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Left Turn Only

(74 posts)
Sun Mar 3, 2013, 12:36 PM Mar 2013

Notes from Above Ground

To those of us who seem to hold the word faith to a much more stringent definition, there is a tendency to stay away from the anesthetizing effect of any concretely designed religion. But, just as there seem to be certain individuals that are more prone to become drug addicts, some people have to have religion to stave off the umbrage of mortality. Believing in everlasting life and the idea that there is a centralized form of celestial government within or without the myriad universes can be a comforting thought (as long as you lead a circumspect life and remain politically correct); however, it appears that people either have this "gift" of faith or they don't.

It's obvious that I am not one of the faithful. I have this stubborn tendency to require, at least, some very strong circumstantial evidence before I can believe in something. Now, I realize that the devout feel the evidence supporting their beliefs is strong, so it would seem that the difference between believers and their counterparts must lie in their respective perceptions of what constitutes evidence -- something that will not be easily changed in an individual.

Actually, I have the utmost respect for truly religious people when they're not trying to effect government, which correspondingly effects all of us. The self-sacrifice, control, and inner peace of true believers is most admirable. On the other hand, when people in this country proclaim to be Christians, while knowing little about the religion, I cannot help but view these "faithful" with derision. The fact is most people would not want to live in a Christian society, so let's cut the pretense. We are not "one country under God." In fact, if there is a god, I seriously doubt that He/She (or whatever) would care about a political entity like a country. When Romney lost the election, did that mean that God supported the political ideologies of Obama, including drone strikes that accidentally kill innocent civilians (oops!)? Or better yet, did God support Romney, but He just wasn't strong enough to beat Obama? Face it: there is no deity involved with countries; they are created and destroyed by human hands.

And what about on a personal level? Women's rights, religious freedom, and sex before marriage are all things that are not in tune with Christianity. How about the great American institution of divorce? The next time someone you know marries someone who is divorced, be aware that both people are adulterers under Christian values. When people begin to pick and choose what they want to believe in a religion, they can no longer say that they truly believe in that faith and have, in reality, created a new one.

To people like myself, faith is a word that should be used sparingly. I am not an atheist because it would be just as large a leap of faith to believe that there is no god as to believe there is one -- both require evidence that I am not capable of acquiring. Religion, if accepted at all, is a personal experience, and that is the way it should remain. We must maintain the wall of separation between church and state that Thomas Jefferson spoke of, and it should never be brought up in an election or influence the laws of our country.

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Notes from Above Ground (Original Post) Left Turn Only Mar 2013 OP
Does it require a large leap of faith to not believe in unicorns? OriginalGeek Mar 2013 #1
If not seeing any evidence for a gawd is "faith" HarveyDarkey Mar 2013 #2
No, atheism is a lack of faith in any gods. I am an atheist. n/t RebelOne Mar 2013 #5
you missed a turn - Religion is thata way ----> Tuesday Afternoon Mar 2013 #3
I see what you did there . . . In_The_Wind Mar 2013 #4

OriginalGeek

(12,132 posts)
1. Does it require a large leap of faith to not believe in unicorns?
Sun Mar 3, 2013, 01:04 PM
Mar 2013

If not, then why does it take one to not believe in a god? Does it require a large leap of faith to not believe in Zeus? Or Mithras? If not then why does it require one to not believe in Christian God?

At any rate, I gather we agree that if there is something out there it's probably not the guy from the KJV. Or not, either way is fine. Everyone gets to believe what they want. I am an atheist.

Which brings me to this point: Welcome to DU! I ain't mad at ya but I would like to point out in a friendly manner that this is the lounge and religion is generally considered too heavy for the lounge so your thread has a good chance of getting locked for being off-topic. This type of post is welcome in the Religion group though - you'll get a lot of both support and opposition for your thesis and hopefully spark some spirited discussion.

Cheers!

 

HarveyDarkey

(9,077 posts)
2. If not seeing any evidence for a gawd is "faith"
Sun Mar 3, 2013, 01:27 PM
Mar 2013

then not collecting stamps is a hobby and bald is a hair color. Atheism (capitalized only because it's the first word of the sentence) is not "faith".

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