My thoughts exactly. I consider myself to be an agnost, and not an atheïst though. I don't believe there isn't a God, I just believe that we can't be sure if there is or isn't.

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You have to change the things you can't accept
Or accept the things you can't change

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The thing of it is, nobody knows for sure if there is a God or not, but seeing as though death is a one-way street, it remains a mystery.

People live their lives in hope there may be one since we naturally kinda have a wolfpack mentality, without a strong leader, we kinda fall apart in the chaos.

It's possible either God appeared and gave us hope, and there is a hell where the evil people are thrown after they die.
Or the concept of God was developed to help remove the chaos of wars, rape and crime to bring order to society, and what better way to control people than to invoke fear of a place that inflicts pain on you for all eternity?

It's these kinds of thoughts that make me wonder about the world as well, I was raised Catholic and I'm still clinging onto the old beliefs.
But at the same time, I feel as though we can't blindly believe in a book after centuries of being rewritten and resold as a new edition as if it was "Wikipedia: the Book Version".

God gave us free will, and with my free will I'd like to know the truth, rather than be charmed by what may be fairy tales to teach us lessons and debate the book's authenticity if it were events that actually happened.

You know I was going to ramble over something on this. It's just the way I am. @_@ And know, I love you no matter what you believe, and I respect your respect for everyone's way of life. No one can say who's right and wrong, but I wanna speak about my perspective of atheism. You can hide this post if you don't want it on your page.

Now let's open the book of Jen's past and her life as an atheist in high school.

When I was atheist, I didn't give a crap about morals (most teens don't, but this didn't help). I'd do what I wanted and endured the consequences, none of which I gave a damn about, none of which really occurred.
I'd live day to day waiting to die because life was so miserable. Inside my own life, and in the world. Just watch the news. Humanity is disgusting and the world is cruel. It's easier to be bad than good. Greed flourishes. There's no higher power...
So what's 1 person's life ended? I wouldn't have to endure anything. No purpose worth seeking, no effort needed. It makes things easy. And with me dead, there's one leach off this planet, abusing it's resources.
I didn't like people, my parents would've been punished for how horrible they treated me and how much they rewarded my brother. I'd scar up my arm to relieve stress and there was no real reason to stop. I'd just hide it with a long sleeve.
I was self destructive back then, similar to how my brother is now. My brother is an example of a stereo typical atheist (no longer a teen) who has no reason to give a shit. Henry's ex and ex's brother (lol all former catholics) are the same. They're douches, they don't care who or what they offend. They live life every day like this. This is why atheists have a bad rap.

You're a rarity in my eyes and some other's. I'm glad you respect everyone's choices, but I think atheists seldom do. They look at religion like a plague and think ignorance is the cause of it. Religious people can sometimes be like a plague...
Without a higher power, the need to care about consquences, why respect, why be good? We can't rely on society to teach us. They bring us things like school shootings, 4-chan, and cell phones. (I also think society is degrading instead of progressing. The only thing progressing is technology. Nature isn't catching up. That's a whole 'nother debate.)
You were also raised in a good house hold. Your mom's christian, you're dad has a brain. You're blessed through them. Me and my dysfunctional family... if Adam and Ericka didn't double-team me into being a Christian, I'd have ended up like my brother. My mom's christian, but she isn't the best role model... -_- Dad never speaks of his beliefs, though he's Catholic.

Now my faith-filled story:

I feel the higher power leading me through life the whole time. I feel a higher power answering my prayers. My whole life is one big miracle.
I was sitting on my ass one day and Richard (the guy you don't like too much) told me to go to Ai with him because he wanted to enroll. I went for the ride, plus Mr. Weasley had to drive him. I ended up going to a game art presentation. I ended up trying to enroll cuz it sparked my interest. Mr. Weasley said no, I can't sign my name to that. I cried and prayed. Nothing happened. One day Susan Munroe called, asking if I wanted to try for graphic design for a year, it's cheap. Well it's history after that. Around that time, they moved dad to the Winn-dixie right down the street, even though we lived 45 minutes away. He didn't requested it. It just happened like that. I didn't need a car, and I didn't always need the bus (which ran in front of the house). Then I went for associates because I did well and they gave me a scholarship. I also got a lot of funding from the government. I was able to afford car insurance right as I got hired to work at Medfare and so on and so on. The whole time I held the verse "Delight in the Lord, and he will give you your hearts desire." I believed that carried me through the tough times.

My desire is for everyone to live life without worry. To feel God in their hearts. To pray and receive, and lift others up.
You don't need it, and you're content, and I accept that. Being a Christian, it's difficult. As your friend, I don't want to judge you, I don't wanna throw Jesus at you. I don't want to infringe on you at all. I want you to be happy.
As a Christian, I want to make sure you do everything necessary to be able to jam out with me in the afterlife. I don't wanna think of a time that I'd have to go without the people that mean the world to me.
No one can say who goes to heaven or hell. I just want to do everything possible to make sure the heaven happens for everyone I can. @.@

AFK....

*comes back*

Free will is a gift. I believe there is not justice in life if there is no heaven and hell. There are horrible people out there who live without consequence. Innocent are born into suffering and die by it. I can't be content in the absence of God. I choose the Christian God because when I was wiccan, I didn't feel it like I do with Christianity. That's the only way I believe people can understand. They have to seek it for themselves and experience for themselves. They can also choose not to. Free will.
You can't throw a bible at someone and expect them to get it if they're not seeking it. . . lol *pictures a chibi throwing a bible at another chibi and they glow all holy-like* If only it were that easy. -,-

I hope teh angel serves as a reminder that I want you safe. That and the pepper spray... I should draw little wings on the pepper spray.

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Everyone's wrong because everyone's right. Try to find the balance of listening to others whilst being true to yourself.

You're right I am blessed and my family being supportive and kind and that has greatly shaped who I am. Confident and secure in myself and I have faith in humanity. People are generally good, and it may be hard to see since misdeeds stand out more then good deeds, but if you know what to look for you can see it.

I am also happy you have found Christianity and reaffirmed your connection to your faith, it makes you a happier and better person and I would never dream of taking that away from you.

As for morality. Is a person who fears hell more moral for doing the right thing, or does a person who does the right thing without fear more moral? People who are unhappy with themselves will lash out at the world, blame everyone but themselves when in reality, the only way to find happiness is to look inside and decide they want to happy. Whether the answer is religion or an personal epiphany is up to the individual. (chemical imbalances excluded )

The Dalia Lama says: If you want others to be happy, practice compassion. If you want to be happy, practice compassion.

As for the afterlife, I am content to know that this life is all I got. But I like to think if there is a God he loves us and would never let any of us perish forever in flames. Human beings are complicated and confused, one bad day can change your outlook and one good day can set you back on the path to happiness. And I can't imagine anyone no matter how evil their actions may be, to deserve an eternity of torment. But rather when you die and feel his love, everything makes sense and you are at peace and all that hate and negativity dies.

However, I don't think it is typical atheists you speak of when you speak of the self-destructive nihilism. But rather typical people who are unhappy. There are Atheists who have done great things, such as Ben Franklin, Gore Vidal, Lincoln, Helen Keller, John Adams, Frank Lloyd Wright and the list goes on.

The greatest ill of society is not religion or atheism, but people not doing what they know to be right in their heart.
The best way to cure the ill is to be a good example

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Saving the Planet one period at a time! [link]

That's a wonderful way of thinking, and I try to subscribe to it myself, now if only more people would.

It's always my hope that people will be able to think for themselves and choose their own actions and beliefs, and that those beliefs lead to goodwill and morality. Let others live the way they want, and do unto them as you'd have done to you and so on. We'd have a much nicer world then.

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"I speak softly... but I carry a biiiig stick!"
"Oh yeah? Well I speak LOOOOOOUD!! AND I CARRY A BIIIIGGER STICK! And I use it too!"
*BAM!*

I take a lot of that perception too. Religion has a very important function in society and for the individual, however, its when people believe it to be the only way that we have problems.

I also personally reject religion with the whole my way or the highway mentality. Many good people not going to heaven because they don't believe the right religion. A buddhist can spend their lives practicing kindness, and not hurting a soul, but they go to limbo for choosing the wrong belief. This mentality breeds fear and causes contension and humanity will never evolve with divisiveness and intolerance.

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Saving the Planet one period at a time! [link]

That's understandable.

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Saving the Planet one period at a time! [link]

Exactly. Kindness can be a religion too.

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Saving the Planet one period at a time! [link]

Exactly, I also despise the whole mentality of "if you don't do this, you'll go to hell", kinda like those religious groups who preach "God hates fags". It's a paradox to have a religion that preaches love to thy neighbor and we've got people who are so militaristic with their beliefs that they turn violent.

And you've also got another point there, with the world being as big as it is, there's bound to be other religions, or people who don't practice one at all due to their naivete. Do those people go to hell because they weren't informed about the word and will of the Lord? No, if the supposed God we've been taught is all-loving, he has to be all-understanding of these people's plight as well.

I honestly don't know what to think of religion at this point really, with these thoughts just filling my head whenever I'm left alone to ponder, the more it doesn't make sense. At least until we find physical evidence such as the Ark of the Covenant, the Tower of Babel's remnants, or even Jesus' prophecised second coming, it's hard to believe what is truth and what are just simple stories to teach us how to live as civilized people.

What also makes me feel as uneasy is, as history taught us, there have been other de facto religions in the past what we know today as "ancient mythology". They were eventually wiped out by another belief the majority of people later converted to. Who's to say the same thing won't happen years from now?