Originally Posted by BIG JIM MERRILEES
I am an Atheist simply because my logic dictates that the religious writings and teachings do not make sense and the very existence of God is preposterous. That said there is good and there is evil and basic instincts. IMO you do not NEED God or religion to know the difference between right and wrong and to live a life of good. Many religious types spend their lives immorally doing nothing but harm to others. Others who have no faith have morals and compassion to others. Even for a believer it must be HELL trying to figure out which beliefs are true and which are false......they cannot all be right. How do you KNOW that you are right and all others are wrong...there is no proof either way. You do not need a god to do good...but history has proved and will continue to prove that many wrongs are done in the name of god or are done with HIS blessing. If religious folk stopped second guessing or interpreting GOD'S way and got on with simply doing good for good's sake instead then the world would be a better place....Religion has been used as a control mechanism for the rich and powerful and a means to dupe people into doing others bidding.....How can anyone strap a bomb to themselves and blow themselves and others to smithereens cause it is God's will.......does not compute......and if it IS God's will then it is no God I would ever have anything to do with.


Here we go again Jim,

By now of course, we are all quite aware that you are an atheist. My question is why you hold an evangelistic zeal to turn others to your way of thinking? You say that your sense of logic dictates that the religious writing and teachings do not make sense and the very existence of God is preposterous. Preposterous means by definition that something is totally against nature, reason or common sense. It is wholy against nature, reason and common sense that everything came out of nothing without a catalyst born of intelligence. It doesn't happen anywhere at any time in your god of science. Everything has a cause and effect in an observable system of 4 diminsions as our Universe is thought to be. Everything! If not, give me one example of cause without effect in the known Universe. Who or what caused the "Big Bang" in the first place which set in motion a Universe where there is always a cause for every effect?

Yet once again I implore you to look at the issue without religion or man and simply from a common sense approach, not about any one religion being true but instead, merely the question of a Creator's existance.
Stating that the existance of a Creator is preposterous indicates logically that you assume to possess infinite knowledge of all there is. Therefor, ipso facto, you are your own god. That must be a tremendous responsibilty for you.

In your world there is, in reality, no good or evil. Everything just IS. Everything you do is neither good or evil according to your own personal convenience at the moment. Why? Because without a law giver there is no law. It's just that Big Jim has decread that one act is good and another evil. Argue that point with me. Concepts of good and evil are all in your own imagination and nothing more.

Seems you must have been in the Garden of Eden and you partook of the fruit of the knowledge of good and evil and have become like God, or became A god , knowing good and evil. Man, what a paradox!!!

Those are the only points I'll ask you at this time. More to come I'm sure. I await your next sylable with great anticipation.

But again, why do you feel such an evangelistic zeal to convert others to your way of thinking about the matter at hand here? Because atheism is in fact your religion? Religion by definition is a set of beliefs concerning the cause, nature, and purpose of the universe, especially when considered as the creation of a superhuman agency or agencies, usually involving devotional and ritual observances, and often containing a moral code governing the conduct of human affairs. Sounds a lot like your belief system Jim, with the exception of ritual observances.

Stevie






I'm the only person here who is not unique.