 AtlLiberal says: One of the commenters on this clip made reference to people how hold no belief in god but go to church as "Sunday ritualists". Seeing as how important social relationships are to most people could the number of hidden atheists be much larger than acknowledged but is hidden because of fear of ostracism? Oh I know there are plenty of atheists in the Catholic Church, and many are trying to hide it under all kinds of new 'theologies' and 'interpretations' and pleasant sounding language that ultimately leads to a materialist world view. I find it fascinating actually. on having to do more with social activity than getting right with god... Even as a child, I never felt that there was anything that I did that could possibly warrant an eternity of punishment. And so I never really felt that god would punish me. I guess I automatically assumed he was just. Of course punishing anyone for eternity could only be reserved for other gods or devils with power enough to commit a crime worthy of such a punishment. And of course, the more I thought about god condoning an eternal hell, the more I began to realize what an evil god himself. Of course..., the whole thing began to fall apart very rapidly when I assumed god was all intelligent, and compared it to what ... Even as a child, I never felt that there was anything that I did that could possibly warrant an eternity of punishment.I relate perfectly with this. I never bought into the "sinner" meme. It always struck me as more of a marketing ploy by religion to gain "customers". Much like the snake oil salesman who lists the various benefits of his elixir and convinces you that you're sick because you don't take his potion. I could never reconcile the conflict between "original sin" and "forgiveness". As I stated on the Uppity Atheists" clip, I like ritual (and am pretty good at doing it, too) and being a Pagan suits me better than being an out-and-out atheist. On the other hand, if I were ever asked to answer a survey as to whether I believe in god (without being able to specify the deity) I'd probably say, "No". While the church is convenient center for social activity, it's at the bottom of the list. Why hang out with a bunch of wishy-washy hypocrites? I'd much rather spend the time on my own learning facts about life and the world than paddle aimlessly among dogma bleating sheeple. While the church is convenient center for social activity, it's at the bottom of the list.Well, it certainly wouldn't be for everyone. I too couldn't stomach the hosannas and hallelujahs. I can envision someone brought up in this type of environment as having a higher tolerance and might be less intent on taking this religious posturing seriously. Personally, I'd prefer a Sunday morning walk in the woods. Dear Abby always recommended church as a good place to meet a prospective spouse. My wife was always amused by the idea of writing her to tell her she was right, but in our case it was in a Pagan group that we met. |
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