I’m a little afraid I would spiral into hedonism and apathy if “I” am all I have.

My belief is that if one has a desire to “spiral into hedonism,” they will do so with or without a religious beliefs.

Christianity teaches that we are wicked and wretched creatures without God. However, it’s not quite true. It’s a control mechanism to keep people addicted to the “drug” that will supposedly help them to be good. However, you can be good without that drug as is proven everyday by millions of people.

The desire to be compassionate and kind is all you need. If you have that desire in you, with or without God, you can be compassionate and kind.

Paul

I also wonder why, when I hear certain things, my heart is still tugged into the question. What is it that cries in me for the mystic? The spiritual? The unknown?

Maybe it’s just the entirety of my life, and the condition it’s left me in. Maybe it’s because I know my shortcomings, and know I’m not a nice person on my own … belief in “something more” gives me hope that I may actually change … there’s something to shoot for?

You guys know I’m still very new to this journey. The one thing I’m really “on” is no labels, though. I loved what HIS said, and I’d like to plagerize his statement: “The next time I am asked what I believe, or what I am, I don’t think I will answer with ‘agnostic’ or ‘athiest’ or anything else that may have negative connotations for the Christian(including “Christian” for me – lgf). I will answer with “I believe actions are more important than beliefs”. I like it! That is the most succinct, possitive and honest statement of where I am that I can think of right now.”

aA

i was thinking our blogs could do consecutive posts on the crusades, with us criticizing our ex-religion’s mistakes etc.

plus, just wanted to know more free thinkers online.

Can you explain this request a bit more.

aA

email me… it must be listed in the comments section along with this post… *smiles*

To me, however, that doesn’t at all negate the power of doing a small thing for good that might just alleviate someone’s suffering for even a few minutes.

First of all, we never know the repercussions of our actions and even the smallest act of kindness can have enormous consequences for good in so many ways. Second, so what if it doesn’t change the dynamic of the whole world? Isn’t giving that “cup of cold water” to a parched person a worthy act of compassion even if it only relieves his thirst for a few hours? For those that don’t think it is, I suggest they ask the thirsty person!

Well said. I have never been religious, and my personal belief is that I am a stronger and more compassionate person because of this (I’ve never had religion to act as a crutch through difficult times; I’ve never had anybody dictate to me who I should or should not approve of).

Thanks polkadotty! I have to say I also think I’ve become much stronger as a person since throwing away the crutch.

I actually went through the worst emotional crisis of my life around 2000, which actually became the catalyst for my starting to question religion. As I was in the midst of a terrible depression, midlife crisis, losing my mother – I was also losing my religious beliefs.

It was absolutely terrible – I won’t minimize it – but I have to say I came out the other end a lot stronger and more confident in my ability to use community resources and handle downtimes competently.

As I found I could no longer get comfort from prayer, reading the bible or going to church, I was forced to draw upon my own inner strength and optimism. I read a lot about the Buddhist ideas of recognizing hurt, allowing it to happen and then living in the moment, rather than wallowing in the past or worrying about the future. That worked for me better than clinging to god ever had before.

It’s a familiar accusation that arises when religious people interact with atheists and agnostics: “You don’t believe in anything. How can life even matter to you? It must be horribly depressing to believe in nothing!”

My wife would often ask this when we were first married. It was always hard to answer because it is difficult to explain. Life is for your friends and family. And once you have kids it is especially for them. This life matters a lot to me because I believe it’s the only one I get so I need to do the best I can while I am here.

A theist lives to go on to the next life. I live to live in this one.

Yup. There’s definitely a big difference in perspective between former-believers and never-believers.

One thing I find amusing is how little the never-believers know about Christianity and how confused they can get trying to understand it. Having been raised with it, it doesn’t seem “weird” to me to discuss theology, but boy those details sound odd to a never-believer! Makes you realize how much growing up with something makes it seem “normal” even if it isn’t! It’s enlightening, actually.

I like it as well. It sounds quite similar to the Unitarian Universalist slogan of “deeds not creeds”, which I also like.

Yay! I’m going to use that also. I really like defining oneself in terms of a positive statement rather than a statement that starts out, “I don’t believe in …. (fill in the blank).”