Atheist Alliance

[Toujours]

You guys are being a little unfairly harsh on the guy. While in the technical sense all Christians have been "born again", there's a certain type of Christian that is considered a "born-again" Christian who evangelizes very heavily and tries to force their religion on other people.

[BZW Golem]

May I join?

I'm not an atheist, but I also don't believe in any religion much..
I actually have no idea what I am and I'm trying to build up my beliefs by some research, talking with people and trying to understand >.>
So I like this kind of talks very much xD

I was born in a catholic family, my family expects from me to believe in God, go to church and things like that..
but my brain just screams every time I have to deal with religious people that don't think for themselves.
I don't agree with the catholic church in many aspects, but because of my family I still have to attend "religion" lessons at school, even after proving that the teacher teaches us some complete idiotic things (ever knew that yoga or acupuncture make you more likely to be influenced by demons?)

[Mockingjay]

Originally Posted by BZW Golem

May I join?

I'm not an atheist, but I also don't believe in any religion much..
I actually have no idea what I am and I'm trying to build up my beliefs by some research, talking with people and trying to understand >.>
So I like this kind of talks very much xD

I was born in a catholic family, my family expects from me to believe in God, go to church and things like that..
but my brain just screams every time I have to deal with religious people that don't think for themselves.
I don't agree with the catholic church in many aspects, but because of my family I still have to attend "religion" lessons at school, even after proving that the teacher teaches us some complete idiotic things (ever knew that yoga or acupuncture make you more likely to be influenced by demons?)

Welcome~

It seems you may a bit Agnostic..

Don't worry, I'm in the same boat. My family doesn't know about my religious thoughts, though. Except my dad and one of my cousins..

I hate religion classes after school. It was dumb.

Did you know that littering is a sin? It's stealing the environment away from others! Oh boy.

[PhantomX0990]

Hmmm, according to the previously linked site...


I'm a gnostic, positive/strong/explicit, broad, indifferent, open, evangelical/active, non-religious atheist.

[QuilavaKing]

Originally Posted by Toujours

You guys are being a little unfairly harsh on the guy. While in the technical sense all Christians have been "born again", there's a certain type of Christian that is considered a "born-again" Christian who evangelizes very heavily and tries to force their religion on other people.

Ah, I wasn't trying to be harsh... I'm just saying, he's using the wrong word. lol

[Shining Raichu]

Welcome BZW Golem! I hope you find our discussions helpful :D

droomph, would you mind telling us a little about yourself and your religious beliefs? I just looked over the thread and the stuff you say seems to be yo-yo-ing a lot and I think we're all a bit confused about it lol. In your first post you seemed very enthusiastic about atheism and then you've sort of transitioned back and forth between that and talking about how great Christianity is - which is absolutely fine, if you want to defend Christianity that's all good. But you've been sending kinda mixed messages so it's hard to tell which it is and what perspective you're speaking from lol

[droomph]

I'm a Christian but I'm really enthusiastic about respecting atheism (and other beliefs) so that people will recognize that not ALL Christians burn Korans and stuff. Soooo I try to make friends with them. But I don't know about the other posts.

[Shining Raichu]

Thanks for clearing that up everything you've said thus far makes a lot more sense now lol

Also, I usually can't stand things like this - I find them utterly obnoxious and I wish Facebook were rid of them, but this one actually managed to make me laugh so I thought I would share it in spite of myself lol

[alehizzle]

^ That got a chuckle out of me.

I'd like to join this one, too. :D

I consider myself an agnostic atheist. I was born and raised in a semi-rural area of Tennessee, which wasn't a problem most of the time but it bit hard when it actually did bite. At some point during my freshmen year of high school, a lot of people thought I was a Satanist and wouldn't even so much as glance in my general direction.

During the last half of my senior year of high school, I was being evangelized by the FCA's student president through hand-written letters and open invitations to events at his church. The first letter incredibly vague, and I kind of thought he had a crush on me or something and didn't know how to phrase it properly. The second letter was a more obvious sign that he was trying to get me to "see the light" and the Bible he gave me with the third letter sent it straight out of the park.

[QuilavaKing]

Originally Posted by alehizzle

At some point during my freshmen year of high school, a lot of people thought I was a Satanist and wouldn't even so much as glance in my general direction.

Wow, that's just messed up. There was an actual Satanist in my high school, and she was friends with everyone, even me... and I'm a Christian. lol

Granted, I always left, or ignored her when she started talking about it, but I wouldn't not be friends with her over it.

[Toujours]

Ugh I felt so bad for this poor girl that was in my sister's high school in 06. Even though she wasn't a Satanist (she was atheist iirc, maybe Wiccan though), everyone assumed that she was and therefore spread a rumor that she was going to bring a gun to school on 6/6/06 for obvious reasons. That day was absolutely terrible for her.

[QuilavaKing]

Oh geez, I bet. She should have skipped school that day.

[alehizzle]

Originally Posted by QuilavaKing

Wow, that's just messed up. There was an actual Satanist in my high school, and she was friends with everyone, even me... and I'm a Christian. lol

Granted, I always left, or ignored her when she started talking about it, but I wouldn't not be friends with her over it.

Heh. It was one of the many experiences I had in high school that allowed me to figure out who my real friends were.

[SwiftSign]

Originally Posted by Toujours

Ugh I felt so bad for this poor girl that was in my sister's high school in 06. Even though she wasn't a Satanist (she was atheist iirc, maybe Wiccan though), everyone assumed that she was and therefore spread a rumor that she was going to bring a gun to school on 6/6/06 for obvious reasons. That day was absolutely terrible for her.

Whoa that's terrible D:

Anyone who identified as Wican was the butt of jokes in my school, all other religions or lack thereof weren't important. To be fair I don't think they were actually Wican, they just liked the idea of 'witchcraft' and missed the entire point :L Real Wicans tend to be lovely.

[droomph]

I wouldn't mind if someone was a Satanist as long as it didn't interfere with their personal behavior. Even altered looks would be fine, but if it starts to affect how you act then good-****ing-bye for you.

Also this applies to any religion that exists (or doesn't)

[Dragonzord]

What are your opinions on subjects such as same-sex marriage, abortion, the death penalty, and so on? Why?

Every individual has the right to pursue a relationship with whomever they so desire without the state interfering. If all parties involved wish to be wed, they may do so in either a civil manner or a religious manner, if they so choose to.

A woman has the right have an abortion if she so chooses. It is her body and her choice to make. In addition, Doctors should not, unless requested, show items such as ultrasounds to the woman in question.

Killing an individual fails to undo that which that have inflicted. In addition, individuals whom are in such positions typically suffer more if held in isolation. I feel the more important question would be 'is isolating a prisoner a morally sound practice?'. Personally, I beleive in rehabilitation, although for matters of public safety do fully understand that some individuals can not be helped.

Why are your beliefs the way they are?

(If the question was in regards to the topic of atheism) God is an unfalsifiable hypothesis, it's really that simple. I typically don't beleive things without proof, or that fail to adhere to the scientific method.

(If the question related to the former on marriage, abortion, etc.) Every person of sound mind has the right to make these choices for themselves. They are the keeper of their temple, the lighthouse of their shore. For another to assert that they objectively "know better" is farcical, and is why we allow people to chose for themselves.

Do you believe in any form of life after death?

No. While it might seem like a nice idea, many afterlives present inherent flaws or issues which diminish their feasibility. For instance, if everyone were to be a reincarnated soul, we would not have seen a drastic population increase as we have. The belief of such, if not a cleverly crafted lie, is likely a defense mechanism which allows for people to let go of the fear of dying or the fear of death.

Do you believe in aliens?

I beleive them to be a much more likely scenario than a God figure, however, our understanding of life is limited to that which we have on this planet. I do beleive it is likely that aliens exist, but I also beleive it likely that we wouldn't even be able to identify them as such. While not a fan of the series, I can't help but think to the old Star Trek episode about the 'living rock' and that the possibility of seemingly inanimate objects being sentient.

Does your family and friends know about your faith? If no, why not?

Discussion of religion isn't really a common topic among my mother and I, nor my girlfriend and I. However, I used to talk about the topic adamantly when I was younger, often challenging people of faith to debate me. For better or worse, I rarely find the time to discuss theology these days.

Do you think separation of church and state is different from freedom of religion?

Separation of church and state is essential, preventing laws and bills motivated by scripture from passing and effecting millions. The grip of religion and its intolerance can still be felt, however, unless individuals are also given the freedom of, and the freedom from, religion.

If God does exist, what do you think it would be like?

Based upon religious texts; benevolent, spiteful, and a petty excuse for a deity.

Personally, I wouldn't mind a God figure like the one shown in The Simpsons. He seems kinda cool.

What are your family's general religious beliefs?

Grandmother (mother's side) is Anglican, but largely for the social interaction. Mother was raised simmilarily but stopped attending as a teenager. She seemingly believes in the Jeudeo-Christian God, in Jesus, and in select other parts of the mythos as many "Christians" today do, but refers to herself as non-religious, both in-person and when asked for paperwork (such as StatsCan).

Grandfather (father's side) was not a religious man. Haven't a clue what my father believes but I'm fairly certain he was not a man of religious conviction, as he never showed himself to be such.

[NeoPsychedelia]

I'd like to join. I'm an atheist, and I've been actively looking for a place to mingle with like-minded people.

What are your opinions on subjects such as same-sex marriage, abortion, the death penalty, and so on? Why?

I believe that everyone, regardless of their sexual orientation, has a right to a relationship and marriage. Ridiculing and taunting people merely because of their gender preferences is probably one of the stupidest and most hurtful things one can do. While taunting and bullying are never necessary, this especially applies to people who are homosexual and bisexual. These people are not a minority, and simply being homosexual or bisexual should never segregate or discriminate them from society. It's tantamount to racism: discrimination based on race, religion, and sexual preference is both unnecessary and stupid, not to mention hurtful.

In all honesty, I don't support abortion unless the mother's life depends on it or other dire circumstances surround it. If a mother chooses to abort her baby because of unprotected intercourse, then I would want the mother to raise the child regardless, mainly because life is a beautiful thing. The child, although difficult to raise, would grow into a unique individual. Every person is unique in some way. If a woman were to abort her baby merely because of a mistake after a night out, then that woman would effectively be missing out on witnessing a child grow into an adult. Financial problems and housing problems for the child would be a challenge, but I personally think just having offspring outweighs these factors. If the child's life is unhappy, then the child should at least be blessed because he or she was given a chance to live.

As stated above for the death penalty, killing an individual for their crimes does not undo the situation. Prison and rehabilitation are better and more practical solutions. Ever wonder why the news doesn't cover anything regarding prison or rehabilitation breakouts? That's because they rarely happen. Life in prison is still a chance at life itself. Ending a life prematurely is simply cruelty to the person who committed the crime. If the person is unhappy in prison and in solitude and cannot bear to live anymore, then it's their crucial choice if they want to continue living or not. In short: no one can decide someone else's fate.

Why are your beliefs the way they are?

On the topic of atheism: I'm a very logical person. I need visual, realistic evidence in order to fully believe something. A universal ancient book and services once or a few times per week are not sufficient evidence. Plus, the events that are covered in the Bible especially are illogical to me.

On the topic of the controversies mentioned above: My above thoughts are basically my own beliefs, spurred from being a victim of patronizing and penalizing myself for illogical reasons. Only oneself can make decisions pertaining to their life.

Do you believe in any form of life after death?

This is probably a question I will never know the answer to. Life after death cannot be proven, just like the existence of a deity. However, there is more evidence contradicting and disproving the existence of deities than there is on disproving life after death. No one's sense of "self" can be accurately measured. Even if brain activity ceases upon death, that sense of "self" being transferred into the next human being born can never be proven. The sense of being in control of your own body is a phenomenon in itself, and if the latter belief is true, then the baby being born would obviously have no recollection or evidence of the last person it "was". I'd say the whole notion simply cannot be proven.

If God does exist, what do you think it would be like?

Just like the way he was portrayed in Monty Python and the Holy Grail.

What are your family's general religious beliefs?

My mother was raised Catholic and my father Baptist; thankfully, neither of them ever forced their beliefs upon me by strictly shoving them down my throat. When I was younger, I attended Catholic church with my mother because she at least wanted me to experience what it was like to believe in one god. I was confirmed and baptized, and I regret accepting both. Around the time I was fourteen, I was becoming skeptical of this whole charade. The existence of all of this seemed illogical. In fact, by the next year, I had completely ceased all religious functions and even protested against saying grace at holiday meals. And here I am today, still adhering to my atheistic beliefs.

[Shining Raichu]

Whoa, tons of activity overnight. This will teach me not to sleep XD - welcome to alehizzle, Dragonzord and NeoPsychedelia!

Ugh I felt so bad for this poor girl that was in my sister's high school in 06. Even though she wasn't a Satanist (she was atheist iirc, maybe Wiccan though), everyone assumed that she was and therefore spread a rumor that she was going to bring a gun to school on 6/6/06 for obvious reasons. That day was absolutely terrible for her.

Holy crap, that is an inventive rumour. Do you know what actually happened to her that day? Did people actually check her for a gun or bully her or did they just avoid her like the plague?

(Neo and Dragon I'mma read your huge posts later, I'm on my way out of the house so I only had time for a quick reply right now XD)

[cyndaqwilfish:)]

I am a Christian and the main thing I believe is that God put us here. However, I do believe in the evolution theory and that we may have been put here as a single cell that later evolved into other things which led up to monkeys and then us. For this reason, I think I am considered an open-minded Christian because I don't believe in all of the Bible, but I do believe that there is life after death. I have seen shows about how diverse nature is and I can't even consider that it was an accident from the Big Bang Theory. I also think that something like a Rapture will happen- humans as a race are extremely selfish, so I think every other life form will go extinct (lke in Wall-E) and we will die also.

[droomph]

Originally Posted by cyndaqwilfish:)

I am a Christian and the main thing I believe is that God put us here. However, I do believe in the evolution theory and that we may have been put here as a single cell that later evolved into other things which led up to monkeys and then us. For this reason, I think I am considered an open-minded Christian because I don't believe in all of the Bible, but I do believe that there is life after death. I have seen shows about how diverse nature is and I can't even consider that it was an accident from the Big Bang Theory. I also think that something like a Rapture will happen- humans as a race are extremely selfish, so I think every other life form will go extinct (lke in Wall-E) and we will die also.

Hm. Well hai thar we would love to have you here.

As long as you can accept other people we can also accept you. But if you can't, we'll have to deal with you won't we? It's all okay, just be who you are

Also, I wanted to mention something our pastor told us this morning:

Roman 14 NIV:

¹ Accept the one whose faith is weak, without quarreling over disputable matters. ² One person’s faith allows them to eat anything, but another, whose faith is weak, eats only vegetables. ³ The one who eats everything must not treat with contempt the one who does not, and the one who does not eat everything must not judge the one who does, for God has accepted them. ⁴ Who are you to judge someone else’s servant? To their own master, servants stand or fall. And they will stand, for the Lord is able to make them stand.
⁵ One person considers one day more sacred than another; another considers every day alike. Each of them should be fully convinced in their own mind. ⁶ Whoever regards one day as special does so to the Lord. Whoever eats meat does so to the Lord, for they give thanks to God; and whoever abstains does so to the Lord and gives thanks to God. ⁷ For none of us lives for ourselves alone, and none of us dies for ourselves alone. ⁸ If we live, we live for the Lord; and if we die, we die for the Lord. So, whether we live or die, we belong to the Lord. ⁹ For this very reason, Christ died and returned to life so that he might be the Lord of both the dead and the living.

¹⁰ You, then, why do you judge your brother or sister? Or why do you treat them with contempt? For we will all stand before God’s judgment seat. ¹¹ It is written:

“‘As surely as I live,’ says the Lord,
‘every knee will bow before me;
every tongue will acknowledge God.’”

¹² So then, each of us will give an account of ourselves to God.

¹³ Therefore let us stop passing judgment on one another. Instead, make up your mind not to put any stumbling block or obstacle in the way of a brother or sister. ¹⁴ I am convinced, being fully persuaded in the Lord Jesus, that nothing is unclean in itself. But if anyone regards something as unclean, then for that person it is unclean. ¹⁵ If your brother or sister is distressed because of what you eat, you are no longer acting in love. Do not by your eating destroy someone for whom Christ died. ¹⁶ Therefore do not let what you know is good be spoken of as evil. 17 For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking, but of righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit, ¹⁸ because anyone who serves Christ in this way is pleasing to God and receives human approval.

¹⁹ Let us therefore make every effort to do what leads to peace and to mutual edification. ²⁰ Do not destroy the work of God for the sake of food. All food is clean, but it is wrong for a person to eat anything that causes someone else to stumble. ²¹ It is better not to eat meat or drink wine or to do anything else that will cause your brother or sister to fall.

²² So whatever you believe about these things keep between yourself and God. Blessed is the one who does not condemn himself by what he approves. ²³ But whoever has doubts is condemned if they eat, because their eating is not from faith; and everything that does not come from faith is sin.

Even if you aren't Christian you should read this, because this helps you in everyday relationships with people. :recommended reading:

Well, I'm off again to save the world! If you have any questions about the passage feel free to ask me, but I'm not sure if 1. I'm qualified to discuss this and 2. If anyone will even read this. So happy reading!

[Shining Raichu]

Well that was a lovely message until line 23 came and contradicted the entire thing. Line 23 basically changed that whole passage from "nobody judge anybody" to "nobody judge anybody, because in the end the non-believers are going to Hell" lol.

[CarefulWetPaint]

So I guess its about time for me to join, technically according to the Australian Census, I am a Jedi.

But I'd probably class myself as more of a agnostic atheist.

Now that formalities are done to the topic at hand.
I actually have no idea what the topic at hand is so I'll join in later when i can figure it out.

But yes andy, it does seem to contradict itself quite a bit, and I'm pretty sure there's contradictions scattered all throughout the bible. (If thats what we are talking about, if not ignore this part.)

[droomph]

Originally Posted by Shining Raichu

Well that was a lovely message until line 23 came and contradicted the entire thing. Line 23 basically changed that whole passage from "nobody judge anybody" to "nobody judge anybody, because in the end the non-believers are going to Hell" lol.

23 But whoever has doubts is condemned if they eat, because their eating is not from faith; and everything that does not come from faith is sin.

You mean this? Oh, I don't know actually...I think what they're trying to get at is "They're gonna go to hell but that's not your business to worry about."

But yeah I have no idea to be honest.

[Shining Raichu]

Well if that passage is meant to say "they're going to Hell but that's not your business to worry about" then it's incredibly interesting why so many Christians believe that it's their duty as Christians to convert other people and save them from that fate.

Also welcome Tom! :D

[droomph]

Originally Posted by Shining Raichu

Well if that passage is meant to say "they're going to Hell but that's not your business to worry about" then it's incredibly interesting why so many Christians believe that it's their duty as Christians to convert other people and save them from that fate.

Because the thing is, that means don't force them. The true way to spread the word is nonchalantly allow them the possibility of accepting the word of Christ and if they do, that's great! You get a cookie.

But if they don't, then well, they didn't want to, and supposedly now is not the time that they will realize the full extent of God's power, however large it really is. You still get a cookie though because you tried.

As a comedian once said, "Jesus never stood on the Mount and said, 'Go forth and hassle!'" It's supposed to be a joke, but sooooooo true.