They are just words and it is context which gives them meaning. I take this as lighthearted banter...Please Register or Log in to view the hidden image! Of interest may be the "cornhole"game. It is not a complicated game except for the terminology: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cornhole It's a very popular game in corn country.
I am not sure I ever had a strong belief due to recognizing some of the stories from the bible as myths. Various conflicting accounts caused skepticism. The Garden of Eden as the start of mankind did not seem valid although (at circa 6-7) I did not have a good notion of how the human race started. The claim that Adam & Eve were created the same day & the later story of Eve being created from a rib or flesh from Adam's side were obviously contradictory. I now believe that two different oral traditions stories were included in the first written version of the Bible. I attended Sunday school from circa age 6-7 to circa 13-15 because my parents took me there when they attended services, mostly due to my Catholic mother. My Quaker father probably did not have a strong belief. I remember him saying The Quakers (Society of Friends) are very behavior oriented. The Sunday school I attended read the bible from cover to cover over a period of circa 1-3 years and encouraged discussion after each Sunday's reading. The story of Abraham being asked to sacrifice Isaac astounded me & started me on the road to atheism. The story of Job pushed me further toward atheism. My father & I were more closely bonded than most father/son pairs. I was born when he was circa 50 years old & semi-retired. He had more time for me than most fathers. The request to kill his son seemed demonic to me rather than a request from a god worthy of worship or respect. I could not believe that any father would consider obeying the request. I was certain that my father would not consider complying. The fact that the request was actually test of faith did not impress me. I expressed my view & there ensued a discussion/argument between me & the Sunday school teacher. It might have been better strategy for the teacher to avoid discussion/argument.
You guys are funny. I don't have the time to address 13 replies--I have a life and a job. Sorry. If you are curious or have doubts, there's no harm in exploring the subject further. I don't consider myself an authority, though I do enjoy talking on the matter. There are plenty of resources online. Best wishes.
/// I have explored it further than you can imagine. Much further than necessary but for curiosity & a desire to understand people. We do not need you to advise us to do what most, if not all, of us have done. <>
"Isn't it enough to see that a garden is beautiful without having to believe that there are fairies at the bottom of it too?" - Douglas Adams.
Pantheists, for instance, don't see any contradiction there. Not all conceptions of deity necessitate it being above the laws of nature.
Just because humans are biologically programmed to believe in religion doesn't make the truth of religion any more true. Religion is bullshit, simply as that and it doesn't exactly take a genius to see that.
Very well said. Even if one goes with the old adage "there are no atheists in foxholes", doesn't make it any more true either.
The OP question is backward. I repeat, what turned god away from me? I cannot turn away from what I do not know exists. Supposedly, god knows I exist so if it is of any importance, god can get us together. Certainly, there is absolutely nothing I can do about it. <>
God simply doesn't exist in my opinion. I think it is just human nature to believe in God. Our brains were 'designed' by millions of years of evolution to believe in something more powerful than ourselves but it doesn't make the existence of God any more scientifically true. The way I see it the world we live in is governed by the laws of physics, chemistry and biology therefore God is not needed to explain anything because everything is just physics and chemistry.
From a Poster to another Thread The above came from email to a friend & I do not remember what Thread I found it in.
God lets good people suffer terribly, including completely innocent children. THIS is what turned me away from God. But I'm not saying that religion is completely bad though. Many people who are religious give a lot to charities and other causes and many of them try to help poor people who are in need.
You seem to presume that God's purpose, as such, should somehow make sense to you. A lot of "atheism" isn't really a problem with "God", but "religious people".
A lot of atheism is a problem having any reason to believe in the concept of God. We can conceive of a lot of concepts that we don't actually believe in. God is simply one of them.
Wow. I don't think I've ever heard anything like that in normal conversation, because I'd remember the violent vomiting that would have followed.