Is there a God?

[DudeEMETIB]

I am a freshman in college, I believe that there is not a God.

I was raised by a Catholic mother to believe in God, the saints, the Virgin Mother, and all that jazz.

I didn't so much "believe" it, as I assumed it to be true, but I never took the Bible very seriously, I thought the bible stories were just like fairy tales, but they were more important because they dealt with God. When I realized there were people who truly believed the Bible word for word, I questioned how they could believe something so ridiculous, then over time I started to question why I believed in the bigger picture, when it's just as unfounded and ridiculous.

By age 14 or 15, I think is when I actually started defining myself as an atheist, since before then, the term atheism, and the fact that one could actually CHOOSE not to believe in God wasn't very clear to me.

Also about the loud shouting Christians vs. loud shouting Atheists.
If Christians have it there way, in a policy, there will be discrimination,
if an Atheist has it there way, there would be protection from religious discrimination...so in general, though I hate bigots regardless of their position on religion or politics....I side with my fellow atheists, because we just want people not to force their views on others.

[JPeppard]

I feel Bill Hicks believed in the 'feeling' of God the same way any person who experiments with psychedelics develops an affinity for that massive influx of serotonin and the extreme sensations and connotations it creates.

He also spoke about the individual 'light' inside us all, our ability for love and creativity, and taping into it. Though that theory doesn't involve near as much ritual, ancient text and fanfare as modern religion, and as such is often written off for being just a bit too convenient for most.

[BrownEyedBtch]

I believe there is a higher being because if I had only myself and my abilities to believe in, I might have killed myself long ago. I believe I am here for a reason, and when that reason has been fulfilled, I will go. Why people feel I have to tie that in to one particular religion or say that this higher being is "God" is beyond me. I don't agree with belief having so many rules attached to it. I don't agree that I have to bow in a certain direction at a certain time every day to be a believer. I don't agree that if I eat pork, or sleep in on Sunday mornings, or only visit some building on Sunday mornings, that I don't have belief. Fuck these rules - I will have the belief system that works best for me and helps me make it to tomorrow. No book can tell me otherwise.

The bible, Qu'ran (sp?)...all such lovely literature. That's all it is. Whoever believes interpretations of interpretations of interpretations to be facts needs to be kicked in the head. There are too damn many holes in religion, and too many inconsistencies among the offshoots of religion, to have confidence in any sort of God existing.

[Junkenstein]

Originally Posted by BrownEyedBtch

I believe there is a higher being because if I had only myself and my abilities to believe in, I might have killed myself long ago.

To each its own. Believing that i have only myself and my abilities, and this present life to believ in is EXACTLY what stopped me gfrom trying to kill myself.

When i believed in an higher being it was like believing in something that openly never showed a single sign pf its presence, never liustened to a single word i said, and never spoken to me. And thinking of "something" afyer my death just made me want to get through with it , during my darkest times.

I started living in peace with myself as soon as i realized that i hadnt anything in this worl except me, the ones i loved, and the present time. And that after that was gone there would be nothing else but DIRT. So all i have is life itself.

[BrownEyedBtch]

Originally Posted by Junkenstein

To each its own. Believing that i have only myself and my abilities, and this present life to believ in is EXACTLY what stopped me gfrom trying to kill myself.

When i believed in an higher being it was like believing in something that openly never showed a single sign pf its presence, never liustened to a single word i said, and never spoken to me. And thinking of "something" afyer my death just made me want to get through with it , during my darkest times.

I started living in peace with myself as soon as i realized that i hadnt anything in this worl except me, the ones i loved, and the present time. And that after that was gone there would be nothing else but DIRT. So all i have is life itself.

I believe in some of these elements as well. I believe burying my body only takes up valuable space in the Earth, so either cremate me or chop me up and feed me to the sharks (preferably the latter). But you are right - to each their own. It's okay to disagree as much as it is okay to agree. It's unfortunate that religion doesn't see it that way. Thus the conflict in the world.

[Bucho]

A few weeks ago on a Sunday winter's afternoon I was in the back yard, loading up woolbags with a shit-tonne of garden clippings to haul off to the greenwaste dump, running close to being late but pretty sure I could make it before closing. That's when the old fella next door comes shuffling up and calling over the fence that he's locked himself out of his house.

"For fuck's sake dude, I don't have time for this shit, my woman only gave me one chore today and I'm already in danger of fucking it up - so sorry old man, you're on your own," is what I didn't say to him even though it was a fireball of frustration spinning in my head. What I did do was spend ten minutes being all kind and neighbourly and finding a way to break into his house without doing any damage, almost certainly fucking my plans to get the job done before the weekend was out.

So, inwardly fuming and still determined to somehow, against all odds, defy the laws of physics and complete my mission, I get the bags in the truck anyway and pull out onto the road cussing myself out for procrastinating all afternoon until I'd laid my ass in the hands of fate and fate looked to have given me a right royal spanking for it. It wasn't the old fucker's fault, it was mine for leaving shit to the last minute so that outside forces had the chance to fuck me, so I was fully pissed at myself, fully expecting to turn up to the dump too late and have to return home with the bags still full and my stupid tail between my legs.

There are nine traffic lights on the road to the dump and I would normally have to stop at more than half of them but for some reason, for some unexplainable, other-worldy reason, that day every single one turned all beautiful and heavenly and green as I approached and my truck and I barrelled on through, hope rising like a phoenix from the ashes of my earlier procrastinative idiocy, growing like a hard-on when I look through the KATG hot girls picture threads.

And right as I turn into the entry road to the tip my clock ticks over to seventeen hundred and two hours and I yet see the gates still miraculously open. Not only that, but pulling up to the drive-through window of the control booth the big polynesian gateman leans out, gives me and the truck a once over and decides to charge me only six bucks instead of the usual twenty seven.

You ask me if there is a God. You ask me if there is a God? I ask you, are you fucking kidding me?

[Junkenstein]

And Bucho wins.

[Bucho]

Nah, it was just dumb luck, I don't know shit about God.

Although there was an angel blowing me while I drove.