Posted on 11/27/2005 6:32:15 AM PST by machman
Morning Edition, November 21, 2005 ·
I believe that there is no God. I'm beyond Atheism. Atheism is not believing in God. Not believing in God is easy -- you can't prove a negative, so there's no work to do. You can't prove that there isn't an elephant inside the trunk of my car. You sure? How about now? Maybe he was just hiding before. Check again. Did I mention that my personal heartfelt definition of the word "elephant" includes mystery, order, goodness, love and a spare tire?
So, anyone with a love for truth outside of herself has to start with no belief in God and then look for evidence of God. She needs to search for some objective evidence of a supernatural power. All the people I write e-mails to often are still stuck at this searching stage. The Atheism part is easy.
But, this "This I Believe" thing seems to demand something more personal, some leap of faith that helps one see life's big picture, some rules to live by. So, I'm saying, "This I believe: I believe there is no God."
Having taken that step, it informs every moment of my life. I'm not greedy. I have love, blue skies, rainbows and Hallmark cards, and that has to be enough. It has to be enough, but it's everything in the world and everything in the world is plenty for me. It seems just rude to beg the invisible for more. Just the love of my family that raised me and the family I'm raising now is enough that I don't need heaven. I won the huge genetic lottery and I get joy every day.
Believing there's no God means I can't really be forgiven except by kindness and faulty memories. That's good; it makes me want to be more thoughtful. I have to try to treat people right the first time around.
Believing there's no God stops me from being solipsistic. I can read ideas from all different people from all different cultures. Without God, we can agree on reality, and I can keep learning where I'm wrong. We can all keep adjusting, so we can really communicate. I don't travel in circles where people say, "I have faith, I believe this in my heart and nothing you can say or do can shake my faith." That's just a long-winded religious way to say, "shut up," or another two words that the FCC likes less. But all obscenity is less insulting than, "How I was brought up and my imaginary friend means more to me than anything you can ever say or do." So, believing there is no God lets me be proven wrong and that's always fun. It means I'm learning something.
Believing there is no God means the suffering I've seen in my family, and indeed all the suffering in the world, isn't caused by an omniscient, omnipresent, omnipotent force that isn't bothered to help or is just testing us, but rather something we all may be able to help others with in the future. No God means the possibility of less suffering in the future.
Believing there is no God gives me more room for belief in family, people, love, truth, beauty, sex, Jell-o and all the other things I can prove and that make this life the best life I will ever have.
Charles Barkley is a Republican, you know.
Anyway, I barely remember Scottie Pippin saying or doing anything.....I don't think you really see many sports interviews. It's completely common for athletes to credit God for a victory or their abilities.
And on a very routine basis I see people in disasters or accidents that live crediting God for their survival, far more than people simply stating they were lucky.
Yeah, and on NPR, about 98 % of All the opinions are lib. It should be ALL privately funded.
vaudine
True.
But they did not grant them to you.
You've obviously never had hospital food. LOL!
And actually ironically it always struck me as supreme egotism for someone that was the sole survivor of some disaster that killed dozens of other people to claim it was God's will or a miracle they survived, rather than dumb luck; they're basically saying they're special or more deserving of being saved than the other poor saps who croaked.
2. You aren't Him.
I would add another:
3. Nobody else is Him, either. Especially not politicians, despite what they may think.
But, this "This I Believe" thing seems to demand something more personal, some leap of faith that helps one see life's big picture
That's right Penn...it is, in fact, called faith. That's the first step to getting over what you call 'the searching stage'.
Simple faith. That's it. No big mystery. Either you have it or you don't.
But you Penn...you're too much of a logical, high-minded thinker to stoop to anything so debasing as 'faith'. Isn't that right Einstein?
If you believe that there are other worlds who DO NOT have free will then God is a dictator to them. Life being good not excluded. If your faith is so weak that you cannot stand someone having another view then don't go to any thing outside your Bible and Church. There are almost as many views as there are people. Also, doesn't it say somewhere in the Bible that you will only be held accountable for what you know on Judgment Day? So the faithful Buddhist has as much chance to be in Heaven as a "true" Christan.
Intolerance is the biggest cause of many woes in society.
"Excuse me, why does God need a starship?" James T. Kirk. You either get this or you don't so don't ask me to explain if you don't get it.
Ideas can be changed, beliefs cannot. Anyone who thinks that there "God" or "church" is the only right one must fear all outside contact with "unbelievers". When and where did Jesus exclude himself from the "unbelievers" as a matter of fact he seemed to embrace them.
Flame on.
Depends on who you are listening to. The most powerful and compelling testimonies I have ever heard are from people who have spoken of the "miracle" of being brought spiritually intact and strengthened through a grave loss or serious setback in their health or their relationships with other people.
That doesn't mean God sadistically causes these things to bring a man or woman to spiritual perfection. It means that He knows life will of its own accord furnish enough of these moments to enable any man or woman to achieve spiritual refinement. It is still the choice of each person whether that person will avail himself of this opportunity for spiritual refinement or whether he will, as Job's wife exhorted Job to do, "Curse God and die."
Government Dole? hahahahah. He makes more a night in Vegas than most freepers will make in a lifetime.
Well said. There was a time that the biggest obstacle between Christ and myself, were his followers.
Karma was disconnected on January 11, 1979. Cost to much to run it.
Good. Then Congress should have no compunction over cutting off any public monies to CPB. Do it now.
In fairness, Penn is very hard on believers and regularly insults our intelligence. Let's not pretend for a moment that he gives believers an even break.
I am a believer, but I just couldn't let this one go. Sex has never dissapointed me. If sex is dissapointing, you're not doing it right.
"I can read ideas from all different people from all different cultures."
What's he trying to say? Sounds like a typical liberal to me.
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