I believe in love.
I believe in helping out my fellow humans in time of need.
I believe in contributing to charity. (My favorite is UNICEF.)
I believe it is important to do volunteer work, and I do so.
I believe in my family.
I believe in my friends.
I believe in admitting when I am wrong.
Fellow atheists - do you also believe in these things, or perhaps in others?
Christians, please read with an open mind.
2006-10-04 03:52:32 · 28 answers · asked by Kathryn™ 6 in Society & Culture ➔ Religion & Spirituality
Zero, I believe that good people are altruistic by nature, which also supports natural selection. I don't put myself first. That spot belongs to my child.
2006-10-04 03:59:57 · update #1
vicsikix, do you feel that you read the question, details and answers with an open mind?
2006-10-04 04:02:08 · update #2
Donangelo - I am an atheist, 100% atheist in fact. I don't believe in heaven or hell. If I am wrong and your God is who you say he is, I have no fear.
2006-10-04 04:04:55 · update #3
Amadeus - I don't believe in heaven, I'm not concerned about Jesus or God. I am an atheist.
2006-10-04 04:06:53 · update #4
Yes, Lucky F, she did say that atheists believe in nothing, as did another "Christian".
2006-10-04 04:10:16 · update #5
ALL4HIM - I simply do not agree with you. I would not cheat on my spouse because I love and respect him. My feelings towards my fellow humans beings has nothing to do with God. They are related to my ability to feel compassion for others. This is due, in part, to our altruistic nature. The power of altruism often seems to be ignored as an explaination for human behavior.
2006-10-04 04:40:22 · update #6
thank you for sharing. i respect you for what you believe, especially helping other people.
2006-10-04 03:56:42 · answer #1 · answered by truth seeker 5 · 6⤊ 0⤋
I think the question most Christians ask is: What is truth if there is no God and the Bible is a lie?
Why do you believe in these things? Why should you admit when you are wrong or help someone out? Does it benifit you? Of course it does. You feel better about youself and more satisfied with your life. Would you die for your friends or family though? If so, why? After you die, that it right? All that's left is a brief memory of your noble attributes, maybe.
I believe if there is no God in any form and we are all just here from some minute chance that inspired life, that there is no absolute truth. What is right and what is wrong? Who determines if what you do is good or bad? The only basis for determining these things is for the preservation of mankind, but for what reason? Do you care what happens after you die to the world or your family? Why? It won't affect you, you are gone forever? A world without faith in a creator, is a world without truth, without morals, and without any reason to benefit anyone but yourself. All your beliefs are based on your own emotions and desires to be known by others as a "good person".
Can you tell me why I should not cheat on my spouse?
You may say that it is because it is wrong.
Why is it wrong?
Who can tell me what is wrong and right?
Thats why I believe there is more to life than having a good time while we are still alive. "If there is no God, eat, drink, and be merry for tomorrow we die."
2006-10-04 04:25:34 · answer #2 · answered by RedE1 3 · 2⤊ 3⤋
Well said, for a humanist. I also am a humanist who shares the values you have pointed out. The problem as perceived by those involved in organized religion is that we don't give credit to their God for these gifts.
If we did believe in God, but did not hold Jesus as our savior we would be labeled something else, and still be of the "unwashed" masses.
Fear of the unknown is the motivation of religion. Those who choose religion are seeking answers, they just want the answers to be certain ways. They are afraid to look at the uncertainties which abound in our universe, without having a layer of protection.
This is OK with me. I wouldn't want to change anyone's belief system radically. The one stumper I would pose is really a simple one. Why do Christians seem to feel it's OK to persecute humanists, atheistists, etc.? Why do they feel that God / Jesus would forgive them for this? Why can't they see how closely this attitude aligns them with Islam? A religion which just puts them in the same category as us?
The history of organised religion is filled to overflowing with the records of those "unlike" them who were slaughtered, etc. The Crusade into Hungary and Poland that killed only other Christians (deemed heretics by one of the 2 Popes of that time) that opened the door for Atilla the Hun to terrify Europe. The houses of prostitution opened along the East Coast (New York heavily) by an order of Nuns whose stated goal was to put the young, whose parents could not feed them, to "proper" work as opposed to parents selling their children. The failure to declare slavery as the evil it is, the failure to declare the Arryan beliefs of the Nazi's as the evil it was. The sheltering of homosexual predators with clerical collars who, by the way, are forgiven, while denigrating the victim as a liar and bound for "Hell"!
Just too much for me. We will coexist until they try to control my beliefs, then we will not.
2006-10-04 05:07:01 · answer #3 · answered by Greg I 3 · 0⤊ 2⤋
You are saying that you believe in the idea of god but not at how god is portrayed by others and that is a serious statement regarding your brain patterns. If that is what you are saying I make you right. You're saying that god is in the mind and actions speak a thousand words again I make you right.
Support a universal Doctrine
2006-10-04 04:10:50 · answer #4 · answered by Redmonk 6 · 1⤊ 1⤋
This was a waste of space. You still don't believe in Nothing! You don't have morals because your questions are condescending and ur comments are disrespectful towards those who don't believe as you do. That's why ur own fellow atheists reported you! You gave Spooky 20 points to make it up because you embarrass ur unbelieving sinners friends and yourself ! I pity ur Husband and ur family because they have to deal with the likes of you! You are a demon. You have no love and respect at all for those you believe differently from you! You are a sick bigot!
One more thing, if you say you believe in all those things then why in the HELL are you not out there doing them Now? Instead of bashing and hating those who believe in God! Sounds very demonic and hypocritical to me.
=0P
2006-10-04 05:27:45 · answer #5 · answered by Pashur 7 · 0⤊ 3⤋
What you believe sounds curiously like natural law (which is incorporated in God's law and should not be confused with the "law of the jungle"). Can you identify where these notions, love, contrition, charity, even the notion of good and bad, right and wrong come from?
While it is true that these traits would help maintain the human species, they are not found, especially in the abundance as expressed in humans, in nature. These traits also fall outside of evolution as they do not necessarily promote fitness of the individual which is essential for evolution to take place.
You are blessed to have these gifts from God. May they lead you closer to Him.
God Bless,
MoP
2006-10-04 04:15:54 · answer #6 · answered by ManOfPhysics 3 · 3⤊ 4⤋
I live what I believe.
I'm Christian and what little you believe in won't get you far.
There is an external and internal power that ones cannot deny-no matter how much they lie to themselves.
We know their exist a greater power than man!
I have seen many people die and preached many funerals.
But those who believed in higher power of God-Father-Son-Holy Spirit found a contentment in life and peace and understanding as they lay dying.
I go to Rest home/Nursing homes/Hospice Care homes and among the believers is calm while among most non believers is fear.
Fear of death!
Fesar of Hell.
If you are right=then we all die and blank darkness-the final.
If you are wrong you go to Hell-and suffer the misguided way you live your short brief momment on Earth.
I have found peace and contentment.
I accept my Faith-I am eager to live it.
For I know I shall live evermore.
When that moment of fear strike and pricks you heart-who will you call out to in death?
I fear what you believe in is just worldly desire.
The Bible says none are good save the Fahter- we all fall short of the glory of God.
Yes I've seen those at peace die with assurance that there is life beyond the grave.
I've seen non believer in stark fear-panic at death- and know they have lost all-their very soul to Hell.
What happens at death?
There comes truth but its too late for those who rejected that truth in life.
God loves us.
2006-10-04 04:20:19 · answer #7 · answered by cork 7 · 2⤊ 3⤋
now that you have shared your thoughts, I KNOW what you believe
but I can't know if a belief is true like heaven/hell god/jesus etc
religion and life insurance are only proved upon your death, in both cases you give something away to others and lose yourself in the process
2006-10-04 04:02:02 · answer #8 · answered by Anonymous · 2⤊ 1⤋
Yes, I believe in all of those things as well.
My favorite charity is St. Jude's Children's Hospital. Does that make me some kind of hypocrite, I wonder?
2006-10-04 03:56:45 · answer #9 · answered by ♥Mira♥ 5 · 4⤊ 1⤋
I believe in everything you wrote, in fact I am about to start helping a missionary medical group that gives aid to men in a homeless shelter, if I can put down my differences to help someone in need then why can't others. Beautiful question, Thank you!
2006-10-04 04:05:22 · answer #10 · answered by Katy_Kat 5 · 2⤊ 2⤋
As a Christian, I believe in all of those things as well but those are works and works alone will not get you into in Heaven. You have to believe in God and believe that Jesus died for your sins so you may join Him in the Kingdom of Heaven.
Those are all wonderful things to believe in but the real question is, do you believe in God? Do you believe that Jesus died for you? If you do, then you are not an atheist.
2006-10-04 04:01:19 · answer #11 · answered by Anonymous · 2⤊ 4⤋