Paris
05-27-2007, 10:08 AM
None of the poll options really apply to me. I'm an atheist who was raised Methodist, but never really believed even when I was a child. I just went along because it made my parents happy. I practice meditation and have a spiritual bent, can acknowledge the supernatural while not believing in a supreme being.
I see supernatural events as just not being explained by humans yet. Sort of like ancient people thought disease was caused by demons or evil spirits or a witch who cast a curse upon a person, when really it was just a case of influenza. Ditto with things we call supernatural today, like what is referred to as ghosts, etc.
Although I am an atheist, I do have some beliefs. I'm open to the idea of an afterlife. I'm not disturbed by the thought of no afterlife, either. There's is absolutely nothing we can do about the reality of the situation, so either way, I'm cool. I believe that thought-power is real. I believe that some people can remote-view. I believe in space aliens (the universe is way too vast and complex for me to feel comfortable with being the only living things in that vastness, or the only living sentient beings). I also believe that space aliens visit earth, and ancient people called them Angels.
So, basically, my thinking is not based in only verifiable facts, but I'm certainly not at all religious. My biggest problem with most religions is that if any of the famous profits were to show up today in any city on the planet and start saying things like "God told me to do so-and-so, and sent me an Angel as confirmation of his wishes" that person would be labeled as schizophrenic and placed on drugs for having hallucinations.
So, because it is possible that at least some religious texts, that are deemed "the word of God", are likely the ravings of a schizophrenic (albeit an intelligent and charismatic, one) and not a direct message from a supreme being, I can't just sign on as a believer of any religious text. How do I tell the difference between "The Truth" and the fabrications of someone's mental illness?
I see supernatural events as just not being explained by humans yet. Sort of like ancient people thought disease was caused by demons or evil spirits or a witch who cast a curse upon a person, when really it was just a case of influenza. Ditto with things we call supernatural today, like what is referred to as ghosts, etc.
Although I am an atheist, I do have some beliefs. I'm open to the idea of an afterlife. I'm not disturbed by the thought of no afterlife, either. There's is absolutely nothing we can do about the reality of the situation, so either way, I'm cool. I believe that thought-power is real. I believe that some people can remote-view. I believe in space aliens (the universe is way too vast and complex for me to feel comfortable with being the only living things in that vastness, or the only living sentient beings). I also believe that space aliens visit earth, and ancient people called them Angels.
So, basically, my thinking is not based in only verifiable facts, but I'm certainly not at all religious. My biggest problem with most religions is that if any of the famous profits were to show up today in any city on the planet and start saying things like "God told me to do so-and-so, and sent me an Angel as confirmation of his wishes" that person would be labeled as schizophrenic and placed on drugs for having hallucinations.
So, because it is possible that at least some religious texts, that are deemed "the word of God", are likely the ravings of a schizophrenic (albeit an intelligent and charismatic, one) and not a direct message from a supreme being, I can't just sign on as a believer of any religious text. How do I tell the difference between "The Truth" and the fabrications of someone's mental illness?