PowerPeanut wrote:
I was brought up Hindu, and I guess that I'm technically Hindu while I'm still living with my parents. I don't believe in any religion, so I guess that makes me Atheist, although I don't hate every religious person.
I posted that^ back in late 2009. That's about three months into my sophomore year in high school. Since this thread is still around (congrats, Magikarps_Beast!
), I might as well give an update on my progress. For perspective, I'm in my senior year in high school. Now, onto the good stuff.I'm still an atheist. I'm less wishy-washy as I was about my beliefs since then, too; back then, I guess you could say I was "in the closet" about my atheism. Of course, I've "come out" about my atheism (continuing with that metaphor). It hasn't led to as many arguments as one would imagine, although there have been plenty.
PowerPeanut wrote:
The only religious people I hate are those who impose their beliefs on others, and then yell at them.
Yep, I still hate evangelistic religions (and people) with a passion. The premise of religion is great. It gives people emotional strength, teaches them life lessons usually through stories, and presents those in an often entertaining light. BUT it's unnecessary. People can learn about the world through facts, not fiction, and most people are emotionally equipped to handle even the most stressful of situations. I don't think there's the need for a mental crutch for most people. That's key-most people. Not everyone is as mentally strong as others, which suggests that religion could be deemed necessary for some. But I believe that the idea of (a) supernatural being(s) is outdated.
However, I don't believe that all religions are bad. I think most Eastern religions (those that have lasted for millenia) are more credible than Judaism or Christianity; not in their choice of supernatural being, but in their philosophical teachings. Of course, I understand the possibility that I'm coming off as biased, given that I was raised Hindu, which is grouped in "Eastern religions". I can assure you, Psypokians, that I made that generalization after considering all possibilities as objectively as possible.
Now, let's get even more general. The premise of a "god" is that there's some higher power (that manifests itself in many forms, according to most polythestic religions) that either (a) controls every aspect of our lives, or (b) got things going but doesn't intervene, and is either (1) vengeful and angry at our people, or (2) benevolent and caring. So, that higher power is usually credited for creating everything, and for exacting punishments for those who were "bad", for want of a better word. As to the first bit, on creating the universe, that's been disproved. As to the latter, the concept of retribution has been around for a LONG time, and one could argue that it's a purely human creation. Physical evidence for that has been around much longer than christianity, just look at the Code of Hammurabi. We can assume that retribution's been around longer than even that.
The following quote from Stephen F. Roberts sums up this post quite well:
Stephen F. Roberts wrote:
"I contend that we are both atheists. I just believe in one fewer god than you do. When you understand why you dismiss all the other possible gods, you will understand why I dismiss yours."
Thanks for taking the time to read my post!
~PowerPeanut
, right? There should be NO reason to attack a soldiers dead body. But that crap is why we are at war. Especially when people who burn the Quran ask why our soldiers are dying.