Not an atheist, but hello.

[Light]

I am not an atheist or a strict follower of any religion, although I do believe in such concepts as free-will, the after-life, a spiritual realm, and consequences for our decisions after death.   I did study science in college, and do enjoy it, but find it's applications limited.  It bothers me that so many people somehow reach the conclusion that science can be some ultimate explanation for everything.  I'm happy to discuss how this is a false belief, and why I have my beliefs.

[The Magic Pudding]

I don't think many people here would think science is the ultimate explanation of everything, not yet anyway.

Their There is a rule here that you can't start controversial discussions until you've completed ten posts, this sounds controversial and possibly provocative.

Anyway welcome, Light.

[Tank]

Morning Light

I had wondered when you joined up a little while ago if you were the owner of Rational Skepticism, who goesbe he same name. Obviously that isn't the case. As The Magic Pudding has pointd out we won't be getting into any deep discussion just yet.

Thanks for making the effort to sign up and join in.

Welcome to HAF.

Regards
Chris

Notes for new members.
The Rules.

Users who comply with forum rules will graduate to full membership after 10 posts.
Till that time your ability to post is limited to the "Getting to Know You" section of the forum.
It is our hope that this small restriction improves the overall atmosphere of HAF.

Some threads you might find interesting.
Where did you get your username from?
10 Things About Yourself
Tell us A Bit About Where You're From
Photography
Non-religious pet peeves
Pets...what do you have?
Favorite Song, with video
How to tell your family you are an atheist.*

*You will need 10 posts before you can add a post to this thread, but you can read it at any time.

[Sandra Craft]

Their is a rule here that you can't start controversial discussions until you've completed ten posts, this sounds controversial and possibly provocative.

Yep, we need to get to know one another before the insults fly.  

[OldGit]

Welcome, Light!

[Recusant]

Hello and welcome to HAF, Light.

I did study science in college, and do enjoy it, but find it's applications limited.

Agreed; science is limited to the study of our universe and the things that exist in it.

It bothers me that so many people somehow reach the conclusion that science can be some ultimate explanation for everything.

Again agreed; science doesn't attempt to be an ultimate explanation for everything— it is an attempt to accurately describe and understand the phenomena we perceive around us. Those who would seek an "ultimate explanation for everything" in science are misunderstanding its purpose on a fundamental level.

I'm happy to discuss how this is a false belief, and why I have my beliefs.

It's reasonable to conjecture that you hold your beliefs either because they were inculcated in you since childhood, or because you had a revelation, or as a result of a personal quest for spiritual understanding, or a combination of the above. I'm happy to wait until you have graduated from the "Getting to Know You" section to hear more.

I hope you enjoy your time reading and posting here.

[xSilverPhinx]

Welcome!

As has been pointed out, science isn't the ultimate explanation for everything. It's a tool for figuring out how things work in the natural universe. Kind of limited as a philosophy.

[Asmodean]

Welcome! At first glance, you seem reasonable enough... And here The Asmo was hoping for someone to bite 

[DeterminedJuliet]

Welcome! At first glance, you seem reasonable enough... And here The Asmo was hoping for someone to bite 

Maybe you can just gum him/her a little?

To OP: Welcome!
I think you'll find that most atheists don't really treat science as a "religion", or even the best philosophy for living their day to day lives. It's just a proven and useful tool. I'm sure, once you get past the probationary period, there'll be good chats about it

[Asmodean]

Maybe you can just gum him/her a little?

Hm... Mebbe so. Just a little bit. Gnaw on a toe a little or something.

[Too Few Lions]

welcome to the forum Light

[xSilverPhinx]

Don't mind Asmo, his bark is worse than his bite

[Asmodean]

Don't mind Asmo, his bark is worse than his bite

That's because Tank is fast... And everywhere   At the same time, too. He trollbranded The Asmo's fan thread, you know. He DID. Did, I tell you. And have you SEEN his post count?! 

(It's true, actually, I usually only bite those who deserve to be bitten, and my standards for deserving it are reasonably high)

[Light]

Wow, thank you all for the welcomes.

And I say wow, because I can already tell that the attitude here is much better than other unnamed atheist forums I've been to.   I like to discuss philosophy, on forums, since, there's really no one in my life who really gets into that talk much.

Also, I'm not here to compete with anyone, simply offer some insights, and in that process I'm sure I will gain many myself.   But, yeah, I do look forward to having some good discussions in the future here.

Glad to already see that people are open to more ideas than just strict science, which hasn't been the case in my experience talking to other atheists.   So that's good,  I have a pretty open-mind myself, so I don't just quote scripture and what not to try to get my points across.

That's all for now.....

[xSilverPhinx]

Just don't expect not to be challenged, though people are more civil here than on other atheist forums. We even have a couple of regular Christian users.

Most of the objections people have are when people try to undermine facts with religion, such as the popular 'teach the controversy' movement that creationists promote over evolutionary theory. Though science isn't the ultimate explanation for things, choosing what are facts is not a democratic process. Something that they don't seem to understand.

But that's just an example of why people defend science over religion - when it undermines facts and confuses the self-correcting process that is peer-reviewed scientific method with laypeople voting for what they believe are good facts for whatever reason and interfering with teaching science because of their beliefs. It can be incredibly frustrating to see people do that I personally see religion as a retardant, and gets in the way of finding real solutions, when science is better equipped to do that, it it isn't a code of conduct or philosophy to live by. It's just a tool.

I don't know how you see these things, but once you reach 10 posts, I'd be interested in reading your views.