proof is completely ridiculous the way that I look at it, and here's why. You have no solid proof that God, in fact, does not exist but you are simply willing to blindly believe that right? Does not make sense that you are unwilling to side one way without proof, but willing on the other. It kind of sounds like you are choosing to not believe for other reasons that have nothing to do with it such as ex: to fit in, etc. You need to be neutral about it with an open mind so that if you find out that God existed you don't blow your chance at what the bible says "inner happiness" and "filling the gap" the same way you should be open to find out that God does not exist so that you don't waste your efforts in life not something that's not even true. I'm not buying it. People shouldn't believe what they want. There are plently of clans who believe in illegal activities which hurt individuals and I think they shouldn't have the right for those types of beliefs. Also most athiests do not "try out" religions. Many just stood in a group of other athiests when growing up and stayed that way. Athiests don't know much about religion whatsoever. I found it hard to believe that even you read through the bible which such a basic judgment like "just believe" after that book. Religion is not for help with being good. I don't know much about other religions but appearently its so that people can get a void filled inside them. An empty spot that is filled with "the holy spirit" they call it. Although it seems a tad strange its pretty basic, I'll explain so that you may be able to, at least, be able to correctly be in a topic like this. Based on the bible everyone has a soul. It makes you YOU. Its hard to explain what it is, but once you are a Christain and accept all of it your soul is replaced by the Holy Spirit, which is somewhat like "God lives in you". Its a soul like yours but with the Holy Spirit you have the ability to freely understand what cannot be understood by the average Joe on the street. You can see things that eyes cannot see, hear things that cannot be heard, etc. Basically, in a nutshell, its a opened door to knowledge. This is what God calls a gift to you(just like Heaven). I don't go to church, I don't like Christains too much, I have a really hard time believing the way God is according to the bible, but I refuse to just believe in Christainity because its impossible for me to believe it. I got my proof 100% so there's no blind faith for me. Of course the Christains are more crooked then the atheists. Always scamming, conceited, the manipulation so that they can do wrong and make it right in their mind, and most of all....I mean MOST OF ALL, the churches greedily grabbing as much money as they can getting rich then throwing off the money everywhere without a sense of wise spending. They spend it like it was given and they beg for it like bums. I agree and am happy that people think different. Everyone's got a different view through their eyes. But for the most the difference of opinion is because of a difference of lifestyle, upbringing, or life situations. Heaven is just one gift out of a million according to the bible. The Christains are way beyond this "I get to go to heaven business". Its the most basic gift, heck, its offered instantly once you become Christian without any cost whatsoever. You don't need to go to church, be good, whatever. The Christians use the faith to fill gaps in their hearts and all of that stuff. They like use the faith in order to gain security in their life. The list goes on for 999,998 more things. Heaven is just a faction to the point of Christainity. The whole point of the bible is for while you are alive now. You don't know the bible, let it go. You totally got this 100% wrong man. God does not send you to hell, He does not want to, and won't, for not believing Him. I think you are referring to those movies where some dude goes to the gate of heaven and they look him up and then he's got a bad record so they send him to hell. It doesn't work that way based on the bible, that's hollywood you are talking about. However I think you do believe in God yourself. If you didn't it would be sad since you seem to live to hate something that is suppose to not exist with your siggy, your little DP group and internet sites.......Sounds kind of pointless to run around hating God(the one who does not exist...) Liar. You cannot prove God does not exist more than you can prove that God does, but you like the topic starter chooses to not. Science has not brought prove to the table yet, its all inconclusive stuff but you believe that too? It sounds like you are making an effort to believe in anything but God becuase you have a grudge against the Religion. Its ok. It does mention in the bible why people automatically are against Christainity and will just jump on any wagon passing by like science and Aliens on earth........
After thinking about it no I don't because they came from childrens books. That's about the only evidence found on them. We can agree that Christainity has a far bit more evidence further than that so that's a bad example to stump me. A already said it before. You believe in God. Who would start a whole group with so much hate against an enemy who "doesn't exist".
I am an Atheist . The surest way to atheism is a thorough reading of religious "holy" books. and Read Richard Dawkins - "God Delusion" to get answers to all your questions
It's not just that. We don't want the minds of future generations being poisoned. We want them to think critically and not ignore evidence. Probably the way I got there. I was skeptic about religion since I was a child though. I was even grounded for saying I didn't believe in God so I just kept it to myself until I was a little older.