When I was in my 20's I was a devout Christian. Since that time I have studied, I have travelled, and I have come out of the gay closet. It took me many years but I finally came to the logical conclusion that god does not exist and that everything I believed when I was young was bullshit.

I have no expectation of a life after death. When you die, it is simply lights out. There is nothing. I have learned to accept this.

Becoming an atheist has brought me more peace of mind than being a Christian ever did.

mcburg93 wrote: I have faith that something is there when I die. Do I believe I will see the big man. No I dont. I think he was made up years ago cause humans reallized there was money to be made from it. Look at some of the churches in the world at the size of them. Look at the building techniques and think how they could afford them. Its cause religions pray on people and people just keep donating. Since when did god/jesus need millions of dollars to live. I understand donating food or other substances to the churches but why should we donate money.

I believe were a science experiment for a kid of some alien race. Kinda like an ant farm.

dlazz wrote: I don't believe anything. I do question why we're on Earth though. However, I don't question it enough to take a chunk out of my Sunday to sit through a boring, uncomfortable and awkward room with brainwashed people.

FairwoodKing wrote: When I was in my 20's I was a devout Christian. Since that time I have studied, I have travelled, and I have come out of the gay closet. It took me many years but I finally came to the logical conclusion that god does not exist and that everything I believed when I was young was bullshit.

I have no expectation of a life after death. When you die, it is simply lights out. There is nothing. I have learned to accept this.

Becoming an atheist has brought me more peace of mind than being a Christian ever did.

If someone posted a thread about "I'm really struggling with depression", would you three swoop in like assholes and say "Just kill yourself, it's so much easier than dealing with life"?

If you have nothing to add for the original poster besides this garbage, then show some respect and shut the hell up instead of acting like a bunch of jackasses.

religion is a feel good story for death

FairwoodKing wrote: When I was in my 20's I was a devout Christian. Since that time I have studied, I have travelled, and I have come out of the gay closet. It took me many years but I finally came to the logical conclusion that god does not exist and that everything I believed when I was young was bullshit.

I have no expectation of a life after death. When you die, it is simply lights out. There is nothing. I have learned to accept this.

Becoming an atheist has brought me more peace of mind than being a Christian ever did.

Sounds like you have some issues dude. You might want to go talk to a member of the clergy.

Let me quote Modest Mouse here:

If God takes life, he's an Indian giver
So tell me now why, you'll tell me never
Who would want to be
Who would want to be such a control freak?

Ghmothwdwhso wrote:

FairwoodKing wrote: When I was in my 20's I was a devout Christian. Since that time I have studied, I have travelled, and I have come out of the gay closet. It took me many years but I finally came to the logical conclusion that god does not exist and that everything I believed when I was young was bullshit.

I have no expectation of a life after death. When you die, it is simply lights out. There is nothing. I have learned to accept this.

Becoming an atheist has brought me more peace of mind than being a Christian ever did.

Sounds like you have some issues dude. You might want to go talk to a member of the clergy.

No, my issues have been resolved. And why would I want to talk to a clergyman? Those people need to talk to me.

I Wear Pants wrote: Let me quote Modest Mouse here:

If God takes life, he's an Indian giver
So tell me now why, you'll tell me never
Who would want to be
Who would want to be such a control freak?

well every action ought to be a little bit more like bukowski well god i hope he is a pretty good read

NNN wrote:

mcburg93 wrote: I have faith that something is there when I die. Do I believe I will see the big man. No I dont. I think he was made up years ago cause humans reallized there was money to be made from it. Look at some of the churches in the world at the size of them. Look at the building techniques and think how they could afford them. Its cause religions pray on people and people just keep donating. Since when did god/jesus need millions of dollars to live. I understand donating food or other substances to the churches but why should we donate money.

I believe were a science experiment for a kid of some alien race. Kinda like an ant farm.

dlazz wrote: I don't believe anything. I do question why we're on Earth though. However, I don't question it enough to take a chunk out of my Sunday to sit through a boring, uncomfortable and awkward room with brainwashed people.

FairwoodKing wrote: When I was in my 20's I was a devout Christian. Since that time I have studied, I have travelled, and I have come out of the gay closet. It took me many years but I finally came to the logical conclusion that god does not exist and that everything I believed when I was young was bullshit.

I have no expectation of a life after death. When you die, it is simply lights out. There is nothing. I have learned to accept this.

Becoming an atheist has brought me more peace of mind than being a Christian ever did.

If someone posted a thread about "I'm really struggling with depression", would you three swoop in like assholes and say "Just kill yourself, it's so much easier than dealing with life"?

If you have nothing to add for the original poster besides this garbage, then show some respect and shut the hell up instead of acting like a bunch of jackasses.

You sound like you're afraid of me. You're afraid that I'm right and that your precious life after death isn't going to happen. Well, guess what? It's not!

FairwoodKing wrote: You sound like you're afraid of me. You're afraid that I'm right and that your precious life after death isn't going to happen. Well, guess what? It's not!

Face the facts: you're a sellout. You didn't like the fact that you heard a message that you couldn't stomach and saw hypocrisy on the part of people who believed it, so you sold out. You wanted to know how to be relieved of that burden, so rather than actually look in the mirror and assess what was going on, you stretched what you believe to suit what you wanted to do instead of adjusting what you do to suit what you believe(d).

It's funny though. You come across as fairly belligerent toward anyone who has any type of faith, then you make the empirical and definitive statement that there absolutely is nothing after death. Sounds like a hell of a leap of faith to me, and that makes you every bit as much of a hypocrite as those whose attitude you couldn't handle in your younger days (or today, for that matter).

And it still doesn't change the fact that your original post in this thread proved you to be a self-righteous, know-it-all, hypocritical jackass. Sounds exactly like those who you don't like.

NNN wrote:

FairwoodKing wrote: You sound like you're afraid of me. You're afraid that I'm right and that your precious life after death isn't going to happen. Well, guess what? It's not!

Face the facts: you're a sellout. You didn't like the fact that you heard a message that you couldn't stomach and saw hypocrisy on the part of people who believed it, so you sold out. You wanted to know how to be relieved of that burden, so rather than actually look in the mirror and assess what was going on, you stretched what you believe to suit what you wanted to do instead of adjusting what you do to suit what you believe(d).

It's funny though. You come across as fairly belligerent toward anyone who has any type of faith, then you make the empirical and definitive statement that there absolutely is nothing after death. Sounds like a hell of a leap of faith to me, and that makes you every bit as much of a hypocrite as those whose attitude you couldn't handle in your younger days (or today, for that matter).

And it still doesn't change the fact that your original post in this thread proved you to be a self-righteous, know-it-all, hypocritical jackass. Sounds exactly like those who you don't like.

Facing the realities of life does not make me a jackass. I was a jackass when I was young and allowed myself to be brainwashed. I finally learned to think for myself and I'm glad I did. Now I don't have to deal with idiots like you.

^^^^ I will praying for you.

NNN-
Thanks for the comments, but I wasn't offended and actually appreciate input from both ends of the spectrum.

While mcburg93's "alien experiment" is laughable and I'm embarrassed for him ( JK ), none of us really know. It is more logical to believe nothing at all, then in an "invisible God." Not saying that's where I'll end up, just thinking logically (insert SB/logical joke here).

because that is what god wanted, he does everything for a reason. People may not like it, but he does stuff for a reason and has a purpose.

FairwoodKing,

They are right, you act as if you KNOW everything there is to need to know therefore you MUST be God yourself.

The clergy needs to talk to you? I'd be happy to buy you dinner and a drink. Where/when do you want to meet?

caution: You may be tempted to believe that a higher being exists after you hear my testimony and the testimony of many other Christians.

***also, can't believe you were a devout Christian. You may have been a devote member of a church, played the role of Christian, etc. but devout Christians don't abandon ship and completely denounce everything they say they once believed in.

Ghmothwdwhso wrote:

FairwoodKing wrote: When I was in my 20's I was a devout Christian. Since that time I have studied, I have travelled, and I have come out of the gay closet. It took me many years but I finally came to the logical conclusion that god does not exist and that everything I believed when I was young was bullshit.

I have no expectation of a life after death. When you die, it is simply lights out. There is nothing. I have learned to accept this.

Becoming an atheist has brought me more peace of mind than being a Christian ever did.

Sounds like you have some issues dude. You might want to go talk to a member of the clergy.

Haha, what he hell did he say that makes you think he has issues???? B/c he found peace of mind without some ancient tradition telling him what to do and how to do it???

I know going to talk to a clergyman is a great way to meet other gay males, but what makes you think that's what he needs??? Maybe he does fine on his own and doesn't need the church for that......

I was raised Catholic, I do believe in God, and I do believe in freewill. Growing up I attended church regularly but now, I do not. I still proclaim to be Catholic, but other Catholics may have a hard time with what I believe and attest that I am not a true Catholic. I have a hard time with people that threaten others or project their beliefs believing that the world is wrong if your actions and thoughts are not the same as theirs. Catholics get a bad rap especially in this area because of the "extreme" faith some people display, especially from the Franciscan University here in town. I am sorry, but I do not agree with confession in the Catholic religion... I do not feel that a priest must mediate a conversation between a person and God. I believe God is always listening and if you are sorry for something, he is always ready to listen and will present you with opportunities to show your forgiveness. I also have mixed feelings about abortion. I do not believe that someone should be able to terminate a life just because they were drunk and made a mistake. That is stupidity on the part of the involved party and you allowed yourself to be place in a situation knowing the possibilities. However, if a female is raped, incest is involved, or if an unknown health concern is found, I do believe that the woman has the right to terminate the pregnancy. Almost every Catholic will disagree with my statement by saying that "God has a plan for everyone, and if you are raped that is part of the path." I do not agree with this, I believe someone elses freewill imposed on God's purpose for that individual and therefore they should not be punished with a constant reminder of horrible things that happened to them. Its not fair to the child either, growing up to find out you will never know your father because daddy was a rapist. I don't think its fair for Catholics to preach these matters as they do either... "Do onto others as you would have them do onto you" is a famous quote in the Catholic religion. Practice what you preach... Forgiveness is also the #1 rule in the Catholic faith. I know plenty of Catholics who hold grudges, so what does that make them?

I believe that there is a God. I believe that one day I will be standing infront of him scared to death because of my imperfect ways. But I also believe that by understanding your ways and learning from them, you will be granted eternal life. Sometimes things happen, we do not understand why. Sometime people that do not deserve pain and suffering have to endure it. There is only ONE person that can answer those questions and if you live your life aware of God and believe in him, one day those questions will be answered.

Strapping Young Lad wrote:

Ghmothwdwhso wrote:

FairwoodKing wrote: When I was in my 20's I was a devout Christian. Since that time I have studied, I have travelled, and I have come out of the gay closet. It took me many years but I finally came to the logical conclusion that god does not exist and that everything I believed when I was young was bullshit.

I have no expectation of a life after death. When you die, it is simply lights out. There is nothing. I have learned to accept this.

Becoming an atheist has brought me more peace of mind than being a Christian ever did.

Sounds like you have some issues dude. You might want to go talk to a member of the clergy.

Haha, what he hell did he say that makes you think he has issues???? B/c he found peace of mind without some ancient tradition telling him what to do and how to do it???

I know going to talk to a clergyman is a great way to meet other gay males, but what makes you think that's what he needs??? Maybe he does fine on his own and doesn't need the church for that......

Maybe he just needs to talk to you.

buckeyefalls wrote: ***also, can't believe you were a devout Christian. You may have been a devote member of a church, played the role of Christian, etc. but devout Christians don't abandon ship and completely denounce everything they say they once believed in.

So, I agree that Fairwood is doing the exact thing that he claims to hate and we are pretty much all hypocrites in one form or another, try as we may to be something else/better.

But the quoted paragraph above is EXACTLY the type of thing that drives people further from faith. The tone of your whole message was basically you are going to change his mind because your experiences are right and his are wrong and you're a good Christian and he could never have been a Christian because his actions...suck. Or something.

Are you more interested in helping him find God again or in trying to win an argument about who believes the right thing, who is the better person, etc.?

Here's the answer: Only poor people believe in God because they have nothing going for them so they can default to the "all powerful" God loving them and they will get their riches in heaven LOL

Seriously though, this thread was a good laugh.

sleeper wrote: Here's the answer: Only poor people believe in God because they have nothing going for them so they can default to the "all powerful" God loving them and they will get their riches in heaven LOL

Okay, but explain why rich people came up with alien souls possessing our bodies and all that.

enigmaax wrote:

sleeper wrote: Here's the answer: Only poor people believe in God because they have nothing going for them so they can default to the "all powerful" God loving them and they will get their riches in heaven LOL

Okay, but explain why rich people came up with alien souls possessing our bodies and all that.

for the lulz

No way, anyone with a void can turn to religion for meaning. Could be the poor, depressed, objectified, isolated. Everyone's looking for something and they assume somebody else knows what it is. No one can live with their own decisions, so they look to someone else to tell them what to be, wear, act, think, and compel us all compulsively, until the world is all like them.

enigmaax,

That wasn't my point. What I was trying to say was that there is evidence for God in people's lives that show that God does exist...just as much as he believes that God doesn't exist by non-evidences in his life.

You are right, my statement makes just as much "sense" as his does. My point exactly. You found it, hopefully he does.

What makes his non-evidences more important than my evidences? This, is what I'd like to sit down, buy him dinner, and talk about. Not trying to prove him wrong, but rather, prove to him how God is right in my life.

sleeper wrote:

enigmaax wrote:

sleeper wrote: Here's the answer: Only poor people believe in God because they have nothing going for them so they can default to the "all powerful" God loving them and they will get their riches in heaven LOL

Okay, but explain why rich people came up with alien souls possessing our bodies and all that.

for the lulz

This. I am 99.9999999999% convinced that at some time, it will be disclosed that Scientology was inspired by really, really, really high-grade hash and that after expanding on their initial drug-induced ramblings, it was decided to see how far they could take things as a joke...and now it's the official religion of the upper-upper-class nutcases.

Moral of the story: Really good drugs let you see alien souls in bodies and stuff; cheap lower-class drugs only give you a mystical voice speaking from a burning bush. Steal the Roman Emperor's personal stash of great shit, though, and you get Revelations! And executed when he finds out you swiped his stuff, which is a bit of a bummer.

buckeyefalls wrote: enigmaax,

That wasn't my point. What I was trying to say was that there is evidence for God in people's lives that show that God does exist...just as much as he believes that God doesn't exist by non-evidences in his life.

You are right, my statement makes just as much "sense" as his does. My point exactly. You found it, hopefully he does.

What makes his non-evidences more important than my evidences? This, is what I'd like to sit down, buy him dinner, and talk about. Not trying to prove him wrong, but rather, prove to him how God is right in my life.

The existence of God is your theory. It's not a very good theory from a scientific point of view, but it's still a theory. Since it's your theory, it's up to you to prove it. So far, you and all other religionists have failed. You have not shown one bit of proof that a diety exists. And since it is your theory, it is not up to me to disprove it.

What bothers me is that you believe in mythology and ancient superstition and I believe in logic and science, yet I am supposed to respect your beliefs but you are not supposed to respect mine. I cannot and will not accept that.