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Inside the mind of an Atheist
- Feb 6, 2009 at 2:05 PM
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- Comments (20) Total Views (358) Everyone can see this journal post.
I'm in a group of many different religions where we learn about one another's beliefs to gather a greater understanding of them and help promote a little tolerance. Each week we have an "Ask" post where you ask the members about a specific belief. I was chosen to be the Atheist asked in the "Ask an Atheist" post. I want to share with the rest of cafemom, the questions asked and MY answers to perhaps give you all a glimpse into my belief. Keep in mind these answers pertain to ME alone. While some other atheists may share these opinions not all will. If anyone has any further questions feel free to ask. Questions are in black, my answers are in purple.
Do you believe in the "Big Bang?" If you do, what is it? why did it happen?Yes It
is important to understand that the "Big Bang" is not an explanation as
to how life was created but rather the beginning to how our modern day
universe(that we know of) took form and why it continues to expand.
It's hard to say WHY it happened as the initial condition is unknown. It
simply explains the results of the bang from that moment until this.
To briefly sum up the Big bang, it was merely a result of a build up in
pressure and heat until the point of explosion. Kind of like a hot
water heater. WHY pressure and heat built up in unknown(that's the
initial condition). What the big bang explains is merely the result of
that explosion which is the expansion of our universe
Do you find that most Atheists are similar in their beliefs, or do they all differ from one another like Pagans do? Oh
goodness gracious we differ. The only thing that distinguishes us as
atheists is that we don't believe in a god or higher power. In fact
there are some categorizations of particular "atheist denominations"
such as Levey Satanism and Buddhism. They are "atheist" because neither
one believe in a god yet their principles and beliefs vary.
Have you always been Atheist? If not- how did you come to discover this about yourself? Yes and no. I grew up in a christian home going to church and when I was younger I never bothered to question it but as I grew I started to realize that the stories I was being told were just that, stories. And while they may have some applicable principles or morals for daily life I didn't believe they were anything more than that. Further study of different religions as well as philosophy and history confirmed it for me. God was/is just a myth.
Do you have any superstitions or beliefs that may be classified as "supernatural" or "extra-ordinary"I don't think so, no. I'm a pretty practical person as in I have a, "I need to see it to believe it" type mentality. So I don't believe in ghosts, demons, angels, heaven, hell etc. I do however believe the human mind can interpret things as those. I just don't believe they're real. Just a "trick of the imagination" due to fears, emotions, etc.
As an atheist, what do you use as a 'moral compass?' Many draw on their respective religions to give guidance as to how to behave morally in certain situations. Is there a moral code that guides you? Or is it common sense?
Ah, this is a good one. On some aspects I feel as though my moral compass is part common sense. Others it is the guidance my parents themselves gave me when I was growing up. Now some would argue that those come from the Bible since I was raised in a Christian home, but did they really?. My parent's didn't grind the 10 commandments into my head or anything. They simply used the basic "rule" that all religions themselves share a common ground with. The Golden Rule. "Treat others as you would like to be treated." Aside from that they showed me by example. So that some things, like opening doors for others or offering to help, just became second nature to me. So while there isn't a set moral code that I follow necessarily (aside from the Golden rule) but just an instinct to think of others and be kind to others, before thinking of myself.
*Note* not all atheists are the same so another atheist might have a completely different moral compass that vary depending on their experiences of how they were treated, what they were taught to hold important, etc. The above refers to my own as I thought you were asking about mine specifically.
We all have an inner voice that speaks to us and a lot of people call it God or their higher power- some even call it schizophrenia. Do you have that voice and if so, what is your explanation for it? Where does it come from?
The only inner voice I can think of would be my conscious, or rather my own thoughts which I weigh in order to choose the best option with a preferable outcome. It is I who "control" that voice. Not that it's something that is really controlled it is merely your thoughts running through all the many possibilities of your decisions. Granted when I make a rash decision it is the same inner voice or inner "me" that questions myself on whether or not that decision was best and if not what I can do to rectify it. For me there isn't any other outside "voice" it is merely my own thoughts in my own mind and how I perceive the things around me.
Very interesting post. Never meet an atheist. I read in one of your replies that your moral compass is your common sense. I understood that it is 95% of people believe in a supreme being, common sense dictates that our civilization has evolved because of majority rules.
What do you think about 95% of people? Do you think we have got this thing all wrong? Can so many people be that delusional? Do you think your rare and out numbered? Or do you think with all the branches of religion out there people are giving up on religion and are more understanding to becoming an atheist?
Thanks for sharing. . .
I'm
not sure exactly what you're asking because last I heard it was not 95%
of people who believed in a supreme being and I have never heard of
civilization evolving as a "majority rule" decision. Often times in
history things did not have majority rule which won out over the
"ruling class". That's where we got the idea of Fighting for what we
believe in rather than just "going with the flow ".
Now in terms of people who believe in a God, do I think they're delusional, No. I don't even think they are "wrong" necessarily. I simply think that they have a different understanding of the world than I do. People all have their own reasons for believing as they do and who am I to judge whether or not they are "delusional" or "wrong". I can only agree or disagree with the different aspects regarding those beliefs All religions at their core have the basic "Do unto others" rule that guides them. Some see it as divine intervention but I see it as common sense. It was developed long ago as a means for our species to survive. We survived better against predators in larger numbers but in order for us not to kill each other certain "rules" needed to be set down. The most common sense one was to treat others and you would want them to treat you(though I"m sure it was put into other terms). This simply expanded from a rule of early civilizations into a sort of unwritten law for humanity. As an unwritten law common to all humanity it naturally made it's ways into our literature(which includes religious books).
I tend to look at religions from a philosophical standpoint. I see religious text such as the Bible, not as literal stories, but metaphorical. Stories which, like Aesop's Fables, mean to teach basic human components of how we should treat one another in order to keep harmony with one another. Stories to help teach morals. Some of these stories may have historic components to them. If something serious is happening in history and you are witness to it how can you help but to include it into your own writing.
I wouldn't necessarily say I am "rare" or "outnumbered". I am unique certainly but everyone is in their own way. I wouldn't say I'm outnumbered either because each person has their own idea of what "god" is. For some it is a feeling shared by all of humanity that takes on it's own personification. For others it is a higher being. Since there are no two people alike on earth no two people will see God in exactly the same way. Which is what contributes to there being so many branches of religion out there.
I do think though that when one studies as many religions out there that they are more understanding of why someone may choose another path. They may not choose it for themselves but they are certainly more compassionate because they begin to see the unifying factor between the many different religions.
A
common misconception regarding atheists is that we hate religion which
is not necessarily the case. We may disagree with organized religion
because in some cases it causes the person to just take what is told to
them and follow it without question. But if the religion encourages the
person to become a better person and strive to do right by themselves
and those around them then there is nothing to dislike. However the
opposite is also true and it is used as an excuse to justify the
persons own prejudices against others. It is not necessarily the fault
of the religion (because all religions teach the same basic "doctrine"
of doing unto others) but rather the congregation or the people
themselves who interpret the message differently to suit their own
means.
hiya! Do you believe in Aliens? Who do you think built the pyramids? Do you believe in psychics?
If
by aliens you mean the possibility of lifeforms on other
planets(including germs) then Yes. The universe is too vast and
expansive to think our planet is the only one capable of supporting
life and it's just arrogant to think so. Now I don't know what forms of
life that would be. It could simply be microscopic bacterium it could
be life forms that are more"humanoid" or just weird animals. If you
mean little green men that have come to earth and abduct people in
their sleep, NO. If they have the technology to visit other worlds they
certainly have the ability to observe without abducting and we are a
rather boring and predictable species. Maybe they have us set on their
Comedy Central channel. You could say that maybe their spaceships
"crashed" but then if they had that many issues with their vehicular
machinery we would see evidence of them on the Moon and all the other
planets, not to mention the occasional "spaceship debris" floating
around in space.
Who do I think built the pyramids? Thousands upon thousands of slaves over hundreds of years to serve the ego of whatever guy was Pharaoh at the time.
Do I believe in psychics, No. I believe in people having intuition and noticing small things with their subconscious and that some have trained themselves to notice those things more actively and with more awareness in their conscious brain rather than subconscious. They also have a tendency to ask a bunch of questions which may seem irrelevant and misleading but they are gathering info for later. In cases of say Deja-vu it is simply once again your subconscious on the alert. I used to have deja-vu with my family members all the time. It is simply because I was close to them and lived with them so my subconscious could predict their responses to a number of given situations
Do you find that with some people you would rather not say you are atheist ? There are some people who I avoid telling for example my grandmother. It isn't because I am ashamed to be an atheist but because she is very religious and truly believes if you don't believe in God you will go to hell. If I told her I was an atheist it would hurt her because she truly believes I would go to hell and not be with her in the "afterlife". Have you been bashed for your atheisim? It is generally unavoidable. Most people wouldn't know I'm an atheist just by looking at me though so I don't catch flack from random strangers. However once it's out.......I have lost some friends do to my lack of belief even though nothing has changed with who I am. How do you answer your children's questions about God? They haven't asked yet. Then again they are 3 and 1. When the time comes I plan on telling them that some people believe in God and reasons as to why someone may or may not believe and it is up to them to decide what they believe.
Comments:
thank you very much for sharing!! with all the bible thumping i see these days it is refreshing to read something about someone else's beleifs.
Hi dear,
Just an FYI, my first DH was Atheist. And I'm a STRONG Christian. This was NEVER a problem for the 2 of us. It never mattered. We respected each others differences there. We went our separate ways for other reasons, but never that one! If I can live with some one who sees differently than me. IDK why any one couldn't respect others around them with different views. If you believe in God then you know not to PLAY GOD. By this I mean, You're told to be an example of God, not judge as if you're God. If others are truly concerned for the salvation of others then you'll not promote it by being pushy and bossy! But rather by being an example. Then others can choose for them selves.
Seems so simple to me.
I agree with you above, (kimberleee382) HOPEFULLY others can have different views and RESPECT others around them.
This was a great post, Kristi. Thanks for that peek in to your mind.
Love it.
*hugs*
I'm a fellow atheist; I find this as interesting as any discussion of organized faith. Humans are hard-wired to have faith; it's probably what kept us from just knocking each other's heads in with rocks for a larger share of the mammoth jerky. But the faith of an atheist is typically rooted in the here and now; as you said Kristi, we spin our own tops, so to speak. I like to keep in mind that the scientists of Yore thought the world was flat once; it keeps one humble.
Firstandantalus...
LOL "knock eachother in the heads with rocks." Yes, so true. LOL
And I liked your part about "keeps one humble" So true for us all. :O)
I ♥ U......thank you for sharing this.....you are so open to others.
Why isn't this on the list?! This is very informative.
I voted up...
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This is great! I hope it will encourage other questions from other women on CM.
RESPECTFUL questions, hopefully
- kimberleee382
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