Seems like a sad life to me.

To have your mind unshackled from blind faith,  to accept reality as it is, and to take responsibility for your own actions is the highest form of freedom.

Seems like a sad life to me.

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Since there is no god faith in god is faith in nothing, and yes, it is sad that so many delude themselves in this way.

I'm not sad, I love exploring and learning new things about the planet and its inhabitants. I feel sad for people who think that all the answers are in a book cobbled together by nomads who didn't respect anyone who wasn't male.

I have faith in myself and my family.......i can't have faith in something i don't think exists.

> Seems like a sad life to me.

 

First, a minor clarification.  Atheism doesn't entail "faith in nothing".  It entails an absence of faith.  Subtle difference, perhaps, but important, I think.

 

Some atheists do lead sad lives, but many lead very happy and fulfilling lives.  Just like believers.  There are lots of happy atheists.  I'm one.

 

I consider atheism, and more broadly rational thought, to be the most honest and respectable way to live one's life; unblinkingly facing the facts of life and your own mortality, without looking through the Jesus-colored glasses to make the eventuality of your death, your non-existance, and the seeming pointlessness of your life less scary.

 

In a million years, no one will remember you or anything you did.  Or me.  Or probably Caeser, Socrates, Lincoln, Eddie Van Halen or Carrot-Top or any of the characters of the bible either.  They and we will all be gone in the truest sense of the word; but that doesn't mean our lives can't have meaning for ourselves and the ones we love.  Right here.  Right now.  I think life is actually much MORE precious because it doesn't last forever.  It is a limited commodity, something to be enjoyed and made the most of in the HERE and NOW, because you really won't get a second chance at it.

 

I find atheists tend to be among the noblest of people too, because they don't turn away from the facts, from knowledge, from reality.  Instead, they face it without placebos, without having to believe without evidence in a benevolent, although invisible, master that will kill the scary monsters and keep them safe even after they die.

 

They also tend take responsibility for their faults, and likewise to put the credit where credit is due.  They know that the only ones who can straighten out their lives when they go astray are they themselves.  Ever wonder why there are so many Christians in prison and so few atheists?  Most atheists know you can't fix your life by simply wishing (praying) for it to be so!

 

Most also know that if they conduct themselves maliciously, it isn't any god they owe an apology to, and they don't just assume they're forgiven for any and all malicious acts when they pray for it, either.  They don't think they can make amends just by asking a magical man in the sky to forgive them.  You owe amends to the people you injure, and if you're going to fix your life you will have to do it yourself, and with the help of people you love and who love you.  Real, actual flesh and blood people...

 

Atheism, for me, is extraordinarily liberating.  It is a fulfillment of a promise I made to myself long ago to take reality at face value and not try to trick myself into thinking its something it's not.  And to understand that the real people you live with and love, and the things you do to make their and your lives better are what really count.

 

...And not trying to rack up brownie points to make some undetectable magic sky-man happy on the off chance that the mishmash of people who wrote and compiled the book that describes him is spot on about who he is and what he wants.  AND that he'll then like me enough to somehow take me to his magic paradise after I'm dead to be blissfully happy and never get suicidally bored with him for the uncountable googol-plex to the googol-plexth power times infinity millenia to follow.

 

But that's just me.

 

-Nocturnian

  As an atheist, I always liked the religious folks I've met. My best friends in school were quite devout, whether Catholic, Protestant, or Muslim. Only once have I ever had a problem with religion coming between me and that person. A born-again Christian I knew in college said she couldn't be friends with me because I was "going to burn in hell." Other than that one time, we've gotten along famously.

     I have found out a lot of interesting information about the various religions practiced. I have asked about their beliefs when they seemed contradictory. Patiently things were explained. By the end of the discussions, my reasoning seemed to prove them wrong on every belief. But they said they had faith, so it didn't matter. They even thanked me for helping them find their faith and feel more deeply committed to their religion. I didn't feel threatened by that, as I, too, felt more comfortable with my own beliefs after the discussions.

     One thing I feel a bit guilty about, though, is when Christians of various ages, races and denominations visit my home hoping to discuss things and get me to join their church. What I do is kindly ask them to name as many of the 10 Commandments as they can on the spot. I've never seen anyone get past three. Then I kindly ask them to study up a bit before coming round to talk to me. I feel guilty because it's so easy to turn their heads around and make them suddenly unsure of what exactly they are doing. I remember the 10 Commandments along with the five pillars of the Muslim faith, etc. It is strange to me how many Christians feel so much faith and devotion when they don't seem to know what they are devoted to.

     Anyway, I went to college and studies up on Amurrikuh. I am aware that my moral compass is certainly influenced by the major religions of the world, and I'm OK with that. I believe in honesty, kindness, and love.

faith is trusting in what you CAN"T see!   Take an airplane ride...you can see the plane, but not hidden mechanical problems...you can see that there is a pilot or two, but not if they're mentally on top that day (or drunk or high, etc.)  You just have to have faith that you'll get to your destination.   Has your family ever let you down?

You just have to have faith that you'll get to your destination.   Has your family ever let you down?

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You're comparing apples to oranges. This type of "faith" is based on the confidence that airplanes don't crash that often.
You don't need religious blind faith for that. Your particular faith is based soley on a mythical holy book without sufficient evidence to support its outrageous claims.

I think that faith is faith (trust) in something or someone period.  I don't think it needs to be labeled religious faith vs another kind of faith.  Can you explain what you mean?

I think that faith is faith (trust) in something or someone period.  I don't think it needs to be labeled religious faith vs another kind of faith.  Can you explain what you mean?

I ride in airplanes knowing that mechanical most are sound.  I know that no one without proper knowledge and training will get at the controls. I know that machines and computers are pretty reliable.  I know that there is a chance I will die in a plane crash.  I calculate the odds and make a decision.  These are all based on known facts.  I suggest that rather than listen to your preacher tell you that faith in god and the knowledge of the odds in flying a plane are the same,  you use your mind instead of listening to and beleiving any old clap trap that is told to you.  Your belief system, if evidenced by your last post, is very hit or miss as far as logic is concerned.  For such an important thing as your beliefs are, I would have thought you would devote more time and effort into them.

As far as faith in other people.  There is another unsound reasoning point you have made.  I trust no one, until such a time as I have had time and the ability to watch their actions.  No faith involved.  Again, I know the person, I know how they react to things I have observed, I make a calculated decision to trust them with something.  No faith involved.  Your reasoning is full of holes that I could drive a truck through.  But, then a lot of christians think this way, it is easy and it does not require any thinking on their part.

Merry_everything brought up faith in people...chill dude.

"The religious are taught WHAT to think... and they are discouraged or prevented (to the extent possible) from learning HOW to think, through mind-manipulation techniques and psychological tricks that were developed and refined over the past 1,700 years or so. Guess what?... they work."

Flaming frustrating, isn't it?

Where is that stuff parrotted from?