No God; No Soul

People are not more "connected" than others. Some people are simply more prone to hallucinations than others. The thing with hallucinating is that is seems extremely real. Human beings are prone to hallucinating even without drugs, alcohol, or even coffee (yes, even coffee can increase your likelihood of experiencing hallucinations). The person hallucinating do not understand that they are hallucinating. That is why people who claim alien abductions, near death experiences, hauntings, etc. are so passionate and believable. They HONESTLY think these things are/have happened to them or continue to happen.

Thought1, there's no way you are higher than I am (lol)!





(jk! I actually don't do that anymore. I used to, so I couldn't resist the comment.)

People that are more connected are connected with THE HIGHEST SELF - THEIR OWN HIGHEST SELF - that is why they are aware of many things others are not, they know who they are and what they have been - AND NOT THAT ONLY. This is the stuff about spirits, souls, gods, holy spirit etc.

Ok, so tonight when I am with my husband I'll scream for Santa or better yet the Easter Bunny. :0

One of the more bizarre and pathetic arguments I've encountered from fundies is that there are no atheists since even people like me say "Oh God" when we're exasperated or having an 0rgasm. What this has to do with the existence of their chosen fairy tale, I have no idea.

FarmerGiles, I could not agree with you more.



But I have a confession to make...I say "god dammit" when something goes wrong and my kids are out of ear shot. Bad me. Maybe I should try "Baal dammit" or "Zeus dammit". But god is a pronoun so I should be ok.

You are right about one thing, Gonazar. Giving up belief in god does mean sacrificing some of the best curse words! I have found that I have had to get much more creative with my vulgarities.



Once in a while though, I still slip up with a "by Odin's beard" or a "Great Jupiter!"

What a great post! You sure brought the crazies out of the woodwork with this one OM.



Don't you love how people who outright reject Science as a philosophy are the same ones who condescendingly tell us, who have studied it intently, what science can and cannot explain?



Sometimes, I feel sorry for people who are afraid to leave the man-god behind, they are missing out on so much wonder. The Cosmos is so much bigger than Jehova!



And you are so right about the soul. Not only is it personally "redemptive" to live without the weight of such a thing, but I also find it has helped me understand and relate to others. I am much more forgiving now than I ever was while my parents were ramming Xtianity down my throat.



BTW, I second Miss Jupiter's comment - way to go, we need more smart, thinking moms out there!

Love the term sky talkers. Im going to start using that one. Thanks godfree.

jaded, wonderful, but let me hear you say the same after a few month of discourse with the sky talkers

Wonderfully worded OMom. It is that belief in the bond between my phsycial body and my mind that changed me the most when i accepted my atheism. I am literally my body. It creates my mind, feelings, sensation. I am this thing and nothing more. People fear death and always will. They need to know that they are more than a growing entity in order to get up in the morning and mostly live habitual lives of sad desperation. It seems to be a common state. Religion gives hope that they can get a reward for living under the rules they were given, instead of becoming who they feel they are and doing what they feel they want to.

Naomi, good reply! I myself lived in confusion about religion and life when I was 8 and my older brother died...none of it ever made sense! Especially since he died by accidental suicide (does that mean he'd go to heaven or not!?!? Everyone presumed but couldn't explain why!); and it was hard to accept at that young age that he's nothing but worm food, but I eventually came around!

The soul and the one who gave one to all never had a name . We choose to give a name to it to give it a commercial value . How else could we exploit it ,to our own purpose . Whether we acknowledge our soul or it , it's still there . Have you ever cried ? it comes from your soul . All souls go to where it believes .

"crazy theory" Like talking snakes, cosmic jewish zombies, talking donkeys, dragons, unicorns, giants, angels, demons, children who are their own fathers and impregnate their own mothers....crazy theorys like this.

do you really think science can explain everything, because it has yet to explain love. i can't wait to see what crazy theory they come up with for that.

maxxcrash: i see what you are saying and have wondered about it myself. we may not continue to be aware of our existence after death, but our energy will be passed along to feed other organisms, just as it is passed along into our offspring (according to science)





pntdhorse: i don't think she was saying that belief in the soul leads to a fear of death- rather that people naturally fear death and therefore invented the concept of "soul" (and an afterlife for that soul) to avoid facing the fact that consciousness will end





overwhelmedmom:


this is a great point, one that I have had the most difficult struggle with in my journey from deluded christian belief to rational thinking. Even with the comparatively little amount of science I know, I can understand that there is no such thing as a soul because the concept of "free will" is an illusion. That, and the notion of a conscious awareness after the brain stops functioning is absurd.


But, I did have a tough time finally coming to terms with that fact. I wanted so badly to believe that there would be an afterlife, but try as I might I just couldn't live in delusion. It's like wishing desperately for the ability to fly. You could want it so badly you can taste it, but doesn't mean it will happen.








An explanation of my current thinking on the absence of "free-will:"


Every action we make is our brain's attempt of self-preservation/preservation of the species. Even, say, spontaneously flailing your arms in an attempt to prove that you have "free will" constitutes self-preservation, in that to maintain emotional well-being humans feel the need to believe that they are in control of their actions.

If you don't agree with someones religion they'll redefine your words until you do.

WHAT?

Energy is not created nor destroyed but only changes form. What you call science others call a soul.

Markfree: Yes, you are definitely correct. Monotheistic belief is absurd today. It's only some of the American public that hasn't figured that out yet. Granted you have to forgive them a little bit for being so incredibly uneducated given the grotesque state of our public educational system.

If you believe in god(s), you are in the WRONG group.



I dont bow down to anyone or anything. I dont bow down to Santa Claus, the Easter Bunny, or Mother Goose. I dont go knocking on your door and emotionally terrorize your children about the hellfire of the holy flying spaghetti monster.



I find theistic believes to be incredibly ignorant among many other not so nice things.

I can respect your view. But I do believe in God, and the soul. It does not make me fear death. I have died a few times so far in this life. I have come to the understanding, that when it is your time to go there is no force that can stop it, if it isn't your time to go there is no force that can take you. Just my belief. I feel totally free. It is not a burdon to me the beliefs I have.

i don't agree at all. all will bow down to God at the end. you'll see

You mean Jesus, et al aren't already absurd?



Nicely written. We are animals.

Boy, do I agree with you on this. So much freedom comes from atheism and one of the most liberating is the banishment of this myth of a seperate person living inside me