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[taikara]

@Strobe:

All things are a mix of good and evil. The truth of life is in finding a balance.

I am fond of the Tao.

Originally posted by Strobe@Feb 15 2005, 09:08 PM
originally i'm catholic, but i don't go to church and stuff. however, i believe in some
sort of "higher power". this might not fall under the definition of a certain entity which
rules our world. for me nature itself (in which all of us a parts of) constitutes that
higher power. in my opinion, we all belong to a almost unlimited "organism"...humans,
stones, plants, animals...all of these make up this organism, this entity. we're part of
a universal unit. our actions contribute in many different ways to the dynamic reality
of this unit. it's difficult for me to explain that. if you are familiar with chinese "taoism"
you most probably will understand what i'm talking about....

the way of tao is what i believe in.

edit:

a question to realmus:
don't you think that your avatar (the upside down pentagram) contradicts your belief?

That's right, but there's more behind that. All this organism must have been created by something / someone, also. Earth is a living creature. And she has it's power. But is her power comparable to that of the sun? And what created the sun, then?
But that with the order, I agree. Though the saying that people have the "free choice" isn't taken out of nowhere. :whistle:

Originally posted by taikara@Feb 15 2005, 09:15 PM
@Strobe:

All things are a mix of good and evil. The truth of life is in finding a balance.

I am fond of the Tao.

That's exactly what makes out the main nature of Libras. Two sides, both can be extreme or more near the midst. And the midst itself, so thin like a cut of a blade, therefore almost totally impossible to stay on. So we always slip out to either the one or the other side, balancing on the thin midst. At least I can say of myself, that I always try to be in the midst, though I have to admit that I often fail, because I far too often slip to the side of good...

[Stroggy]

Originally posted by xcom freak@Feb 15 2005, 07:50 PM
I dont understand how people can be atheist.
Think about it deeply and ull know that atheism makes no sense!
Maybe God is not human but u can never deny his presence!

I agree 100%

don't you think that your avatar (the upside down pentagram) contradicts your belief?

Actually the pentagram was originally a decoration used in the Temple (in Jerusalem)
It was a very reocurring pattern. It was eventually the church that said it was the sign of the devil and witchcraft for whatever reason they saw fit at the time.

[Strobe]

Originally posted by Stroggy@Feb 15 2005, 09:37 PM

Actually the pentagram was originally a decoration used in the Temple (in Jerusalem)
It was a very reocurring pattern. It was eventually the church that said it was the sign of the devil and witchcraft for whatever reason they saw fit at the time.

so, as the particular form of the pentagram which is displayed in realmus'
avatar is (as far as i know) a sign for the devil, and realmus stated to be
mormon, i don't get the right connection between his avatar and his belief...

not that avatars have to be conform with personal beliefs, but within this
discussion, it might be an aspect worth mentioning!

[xcom freak]

dont beleive in pentagrams and stuff like that it has nothing to do with religion!!!
u have to filter everything the church or any other faction tell you and fashion ur own religion
I do that but i still consider myself christian coz i beleive in the values and moral the Christ taught us but not all the mumbo jumbo the church invented!

[Eagle of Fire]

I don't beleive in any religion but I voted Atheist for the sake of completion.

[Sebatianos]

Originally posted by xcom freak@Feb 15 2005, 09:50 PM
I dont understand how people can be atheist.
Think about it deeply and ull know that atheism makes no sense!
Maybe God is not human but u can never deny his presence!

I could say exactly the same thing:

I can't understand how people can be religious.
Think about it, and you'll see that you must stop thinking to become religious.
If you stop with the wishful thinking, then you must realize GOD doesn't exist.

But I must say, that's not my point!, I'm just using this for the further argument.

Just because you're used to people believing in GOD doesn't mean you're right. If you were brought up in a culture that believed in purple bees being the supreme leaders because mice gave them them power of burping (sounds really stupid I know) you'd think it's strange someone thinks otherwise.
I'm not saying it's wrong to believe - religion doesn't really teach anything bad and it does represent a cultural basis (same goes for communism too), but that's just a social function of it.
I'm a person who doesn't need all the answers, so I don't need to believe. If I don't know something, I either figure it out, or if I can't I admit I'm unable to do it. In that case there's nothing more then to pass the question on to the next generation and maybe someone won't have to strugle to get the question, but will have more time to think of the answer. That's how most knowladge came to be.
I don't need to look somewhere deep inside to be humble. I don't need to believe in something bigger then me because I'm inperfect.
Yes, there probably are other beings then humans, probably more evolved then we are. But does that make them GODs? No! Are we gods to dogs and horses? Maybe. A dog will blindly obey and worship his master, so to a dog I might be a god - but does that make me a god?
To a child a grown up can be like a god. A child is dependant on a grown up and accepts his supremacy, but once the child grows up, there's no more god. I guess religion takes the place of the parent then. People are often scared of being left without someone helping, suporting, loving and even punishing them. GODs get those atributes.
Governmants are close to that, but we all see the people in the governmants and can also see their flaws, that's why we don't think of them as gods. But since no-one saw a god recently (unless in a dream) no-one can see a flaw in that being (I'd say because it doesn't exist, someone else would say because god is perfect). Take your choice.

I'm not trying to convert anyone into atheism, but if you find my arguments strong, then it's because I really gave them a lot of thought and it makes perfect sense to me. So if you do wish to get in a discusion with me, be warned, your view on religion might change. Are you ready for a debate, or are you just trying to make some quick remarks about atheism?
Just remember, a plane would look really weird to a peasent in the 15th century. e'd probably think it's a work of a demon. So don't let your prejudges stand in the way on your view on atheism.

[xcom freak]

I am sorry Sebastianos ,my post wasn't in any way intended as an answer to you or refering to you it was just an opinion!
Anyway for me God is an entity that can autocreate

meaning : where did men come from --->apes
where did apes come from-------->evolution of single celled creature
where did the cells come from ---->planete eco system
where did the planet come from ----->Big bang
where did big bang come from------>chemical reaction
where did chemical reaction come from------->autocreated entity
That entity is God for me could be a chemical,a person an alien a cell.
it created its own life it rose(past tense of rise) from emptiness ,

I am not saying he watches over us cheking if we've been good or bad helping us supporting us(but i kinda do beleive that) I am just saying he exists.

Not afraid to change my opinions i just hope there is a church near where u live coz ull want to spend time there after talking with me k:

[Sebatianos]

So from what I understand, for you GOD is the creator - not the protector, giver of rules,...
It's that missing link (so to say) between the state of nothingness and the creation of what we know as the real universe today.
I call that the riddle we're yet to answer, but I guess we won't be able to understand that answer. Not on our curent level of evolution anyway. So that could be the devine. Interesting.

Sorry if I attacked you earlier, but there have been people that started attacking me for just mentioning I'm an atheist. I guess I have to ease up a little (although I still stand by what I wrote - I guess there was no real need for me to write it).

[xcom freak]

Originally posted by Sebatianos@Feb 15 2005, 10:18 PM
I guess we won't be able to understand that answer. Not on our curent level of evolution anyway. So that could be the devine. Interesting.

Ur right give u an example Athens greece more than 2000years ago:

people didn't understand thunder or rain so they 'invented' a GOd responsible of these natural events.

Its the same here and now Humanity too humble to say i dont know need to explain life so here appears God and everything makes sense people need this in there lives.When life will be explained poof there goes GOd.

This contradicts everything i said earlier BUT i am sure that science will never find out where and why life originated becoz this time God is real!