Morality is not determined by the church you attend nor the faith you embrace. It is determined by the quality of your character and the positive impact you have on those you meet along your journey
People don't like aethist because you represent their greatests fear ie. that they live their life, die and that is the end of them BOOM EGO GONE !
Most people, even good people, identify with their own ego rather than something transcendent and even when they do identify with something transcendent, they still want to take their ego with them when they go :)
I am not an aethist. Because of personal transcendent experiences I have had which coincide with what Taoist and Buddhist call satori, I feel that, tho we may (OR may not !) lose our identiy, we do lose our EGO and it is the best thing ever. Nothing to fear.
I am not patronizing anyone here. It is really difficult to grow up in a culture where "success" of WHATEVER kind is important, whether as corporate CEO or as a popular Zen Sensi and then discover ( and the Zen Sensi SHOULD know better but often does not) that whatever success you achieved of whatever variety is not in the least important when you leave this life.
Hint: "From the first there is not one thing."
On a larger scale, while fundamentalist await the coming "End of The World", fully expecting it to happen in their life time and if you don't believe in Jesus then he will turn his back on you ( wow, talk about big egos! )and you will live in hell for eternity, one of these day, billions of years from now (most likely) the sun will die and so will we. IF, of course, we are not hit by giant asteroids or other cosmic hazards.
So, one way or the other that "success" you work so hard to get to will be way low on the list of priorities when the big "D" (death) finally comes.
Those who are afraid of losing that shallow shell we call our ego and which means everything to them cannot tolerate someone who acts as a mirror reflecting back their greatest fear.
Aethis dont' have to be guilty of doining anything. Just being that mirror that reflects back their greatest fear seems to shatter what they call "faith."
"Ego" just does not give one the courage needed to confront that may--or may not be awaiting us and so they cling to the analogy as a child believes the fairy tale is literal.
Read D.T. Suzuki 50 years ago and having a great and refreshing visit with him once again.
What is that T.S. Eliot said on one of his 4 quartets about returning to our beginnings? Sometimes I think that is literally true as we grow older, adjust priorities, and come back to who we originally and truly were when much much younger.
As an atheist, I totally agree! Makes me wonder why so many of them want their kids "homeschooled" by women, though. Oh wait--the men tell the women what to teach...
Just total hypocrisy all the way around. Women are used, not respected. There really must be some goddamned desperate ones out there if they would totally sell themselves out like this.
Lost of the eqo means to most people a loss of control and since their "faith" is really pretty shallow much of the time, they dont really have faith in their God; they don't really trust their God enough to really "let go and let God" and so loss of ego makes them feel powerless, helpless, vulnerable, anxious, frightened etc. both in this world and the next.
They fear God rather than really understanding that quite literally God=Love and since God is in us as well as outside us that we just return to a big sea of love like water poured from a cup into the ocean.
In a sense, aethist have more "faith" than the God Fearing who claim to have.
The God must always be the Right Best Only God cause if he isn't they would feel they had been played for fools by a con artist. YOU KNOW how hard that is to accept. Just look at those who worship Palin.
Pretty hard to put all your eggs in one basket and then find out the eggs are hollow, or the basket had a hole in it.
Fear. Big Time Fear of the Unknown reflected in the face of every aethist they come across.
"Happy to change their minds if the evidence supports it"?
Not any atheist I've ever known. They are EVERY bit as permanently locked-up-tight close-minded as the most theist person I've ever known. I would say MORE close-minded, if it were possible. Neither side is the slightest bit open to any evidence that questions their world view.
And to be fair, atheists are fully capable of doing every bit as much damage to their fellow humans as Christians. Or have you never heard of the USSR and the Iron Curtain.
Certainly, in the U.S., it's the Christianists and their Bible-thumping based knee-jerk support for Israel that threatens to blow us all into annihilation.
What religious evidence would there be for an atheist to change his mind on religion? Beliefs don't provide evidence. But if an atheist hears evidence that proves, say that a virus is the cause of what was thought to be an inherited disease, you don't think he would change his mind. Atheist are closed minded when it comes to religion, because there is no scientific evidence to prove God actually exists. Using logical thinking, religions in the world believe that a God created life and that a true God by definition, is all good, knows no evil, and can see into the future and the past. So why is there evil? It is either there is not one, or he is not a God by definition. A true God would never allow evil to exist and yet people are murdered every day.
George H W Bush said atheists aren't really Americans. And I hate that old saying that there aren't any atheists in fox holes.
Some of the most caring, giving people I know are atheists or gnostic, people who would lay down there lives for their loved ones and act way more "Christian" that most Christians.
Atheists feel free to be who you are, but respect Christians right to be who they are. I am a Christian, I love God, and Jesus, and I don't try to change unbelievers minds. Live and let live. Let Christians believe, and be who they are, and let atheists be who they are.
For the record, not all Christians are mean-spirited, rightwing, hatefuls. Many, like myself are Liberal Democrats, with big compassionate hearts.
People don't like aethist because you represent their greatests fear ie. that they live their life, die and that is the end of them BOOM EGO GONE !
ReplyDeleteMost people, even good people, identify with their own ego rather than something transcendent and even when they do identify with something transcendent, they still want to take their ego with them when they go :)
I am not an aethist. Because of personal transcendent experiences I have had which coincide with what Taoist and Buddhist call satori, I feel that, tho we may (OR may not !) lose our identiy, we do lose our EGO and it is the best thing ever. Nothing to fear.
I am not patronizing anyone here. It is really difficult to grow up in a culture where "success" of WHATEVER kind is important, whether as corporate CEO or as a popular Zen Sensi and then discover ( and the Zen Sensi SHOULD know better but often does not) that whatever success you achieved of whatever variety is not in the least important when you leave this life.
Hint: "From the first there is not one thing."
On a larger scale, while fundamentalist await the coming "End of The World", fully expecting it to happen in their life time and if you don't believe in Jesus then he will turn his back on you ( wow, talk about big egos! )and you will live in hell for eternity, one of these day, billions of years from now (most likely) the sun will die and so will we. IF, of course, we are not hit by giant asteroids or other cosmic hazards.
So, one way or the other that "success" you work so hard to get to will be way low on the list of priorities when the big "D" (death) finally comes.
Those who are afraid of losing that shallow shell we call our ego and which means everything to them cannot tolerate someone who acts as a mirror reflecting back their greatest fear.
Aethis dont' have to be guilty of doining anything. Just being that mirror that reflects back their greatest fear seems to shatter what they call "faith."
"Ego" just does not give one the courage needed to confront that may--or may not be awaiting us and so they cling to the analogy as a child believes the fairy tale is literal.
Read D.T. Suzuki 50 years ago and having a great and refreshing visit with him once again.
What is that T.S. Eliot said on one of his 4 quartets about returning to our beginnings? Sometimes I think that is literally true as we grow older, adjust priorities, and come back to who we originally and truly were when much much younger.
There is a Higher Power for me, but one has to be really strong spiritually to withstand organized religion.
DeleteAs an atheist, I totally agree! Makes me wonder why so many of them want their kids "homeschooled" by women, though. Oh wait--the men tell the women what to teach...
ReplyDeleteJust total hypocrisy all the way around. Women are used, not respected. There really must be some goddamned desperate ones out there if they would totally sell themselves out like this.
One more thing that I didnt mention.
ReplyDeleteLost of the eqo means to most people a loss of control and since their "faith" is really pretty shallow much of the time, they dont really have faith in their God; they don't really trust their God enough to really "let go and let God" and so loss of ego makes them feel powerless, helpless, vulnerable, anxious, frightened etc. both in this world and the next.
They fear God rather than really understanding that quite literally God=Love and since God is in us as well as outside us that we just return to a big sea of love like water poured from a cup into the ocean.
In a sense, aethist have more "faith" than the God Fearing who claim to have.
The God must always be the Right Best Only God cause if he isn't they would feel they had been played for fools by a con artist. YOU KNOW how hard that is to accept. Just look at those who worship Palin.
Pretty hard to put all your eggs in one basket and then find out the eggs are hollow, or the basket had a hole in it.
Fear. Big Time Fear of the Unknown reflected in the face of every aethist they come across.
I like us!
ReplyDelete"Happy to change their minds if the evidence supports it"?
ReplyDeleteNot any atheist I've ever known. They are EVERY bit as permanently locked-up-tight close-minded as the most theist person I've ever known. I would say MORE close-minded, if it were possible. Neither side is the slightest bit open to any evidence that questions their world view.
And to be fair, atheists are fully capable of doing every bit as much damage to their fellow humans as Christians. Or have you never heard of the USSR and the Iron Curtain.
Certainly, in the U.S., it's the Christianists and their Bible-thumping based knee-jerk support for Israel that threatens to blow us all into annihilation.
What religious evidence would there be for an atheist to change his mind on religion? Beliefs don't provide evidence. But if an atheist hears evidence that proves, say that a virus is the cause of what was thought to be an inherited disease, you don't think he would change his mind. Atheist are closed minded when it comes to religion, because there is no scientific evidence to prove God actually exists. Using logical thinking, religions in the world believe that a God created life and that a true God by definition, is all good, knows no evil, and can see into the future and the past. So why is there evil? It is either there is not one, or he is not a God by definition. A true God would never allow evil to exist and yet people are murdered every day.
DeleteThe main source of all my doubt is the idea that such a "loving God" would allow children to be sexually abused. This cannot be the will of any God.
Deletec
George H W Bush said atheists aren't really Americans. And I hate that old saying that there aren't any atheists in fox holes.
ReplyDeleteSome of the most caring, giving people I know are atheists or gnostic, people who would lay down there lives for their loved ones and act way more "Christian" that most Christians.
I am a Christian, but I think I act like an athiest!
ReplyDeleteAtheists feel free to be who you are, but respect Christians right to be who they are. I am a Christian, I love God, and Jesus, and I don't try to change unbelievers minds. Live and let live.
ReplyDeleteLet Christians believe, and be who they are, and let atheists be who they are.
For the record, not all Christians are mean-spirited, rightwing, hatefuls. Many, like myself are Liberal Democrats, with big compassionate hearts.
There are people who think of themselves as Christians and people who follow the Fundamentalist brand of Christianity. Big difference, I would hope.
ReplyDelete