Question

[Whitney]

How did you become a moderator?

I bought domain/hosting and uploaded the forum onto it  

So, you're the "creator" of this obviously designed, cyber-space reality, or did it just pop into existence ex nihilo?  

I'm going to assume that's not a serious question.

[Crow]

I'm quite busy these days Crow, I'll probably be back and active on the first of July.
I recently read a book called 'The Tao of Islam - Sachiko Murata & Annemarie Schimmel'
Here's a review of this book from Amazone.

Yeah that's fine I totally understand. The review of that book makes it seem like a butchering of the Taoist philosophy mixed with elements of Islam that seem very conflicting to both sides, as Tao isn't anything to do with a god but more like the building blocks of the universe, I personally see it as a reference to the everything and nothingness of matter and anti matter.

The reason I wanted to know your view on the comparison was because yin yang isn't good and evil, male and female, but rather the balance between everything creating a cycle, here is a quote from the Tao Te Ching "difficult and easy complete one another" for one example you can apply this to learning; when you first start it is difficult but as you gain more knowledge in the area it becomes easy in effect creating a cycle that has a beginning and an end that is both finite and infinite.

[iSok]

I'm quite busy these days Crow, I'll probably be back and active on the first of July.
I recently read a book called 'The Tao of Islam - Sachiko Murata & Annemarie Schimmel'
Here's a review of this book from Amazone.

Yeah that's fine I totally understand. The review of that book makes it seem like a butchering of the Taoist philosophy mixed with elements of Islam that seem very conflicting to both sides, as Tao isn't anything to do with a god but more like the building blocks of the universe, I personally see it as a reference to the everything and nothingness of matter and anti matter.

The reason I wanted to know your view on the comparison was because yin yang isn't good and evil, male and female, but rather the balance between everything creating a cycle, here is a quote from the Tao Te Ching "difficult and easy complete one another" for one example you can apply this to learning; when you first start it is difficult but as you gain more knowledge in the area it becomes easy in effect creating a cycle that has a beginning and an end that is both finite and infinite.

I find this a very interesting topic Crow, but the amount of work I have to put into uni is quite overwhelming.
Anyway, I'll try to post now and then.


Can you define God? What do you mean with 'God'?
I understand in the way that God has created the universe and is essentially One. (In every religion)
But what is the essence being One, what makes Him One?
And how does He relate to creation and what makes Him different than creation?

[Black36]

No, I am not doubting Atheism. My original post may have seemed patchy and convoluted. I apologize, I was merely trying to get my thoughts out as quickly as I could.

No I was doubting my long held "faith". Some may call it a crisis of faith. While I see at the moment, I will probably not go back to it. I have tried to find God down many avenues and many faiths (whether I attempted to practice them or not). Each time, minus my confirmation, I felt outside of the faith. It was to the point I envied those who could believe so much and feel like they were connected to an ethereal being. Let me clarify that last statement by saying I envied the faith and not the religious persecution of homosexuals, women, abortion, and all other forms of zealotry and hypocrisy. I tried reaching out to those in the faith community to help me out. No one could give me a logical, reasonable point of view that could make me believe.

For a while, I took solace in the verse Proverbs 8:17, "I love them that love me; And those that seek me diligently shall find me." That maybe one day I will find the way. I also took solace in John Paul II's "Fides et Ratio" where it stipulated that faith and reason could coincide. I also knew that the Vatican Observatory has helped make some discoveries to the cosmos.

But, through all that, I simply cannot let my reason and logic accept that a God exists. Every religion is so quick to say the others' God does not exist or that that God is "dead" (i.e. Zeus). If all others are wrong, what makes the Abrahamic religions right?

I have more faith in my fellow citizens of this world to help out when things get tough than a deity.

My doubt stems from the fact that I feel foreign to everything right now. As I stated previously, I expected an adjustment phase. A phase when I would feel away from everyone. I am inquiring to the atheists out there in this forum, for the ones that once did believe in a higher power, how did it feel like to them when they became an atheist?

I must say, on a side note, this forum does seem to stick to the name. I'll admit, I was a bit hesitant about posting, but I see now that insecurity was moot.

I'm confused by your use of the word faith. Did you have doubts about what you had faith in or doubts about faith itself? And if the latter, I don't quite follow.

[Black36]

Welcome!

I wish I could help you out, but I'm another who never had a "living faith" in any god. As a child I would have mandatory exclusively Christian religious studies in school, and since I was an avid reader at the time (no TV) I quickly associated the stories in the bible with the fantasy and fairy tale books I had, so it never "stuck", right from the beginning and was I deprived of future opportunities to see it in a non literal way. Not that I feel my life has been impoverished by my atheism, though, religion is just not my cup of tea.

I find this quite sad, being raised in the environment you described. I am a Christian parent of three, and I find the family environment you describe quite alien. No wonder you have gone in the direction you have. I would have probably done the same. However, have actually read the Bible to find out what it really teaches, or do you just assume that your experience as a kid is the Biblical experience?  If the second part describes you, may I encourage you to take another look. Wacky theology is what inspired Martin Luther to read for himself and not depend on other's viewpoints about reality to guide their worldview. I just prayed for you.

[Black36]

How did you become a moderator?

I bought domain/hosting and uploaded the forum onto it  

So, you're the "creator" of this obviously designed, cyber-space reality, or did it just pop into existence ex nihilo?  

"I'm going to assume that this is not a serious question?"

It is and it isn't. Isn't this what one must assume if there is no Creator?  And if there is no Creator, then an infinite regress is the only philosophical conclusion as to why anything exists. I suppose one could assume in an oscillating theory, but an infinite regress or oscillating models for reality do not account for why heat death has not yet occurred. And since heat death has not yet occured, something outside of the physical realm had to wind everything up, in order for heat death to be the ultimate result. You thought my question was absurd. Of course your forum did not pop into existence. But what puzzles me is that the atheist is left with such a conclusion for reality's origin, if such a one was to adhere to such a worldview. Just an observation.

[DeterminedJuliet]

To respond to the original poster, yes I have thought of it, and I am open to the idea that there is some kind of "universal reality", but I don't find the specifics of Christianity, or any major religion very convincing.

And this is coming from an ex-christian, so I have "been there" with the whole embracing Jesus thing.

[xSilverPhinx]

Welcome!

I wish I could help you out, but I'm another who never had a "living faith" in any god. As a child I would have mandatory exclusively Christian religious studies in school, and since I was an avid reader at the time (no TV) I quickly associated the stories in the bible with the fantasy and fairy tale books I had, so it never "stuck", right from the beginning and was I deprived of future opportunities to see it in a non literal way. Not that I feel my life has been impoverished by my atheism, though, religion is just not my cup of tea.

I find this quite sad, being raised in the environment you described. I am a Christian parent of three, and I find the family environment you describe quite alien. No wonder you have gone in the direction you have. I would have probably done the same. However, have actually read the Bible to find out what it really teaches, or do you just assume that your experience as a kid is the Biblical experience?  If the second part describes you, may I encourage you to take another look. Wacky theology is what inspired Martin Luther to read for himself and not depend on other's viewpoints about reality to guide their worldview. I just prayed for you.

To tell you the truth I don't really care. Religion as a whole is just not for me.

I also find believing in life after death, the resurrection of Jesus and a personal god to be almost impossible, and without those core beliefs, it's pointelss.

But like I said, I don't view the way I see my existence to be impoverished by my atheism, in fact, it helps me cling onto what I feel is really important.  

[Black36]

Hello.  I'm Willow from Manchester.
I have joined the forum because I'm tired of the isolation of being an atheist among a friendly Christian community.
Questioning everything and making up my own mind according to debate and research is hard work and I can see the comfort in obedience, but for the fact that it is irresponsible to just take the word of any one person or source without question.
I'm also a parent of two small children, and have the opinion that they didn't ask to be born and that I have a duty to them, but the reverse is not true.
Hello.
Willow.

Hello. How do you know when its right to stop questioning and just settle for a conclusion?

black, if you ask another question related to religion before you reach 50 posts I'm going to start deleting your questions so that they won't add to your 50.

This is a philosophical question, not a religious one.

[Black36]

Welcome!

I wish I could help you out, but I'm another who never had a "living faith" in any god. As a child I would have mandatory exclusively Christian religious studies in school, and since I was an avid reader at the time (no TV) I quickly associated the stories in the bible with the fantasy and fairy tale books I had, so it never "stuck", right from the beginning and was I deprived of future opportunities to see it in a non literal way. Not that I feel my life has been impoverished by my atheism, though, religion is just not my cup of tea.

I find this quite sad, being raised in the environment you described. I am a Christian parent of three, and I find the family environment you describe quite alien. No wonder you have gone in the direction you have. I would have probably done the same. However, have actually read the Bible to find out what it really teaches, or do you just assume that your experience as a kid is the Biblical experience?  If the second part describes you, may I encourage you to take another look. Wacky theology is what inspired Martin Luther to read for himself and not depend on other's viewpoints about reality to guide their worldview. I just prayed for you.

To tell you the truth I don't really care. Religion as a whole is just not for me.

I also find believing in life after death, the resurrection of Jesus and a personal god to be almost impossible, and without those core beliefs, it's pointelss.

But like I said, I don't view the way I see my existence to be impoverished by my atheism, in fact, it helps me cling onto what I feel is really important.  

Ok, but I'll keep praying for you.

[xSilverPhinx]

Welcome!

I wish I could help you out, but I'm another who never had a "living faith" in any god. As a child I would have mandatory exclusively Christian religious studies in school, and since I was an avid reader at the time (no TV) I quickly associated the stories in the bible with the fantasy and fairy tale books I had, so it never "stuck", right from the beginning and was I deprived of future opportunities to see it in a non literal way. Not that I feel my life has been impoverished by my atheism, though, religion is just not my cup of tea.

I find this quite sad, being raised in the environment you described. I am a Christian parent of three, and I find the family environment you describe quite alien. No wonder you have gone in the direction you have. I would have probably done the same. However, have actually read the Bible to find out what it really teaches, or do you just assume that your experience as a kid is the Biblical experience?  If the second part describes you, may I encourage you to take another look. Wacky theology is what inspired Martin Luther to read for himself and not depend on other's viewpoints about reality to guide their worldview. I just prayed for you.

To tell you the truth I don't really care. Religion as a whole is just not for me.

I also find believing in life after death, the resurrection of Jesus and a personal god to be almost impossible, and without those core beliefs, it's pointelss.

But like I said, I don't view the way I see my existence to be impoverished by my atheism, in fact, it helps me cling onto what I feel is really important.   

Ok, but I'll keep praying for you.

You really don't have to. I'm sure there are way more productive and important things to do with your time.

[Black36]

Welcome!

I wish I could help you out, but I'm another who never had a "living faith" in any god. As a child I would have mandatory exclusively Christian religious studies in school, and since I was an avid reader at the time (no TV) I quickly associated the stories in the bible with the fantasy and fairy tale books I had, so it never "stuck", right from the beginning and was I deprived of future opportunities to see it in a non literal way. Not that I feel my life has been impoverished by my atheism, though, religion is just not my cup of tea.

I find this quite sad, being raised in the environment you described. I am a Christian parent of three, and I find the family environment you describe quite alien. No wonder you have gone in the direction you have. I would have probably done the same. However, have actually read the Bible to find out what it really teaches, or do you just assume that your experience as a kid is the Biblical experience?  If the second part describes you, may I encourage you to take another look. Wacky theology is what inspired Martin Luther to read for himself and not depend on other's viewpoints about reality to guide their worldview. I just prayed for you.

To tell you the truth I don't really care. Religion as a whole is just not for me.

I also find believing in life after death, the resurrection of Jesus and a personal god to be almost impossible, and without those core beliefs, it's pointelss.

But like I said, I don't view the way I see my existence to be impoverished by my atheism, in fact, it helps me cling onto what I feel is really important.   

Ok, but I'll keep praying for you.

You really don't have to. I'm sure there are way more productive and important things to do with your time.

Not according to my worldview.

[Whitney]

How did you become a moderator?

I bought domain/hosting and uploaded the forum onto it  

So, you're the "creator" of this obviously designed, cyber-space reality, or did it just pop into existence ex nihilo?  

"I'm going to assume that this is not a serious question?"

It is and it isn't. Isn't this what one must assume if there is no Creator?  And if there is no Creator, then an infinite regress is the only philosophical conclusion as to why anything exists. I suppose one could assume in an oscillating theory, but an infinite regress or oscillating models for reality do not account for why heat death has not yet occurred. And since heat death has not yet occured, something outside of the physical realm had to wind everything up, in order for heat death to be the ultimate result. You thought my question was absurd. Of course your forum did not pop into existence. But what puzzles me is that the atheist is left with such a conclusion for reality's origin, if such a one was to adhere to such a worldview. Just an observation.

enjoy your 1 week ban for repeatedly violating the 50 post rules

[Whitney]

black has been banned for a week for not following instructions to avoid religious conversations while under the 50 post restriction.

[Whitney]

Hello.  I'm Willow from Manchester.
I have joined the forum because I'm tired of the isolation of being an atheist among a friendly Christian community.
Questioning everything and making up my own mind according to debate and research is hard work and I can see the comfort in obedience, but for the fact that it is irresponsible to just take the word of any one person or source without question.
I'm also a parent of two small children, and have the opinion that they didn't ask to be born and that I have a duty to them, but the reverse is not true.
Hello.
Willow.

Hello. How do you know when its right to stop questioning and just settle for a conclusion?

black, if you ask another question related to religion before you reach 50 posts I'm going to start deleting your questions so that they won't add to your 50.

This is a philosophical question, not a religious one.

You need to read the rules before your 7 day ban is over.  Absolutely no controversial topics should be brought up by anyone who has less than 50 posts.