Over the past year or so, i have been questioning my existence, and my belief in god and religion and many other things. I have decided to become agnostic, and not follow religion, but i have decided to do this for many reasons.
I have come to realize that it does not matter if "God" exists or does not exist. To me it does not make a difference, because i will never know if there is a god until i die. So, with this theory i have decided to live a life without religion, for the sole reason that it is pointless and a waste of time IMO.
I realized that it does not make a difference in what i believe in, because look at all of the different religions out there. They cannot all be right even though they all preach that they have the right way of doing it. Some of these people also will kill in the name of "god" or kill themselves for that matter. These people believe that they are good people, although they are commiting crimes that are terrible, but as long as they do it for god it is ok.
This has made me think, "who cares what religion i am?" even if there is a god, with all of the different religions out there it should not make a difference if i decide not to be brainwashed into believing them. As long as I lead a rich, fulfilling, happy life, and i am a good person, I should have no problem if there is any form of afterlife. This so called "God" will not put me into hell just because i decided not to worship his existence.
Another problem that i have with religion is prayer. If you think about it, it is the most pointless aspect of religion. I could sit on my ass and pray for more money, but God is not going to just give me more money. However, if i take matters into my own hands, i can get myself the money i want. God is not going to affect my life in any way. I have control over my life and i decide what happens in it, not god. This is why i would just rather live my life without having to worry about if god is watching me or not. If i live my life the way i please, i think i am being a better person than those who are killing mass amounts of people for a God they have no idea even exists.
I may have just been rambling on about complete nonsense, but tell me what you think about my idea. I think it seems alot more rational than blindly following some religion that will never give me any form of results for my prayers. I would rather do things on my own, and if there is a God and he/she wants to help me, go ahead, but i will have no idea that this god helped me in the first place, so it doesnt make a difference.
The Burden of believing in God
I think religion sets good ethical and moral standards to live by. Praising a god though, is another thing entirely. Better some people praise god than join a suicide cult or idolizing celebrities though.
It does matter what a person believes in. If you don't believe in anything you'll just wind up another piece of shit.I realized that it does not make a difference in what i believe in,
Jake Raye
Re: The Burden of believing in God
This is backwards thinking in my mind. Of course God won't just give you more money. For on the thing, He tells us in the Bible that the love money is the root of many injurious things. Also you can't just pray and expect whatever you ask for to come true. He's not a GENIE! You have to work in accordance with what you ask for.Troyson wrote: Another problem that i have with religion is prayer. If you think about it, it is the most pointless aspect of religion. I could sit on my ass and pray for more money, but God is not going to just give me more money. However, if i take matters into my own hands, i can get myself the money i want.
Just my thoughts.
Good job on actually thinking about this stuff. Not enough people do that these days.
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BainbridgeShred
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shredzilla
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Cheers.Chim-Chim wrote:It does matter what a person believes in. If you don't believe in anything you'll just wind up another piece of shit.
What about all the "pieces of shit" like Betrand Russell, Albert Einstein, Douglas Adams, Lance Armstrong, David Attenborough, Marlon Brando, Bill Bryson, Bruce Lee, and HP Lovecraft to name just a small amount of the large number of athiests who have still managed to achieve a great deal in life without having any need for any kind belief in a god or higher being.
Just wanted to point out that Albert Einstein has quite a few quotes supporting the existance of a God.Jeremy wrote:Cheers.Chim-Chim wrote:It does matter what a person believes in. If you don't believe in anything you'll just wind up another piece of shit.
What about all the "pieces of shit" like Betrand Russell, Albert Einstein, Douglas Adams, Lance Armstrong, David Attenborough, Marlon Brando, Bill Bryson, Bruce Lee, and HP Lovecraft to name just a small amount of the large number of athiests who have still managed to achieve a great deal in life without having any need for any kind belief in a god or higher being.
And they're all either taken out of context or made up. Albert Einstein was very clear on his opinions about God:Bander87 wrote:Just wanted to point out that Albert Einstein has quite a few quotes supporting the existance of a God.Jeremy wrote:Cheers.Chim-Chim wrote:It does matter what a person believes in. If you don't believe in anything you'll just wind up another piece of shit.
What about all the "pieces of shit" like Betrand Russell, Albert Einstein, Douglas Adams, Lance Armstrong, David Attenborough, Marlon Brando, Bill Bryson, Bruce Lee, and HP Lovecraft to name just a small amount of the large number of athiests who have still managed to achieve a great deal in life without having any need for any kind belief in a god or higher being.
"It was, of course, a lie what you read about my religious convictions, a lie which is being systematically repeated. I do not believe in a personal God and I have never denied this but have expressed it clearly. If something is in me which can be called religious then it is the unbounded admiration for the structure of the world so far as our science can reveal it." [Albert Einstein, 1954, from Albert Einstein: The Human Side, edited by Helen Dukas and Banesh Hoffman, Princeton University Press]
"I received your letter of June 10th. I have never talked to a Jesuit priest in my life and I am astonished by the audacity to tell such lies about me. From the viewpoint of a Jesuit priest I am, of course, and have always been an atheist." [Albert Einstein to Guy H. Raner Jr, July 2, 1945, responding to a rumor that a Jesuit priest had caused Einstein to convert from atheism. Article by Michael R. Gilmore in Skeptic magazine, Vol. 5, No. 2, 1997]
I practically agree with you, except that I didn't decide that I am not going to believe in God anymore. I got confused in 11th grade, because first of all, I moved out of state...away from my Lutheran church which is hard to find. I have a feeling that maybe being out of my normal practice may be a reason why I feel this way, because ever since I moved, I've been to a bunch of different non-Lutheran churches, trying to find one to stick to. But I don't seem to like their ways of service. I actually miss the Lutheran service.
But my second reasoning of why I feel this way is because of my world history class in 11th grade. I'm now a sophomore in college, so I've been in question for a while now. But what this class did was teach me that a long time ago, people kept making up these different religions and saying that this one is right and this one isn't...believe in this God and not this one. So I started to feel like everyone was just making stuff up or something. Then we had a Lutheran, a Catholic, and a Protestant (I think) pastor visit our class and tell us about their religions, and one of them said that he actually didn't believe in God for a while. That was the first time I was given the idea (especially by a pastor) that I didn't have to believe in God. And EEEEVER since then, I've been questioning His existence and waiting for some sign. In a way, I just want to smack that pastor for saying that and confusing me.
But that's how I feel about this. I'm pretty much in question as to whether or not He exists and trying to find out for myself, but I still practice my religion to some extent until I do find out.
But my second reasoning of why I feel this way is because of my world history class in 11th grade. I'm now a sophomore in college, so I've been in question for a while now. But what this class did was teach me that a long time ago, people kept making up these different religions and saying that this one is right and this one isn't...believe in this God and not this one. So I started to feel like everyone was just making stuff up or something. Then we had a Lutheran, a Catholic, and a Protestant (I think) pastor visit our class and tell us about their religions, and one of them said that he actually didn't believe in God for a while. That was the first time I was given the idea (especially by a pastor) that I didn't have to believe in God. And EEEEVER since then, I've been questioning His existence and waiting for some sign. In a way, I just want to smack that pastor for saying that and confusing me.
But that's how I feel about this. I'm pretty much in question as to whether or not He exists and trying to find out for myself, but I still practice my religion to some extent until I do find out.
Chrissy Fryer
How will not believing in god make me turn out like a piece of shit? Its not that i dont believe in god, its just i dont care if he does exist.Chim-Chim wrote:It does matter what a person believes in. If you don't believe in anything you'll just wind up another piece of shit.I realized that it does not make a difference in what i believe in,
I am never going to truley know if he does exist, so i do not want to devote my life to praying to something that i have no proof even exists.
the point that i am trying to make is that i can still be a good person without religion. I do not need god, or an absence of god for that matter, in order to keep me in balance and keep me from doing bad things. I just want to do whatever will make me happy in life, and i cannot go to temple and pray to something, because in my heart i will not believe what i am praying for. For me, religion is a waste of time, and being associated with it will just make me unhappy. If i get sent to hell because i do not care if god exists, oh well. If that does happen then i think that is pretty crappy of god to send a good person to hell because i do not worship his rules.
Crap, there's no edit...
I also wanted to state that ever since I moved SOUTH...near this Bible Belt thing...I've noticed that Southerners (sorry if you are one, I don't think I mean to be real offensive) believe in God very strongly, and they annoyed that crap outta me with how much they worship God and depend on Him sooooo much. That also made me think a little bit. I don't know, maybe you have to experience it for yourself, but they seem to pathetically believe in God. Like overdoing it or something.
Also did you ever watch Contact? Part of that movie is about the existence of God, and for the most part, I agree with Ellie (the main character), but when Palmer Joss asks if she loves her father, and then after she said yes, he said to explain that, and she couldn't answer him, and he explained that that's how he explains that God exists...that part made me wonder. Even more confusion...
I also wanted to state that ever since I moved SOUTH...near this Bible Belt thing...I've noticed that Southerners (sorry if you are one, I don't think I mean to be real offensive) believe in God very strongly, and they annoyed that crap outta me with how much they worship God and depend on Him sooooo much. That also made me think a little bit. I don't know, maybe you have to experience it for yourself, but they seem to pathetically believe in God. Like overdoing it or something.
Also did you ever watch Contact? Part of that movie is about the existence of God, and for the most part, I agree with Ellie (the main character), but when Palmer Joss asks if she loves her father, and then after she said yes, he said to explain that, and she couldn't answer him, and he explained that that's how he explains that God exists...that part made me wonder. Even more confusion...
Chrissy Fryer
there is a difference between religion and spirituality
you pray for things you cant control, not things you can
all religions struggle to acknowledge the same things, they just dont want to admit it to each other
spirituality is not a waste of time
you pray for things you cant control, not things you can
all religions struggle to acknowledge the same things, they just dont want to admit it to each other
spirituality is not a waste of time
Shreddaily wrote:
Started with sparse low lines, built intensity with rythmic variety, went to 16th note lines in high register, than went to octives, than block chords for my last chorus... If you understood that last sentance than you should be playing music and not checking the internet.
i dont mean to say that it is a waste of time...its just i do not want to include it in my life. I would rather not have to constantly question whether or not god does exist, because its not like god is going to make any changes in my life that i know he has made. I would rather do things as i please, and if god helps me out along the way even better 