DairyCreamer
Registered User
*****First, I gotta say is WHOOPS!!!
I intended this to be part of the "Any Athiests Onboard" Topic... so, my apologies for creating a new discussion on this issue. I'd appreciate if you read this with the knowledge that it should be in the context of those other posts, thanks!!*****
I havn't read the second page worth of replies, but, for my $.02, I'm an agnostic.
I find it hard that anyone could actually be athiest, since it's logically impossible to prove a negative outright. Noone can PROVE that God doesn't exist. At the same time though, the idea of proof exactly counters the concept of faith, where faith is where the existance of God lies.
My scientific, skeptical nature prevents me from having pure faith focused on an intangable, however, I would personally never go around ranting that there is no God.
As it has been presented previously, there do seem to be an awful lot of things in the world and universe that are just a little too right to be random. Now, I definintely support the idea that the human race / intelligent life is a statistical probability given the vastness of the universe, and the extreme entropy therein. However, as for the existence of matter itself, while the big bang theory is a viable one in my opinion, I find it interesting that there are an infinite number of puzzles and patterns within matter itself. Even the layers of matter, ranging from the simple beginning of the atom, where now we are aware of quarks, gluons, charms, etc., and all sorts of incredible-to-think-about structures... is it like the idea of tortise on tortise on tortise suspending the world?
There must be SOME origin, somewhere it must stop, somewhere there must be a finite beginning. Humans have, at this point in our existance, neither the technology, nor the collective willingness to make a push toward figuring out just exactly what it is makes us and the universe tick.
I say this in the sense that those people of true faith are faithful until the last, and will always be that way. There is no slight on their part for feeling this way, as it has obviously given them the strength to live a full, complete and happy life. Then there are those of us of science (not to propose, however, that science and religion are truly separate) who strive to know and understand all we can about the universe (or at minimum, know a lot about a piece of it).
It is highly unlikely that, in the current generation, or the forseeable future, that the ideals of pure science and pure religion will mesh into an entity that will explain everything. Simultaneously, it appears that neither science nor religion will individually explain the existance of the universe by themselves without irrefutable proof.
So... I close by saying that everyone's belief in God and their religion or belief set is their own, and noone has the right to change it. Everyone must discover their own individual beliefs, and follow them to the utmost. Thereby, noone's opinion or conjecture regarding the religious nature of one or more entities should ever be outright rejected or otherwise admonished. To be true, skepticism is always welcome, but never absolute rejection (in this context).
Whereby, I personally don't much care in other people's religious opinions when it comes to how it would affect my life (IE - I'm going to hell since I don't pay my faith to the one and only catholic God, as opposed to me saying "werd up my bro" to allah or mohommad, or whatever the case may be). I respect and will tolerate without question anyone's personal belief up until the point that they begin to "shove it in my face" and try to convert me (or some other, less-than-plesant shoving).
So, to be true to the thread's original title. I am not an athiest
That's my take, in small part, on religion... I suppose, mebbe, sorta kinda.
~Nate
I intended this to be part of the "Any Athiests Onboard" Topic... so, my apologies for creating a new discussion on this issue. I'd appreciate if you read this with the knowledge that it should be in the context of those other posts, thanks!!*****
I havn't read the second page worth of replies, but, for my $.02, I'm an agnostic.
I find it hard that anyone could actually be athiest, since it's logically impossible to prove a negative outright. Noone can PROVE that God doesn't exist. At the same time though, the idea of proof exactly counters the concept of faith, where faith is where the existance of God lies.
My scientific, skeptical nature prevents me from having pure faith focused on an intangable, however, I would personally never go around ranting that there is no God.
As it has been presented previously, there do seem to be an awful lot of things in the world and universe that are just a little too right to be random. Now, I definintely support the idea that the human race / intelligent life is a statistical probability given the vastness of the universe, and the extreme entropy therein. However, as for the existence of matter itself, while the big bang theory is a viable one in my opinion, I find it interesting that there are an infinite number of puzzles and patterns within matter itself. Even the layers of matter, ranging from the simple beginning of the atom, where now we are aware of quarks, gluons, charms, etc., and all sorts of incredible-to-think-about structures... is it like the idea of tortise on tortise on tortise suspending the world?
There must be SOME origin, somewhere it must stop, somewhere there must be a finite beginning. Humans have, at this point in our existance, neither the technology, nor the collective willingness to make a push toward figuring out just exactly what it is makes us and the universe tick.
I say this in the sense that those people of true faith are faithful until the last, and will always be that way. There is no slight on their part for feeling this way, as it has obviously given them the strength to live a full, complete and happy life. Then there are those of us of science (not to propose, however, that science and religion are truly separate) who strive to know and understand all we can about the universe (or at minimum, know a lot about a piece of it).
It is highly unlikely that, in the current generation, or the forseeable future, that the ideals of pure science and pure religion will mesh into an entity that will explain everything. Simultaneously, it appears that neither science nor religion will individually explain the existance of the universe by themselves without irrefutable proof.
So... I close by saying that everyone's belief in God and their religion or belief set is their own, and noone has the right to change it. Everyone must discover their own individual beliefs, and follow them to the utmost. Thereby, noone's opinion or conjecture regarding the religious nature of one or more entities should ever be outright rejected or otherwise admonished. To be true, skepticism is always welcome, but never absolute rejection (in this context).
Whereby, I personally don't much care in other people's religious opinions when it comes to how it would affect my life (IE - I'm going to hell since I don't pay my faith to the one and only catholic God, as opposed to me saying "werd up my bro" to allah or mohommad, or whatever the case may be). I respect and will tolerate without question anyone's personal belief up until the point that they begin to "shove it in my face" and try to convert me (or some other, less-than-plesant shoving).
So, to be true to the thread's original title. I am not an athiest
That's my take, in small part, on religion... I suppose, mebbe, sorta kinda.
~Nate