Happy Atheist Forum

I woke up one day recently and felt a deep desire for some sort of spiritual belief system. Up until that point I hadn't really thought about it, I guess I just assumed that when you die nothing happens.

I tried looking for answers but almost immediately hit a roadblock: how can you possibly know which religion is correct (or even if any religion is correct)? I did a quick search for an unbiased view on this matter (from someone who had approached the issue from a similar direction to me, rather than from someone who had blindly followed what society or their family believed in) but couldn't find what I was looking for.

I decided to start a forum myself where believers from all religions and spiritual belief systems could share their view point. I would appreciate it if anyone who believes strongly in a particular viewpoint would weigh in on discussions with their point of view. And, of course, anyone who wants can view discussions.

Thanks for your help.

...And you decided to advertise your forum here in order to what..? Steal some members..?  

Quote from: "Asmodean"...And you decided to advertise your forum here in order to what..? Steal some members..?  

No don't let him steal you, though I suppose we could get this guy in.

(https://www.happyatheistforum.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi.imgur.com%2FkT32G.png&hash=d9a8bd4abc8c7b0d56ac825c4db2025622e35a91)

I'm heavy, thorny and I tend to kick and bite. Not the ideal candidate for theft  

url removed from OP and warning issued.

I'm sorry, you seem to have gotten the wrong end of the stick. I do not wish to steal members from the forum, quite the opposite. I would simply appreciate the input from people who have thought about religion a little more than me and who have concluded that atheism is the answer. Both forums can exist in parallel without affecting each other. In fact, the fulfill completely different objectives.

Given this, I would appreciate it if you added the URL to the original post, however I understand if you feel it is inappropriate.

jonagik,

Why ask atheists which religion is best?  All religion is a pile of woo that depends on followers who are afraid of death and need the comfort of an afterlife.  

If you are having touble with the thought that your death will be the end of you, then there are many religious forums where you can ask your question.  Good luck in your search.

Honestly jonagik...a google search can take us to thousands of forums. I reckon many members here have been to quite a few. But....

What you're telling us is that you have a desire to be spiritual and are willing to listen to other people's testimonies...point's of view...to find what spiritualism you can latch onto? And these will/may be unbiased sources?

Good luck on your search.

I think you should make up your own.  That way you don't have to follow anything you don't agree with.

Quote from: "jonagik"I'm sorry, you seem to have gotten the wrong end of the stick. I do not wish to steal members from the forum, quite the opposite. I would simply appreciate the input from people who have thought about religion a little more than me and who have concluded that atheism is the answer. Both forums can exist in parallel without affecting each other. In fact, the fulfill completely different objectives.

Given this, I would appreciate it if you added the URL to the original post, however I understand if you feel it is inappropriate.

So hi,
First of all, nearly all religions available today are based on one central figure, that is called god or something similar. And nearly everything known at the time of the inception of that religion is attributed to that central figure. Anything and everything that was out of human control, understanding or attainability was attributed to that central figure. There are a few exceptions to this structure, in that, some religions to not attain this central figure, rather a set of guidelines to represent it, slight difference in structure, even slighter difference in outcome.
So when you feel the urge to seek a religion, you first need to find out why do you fell this urge? and exactly what would you expect from religion to provide in order to relieve that urge. Religions, apart from what i mentioned before, have other quantities associated with them, so if and when you find one religion that can or would relieve the urge you specifically had, you need to be aware of a few less obvious caveats that come with that religion.

Religions are monolithic units, they come as a whole package, with exclusivity contracts attached to them.

There is a penalty for early withdrawal, in many cases quite a large one, and the earliest available withdrawal date in most cases is the same date as your own expiry... not a very generous option.

There is, in most cases, an obligation regarding your opinions about all other religions and people following them, and those obligations necessitates that you hold a deeply negative opinion about them and to treat them accordingly.

And since religions in most cases are a monolithic unit, there are also numerous other obligations that you will have to pick up and work with, in spite of the fact that you only needed a solution for one or a few small and simple issues that you felt you had.

In short, there is nothing that religion can offer you in a very convoluted and cumbersome way that you cant achieve in a simple concise and satisfying manner.

"Religion" is one of those words that don't mean very much.  Everyone has a favorite definition; but since your neighbor has a different definition, it's best to find a different word.   Kinda like "atheist," or "Christian."

Oh... if anyone decides to use a different word, please don't pick "spiritual" or I swear I'll go ballistic.

I kinda like "spiritual", if only for the extreme reactions it provokes.

Quote from: "Thumpalumpacus"I kinda like "spiritual", if only for the extreme reactions it provokes.

You are bad....soooo bad...*chucklin*

(https://www.happyatheistforum.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Foi56.tinypic.com%2F2jadz85.jpg&hash=50cc6bfb8403d3e040773c96eef6dd7eeebcf674)

Quote from: "'Matt'"I think you should make up your own.  That way you don't have to follow anything you don't agree with.

Agreed. I actually have to develop my own religion for my Anthro class.  

Quote from: "Cite134"

Quote from: "'Matt'"I think you should make up your own.  That way you don't have to follow anything you don't agree with.

Agreed. I actually have to develop my own religion for my Anthro class.  :D

Quote from: "Cite134"

Quote from: "'Matt'"I think you should make up your own.  That way you don't have to follow anything you don't agree with.

Agreed. I actually have to develop my own religion for my Anthro class.  

I wanna be god!  I wanna be god!

Quote from: "LegendarySandwich"

Quote from: "Cite134"

Quote from: "'Matt'"I think you should make up your own.  That way you don't have to follow anything you don't agree with.

Agreed. I actually have to develop my own religion for my Anthro class.  :D

Only because I lack the creativity to develop an attractive religion.  

In my quest I've come across many useful websites. They may be of some help:

www.sacred-texts.com (http://www.sacred-texts.com) - What I like about this one is they try cover as much as possible without any bias. Particularly notable is their section on the age of reason (www.sacred-texts.com/aor/index.htm (http://www.sacred-texts.com/aor/index.htm)) with titles like: What is Man? by Mark Twain (www.sacred-texts.com/aor/twain/wim.txt (http://www.sacred-texts.com/aor/twain/wim.txt)). This site contains actual texts but very little commentary. Everything from Christianity to Paganism, Devil Worship, Shakespeare, Wicca, Mormonism, Astrology and many many more topics are covered.

www.skepticsannotatedbible.com (http://www.skepticsannotatedbible.com) - This site basically consists of all the "highlights" of the bible, quran and book of mormon. Enjoy   :pop:

Quote from: "Cite134"

Quote from: "'Matt'"I think you should make up your own.  That way you don't have to follow anything you don't agree with.

Agreed. I actually have to develop my own religion for my Anthro class.  :D

Quote from: "Croaker"

Quote from: "Cite134"

Quote from: "'Matt'"I think you should make up your own.  That way you don't have to follow anything you don't agree with.

Agreed. I actually have to develop my own religion for my Anthro class.  :D

Me and this other guy on a forum came up with a religion called "Bearinism".
The gist of the religion is that worshippers praise Mother Bear for what she had done for her cubs (living things). It sounds silly, but hey...what religion doesn't?