Ever since 2nd grade I have believed in God and that Jesus Christ was sent down to save humanity. I'm now in 10th grade and I no longer believe in God.

From Kindergarten to 8th grade I went to a baptist school but my family has always gone to Catholic church. In 9th grade I started going to Catholic school. Their beliefs aren't that different. One of the most important differences is that Baptists believe that everything in the Bible is true.Like the story of Noah and the ark and Adam and Eve and stuff. Catholics don't take that stuff literally though. Catholics believe in evolution because of all the scientific evidence. THe other day I was thinking about this and about how Catholics believe that we're different from animals because we have a soul. If thats true, and we evolved from animals then, why don't animals have souls? Did humans somehow develop a soul along the way and God showed us that he was King? Or is it because humans try to find a way to explain everything in some rational way and an almighty, invisible ruler makes more sense?

That little bit of critical thinking was like a nuclear bomb going off in my brain. Suddenly I realized that everything I've been taught about God is bullshit. Its just us humans trying to explain the complexity of the world in some simple manner.

Its very weird now because all the Christians who I used to view as intelligent and perfect are no longer that way in my mind. Its like everyone else is blind and I'm the only one who can see. Its a very weird feeling. All my teachers, even my favorite ones (who are usually the smartest), are fools in my mind. They've been tricked into thinking something because ultimately, they're scared of what they don't know.

I still haven't completely dismissed the idea of a god so I guess that makes me agnostic. Its still hard for me to justify the perfection that the world is as just a stroke of luck. And I can't help but wonder how the universe was started and what formed it. Maybe its what Stephen Hawking wrote in one of his books about the turtles on the backs of other turtles and the stack of turtles just keeps going.

don't look down on religious people for just being religious. if they are knobs and are annoying go for it, but just because they have some odd fantasy about supernatural beings and invisible worlds does not make them stupid.

I believe in God, although I am kind of agianst organized religon. Everyone goes through times when they lose faith. Sometimes I think, man this god stuff is such bullshit. Then the next day something happens to me, and I start to think that there has to be a god.



I get the same feeling when I go to church though, when everyone is standing around and singing shitty songs written in the 1800's , I think to myself "Damn, this is a fucking cult". Thats when I stopped going to church. When everytime I went, I left with less faith.

I think humans have something in them, that makes them natually believe in something bigger then themselves. I do know however that my faith has pulled me through some tough times. If you ever find yourself in a situation where you might die (or think you will die), your faith gets stronger. Or atleast for me it does.

quote:Originally posted by chainy:

Ever since 2nd grade I have believed in God and that Jesus Christ was sent down to save humanity. I'm now in 10th grade and I no longer believe in God.

From Kindergarten to 8th grade I went to a baptist school but my family has always gone to Catholic church. In 9th grade I started going to Catholic school. Their beliefs aren't that different. One of the most important differences is that Baptists believe that everything in the Bible is true.Like the story of Noah and the ark and Adam and Eve and stuff. Catholics don't take that stuff literally though. Catholics believe in evolution because of all the scientific evidence. THe other day I was thinking about this and about how Catholics believe that we're different from animals because we have a soul. If thats true, and we evolved from animals then, why don't animals have souls? Did humans somehow develop a soul along the way and God showed us that he was King? Or is it because humans try to find a way to explain everything in some rational way and an almighty, invisible ruler makes more sense?

That little bit of critical thinking was like a nuclear bomb going off in my brain. Suddenly I realized that everything I've been taught about God is bullshit. Its just us humans trying to explain the complexity of the world in some simple manner.

Its very weird now because all the Christians who I used to view as intelligent and perfect are no longer that way in my mind. Its like everyone else is blind and I'm the only one who can see. Its a very weird feeling. All my teachers, even my favorite ones (who are usually the smartest), are fools in my mind. They've been tricked into thinking something because ultimately, they're scared of what they don't know.

I still haven't completely dismissed the idea of a god so I guess that makes me agnostic. Its still hard for me to justify the perfection that the world is as just a stroke of luck. And I can't help but wonder how the universe was started and what formed it. Maybe its what Stephen Hawking wrote in one of his books about the turtles on the backs of other turtles and the stack of turtles just keeps going.



Congratulations. You have developed your first predjudice. Enjoy! http://www.totse.com/bbs/smile.gif (http://www.totse.com/bbs/smile.gif)

I hope this animosity elevates your life, becuase hey, when did looking down upon people for their faith ever go wrong?

So what, you've become dissilusioned, Hooray, Your AVERAGE!

Every kid goes through this. Almost case by case, every kid does this.

Your also incorrect on some points, not all catholics are that way. Many read literally, however it is in the tradition of the church to read the bible contextually, which is something you, as an agnostic, should appreciate.

Those christians that you viewed as intelligent, well, they still are. Your just being closed-minded now because you think you hold the truth.

Yet again, I'd like to congradulate you on becoming just as bad as the fundamentalist christians you dispise.

I must have given you guys the wrong idea. I don't hate them or dislike them, I just feel sorry for them because they've been tricked into believing in Christianity.

quote:Originally posted by aTribeCalledSean:

Your also incorrect on some points, not all catholics are that way. Many read literally, however it is in the tradition of the church to read the bible contextually, which is something you, as an agnostic, should appreciate.

The Catholic church has always been bullshit to me even when I did believe in God. When you say that many Catholics read the Bible literally, I'll agree with you on that. However the Catholic church tells people what to do and what not to do in terms of how to understand Scripture.

Chainy, you need to keep things in perspective. You feel sorry for these 'blind' Christians, yet in their minds, you are the one that needs saving. Who's to say that they are incorrect in their beliefs? They may be dead right. They may be entirely wrong as well. The truth is, you cannot know either way.

Don't feel bad for anyone for following a belief. Many do benefit from religion (I'm not talking about their 'eternal soul', but simply in their every day lives). You now see things differently, but you must realize that this does not make you any more enlightened than those that you now pity.

quote:So what, you've become dissilusioned, Hooray, Your AVERAGE!

Every kid goes through this. Almost case by case, every kid does this.

I never did. My parents left me to make my own decisions about the world and I'm 'devoutly' atheist. Odd, but no religious person I've ever met chose religion over atheism with zero incentive.

I'm just glad to see that people are beginning to stop basing their lives on hebrew myths (though most only like to think they do - many Christians I know are far more 'sinful' than my atheist friends, who are generally very moral (though that's probably circumstantial)). I know it's prejudice, but I can't help feeling just a little bit of disdain for people who choose to believe this claptrap, be it through insecurity or just plain intellectual laziness. It's not like they have no choice, so I'm justified to a degree... it's not racism!

Memes are interesting things. Often, people who believe in God do so because it's been forced on them from a young age. Not believing in him would be like one of us forgetting our birthday. We have memes that say birthdays are important. Though there's no reason to believe that, we all do and we don't usually forget them. The people who believe in God, but weren't born religious have often adopted religion because of some huge (often tragic) life-changing event that caused a need for God.

I myself have a hard time not looking down on religious folk. I don't understand the shit they believe. I don't know how the holes in the logic don't leap out at them. But it's not stupidity that brings them down. You just have to accept that they have character flaws that you just have to look past. If it's worth it.

You feel like neo being unplugged from the matrix,no?



Welcome to intellectual freedom.

quote:Originally posted by aTribeCalledSean:



Congratulations. You have developed your first predjudice. Enjoy! http://www.totse.com/bbs/smile.gif (http://www.totse.com/bbs/smile.gif)

I hope this animosity elevates your life, becuase hey, when did looking down upon people for their faith ever go wrong?

So what, you've become dissilusioned, Hooray, Your AVERAGE!

Every kid goes through this. Almost case by case, every kid does this.

Your also incorrect on some points, not all catholics are that way. Many read literally, however it is in the tradition of the church to read the bible contextually, which is something you, as an agnostic, should appreciate.

Those christians that you viewed as intelligent, well, they still are. Your just being closed-minded now because you think you hold the truth.

Yet again, I'd like to congradulate you on becoming just as bad as the fundamentalist christians you dispise.

I can't fucking stand people who think they're making a great point and be super smart, but can't spell "you're". It's not difficult. Your is posessive. You're is a contraction of you are. It's a dumb thing to get wrong. I misspell things, but there's no excuse for missing a contraction.

Atheists/agnostics who feel sorry for those who believe in G/god/s are nowhere near being at the level of fundamentalist Christians. Why? Because we're right. I know that sounds horrible, but it's true. There's no denying the fact that "leaps of faith" require holes in logic. People who blindly follow crazy shit because they were convinced of it at a young age (or because they had a horrible logic lapse when they were going through tough times) are people to feel sorry for. And it's hard to feel sorry for someone without seeing yourself as being a bit above them.

But even if we ignore that, atheists/agnostics aren't running around trying to convert people (usually) and they're not destructive to innocent people. Atheists/agnostics as a group hate no one. The same cannot be said for fundamentalist Christians. This is a huge difference. We don't gay bash.

It is perfectly fine to judge someone based on their beliefs. Why shouldn't we? What kinds of people do you like? You probably have some requrements. Maybe people who don't murder. It is that person's belief that murder is alright. You're judging based on beliefs. End of story. Your argument blows

quote:Originally posted by GlitterPunk112358:

I can't fucking stand people who think they're making a great point and be super smart, but can't spell "you're". It's not difficult. Your is posessive. You're is a contraction of you are. It's a dumb thing to get wrong. I misspell things, but there's no excuse for missing a contraction.

Atheists/agnostics who feel sorry for those who believe in G/god/s are nowhere near being at the level of fundamentalist Christians. Why? Because we're right. I know that sounds horrible, but it's true. There's no denying the fact that "leaps of faith" require holes in logic. People who blindly follow crazy shit because they were convinced of it at a young age (or because they had a horrible logic lapse when they were going through tough times) are people to feel sorry for. And it's hard to feel sorry for someone without seeing yourself as being a bit above them.

But even if we ignore that, atheists/agnostics aren't running around trying to convert people (usually) and they're not destructive to innocent people. Atheists/agnostics as a group hate no one. The same cannot be said for fundamentalist Christians. This is a huge difference. We don't gay bash.

It is perfectly fine to judge someone based on their beliefs. Why shouldn't we? What kinds of people do you like? You probably have some requrements. Maybe people who don't murder. It is that person's belief that murder is alright. You're judging based on beliefs. End of story. Your argument blows

Your hot.

quote:Originally posted by GlitterPunk112358:

I can't fucking stand people who think they're making a great point and be super smart, but can't spell "you're". It's not difficult. Your is posessive. You're is a contraction of you are. It's a dumb thing to get wrong. I misspell things, but there's no excuse for missing a contraction.

-Sorry for the grammatical error. I could make excuses, but I was incorrect in my usage of the English language. I now understand that flaws will not be accepted.

Atheists/agnostics who feel sorry for those who believe in G/god/s are nowhere near being at the level of fundamentalist Christians. Why? Because we're right. I know that sounds horrible, but it's true.

-??? I'm sure you understand how hypcritcal that is.



There's no denying the fact that "leaps of faith" require holes in logic. People who blindly follow crazy shit because they were convinced of it at a young age (or because they had a horrible logic lapse when they were going through tough times) are people to feel sorry for. And it's hard to feel sorry for someone without seeing yourself as being a bit above them.

- Why should any christian take your writing seriously if you call their beliefs "crazy shit". I don't want to hear an argument over the validity of Christianity. I just want to know why anyone of faith should give you two seconds of their time after calling their lifestyle "crazy shit".

- Yes I agree, you would feel a bit above them, it's the same thing for christians, they feel a bit above you.

But even if we ignore that, atheists/agnostics aren't running around trying to convert people (usually) and they're not destructive to innocent people. Atheists/agnostics as a group hate no one. The same cannot be said for fundamentalist Christians. This is a huge difference. We don't gay bash.

- No arguments there.

It is perfectly fine to judge someone based on their beliefs. Why shouldn't we? What kinds of people do you like? You probably have some requrements. Maybe people who don't murder. It is that person's belief that murder is alright. You're judging based on beliefs. End of story. Your argument blows

- Same thing, no argument, except I wasn't making an argument, therefore it couldn't blow. The only argument I made, if any at all, is that by claiming the "truth" you are doing the same thing you dislike about christians.

quote:Originally posted by WolfinSheepsClothing:

Your hot.

No wolf.

YOUR hot.

Isn't it You're hot. lest we forget.

Let me just settle this: I'm hot. http://www.totse.com/bbs/smile.gif (http://www.totse.com/bbs/smile.gif)

quote:Originally posted by aTribeCalledSean:

No wolf.

YOUR hot.



No I aren't not.

quote:Originally posted by chainy:

Ever since 2nd grade I have believed in God and that Jesus Christ was sent down to save humanity. I'm now in 10th grade and I no longer believe in God.

From Kindergarten to 8th grade I went to a baptist school but my family has always gone to Catholic church. In 9th grade I started going to Catholic school. Their beliefs aren't that different. One of the most important differences is that Baptists believe that everything in the Bible is true.Like the story of Noah and the ark and Adam and Eve and stuff. Catholics don't take that stuff literally though. Catholics believe in evolution because of all the scientific evidence. THe other day I was thinking about this and about how Catholics believe that we're different from animals because we have a soul. If thats true, and we evolved from animals then, why don't animals have souls? Did humans somehow develop a soul along the way and God showed us that he was King? Or is it because humans try to find a way to explain everything in some rational way and an almighty, invisible ruler makes more sense?

That little bit of critical thinking was like a nuclear bomb going off in my brain. Suddenly I realized that everything I've been taught about God is bullshit. Its just us humans trying to explain the complexity of the world in some simple manner.

Its very weird now because all the Christians who I used to view as intelligent and perfect are no longer that way in my mind. Its like everyone else is blind and I'm the only one who can see. Its a very weird feeling. All my teachers, even my favorite ones (who are usually the smartest), are fools in my mind. They've been tricked into thinking something because ultimately, they're scared of what they don't know.

I still haven't completely dismissed the idea of a god so I guess that makes me agnostic. Its still hard for me to justify the perfection that the world is as just a stroke of luck. And I can't help but wonder how the universe was started and what formed it. Maybe its what Stephen Hawking wrote in one of his books about the turtles on the backs of other turtles and the stack of turtles just keeps going.

its a releaf to find somene that feels the way i do.look man just belive whatever makes the most seence to you.

quote:Originally posted by WolfinSheepsClothing:



No I aren't not.

who tuaght you how to spoke?

quote:Originally posted by Zman:

who tuaght you how to spoke?

you it looks like

quote:Originally posted by I_Like_Traffic_Lights:

Isn't it You're hot. lest we forget.

GODDAMNIT, I AM A RETARD, I DID IT AGAIN.



same shit just happened in another thread. I qouted scripture in response to someone elses scripture to show that he had it wrong. Thing is, I didn't read it very closely, and I said the same damn thing he did.

quote:Originally posted by chainy:

I must have given you guys the wrong idea. I don't hate them or dislike them, I just feel sorry for them because they've been tricked into believing in Christianity.



Or maybe you have been tricked into believing the ideas of man. Who knows? We are all ignorant of the truth. But we can all believe in something, I could care less personally.

quote:Originally posted by chainy:

Its still hard for me to justify the perfection that the world is as just a stroke of luck.

'Perfection' suggests that there is a standard base from which to perceive other states of being from. It is subjective and relative. With that said:

1) Our world is not 'perfect', I am currently sick and driving a shitty car with a spare tire...not perfect.

2) What other worlds have you experienced that you can compare to our's?

I'm happy for your new found bias but why exactly are you sharing this with us? I'm sincerely curious.

quote:Originally posted by aTribeCalledSean:

GODDAMNIT, I AM A RETARD, I DID IT AGAIN.



same shit just happened in another thread. I qouted scripture in response to someone elses scripture to show that he had it wrong. Thing is, I didn't read it very closely, and I said the same damn thing he did.

Shit happens. I wasn't trying to offend (I don't think I offended either.) Merely bustin' your balls in jest.