[Cerek the Barbaric]

Originally posted by esquire: Hmm Ok just to keep this thread on topic, still about being atheist isn’t it? J I’ll tell ya my theory of reality in a nutshell. First of all I don’t believe in a god or gods or that they have any kind of domain over my existence. I dunno, I suppose when it really comes down to it I can’t prove that a god doesn’t exist any more than someone can prove that he/she or it does, it really is a matter of perspective…to an extent. I believe that I can trust my perception and that there are laws of science we can depend on to define, describe, and manipulate our reality. How do I come to this position? Easy! We get results with being empirical. For instance, pray as much as you like, but you won’t invent an atomic bomb like magic. You can build one by understanding how atoms work however. Ah, but then what about divine inspriation you ask?... eh, I call that imagination.

Ahhhhhh...but what about Divine Intervention. I have personally seen prayers succeed where science and technology failed. I've told the story before, but the short version is that I faced a life-threatening condition 6yrs ago. I suffered massive internal injury and - through a series of events - had to wait more than 30 hours before corrective surgery could be performed. After the surgery, the doctor asked my wife and mother if they believed in miracles. They replied that they did and he said "That's good - because a miracle is the only thing that will save him now. I've done what I could, but it simply wasn't enough to repair the damage that's been done. I don't expect him to survive past the next 72 hours."

My mom returned to the waiting room in tears and asked everyone there to pray with her for my safety. Total strangers joined hands with my mom and asked God to spare me. I later learned that over 100 people from my hometown were also praying for a miracle on my behalf. However, I was completely unaware of any of this - so my recovery cannot be attributed to "positive thinking".

The bottom line is that our advanced medical technology was not sufficient to save me. Only God's Grace was able to do that.

Originally posted by esquire: To summarize: I REALLY don’t like the concept of having a higher power having some kind of control over me. Its just creepy! [img]tongue.gif[/img]

I find it comforting rather than creepy. {see above example}

Originally posted by esquire: I am master of my own destiny.

That's true. We are created with free will. Each of us has the freedom to choose whether we will believe or disbelieve in God, Buddha, Allah, Vishnu, or none of the above. We also have the freedom to take any action or follow any course that we deem best for us. All of our decisions, actions, and choices are our own to make.

Originally posted by esquire: And finally, god is just a something we made up to quell our collective fears of death. Thats what it is. Here we are, stuck on a planet, one of billions upon billions... insignificant.

I disagree. Although I'm in no hurry to die, I do not fear death. I have a personal relationship with God that is real - not imaginary, hallucinatory, or chemically induced. I have heard His voice in direct answer to prayers and I have seen His hand intervene in my times of need. This is not just "wishful thinking" - I have gone to God in prayer over different circumstances and seen real, empirical results occur from those prayers.

We are stuck on this planet, but we are not insignificant - at least not to God.

Originally posted by esquire: I also think that any way a person can find harmony and contentment in their life, well thats great. Just keep religion 100 feet from science/government at all times, and I'm cool wit that

I agree. Although I don't feel that science and God are mutually exclusive. I believe God designed our world and the universe to operate in an orderly and precise manner. He then gave Man the ability to "discover" these "orderly patterns" for ourselves so that we could better understand how our world works.

Religion in gov't is a horse of a different color. I respect gov't leaders and officials who have strong moral values and convictions....but I would NOT want to see Pat Robertson or Jerry Falwell in the Oval Office.

I believe in freedom of choice and I respect every person's decision to accept or reject religion as they see fit. If you have found harmony and contentment in your choice, I am happy for you. [img]graemlins/thumbsup.gif[/img]