General Discussion

PWPippinesq

(195 posts)

84. Thank you for this discussion, Mineral Man

Sat Dec 29, 2018, 03:20 PM

Dec 2018

I have been an atheist since about age ten, long before I knew the meaning of the word. I had great difficulty in catechism classes having to say that I believed in "the father, the son and the Holy Ghost" since I had no idea what they were, had never seen them and didn't believe in them. Just to cover all bases, I crossed my fingers when saying it in case a god did exist and I was telling a lie for which I might be struck down upon leaving the church. In adulthood, I finally found my way to being a very comfortable atheist and have been for at least 66 years with no god striking me down.

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Atheism is a very, very narrow thing. [View all] MineralMan Dec 2018 OP

Agreed. And atheism is not an end-all concept. no_hypocrisy Dec 2018 #1

Right dvduval Dec 2018 #15

+1 Atheism is no more a 'belief system' than 'non-belief in unicorns' is a belief system mr_lebowski Dec 2018 #2

Or my preferred analogy TlalocW Dec 2018 #14

That is also an excellent analogy ... (nt) mr_lebowski Dec 2018 #22

Exactly. Vinca Dec 2018 #3

Knowing I don't believe in God my catholic boss told me 'happy voodoo day' for Christmas Corvo Bianco Dec 2018 #4

I stopped letting people at work know I was Pagan after a boss... moriah Dec 2018 #16

I'm not sure that a Pagan qualifies as an atheist... Wounded Bear Dec 2018 #21

I only mentioned it cuz of the voodoo comment. moriah Dec 2018 #33

Oooh, what he say/do? TlalocW Dec 2018 #17

I didn't know I was suppose to have voodoo dolls. LiberalFighter Dec 2018 #67

Exactly ismnotwasm Dec 2018 #5

Wouldn't that be more of an agnostic...? Wounded Bear Dec 2018 #19

Pretty much ismnotwasm Dec 2018 #32

Proof is the responsibility of the person making the claim........ USALiberal Dec 2018 #38

Very true, but people like using the white crow theory ismnotwasm Dec 2018 #51

Other things I don't believe in until I see proof: Stonepounder Dec 2018 #69

Can you prove everything you believe? Doodley Dec 2018 #72

Atheism doesn't require certainty. Mariana Dec 2018 #53

Is that agnostic? ismnotwasm Dec 2018 #60

I always understood the difference between Atheism and Agnosticism is Fla Dem Dec 2018 #75

Well said ismnotwasm Dec 2018 #82

I'll not believe it until there is proof of it. No one should. nt USALiberal Dec 2018 #24

This is my point ismnotwasm Dec 2018 #31

I actually think "proving the negative" is how a lot of mathematical proofs are constructed. erronis Dec 2018 #39

Naw, I'm just pointing out why I'm not an atheist using a poor argument ismnotwasm Dec 2018 #47

And most believers are atheistic when it comes to other religions Ron Obvious Dec 2018 #6

One of my favorite quotes: DFW Dec 2018 #7

I like that very much. smirkymonkey Dec 2018 #10

Wow, I just downloaded that very quote pic Duppers Dec 2018 #20

Well, see? There is a higher power! Or you two are "entangled". erronis Dec 2018 #41

By the way, Happy Chrismahannakwanzakah. notKeith Dec 2018 #8

Clearly, you are not Keith. MineralMan Dec 2018 #11

I look at it statistically and logically. mwb970 Dec 2018 #12

I am tired of being told that atheism is a religion. mwb970 Dec 2018 #9

I like that variation on the theme! MineralMan Dec 2018 #13

Me too! bitterross Dec 2018 #26

I think there is another aspect to atheism Kablooie Dec 2018 #18

For most atheists, that follows logically. MineralMan Dec 2018 #23

I've long thought that the concept of "life after death" is a result of luvtheGWN Dec 2018 #56

I think of death as returning to the state you were in... Kablooie Dec 2018 #77

That would be a naturalist by philosophy edhopper Dec 2018 #25

Really, just as I don't believe in supernatural deities, MineralMan Dec 2018 #44

I agree, I don't either edhopper Dec 2018 #49

I don't know how one would rationalize such a belief. MineralMan Dec 2018 #54

As I said edhopper Dec 2018 #57

Buddhism is a complicated religion. MineralMan Dec 2018 #63

There is great YouTube from Buddhistttemple ismnotwasm Dec 2018 #86

I have done some study of Buddhism in the past. MineralMan Dec 2018 #90

There is some indication that time is tied in with observation and consciousness Farmer-Rick Dec 2018 #76

We have plenty of evidence of the effect of time on our lives. MineralMan Dec 2018 #88

And many of us look forward to that end, not through fear or escape, just completion. erronis Dec 2018 #45

You can not assign such things to "all" atheists. A HERETIC I AM Dec 2018 #73

Yes, you are right. I overstepped in my generalization Kablooie Dec 2018 #89

Agreed LiberalFighter Dec 2018 #79

MM edhopper Dec 2018 #27

It's in GD because Republican politics in the US is so heavily tied into MineralMan Dec 2018 #35

fair enough edhopper Dec 2018 #36

Did it bother you? Seems to be a popular post, soo that covers it. nt USALiberal Dec 2018 #40

Not at all edhopper Dec 2018 #46

I tell my friends, "I just believe in one less god that you do!", usually shuts them up. nt USALiberal Dec 2018 #28

That doesn't work on polytheists, though. :) nt WhiskeyWulf Dec 2018 #42

Good point. nt USALiberal Dec 2018 #43

Never thought about it that way, do I say leprechauns DO NOT or I dont believe they do. Eliot Rosewater Dec 2018 #29

I leave believe out of it edhopper Dec 2018 #37

Yeah, do not is what I said. Asking me if I BELIEVE in leprechauns is Eliot Rosewater Dec 2018 #62

absolutely; it's just another version of bothsiderism AlexSFCA Dec 2018 #30

"Faith is believing what you know ain't so." ― Mark Twain yortsed snacilbuper Dec 2018 #34

Wouldn't Sam Clemens have a hay day with the current situation? erronis Dec 2018 #50

Don't forget the greatly missed Molly Ivins. PWPippinesq Dec 2018 #74

Atheism.org definition of atheism (which is the way I've always understood it) ffr Dec 2018 #48

Oh, people define it in different ways. There are all sorts of semantics MineralMan Dec 2018 #59

Atheist churches with sacraments and other trappings of religion confuse me. Marcuse Dec 2018 #66

That is spot on for me. Greybnk48 Dec 2018 #52

We don't believe in all 2000 gods Johnny2X2X Dec 2018 #55

It's not that simple, really. MineralMan Dec 2018 #65

Some of us are skeptics which simply means we need proof, facts, for everything, then we believe. shockey80 Dec 2018 #58

Absolutely TxDemChem Dec 2018 #61

I appreciate the dialogue, MineralMan, though I doubt this question and others like it will ever be in2herbs Dec 2018 #64

Hmm...well, if you look at most religions, you'll find that they MineralMan Dec 2018 #70

What moral compass does the Christian right use? Belief in a God or religious texts does not Doodley Dec 2018 #80

Guides the moral compass? ThirdEye Dec 2018 #87

Well stated, sir! Generic Brad Dec 2018 #68

Yes, they do. And that's a huge mistake. MineralMan Dec 2018 #71

Religion works much better when people treat it metaphorically instead of literally. backscatter712 Dec 2018 #78

And your point? To whom are you addressing this? Do people disagree with you? nt LAS14 Dec 2018 #81

Atheism is narrow if you define God narrowly. Atheism is broad if you have a Nitram Dec 2018 #83

Thank you for this discussion, Mineral Man PWPippinesq Dec 2018 #84

Any difference between atheist and agnostic? Martin Eden Dec 2018 #85

Locking... DonViejo Dec 2018 #91