Atheism is probably the oldest form of belief held by humans. I thank Pavlos Marcos (Avatar name) for some of my edits to this chapter.
Chapter 13: Atheism
Atheism is essentially a belief there is no God, no deity that is influencing the world. An atheist holds this belief.
Some atheists hold the belief there is nothing beyond what we can see, detect, or measure. The physical universe is all there is.
Some atheists are dedicated to attacking traditional religious views about God as some sort of human like being somewhere who sees everything, knows everything, demands people hold certain beliefs. Many religious people shake their heads they do not believe in that kind of god either. Other atheists attack all forms of religion.
For many people who grew up with traditional beliefs about God, atheism serves as a bridge to a deeper kind of spirituality. When they let go of those beliefs, erased those ideas about God from their belief system, they created space to consider a different kind of God, a God of being and becoming. For strict atheists, these beliefs and experience of a deeper spirituality are seen as a delusion.
I put these kinds of judgements as being in the same category as male doctors who refused to believe PMS was real. Many people refuse to accept that other people can have experiences they did not have. “If I did not see it or feel it, it does not, can not exist.”
It is possible that atheists are right and I am wrong, but it is easier for me to believe in the Holy Mystery than it is to believe all of my experiences and the experiences shared by others are coincidences and delusions. Just as too many people want a God they can understand and manipulate, that affirms their beliefs and actions, I see atheists wanting reality to be a physical reality they can understand, measure, and test.
Atheism is essentially a non-belief and many or most people who do not believe in any kind of deity describe themselves as humanists or secular humanists. Functional atheists are religious people who behave as thought there is no god and they are found in all religions.
Chapter 13: Atheism
Atheism is essentially a belief there is no God, no deity that is influencing the world. An atheist holds this belief.
Some atheists hold the belief there is nothing beyond what we can see, detect, or measure. The physical universe is all there is.
Some atheists are dedicated to attacking traditional religious views about God as some sort of human like being somewhere who sees everything, knows everything, demands people hold certain beliefs. Many religious people shake their heads they do not believe in that kind of god either. Other atheists attack all forms of religion.
For many people who grew up with traditional beliefs about God, atheism serves as a bridge to a deeper kind of spirituality. When they let go of those beliefs, erased those ideas about God from their belief system, they created space to consider a different kind of God, a God of being and becoming. For strict atheists, these beliefs and experience of a deeper spirituality are seen as a delusion.
I put these kinds of judgements as being in the same category as male doctors who refused to believe PMS was real. Many people refuse to accept that other people can have experiences they did not have. “If I did not see it or feel it, it does not, can not exist.”
It is possible that atheists are right and I am wrong, but it is easier for me to believe in the Holy Mystery than it is to believe all of my experiences and the experiences shared by others are coincidences and delusions. Just as too many people want a God they can understand and manipulate, that affirms their beliefs and actions, I see atheists wanting reality to be a physical reality they can understand, measure, and test.
Atheism is essentially a non-belief and many or most people who do not believe in any kind of deity describe themselves as humanists or secular humanists. Functional atheists are religious people who behave as thought there is no god and they are found in all religions.
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