i fear i'm becoming an atheist?

Question

i used to (still do?) believe in God but the more I look at life I see only this. People can be disgustingly mean and lead great lives at the expense of someone else's suffering. what makes them succeed in this? their willpower, obviously. and then you have the religious people who are constantly struggling and so forth...so, from what I see, it's the willpower that helps you instead of...i don't like the way I think and I do want to believe but I can't ignore what i see.

i know my philosophy's not very deep but i want to hear your thoughts on this.

thanks

if you're still reading me, ok, but why do I feel so unhappy about it

Answer 1

Good for you ! You are thinking about this - your beliefs, your faith, your life. No matter what you conclude, you will end a stronger person.

John Spong's books on faith are very readable - and downright fascinating. Why don't you pick up one of those at the library and see what you think.

Answer 2

People can be disgustingly mean and live great lives at the expense of someone else's suffering, but it isn't because of their WILLPOWER. It is because they have something else(usually money, or high social status). Because of their money, power, good looks, or social status, other idiotic people let them get away with everything. No one puts them in their place when they are being rude, mean, inconsiderate etc. Look at professional basketball players - I think probably 99% of them cheat on their wives, yet everyone, including their own wives, let them get away with it. In my opinion, I don't care how great of a basketball player you are (what the f does that matter in life anyway?) or how rich you are, you shouldn't be able to take advantage of people like that - to expect them to only be with you, and then disrespect them and the efforts they've made for you by hooking up with women all over the country.

The religious people that are constantly struggling - well that tells you about religion right there. People who are constantly struggling NEED religion to retain some kind of hope in life. Don't get me wrong, I think it is important to have some kind of faith, but I don't think you need to believe in organized religion to do so. I'm agnostic - meaning I don't know whether or not there is a god. I hope there is, and I hope that everything happens for a reason, but I can't say that I KNOW there is a god. What I believe in is balance. You put a lot in, you'll get a lot out. People who take short cuts in life eventually pay the price. People who are poor, but have a good attitude and work hard probably have more meaningful and REAL lives than professional athletes who find women so disposable - these professional athletes may be able to get whatever women they like, and buy whatever they want, but that's all they have. The women they can get only want them for their money, and don't really care about them anyway. Anyway, I truly believe that what you get out of everything in life is positively correlated with what you put in. I don't know if this helps, but good luck.

Answer 3

You've got to stand for something, or you'll fall for anything.

Your willpower theory is a little twisted. Willpower is what makes the difference between illusion and reality. It's why I get up in the morning, why I still have a job, why I get through.

Bad things happen to good people. Me, for example.

I'm goin' along, minding my own, and then I fall in love. (Why do I do this?). We decide to be married. Everything's great. And then he calls it off.

What's that about? That's the ultimate rejection! I've never been so hurt in my life. He won't give me an explanation or apologize; HE DOESN'T CARE. And I know that he loved me. I think he got scared. But he's gotta put on this tough-guy image and pretend that I never meant anything to him. Or maybe I didn't.

What makes someone do that to someone else? I don't think I'll ever understand it.

The thing is, you can't let your own salvation depend on the actions of others! You need to have the willpower to say, "I believe."

The only person you'll spend every second of your life with is you. Maybe this is my jaded side speaking, but you can't depend on others for happiness. It has to come from within.

I urge you to find your own faith. Please. Because it will make the hugest difference in your life.

Answer 4

are you saying God is against will power, i beleive everyone has a choice to do what they want, the problem with christianity and other religions is that people use it as a scapegoat, and dont think for themselves, some use it as an excuse for laziness...CAUSE AND EFFECT...actions = results. Christianity is very missunderstood concepts such as humility, faith and hope etc. if not understood well can be missleading. Another reason why religious people dont get very far is because they are not free spirited...they live with in self enforced constraints and laws which the atheists dont have...so the religious people because of all there laws which they do not even understand are more restricted and tend to stagnate....you should worship God without taking religion and culture into account...look no futher than the gospel and word of Jesus, and throw away all other self imposed contraints and rules from you life....most religions are blind religions...learn to be responsible for your life and your actions and not blame God for your blunders

Answer 5

the way that people can lead great lives is by caring more about themselves and their level of luxury than about the lives of others. also, dont be confused by people who are living seemingly fantastic lives... there is more to life than how much money you have. but God gives us freewill and the ability to go and do anything we want with our lives. we are completely free to make our own choices. and thats what life is about... God is watching. Hes watching those people who live fantastic lives and watch others suffer. Hes watching those who suffer a little so they can give to others. and what would it mean if you gave but did not suffer for it? nothing. it certianly wouldnt mean anything if you gave and then because you gave you got so much more. part of life is a test to see who we really are. are we the type of person to live in luxury while theres other people who cant even eat or are we the type of person to deny ourselves that luxury to help other human beings.

thats what i think anyway. God is there. God always has been. Hes just letting us decide our own fate. free will.

Answer 6

You seem to be confronted with one of the classical paradoxes of faith. If God is all-powerful and all-benevolent, how can He allow Evil to happen? I think the very fact that this question bothers you shows you are a sensitive, caring and just person. (One who worries about justice).
It is not my place - or anybody else's for that matter - to tell you whether you should believe in God, or not, and what that God should mean to you. Your relationship to God, or absence thereof, is a purely personal thing, that no one else can understand as you do.
I wouldn't worry about punishment for disbelief. I can not fathom the idea of this God who punishes those who doubt. It has been said that a faith that stops doubting is a dead faith. The very fact that you question yours is a positive sign. It shows that you have a true relationship with your spirituality and that you're not simply repeating tradition mindlessly. God will not punish you for being sincere in seeking the truth.

Answer 7

Why fear it? I am much happier as a Satanic atheist than I ever was
as an xtian.You decide, but the only god you will ever need,infact,the only God that truly even exists is the one that exists in you.You can worship someone else's construct of a divine, archetypal being or you can worship yourself and find everything you have always needed within,including rules that will allow you to pursue your own happiness and pleasure without harming others who have not wronged you.Again, it is your choice.

Answer 8

You see religious people constantly struggling against the immoral because the people willing to "step on" people are unethical. Now the religious people take it because they believe someone will punish them in the future, but the reality is that their being doormats. And all their struggles beget the questions of "Why is God letting me suffer?" or "What is God's plan for me?" when the reality is that they aren't doing enough for themselves to do better and are just waiting for someone else to do it for them. I'm atheist, and I'm happy.

Answer 9

Belief or atheism getting mixed up with displeasure about people around would not help at all !
Belief, if blind, is not better than atheism... And blind belief brings some expectation through the back door... when somebody believes blindly, only two reasons.. either it is fear or some expectation (the associated thought is, "else, what is the point in my belief?" )...
There is a possibility.... though just a possibility to experience instead of just belief... This possibility, if it happens, the clarity it will bring with it, will cleanse us of every doubt, misery and all negative emotions , what ever happens !
Till such time, it is better to accept the situation, though retaining the freedom of action, freedom of choosing what suits the situation...
Belief does help , if we also pursue the possibility to experience simultaneously , instead of just resting on belief itself..
Best wishes...

Answer 10

eden,you misunderstand what you see in others,learn to use others as a mirror.the defect you see in them is your OWN. The rich get richer and the poor get poorer because the rich exercise every opportunity offered them,the poor do not an then by law of prosperity lose even that which they do have,it is like muscle strength,use it or lose it. YES you can and should ignore or learn from what you see. PRACTICE UNITY AWARENESS,ALL THIS IS GOD ALL THIS IS GOD,even if you do not understsnd it. FOR more about this see newhopeministries.info

Answer 11

Losing faith is still a loss, and losses cause us to suffer. Atheism is more a philosophy than a religion, as it requires no faith.

Why not investigate an alternate belief system that doesn't make you feel empty? There are plenty out there that do not condone hatred and bigotism.