Articles of Faith

[Lance]

============
This thread moved
from Candy Land.
-- MM_Dandy
============

[Lonewulf]

Heh. That's exactly what I am. ^_^

[teri tait]

Wow, sort of a depressing credo... I would consider myself a gnostic if I were hard pressed to state a particular belief system.
Gnosticism recognizes the inseperable connection with God, with intimate knowledge hardwired into each being. The trick is allowing yourself to examine your heart/soul with frankness and thereby tap the connection with your whole being, this allows an open exchange or repore with God.

[The Beer Slayer]

Not all agnostics believe that the existence of God is unknowable, just that it is unknown to them at the moment.

[Halcyon Dayz, FCD]

Games and Toys?

[Lance]

Games and Toys?

Well, maybe not so much.

I got it from here and I thought it was funny. If debate really does ensue, I'll move the thread.

[Lonewulf]

Wow, sort of a depressing credo... I would consider myself a gnostic if I were hard pressed to state a particular belief system.

It's not depressing at all. I don't claim knowledge I don't have, nor unjustified belief. I'm happy with myself, happy with my life, and happy with my family. I don't need to delude myself into making brash claims and belief about something that is really nothing.

Gnosticism recognizes the inseperable connection with God, with intimate knowledge hardwired into each being. The trick is allowing yourself to examine your heart/soul with frankness and thereby tap the connection with your whole being, this allows an open exchange or repore with God.

I love the wording. "Recognizes" the "inseperable connection with God". It's not "believes that there is an inseperable connection", it's "recognizes" -- as if God is sure to exist, and that connection is sure to exist. And that's what annoys me about what so many fundamentalists and religious advocates say.

[Мастер]

I don't need to delude myself

Seriously, I'm not Lonewulf.

[Lonewulf]

I don't need to delude myself

Seriously, I'm not Lonewulf.

...Zing. Owch.

At least I don't claim I'm a shoe.

[teri tait]

Its simply a matter of recognition, sort of an egregore thing. You can run with the big dogs or squat with the pups, either way you choose. Me, I harbor no doubts.

[Lonewulf]

Its simply a matter of recognition, sort of an egregore thing. You can run with the big dogs or squat with the pups, either way you choose. Me, I harbor no doubts.

And I'm sure those cult members that killed themselves harbored no doubts, either.

Edit: I'll enjoy running the big dogs, by the way. You can squat with the ignorant pups all you want.

[teri tait]

I'm sensing some hostility... ;)

You're absolutely right, I can and do what I think is right according to my core beliefs. People who blindly follow a crackpot to a ridiculous death deserve it, me I follow my heart and whistle along my path without fear or any specific religion as a crutch.

[teri tait]

I'm sensing some hostility... ;)

You're absolutely right, I can and do what I think is right according to my core beliefs. People who blindly follow a crackpot to a ridiculous death deserve it, me I follow my heart and whistle along my path without fear or any specific religion as a crutch.

[Lonewulf]

I'm sensing some hostility... ;)

I'm not the one suggesting that someone that doesn't agree with me "lays down with the pups". I saw through your subtle insult. Either way, you stepped on one of my pet peeves; in your posts, I got the gist that you profess knowledge on a subject you do not have knowledge on. Belief does not equate to knowledge. If you think otherwise, then you are deluding yourself.

You're absolutely right, I can and do what I think is right according to my core beliefs. People who blindly follow a crackpot to a ridiculous death deserve it, me I follow my heart and whistle along my path without fear or any specific religion as a crutch.

And I follow my own heart, and walk my own path.

[teri tait]

You don't know me well enough to form an accurate critique of my knowledge or lack thereof. Aside from that your rebuttal is intelligent.

[Enzo]

You are a fluke of the universe
You have no right to be here.
And whether you can hear it or not
The universe is laughing behind your back.


---The Deteriorata

[Lonewulf]

You don't know me well enough to form an accurate critique of my knowledge or lack thereof. Aside from that your rebuttal is intelligent.

It is impossible to truly know God, even if He did exist. After all, he has the whole uber-powerful thing, and we're just humans. One can come across supposition and true faith, but faith is not knowledge, as I said.

There is no reason to truly believe in God, just like there is no reason to truly believe in the greek gods, the roman gods, the egyptian gods... and yet, how many of those worshippers were "True Believers", and had no doubt? What about the men who worship in Scientology? Or, hell, take any cult. What makes the difference? Because "Mainstream Religion" churches are more acceptable across a wider society? I see a connection here.

The main churches are merely cults that are popular. But, hey, at least they earned it, what with all the crusades, killing, burning, torture, etc. I'm glad to see that a religion is only successful if they kill off their enemies. I'm sure God would be pleased.

And whether you can hear it or not
The universe is laughing behind your back.

This explains so much.

(Edited a few times to correct some grammar errors)

[teri tait]

You misunderstand me, just because I believe in God unequivically doesn't mean I profess to understand His being. I am not capable of that and I acknowledge that fact, so what? Does one know the entire being of their husband or wife? Does one even understand the whole being of their own self? I know I don't, but I try to see inside myself and search my heart.
Religion is a crutch to the same goal, self awareness in the larger picture that no entity can understand except the Almighty Creator. Its pretty simple, I see God in everthing because I make the effort.
I believe in three levels of being: God, angels, & everything/everybody else.
If something weird happens whether it be good or bad I take it in stride, I don't try and blame "evil" or "good".
My job while in the skinbag is to be & to live my life. Where I live, how I live and why I make the decisions I make come from my concept of my connection with God and higher beings (angels)

[Lonewulf]

Hey, it's your life. I just know that I *don't* see God anywhere, and I looked. I just didn't delude myself as I looked.

[Lance]

I don't see any spiders right now. I am looking, but try as I might I cannot see one.

This does not mean spiders don't exist.

[Мастер]

I don't see any spiders right now. I am looking, but try as I might I cannot see one.

This does not mean spiders don't exist.

Yes it does. You are deluding yourself into believing in the existence of spiders.

[teri tait]

Voice of God:
Spiders please make yourself visible to the non believers of spider existance... Please do so in your own spider fashion and no fair showing up out of the blue!

Voice of the Cowardly Lion in Wizard of Oz:
I do believe in spiders, I do! I do believe in spiders...

[Lonewulf]

I don't see any spiders right now. I am looking, but try as I might I cannot see one.

This does not mean spiders don't exist.

Wow. You going to try to convince me that Santa Claus exists, now? Same argument, different topic. There's no reason to believe in God except that some people tell you that He exists. There are many other people that truly believe that different types of gods exist. The Wiccans believe in spirits, the Romans and Greeks believed in a pantheon, and various other religious groups had a ton of different belief sets. They probably had books on them, too, and had "true believers". Why should I buy into this God guy, and not them? Why should anyone?

So whats makes this "God" guy so much better? Because of the Bible? Wow, someone wrote a book. I'm so impressed.

Because the Church tells me to believe in Him? No go for me, sorry.

Because some priest says so? No go for me, again.

Not being able to see something is not proof that it's there... somewhere. And yes, I know belief relies on "faith", not evidence, but what is "faith"? It's blind, to me. It's placing belief on something there is no reason to believe in.

Religion cracks me up. The fact that we rely on superstition even into today is a mockery to what we can be.

Hell, though, I tolerate those people that actually don't act like they have "knowledge", just faith. But I still don't understand how they can be so blind. Though it's those like Teri, that get on my nerves.

[teri tait]

Am I on your last nerve? :) Good, then my work here is done.
I'll be hosting a seminar on how to piss people off in the near future, perhaps you could be a guest speaker and explain exactly how annoying I can get? I would really help my book sales...

[Lonewulf]

Am I on your last nerve? :) Good, then my work here is done.
I'll be hosting a seminar on how to piss people off in the near future, perhaps you could be a guest speaker and explain exactly how annoying I can get? I would really help my book sales...

I said "people like you" annoy me. You, specifically, didn't annoy me, you reminded me of an annoyance that was already there. In fact, I could care less about you.

I just hate watching everyone act surprised that there could actually be an atheist in the world, and that that atheist is me. I'm also tired of people that refuse to question the most basic of assumptions they make. Also, I'm tired of people that assume that I'm a satanist because I don't believe in God... whatever that means.

I'm also tired of how people continually hide behind religion as a shield to take away basic rights of homosexuals, attack the idea of Evolution, and make judgement calls through politics what should be kept out of politics.

Even furthermore, I'm tired of people not accepting the simple fact that any time the church has been in complete control of a region, that region has always lived in an age of turmoil and ignorance. Science and reason did far more than religion has ever done; and religion has always been about lies and control.

I'm furthermore tired of the arrogance of those that claim that they *know* God exists. But eh, that's what we get in a society that doesn't encourage critical thinking.