If I were atheist what would keep me from...

[vocatio]

Most of us enjoy a civilized life. I’m pretty sure there is no God, but if there was, he wouldn’t scare me into doing anything different.

Homo Sapiens has existed for close to a million years (depending upon how you want to define humans, it could be closer to 2 million years). Ideals like being kind to others and delaying gratification precede religion by a long way. Christianity/Islam/Mormonism are just the latest constructs human beings have created to put our natural inclinations into a social context.

Where’s the pop em on the head emoticon?

 

[notself]

So who really cares? Buhdists are not Christian…and that’s their religion…they believe in themselves as God. …like you apparently. As far as “nice” atheists…never met one. But it’s okay for you to decieve yourself, but to hang out on a Christian forum pushing your kill God agenda speaks much about your character…what type of person you are. This is equivalent to proselytizing…something no far from where I used to be spiritually. Now that I’m practicing Catholicism, we just place other in God’s mercy praying for the repose of their souls as they die and preferrable their conversion. But we have given atheist far to much room to grow pushing science, sex, money, power, etc as their gods.

What a depressing life. Someone hand me a rope…I gotta get out of here.

Buddhists don’t believe in self, so they cannot therefore believe their non existent self is God. I never asked anyone to kill God. Perhaps you are confusing me with someone else.

I learn alot about theism and theists from visiting forums such as this. Why have a forum for Non-Catholic Religions if you don’t want members of non Catholic religions to post?

What are you suggesting when you say that “we have given atheists far too much room”? Are you suggesting that atheists be rounded up and confined?

By the way, if you are depressed, you really shouldn’t be asking for rope.

 

[LaMar]

By the way, if you are depressed, you really shouldn’t be asking for rope.

Are you a Buddhist? I’ve always wanted to talk to one. You should start a new discussion on the forum and teach me some cool stuff about the Buddha.

 

[notself]

Yes, I was born and raised Catholic, but stopped believing in my teens. I wasn’t mad about anything. I wasn’t trying for an excuse to be immoral. I wasn’t lured away by Satinists. I just stopped believing. My whole family are still devout Roman Catholics.

After years of searching, I found Buddhism. I follow a tradition called Theravada, which is the oldest tradition of Buddhist thought.

I am sure you could find out a lot about Buddhism by just Googling “Theravada Buddhism”. Or you can PM me.

 

[Mirdath]

Don’t know huh…don’t have time for people that don’t believe or think they can get away with leaving it up to chance… So then…why would you even bother to be here? You have a serious personality flaw.

Oh horrors!

At least I can say for myself that my ‘serious personality flaw’ (and I don’t recall having seen ‘screwing around on internet forums’ in the DSM) wouldn’t have me stealing, raping, and murdering at the drop of a hat as you seem to think you would.

I’ve listen as many Agnostics and atheists as the next guy and all I see is people who are self seeking and exploitative…no exception yet to my experience.

Exact number, please?

I see a lot of carnage coming from religious folks and most coming from those that try to “kill” God. Like in the Golden Compass… I have news for you…God is not dead and he is real…even worst…He’s Catholic.

Well, let him tell me then. I mean, it’s plainly obvious he could do better for messengers.

 

[GregoryPalamas]

The Dalai Lama is an atheist. There is no Creator God or Creations story in Buddhism. Granted HHDL is not an average person, but he is a recognizable example. When asked what the core of his religion was, he answered Kindness.

The OP would do well to have kindness as his benchmark for behaviour rather than the fear of hell.

Technically, he is not an atheist but a non-theist. He does not deny God’s existence. God is simply not a part of the Buddhist system.

CDL

 

[GregoryPalamas]

Beliefs play a big factor too. And religions are not created equal.

I stand by my point. Nothing is more dangerous than a man who is willing to sacrifice his own life to kill a lot of people. And Islam is more capable of creating such individuals than any other belief systems (or lack thereof) COMBINED.

I don’t believe you are correct. Close, but not quite. I know it is convenient for an Atheist to claim all sorts of things until they are pinned down intellectually. Then they switch and deny all responsibility. Clearly, Hitler, Stalin, and Mao were Atheists. There has never been a more bloodthirsty trio in history. Before them one must go back to the original modern Atheists and to the end of the eighteenth century and to France. Clearly the twentieth century is the bloodiest century in history and clearly Atheism must take the bulk of the blame for that. That century produced more Christian martyrs than any century in history.

I’m not sure what this proves except perhaps if one doesn’t have a God that guides, loves, and judges one produces a god that gives one power and possession.

CDL

 

[Elric]

I can’t even come close to relating to atheism. To accept such a religion I’d be an awfully dangerous man. Nothing would stop me from taking out a few persons…first I’d do the world a favor and behind the scenes be elevated to hero in some cases. The others would just be for gratification and who knows how many children with different mothers I’d have. Steeling…no problem …someone else claims things to be theirs so why not me…you stuff is mine…don’t get in my way or …well I’ll illiminate you…Murder is some manmade word… a thing made up by the haves and the scared. …you know weak people. It’s every man for himself… and philosophy…fooy on that that’s another man made thing that doesn’t fit in with the picuture. I’d illiminate them too. Why fear prison…kill them or be killed.

Man a whole new standard of living is developing in me… I better go back to believing in my God or those athiests are going to have to be illiminated. Better back off of that… The above is rewally true if I fell into that heresy. It’s the Father of Lies that convinces those to not believe in God… Even Satan believes in God.

Mate I think that you have some serious issues and some problems with self-control.

If the only thing stopping you from killing and stealing ect is belief in God, then you need professional help.

I am really concerned about you and your apparent state of mind.

 

[nichjake]

I don’t believe you are correct. Close, but not quite. I know it is convenient for an Atheist to claim all sorts of things until they are pinned down intellectually. Then they switch and deny all responsibility. Clearly, Hitler, Stalin, and Mao were Atheists. There has never been a more bloodthirsty trio in history. Before them one must go back to the original modern Atheists and to the end of the eighteenth century and to France. Clearly the twentieth century is the bloodiest century in history and clearly Atheism must take the bulk of the blame for that. That century produced more Christian martyrs than any century in history.

I’m not sure what this proves except perhaps if one doesn’t have a God that guides, loves, and judges one produces a god that gives one power and possession.

CDL

Ummmmm, have you never paid attention in history class? Hilter, by his own hand in Mein Kampf was a CATHOLIC. A very bad Catholic but most certaintly not an atheist. Mao and Stalin were not atheists either. They tried to abolish religion under their reign but they were not atheists. They we mentally ill to the point where they tried to abolish religion in order to establish themselves as gods. I would hardly call that atheistic…deranged is a more proper term. This is a moot point in this discussion but it still irks me to no end when people try to peg Hitler, Stalin and Mao atheists when they so obviously were not. Since your three main contributers to what is “clearly” the bloodiest century were NOT atheists it is now even more clear that atheists were not at fault…it was the fault of a handful of deranged psychos using religion to gain power.

I personally live my life much with many of the same morals as the Christians around me…I’ve even been mistaken for a christian on several occassions (thats rather insulting to me really). I live the way I do because not killing people and being a productive member of society is what works best for everyone concerned. Its a little behaviour called cooperation combined with a touch of altruism. Its not unique to humans either…nearly every species on this planet exhibits these behaviours.

 

[notself]

Technically, he is not an atheist but a non-theist. He does not deny God’s existence. God is simply not a part of the Buddhist system.

CDL

Here is a quote from the Dalai Lama on God.

The Buddha was silent on the question of God. What about you?
Why did the Buddha not say anything about God? Because he talked about the law of causality. Once you accept the law of cause and effect, the implication is that there is no ‘creator’. If the Buddha accepted the concept of a creator, he would not have been silent; everything would have been God!

Who caused the law of causality?
About that, the Buddha would say ‘the mind’, never God or dharmakaya or even the Buddha himself.

Here is the link.

lifepositive.com/Spirit/world-religions/buddhism/dalai-interview.asp

 

[dosdog]

Ummmmm, have you never paid attention in history class? Hilter,

1937 February 10 Nazi officials close all Catholic schools in Bavaria.

1937 March 14 A papal encyclical, Mit Brennender Sorge (With Burning Sorrow) is published, dealing with the condition of the Catholic Church in Germany and condemning Nazi racism.

1937 March 21 Mit brennender Sorge, is read from the pulpits of all Catholic Churches in Germany on Palm Sunday. It has been smuggled into Germany, secretly printed and distributed by messenger throughout the nation. “With deep anxiety and with ever-growing dismay” Pius XI says he has watched the tribulations of the Catholic Church in Germany. The Concordat of 1933 is now being openly violated, and the conscience of the faithful oppressed as never before. True belief in God, the Pope declares, is irreconcilable with the deification of earthly values such as race, people or the state. Important as these are in the natural order, they can never be the ultimate norm of all things. Belief in a national God or a national religion, similarly is a grave error. The God of Christianity cannot be imprisoned “within the frontiers of a single people, within the pedigree of one single race.” (Lewy)

1937 March 22 The Gestapo confiscates all copies of the Pope’s encyclical it can find. Twelve print shops are soon closed and dispossessed without compensation for having printed the encyclical letter. Strong protests are lodged with the bishops and the Vatican. (Lewy)

1937 March 26 The Pope publishes an encyclical entitled Divini Redemptoris, condemning atheistic Communism.

1937 Spring A decision is made that all German colored children are to be illegally sterilized. After the prerequisite expert reports are provided by Dr. Abel, Dr. Schade, and Professor Fischer, the sterilizations are carried out. (Science)

1937 April 12 The German Foreign Ministry sends a note of protest to Papal Secretary of State Pacelli describing the Pope’s encyclical as a call to battle against the leadership of the German state and a grave violation of the Concordat (See March 21). (Lewy)

1937 April 16 Swiss officials announce that they are refusing to grant permanent resident permits to German Jewish refugees to avoid flooding the labor market.
humanitas-international.org/showcase/chronography/timebase/1937tbse.htm

The Vatican’s secretary of state, Cardinal Eugenio Pacelli (the future Pope Pius XII), and Germany’s vice chancellor, Franz von Papen, formally signed a concordat between the Holy See and the German Reich on July 20, 1933

The Protestant Reich Church was formed by Adolf Hitler in 1933, by merging 28 regional churches into one church. The founding of the church was the result of work by the German Christians, who had gained a large majority at the 1933 church elections.It was based on Nazi ideas of creating a “positive Christianity”, namely purifying Christianity of any Jewish elements including even the Old Testament, an idea which had existed in a small minority of Christian groups since the time of Marcion of Sinope, but the Protestant Reich Church did so for racial more than theological reasons. Ludwig Müller was elected “Reich Bishop”.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Protestant_Reich_Church

The German Christian (Deutsche Christen) group was formed in 1932 and led by Ludwig Müller. The group were supportive of the Nazi ideas about race. They issued public statements that those Christians in Germany who had Jewish ancestors “remain Christians in a New Testament sense, but are not German Christians.” Also they supported the call from the Nazi party platform for a “positive Christianity” that does not stress human sinfulness. Some went so far as to call for removal of the “Jewish” Old Testament from the Bible. The group wanted to form a Reich Church which would bring together all Protestants in Germany. Their symbol was a traditional Christian cross with a swastika in the middle and the group’s German initials “D” and “C”. The Nazis found the group useful during their initial consolidation of power, it was claimed and remembered as a fact that the Jews had killed Christ, thus appealing to and actively encouraging anti-Semitic sentiment among Christians in Germany
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/German_Christians

 

[GregoryPalamas]

Ummmmm, have you never paid attention in history class? Hilter, by his own hand in Mein Kampf was a CATHOLIC. A very bad Catholic but most certaintly not an atheist. Mao and Stalin were not atheists either. They tried to abolish religion under their reign but they were not atheists. They we mentally ill to the point where they tried to abolish religion in order to establish themselves as gods. I would hardly call that atheistic…deranged is a more proper term. This is a moot point in this discussion but it still irks me to no end when people try to peg Hitler, Stalin and Mao atheists when they so obviously were not. Since your three main contributers to what is “clearly” the bloodiest century were NOT atheists it is now even more clear that atheists were not at fault…it was the fault of a handful of deranged psychos using religion to gain power.

I personally live my life much with many of the same morals as the Christians around me…I’ve even been mistaken for a christian on several occassions (thats rather insulting to me really). I live the way I do because not killing people and being a productive member of society is what works best for everyone concerned. Its a little behaviour called cooperation combined with a touch of altruism. Its not unique to humans either…nearly every species on this planet exhibits these behaviours.

I suppose excuses can be made for anyone. I’m sure that you are a fine fellow.

CDL

 

[vocatio]

Oh horrors!

Exact number, please?

quote]
LOLROTF
Numbers???/ I should qualify that statement for clarity… I think that many of the persons I met that claimed to not believe in God and those that reserved to believe one way or the other were really just playing some game… I didn’t keep track of them… or they died. really.

This is really a stupid thread…why would you waste you time on a thread designed to hack you off. It was ranting over something and got side tracked with no electricity for 2 days.

Apparently some of you are not reading my posts. I think I proved my stupid point. I personally believe these forums are a major waste of time. Why then do I waste my time. Just looking for something interesting. I like it when people genuinely are looking for information to learn…not just a manipulation moments.

It never seizes to amaze me just how many fallen away Catholics are hanging out on here because their parents or family and friends did not do their job properly to teach them and show them the love of God. I always pray for you guys. Even the atheists, Protestants, etc. My rant is really about people proselytizing people that trying to manipulate others into their faith with claims of the others people stupid. I fully believe that there are so many things that can prevent people from converting or even to fall away for that matter. But what a very sad life. It seems that some of those people are so angry that they try to force that or slime others with their own beliefs to somehow justify their current position. No I’m not murderous…in fact I’m probabaly a bleeding heart. I love everyone…not necessarily like, but love. It a gift and a nightmare depending on how you look at it.

I’m the guy that believes everyone has a right to food, shelter and cloting…even healthcare. Yes. I care more for people than things and care less about someones political party or racial issues. Children don’t deserve lame hands they’re dealt. When will we ever learn?