Anything but an athiest.

[tbourner]

It's a good video, but I bet you could make something exactly the same going the other way. Maybe it's not as public as the forum of US media allows for that particular video, but there are plenty of anti-religion nuts who plainly state that religious people are naive, stupid, brainwashed etc. and similarly you could easily find some nice pictures of well respected and award winning Christians/Muslims/etc.

Strangely though, I see Atheism as a Scientific belief structure, and it seems like an oxymoron to have a Christian Scientist - but there are actually lots of them, who have no conflicts with their beliefs. So as good as that video is, I'd like to see someone do some similar research for the flip side.

[Clancy2k]

Hail fsm!

 

[attach=config]143999[/attach]

[RedM]

As a dyslexic, agnostic, insomniac I often lay awake all night wondering if there is a dog.

 

Go on, admit it. You've missed me, haven't you?

[Havard]

As a dyslexic, agnostic, insomniac I often lay awake all night wondering if there is a dog.

 

Go on, admit it. You've missed me, haven't you?

 

I have missed you Martin. Did the forum legends thread bring about your return?

[Morpheus]

My P.C. sound isn't working but I'll watch the video later, promise.

 

To the Atheists, you probably do believe in God but don't realise it. Your God is just by another name, i.e. Science, as was mine, in the absence of a rational explanation for God's existence. I remember that from the time I first learned the difference between Atheist, Agnostic and Theist in R.E. at school, I was Agnostic if asked, since I couldn't say for sure that God didn't exist and far too many 'otherwise intelligent' people seemed to believe in God. Surely it can't all be down to pure faith? You'd have to be very young or very impressionable to 'just believe' what you're told without question, especially on a subject like this where with one slip, you could end up burning in Hell forever. There had to be more to it than faith or fear.

 

Indeed Mr. Plethora, "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you" still stands as the most concise summation of all religious teachings. I would however just add the proviso, 'unless you're a Sadomasochist' incase Ed reads it!

 

One possible exception is, "Love one-another".

 

Instead of arrogantly declaring God The Creator impossible, I preferred to leave the question open, since it all had to come from somewhere, right? It is however, not a simple question, as it all depends on how you actually define 'God'. Perhaps the attempt to understand creation with a scientific explanation of God was at the heart of the scientific 'religion' which is really what it is with it's equally unwavering dogma, only being forced to budge in the face of overwhelming evidence instead of embracing it in the furtherment of our collective understanding as genuine science would. Reputation, ego and money play no small parts either.

 

The existence of God is a very personal thing which most people can't readily explain. There is however a rational explanation but it requires a certain faith all of it's own, if you are unable to visualise the mechanics of it for yourself.

 

Something that cannot be refuted or disproved is this; all is one energy continuum - whatever that 'energy' actually is. Whether it's the thoughts of God or just electrical potential leading to consciousness by way of chaos and random gravitational collapse into matter and ultimately organic life, it just is what it is and labelling it is just for our symbolic purposes - and therefore if it's all one continuous and interconnected infinity, division of any kind is an illusion. You're just focussing at that time on one particular aspect of the whole. If for example there were four Gods, they would only be Demi-Gods as they would still have to occupy the same ONE space in the one 'God' called 'All That Is'.

 

Even if divided into different Universes or dimensions, they all exist in only ONE ultimate dimension with one ultimate source. Even if they each had their own seperate Cosmos, in their own seperate Space-Time Continua, they would all have to occupy space in the same VOID, the same vast nothingness that everything exists within. What did the Universe expand into afterall? Even something outside of this void, in a neighbouring void if you will, is still in a bigger void or space that both occupy. See what I'm getting at here? Infact, two voids would collapse into one as they would be on the same level of density, in this case, zero, i.e. they'd both be the same void. Try sucking two seperate vacuums out of the same empty Bell Jar in a physics lab; you'll find them rather hard to tell apart.

 

Basically, one nothing is the same as another nothing so they would both conjoin or rather, not have existed seperately in the first place. If there can be only one nothing or void, there can be only one something in that void, however much we choose to disect it. That's if a true void is actually possible anyway except perhaps conceptually speaking and even then it's very tough going to imagine, I mean, try imagining nothing or drawing nothing on a piece of paper. Nothing does not occupy any space and therefore creates a condition of infinite energy potential, into which something must burst forth immediately to fill the infinitely powerful vacuum created.

 

From this perspective everything is one. All division is therefore only perceived division because one entity can't experience every possible frequency of energy, except perhaps the source itself from the highest level of consciousness which encompasses all others, much like standing on a pyramid or mountain top and having the best view.

 

So God is simply one mahoosive great big blob of potential that sprang forth out of nothingness. Naturally, it had a few questions to ask. Infinity is simply the opposite of nothing. Everything is relative within it, as it is all possibility; therefore, everything is also inevitable, in every form of expression, as God if you will, or the 'whole lump of energy that is everything', must experience every possible viewpoint in order to know itself and what it is. (Scary I know, that God doesn't know who or what he/she/it is but hopefully at some stage and with our help, 'it' will have enough experience to go on and stop this war and strife nonsense).

 

We are relative viewers, co-creating with God, the sum total of all that is, or whatever name you wish to use and our opinions, however diverse, are absolutely essential to understanding the big picture. Your experiences are all being added to those of everyone else in some grand simulation, in order to fathom what the hell is going on! .... or should that be, what in Heaven's name?

 

There is however, factual truth of a matter, in the context of an event that takes place. Such is the Universe, that it has a kind of 'reality' or density about it but it is still only relative density or illusion. This is to give it a certain stability for the purposes of relative comparison and juxtaposition. Up, down, left, right etc. none of which would have any meaning without their respective opposites. In other words, arguing is to be encouraged if it leads to a conclusion that agrees with basic principles of respect and unity, since all is one, of course.

 

We are all one mind, experiencing this world as individuated organic life-forms in all their miriad diversity. We are not of it but in it, temporarily. The Universe is a highly advanced holographic simulator for the purpose of experimental expression of all possible worldviews and experiences, within a safe environment, like a computer game, as no harm can come to the soul for it originates from beyond this dimension. The soul is what animates you, the player. Your hand doesn't drown when you put it in a fishbowl and you don't drown in the sea if you wear appropriate breathing apparatus. Similarly, your soul cannot drown when you enter this plane and neither can it when you depart, though it will feel like you have been drowning all your life when you do.

 

Unfortunately, some people still don't behave as though we're even on the same planet or members of the same species, let alone the lack of excuse to victimise members of any particular species, group or race that are actually 'different' as they are still a valid part of the whole. You don't condemn your feet because they are different from your hands, (although, if you stare at them long enough, they do look kinda weird!).

 

It is the illusion of division that causes all of life's spiritual problems and religion is definitely at the helm of that ship, since it's proponents are themselves, either ignorant or willfully ignorant of the 'one-ness' of it all, which naturally precludes them from any notion of superiority or authority as the only direct spokesperson for God, as for example, The Pope would apparently claim.

 

That isn't to say that The Pope can't communicate God's message, as we all have within us the innate ability to communicate directly with the higher levels of consciousness of which we are a part. We have simply been 'encouraged' to forget how to do it to serve a particular purpose, that is, learning what we are not, in order to re-member who and what we are. Knowing is one thing but experiencing it physically is quite another.

 

Now it's wakey wakey time and fear is the only obstacle in this persuit; that is, fear of thinking differently than your peer group or fear of 'going there' where Angels fear to tread.

 

Being afraid of the dark is just as limiting as being afraid of the light. A balance has to be sought between the two extremes for eternity is a very long time to be either one or the other. What we're all doing here is looking for a system that works forever, not just for the few but for everyone.

 

So, seen in it's proper context, the 'modern' trend toward embracing the darkside via violent video games and pornography, for example, is actually a sign of progress toward a fearlessness in the youth who are unafraid to go places mentally, that the more mature members of society would find abhorrent. I'm old enough to have seen this trend and to have been an atheist for the first half of my life.

 

Certain events in life act as triggers for spiritual growth. These can be tragedies and misfortunes but with enough questioning, one is inevitably lead to the fact that there is a reason for everything, as a part of the bigger picture. Basic physics asserts that every action has an equal and opposite reaction so why should coincidences and synchronicities have absolutely no reason? Everything has a reason. It's up to us to follow the clues.

 

One final thought.........

 

Religion is for people who are afraid of going to Hell.

 

Spirituality is for people who have already been there.

[tbourner]

I'm sorry but that all sounds a bit naive to me. Are you saying this is all being fixed now? This current generation or the next few are going against religion with video games, and that means we're going to learn the ultimate truth? Aren't we lucky to be in this miniscule point on the timeline!

 

Also, your whole premise is based on a human perspective of the universe, whereas the best and most flexible human minds out there have freely admitted that we're several powers of intellect below that required to understand some of our own theories, let alone what could actually be going on! You've only got to glance at M-theory and 4D branes to see that. Putting a simple base to the whole thing saying energy is one and therefore we're all part of the same God, is just an incorrect use of some of our most basic physics to reach a nicely fitting conclusion.

 

It's absolutely possible that there are a thousand universes (if you forgive the use of the word, I know that is an oxymoron), or 2, or an infinite number, and no they don't have to be 'in' something else, they don't have to exist anywhere at all. It could be that the 'one energy' in our verse is created from another. It could be that we're a lower level universe inside something completely different, created by a single being in the outer verse which is so far beyond comprehension that we can't ever possibly see outside the walls of our bubble.

 

We are fish, inside a bowl. We're very clever fish and we can see the entire room we're sitting in and understand the physics of the air outside our pool. We can even see bits outside the window and understand how wind blows and birds fly. But we cannot and never will understand what a sand-dune is and how it behaves, or what exists in an ocean, let alone comprehend the stars and black holes and vast emptinesses of space - for we are only fish, in a bowl.

[Nemesis]

Reckon I'll get more catholic (been lapsed for a long time) as the winter solstice approaches.

 

Won't spare me though

[David P]

The World would be a safer place without these imaginary friends.

[Morpheus]

The World would be a safer place without these imaginary friends.

 

Oh go on, just one?

[Morpheus]

I'm sorry but that all sounds a bit naive to me. Are you saying this is all being fixed now? This current generation or the next few are going against religion with video games, and that means we're going to learn the ultimate truth? Aren't we lucky to be in this miniscule point on the timeline!

 

Also, your whole premise is based on a human perspective of the universe, whereas the best and most flexible human minds out there have freely admitted that we're several powers of intellect below that required to understand some of our own theories, let alone what could actually be going on! You've only got to glance at M-theory and 4D branes to see that. Putting a simple base to the whole thing saying energy is one and therefore we're all part of the same God, is just an incorrect use of some of our most basic physics to reach a nicely fitting conclusion.

 

It's absolutely possible that there are a thousand universes (if you forgive the use of the word, I know that is an oxymoron), or 2, or an infinite number, and no they don't have to be 'in' something else, they don't have to exist anywhere at all. It could be that the 'one energy' in our verse is created from another. It could be that we're a lower level universe inside something completely different, created by a single being in the outer verse which is so far beyond comprehension that we can't ever possibly see outside the walls of our bubble.

 

We are fish, inside a bowl. We're very clever fish and we can see the entire room we're sitting in and understand the physics of the air outside our pool. We can even see bits outside the window and understand how wind blows and birds fly. But we cannot and never will understand what a sand-dune is and how it behaves, or what exists in an ocean, let alone comprehend the stars and black holes and vast emptinesses of space - for we are only fish, in a bowl.

 

God help us.

[AndrewOW]

Not surprised that a good proportion of people are atheists or agnostic - most of the main line religions feed on fear in order to control the masses - they preach hatred, division and a cause of a lot of the worlds troubles over the past couple of millennia.

 

A lot of the "Holy" books have either been tampered with or conveniently interpreted in order to suit a political agenda and today at-least in modern "developed" societies where people do have the luxury and comfort to question (without being prosecuted) they quickly realise how disconnected these teachings are from their day to day lives.

 

That isn't to say that if we did away with religion we could all be free and better off, not necessarily so - every society needs to have a control system, its just that the most "successful" ones have been religion based.

 

As for the Video - one could certainly replace the word Atheist with Muslim and most of the ill feelings would be the same, identical or even worse - just a thought.

 

 

Well said.

 

The bigger the country, the smaller the mind, it seems.

[Morpheus]

The bigger the country, the smaller the mind, it seems.

 

Does that apply in reverse? I mean, I saw a programme about Belgium the other week where they have a game called, "Sh!t Yourself Rich!"

 

Everyone places bets on where a cow will first take a dump in an imaginary grid within a small field.

 

Fun for all the family!

 

There was also a man who literally thought he was a Penguin.

 

Still, each to their own. That's what makes life so interesting, if a little worrying sometimes.

[Abz]

Not surprised that a good proportion of people are atheists or agnostic - most of the main line religions feed on fear in order to control the masses - they preach hatred, division and a cause of a lot of the worlds troubles over the past couple of millennia.

 

A lot of the "Holy" books have either been tampered with or conveniently interpreted in order to suit a political agenda and today at-least in modern "developed" societies where people do have the luxury and comfort to question (without being prosecuted) they quickly realise how disconnected these teachings are from their day to day lives.

 

That isn't to say that if we did away with religion we could all be free and better off, not necessarily so - every society needs to have a control system, its just that the most "successful" ones have been religion based.

 

As for the Video - one could certainly replace the word Atheist with Muslim and most of the ill feelings would be the same, identical or even worse - just a thought.

 

Great post imi

[Morpheus]

Ok, I've finally taken the time to actually watch the video and have to say, The United States is a genuine Republic, one nation, under God, so in that sense, for those that respect the Constitution, they are literally fighting for survival in the face of a Communist takeover. I don't obviously condone any violence against anyone but the true American is by definition, guided by a set of principles and inalienable rights that when protected from enemies, both foreign and domestic, guarantee freedom for the individual to a degree that no other nation on earth did.

 

I say did, because it's quite obvious that they are by now just about the least free people on earth, in legal terms. Their entire Bill of Rights is under constant threat and erosion from within. So to a true Constitutionally loyal American, they are no different than the Palestinians or Tibetans. They're literally under attack from their own government, as it has been hijacked.

 

The bottom line is this; you have to try to see things from another's perspective. We are all the sum total of our experience. Peace!

 

 

Edit; I just remembered that The U. S. Constitution and all it's ammendments include such statements as, "Congress shall make no law respecting any religion" so in it's purest form, America is also protected from religious influence as much as any other set of conditions imposed upon it at the governmental level.

 

This guarantees freedom to believe what you want, so long as you don't try to force it on others. In that sense, Atheist bashing is as unconstitutional as anything else.

 

It just happens that when America was founded, the vast majority were Christian, in one form or another and they seem the most grounded in Constitutional history. There are of course, many Atheists fighting for a return to Constitutional rule.

 

You don't have to be religious to have principles but our basic way of life was founded upon Christian teachings, at least in this country and in America.

[AndrewOW]

[CJ]

http://www.phun.org/newspics/funny_friday_2/6399.jpg

 

Superb

[imi]

http://www.phun.org/newspics/funny_friday_2/6399.jpg

 

Thats funny however fairly accurate too

[David P]

http://www.phun.org/newspics/funny_friday_2/6399.jpg

 

[tbourner]

Ooh I'm a Mormon.

[Morpheus]

http://www.phun.org/newspics/funny_friday_2/6399.jpg

 

I'm confused now.

 

I'm not a Muslim but I absolutely love raw Broccoli florets dipped in Sainsbury's Organic Hummus but what if you believe in God as a conscious entity or level of awareness, yet don't feel the need to worship, (whatever that really means), because you reason that God would not want for anything, being as it must be to qualify as all-knowing and of any genuine authority whatsoever, the sum total of everything that exists, including everything that doesn't exist?

 

The only question is what created God but that is a relative concept, bound in past/present/future thinking since there is actually only ever the 'now' moment. Infact, it's not even a moment. There simply is no time. It's all simultaneous and our bodies and brains are just vehicles to allow subjectivity. They must therefore be illusory. God could simply have always been. For example, the dichotomy of the creation of God so that 'it' can then create us, presumes a timeline and time only exists as a function of relative change or vibration and thus, if there was a creator in a state of pure energy and without time because it has no mass or matter to vibrate or change state, there is simply no beginning or end of time outside of this dimension and/or others like it because time is a function of matter itself. Photons have no mass, yet they create matter. In other words, light creates matter; we are multi-dimensional light beings. Hence the Holographic Universe theory also. A dimension is simply a frequency band within the vibrational energy spectrum like a radio or t.v. station, thus....

 

kfS5Qn0wn2o

 

Either way, everything is one, no matter how you look at it; not that you can actually look at all of it, which is the reason we assume that there's no creator if we can't see 'Him'. Substitute 'Energy Source' or 'I Am' for 'God' and you do believe in God, for those that don't believe in God.

 

If you still don't believe in God, you don't believe that anything exists, including yourself. Here's one of my favourite clips......

 

7D0BeLz5blM

[j_jza80]

I'm confused now.

 

I'm not a Muslim but I absolutely love raw Broccoli florets dipped in Sainsbury's Organic Hummus but what if you believe in God as a conscious entity or level of awareness, yet don't feel the need to worship, (whatever that really means), because you reason that God would not want for anything, being as it must be to qualify as all-knowing and of any genuine authority whatsoever, the sum total of everything that exists, including everything that doesn't exist?

 

The only question is what created God but that is a relative concept, bound in past/present/future thinking since there is actually only ever the 'now' moment. Infact, it's not even a moment. There simply is no time. It's all simultaneous and our bodies and brains are just vehicles to allow subjectivity. They must therefore be illusory. God could simply have always been. For example, the dichotomy of the creation of God so that 'it' can then create us, presumes a timeline and time only exists as a function of relative change or vibration and thus, if there was a creator in a state of pure energy and without time because it has no mass or matter to vibrate or change state, there is simply no beginning or end of time outside of this dimension and/or others like it because time is a function of matter itself. Photons have no mass, yet they create matter. In other words, light creates matter; we are multi-dimensional light beings. Hence the Holographic Universe theory also. A dimension is simply a frequency band within the vibrational energy spectrum like a radio or t.v. station, thus....

 

kfS5Qn0wn2o

 

Either way, everything is one, no matter how you look at it; not that you can actually look at all of it, which is the reason we assume that there's no creator if we can't see 'Him'. Substitute 'Energy Source' or 'I Am' for 'God' and you do believe in God, for those that don't believe in God.

 

If you still don't believe in God, you don't believe that anything exists, including yourself. Here's one of my favourite clips......

 

7D0BeLz5blM

 

The guy in the last video looks like Elton John

[tbourner]

The guy in the last video looks like Elton John

 

Except more gay and annoying.

[steady_dave]

Always liked this one:

 

http://youtu.be/Ggb620WLCIMhttp://youtu.be/Ggb620WLCIM

[Purity14]

Except more gay and annoying.

That is an astonishing feat

[Morpheus]

always liked this one:

 

http://youtu.be/ggb620wlcimhttp://youtu.be/ggb620wlcim