Non-believers, what kind of life do you lead?

Question

Are the following present in your life?
Smoke
Drink
Sleep around
Cheat on your spouse
Love money and are greedy
Abuse your body
Treat others carelessly

As a non-believer myself, none of the above applies to me ( I do drink coffee, tea, water, soda, etc..)
I have a good paying job (well over the national average), I take care of my family, I volunteer, I teach, I help others. how about you?

If you would, also.. please state your belief or non-belief, as it applies.

and, thank you for taking time to share this with others.

maxxed, do you bother to read the details or just throw insults out randomly? I just said I'm a non-believer myself.

Wow.. amazing answers here.. there is no way I can pick just one... I'm sending this one to a vote. Thank you all for participating!

Answer 1

I get your drift and agree . . . religions have no monopoly on "real" morality and ethics.

In fact, because there are so many religions, any morality based on the authority of religion is like to be baseless.

This is a simple mathmetical truth. Figure it out. Even if you're a Christian -- the largest religion in the world -- it's 2.1 billion adherents are splintered into numerous denominations; each believes they're the true path to God.

But for the sake of argument, let's say all Christians believe identically AND Christianity is the only right, true path to God. That leaves over 4 billion people out in the cold! The non-Christians believed the wrong thing; subscribed to the wrong religion and therefore the wrong doctrine. Their morality was based on a lie.

So the math says that under the best of circumstances, if we all individually base our morality on our religion, there will be twice as many wrong choices as correct choices.

Given all this . . . how are we supposed to decide which religion, if any, is right? The first one? The biggest one? The most sophisticated one? The most realistic one? The competition reduces our choice to a roll of the dice! Do you really want to base your morality on a religion chosen with these kinds of odds?

Albert Einstein was against religion but believed in a "cosmic God". This quote of his is perfect for this subject:

"The foundation of morality should not be made dependent on myth nor tied to any authority lest doubt about the myth or about the legitimacy of the authority imperil the foundation of sound judgment and action."

Not only does religion NOT have a monopoly on morality, it's likely that their morality is no more valid than any body elses.

Answer 2

I guess I'm a little unsure about your definition of "non-believer". See the thing is, I consider myself a believer :P I don't follow any particular religious path. I know a fair deal about some ideologies, and a bit less about others. I believe not in them individually, but in some unifying force. I believe in God, but not a god that watches over us or stuff like that. I believe that the universe did not come to be as the outcome of a random series of events, but that the universe follows a very straight and well prescribed path.

That being said, none of the above are present in my life. Ok. I admit. I do have the odd glass of wine at dinner here and there. On occasion I have been accused of abusing my body because when I play sports I love to really go all out. I have been accused of carelessness towards others from time to time, but it was never intentional.

I don't need a religion to give me a sense of morality. Somehow I feel that was what you were really asking for.

As far as my beliefs go, I'm a Deist. I'm also a firm believer in determinism. :)

Oh, and that picture, it's from a cover of a Sara Douglass book, right? I just can't think of the name right now. Is it part of that series with Axis Sunsomething?

Answer 3

I lead a fairly average boring life.
- I don't smoke. Never have. Don't see the appeal.
- I drink every now and then. I've only been drunk once.
- I definitely do not sleep around or cheat on my boyfriend. Long story there, but my father comes from a third world country where cheating was standard. I'm VERY opposed to it, but understanding of why it happens.
- I make enough. Sure, I'd like more, but I'm not obsessed by it.
- Some people would call obesity abuse, so maybe, but I'm not intentionally harming myself.
- As I have one rule in life which is not to harm others maliciously, I don't treat others carelessly.
- I don't volunteer, but I do teach. In fact, that's my profession.

I am agnostic with a Christian foundation (love) but atheist leanings (logic).

I live the life of a Christian. I always have. I have intense Christian influences in my family, and I very much believe in the very basics of Christianity.

Now, I am not without vice (or sin, if someone insists). I do gamble, and if I don't exercise self control, I can exhibit addictive behaviors. I'm also lazy, and I overeat. But beyond that, I am no different from anyone else.

Answer 4

I'm an atheist.

Smoke - I quit (and not while I was a theist)

Drink - rarely

Sleep around - nope

Cheat on your spouse - no spouse, but I don't cheat

Love money and are greedy - No. Make money to live, don't live to make money.

Abuse your body - Eh, well... I could probably drink more water, lose a little weight and lay off the sodas and the mac and cheese.

Treat others carelessly - I can be snarky, and I have a low tolerance for willful stupidity... but I will also go out of my way to try to help someone if I see they need help - even people I don't particularly like.

Answer 5

Well, I still smoke but damn it I want to quit. I drink occasionally but I never get drunk. I was celibate for 14 years until last December and since then there has only been one man. Money is a necessary evil. I take care of my body, or at least I try. I think most people in my life would say I have a good heart.

I worked full time for 28 years but I have a congenital heart defect and it took me 3 years of hell to get Social Security Disability. I volunteer at my son's school. I have always been a single mother and my son is loved and polite MOST of the time. LOL!

I am Agnostic who thinks there is a God. Not the biblical monster but a supreme being that created our souls.

Answer 6

The only thing that apply to me is drinking 1 or 2 beers on Fridays and or Saturdays. Yeah I'm probably a big sinner for that.
I have a wonderfull family, I love my wife and 2 kids (they are little devils sometimes).
I have a small Architecture office that support my family, but is getting hard because my country (P. R.) is under a recession. I'm doing the best I can and I'm happy. I found YA by mistake and is probably one the best mistakes that I ever do. The R&S Category is full of interesting people that make my day (or night). I have no preference between religious or non religious friends because the truth is relative. I'm ex- Catholic and actual atheist, If you want to put this label on me.
.....and finally my first language is Español and sometimes I'm make mistakes in English, I'm not perfect.

Peace to you and to all the good people in YA.

Answer 7

1) I don't smoke

2) I drink occasionally but I have never, ever been drunk. I never understood the appeal of losing self-control and puking into a toilet at 3AM.

3) Some would say yes that I "sleep around" because the total number of women I've been in bed with is in the double digits, while others would say I'm tame compared to them. No animals or children though!

4) n/a; I'm not in a monogamous relationship right now

5) Of course I love money. It allows me to get the things I like and live the way I want. Nothing wrong with greed, if you mean wanting more than what I already have. Greed is what drives personal progress. But I don't "chase" after money; I love my salary as it is.

6) I'm not a health nut, but I do take care of myself physically. (Then again, most people say that about themselves even if it isn't true.)

7) No, I treat people as I see fit, based on their behavior. Though I give people the benefit of the doubt and am courteous by default.

As I've said before: I'm insulted by people who think I need a boogey man to practice self-responsibility.

Answer 8

Heathen.

I enjoy premium hand-rolled cigars in moderation. They're not inhaled, for those with no clue, and even most life insurance companies count anything less than 1-2 a day as "non-smoker."

I also like single malt Scotch, very good bourbon, and well-aged rum. However, I don't like being drunk, so again . . . it's all about moderation. 2 drink *maximum.*

I'm a divorced serial monogamist with occasional bouts of celibacy.

I eat very healthily, and do most of my own cooking. No fast food, no soft drinks, almost no processed foods. Lots of fish, seafood, fresh fruit and vegetables, whole grains. And I exercise daily . . . lightly, but daily. I used to go in for heavy iron, but it just takes too much time out of a busy day right now. I also use to run 10K, but don't have the knees for it anymore, lol.

I'm not sure what "carelessly" entails. I'm kind and friendly, and a good friend to have, but no-nonsense and firm in my positions. Heathens tend to be a quite a bit more aggressive than neopagans, but we're believers in the praiseworthiness of a fair fight, and of defending the weak. As a teacher, I work with disadvantaged, minority, and disabled kids a lot, and they always get my same best effort and full attention as any other student.

Answer 9

Smoke - no
Drink- Bailey's in my coffee, the occasional Guinness, the even less frequent G&T
Sleep around- nope
Cheat on your spouse- see above. haven't even been tempted to, and wouldn't even if I were to be tempted
Love money and are greedy- nope
Abuse your body- I could stand to excercise more
Treat others carelessly- nope

I'm an atheist

I'm happily married, and a stay at home mom. I homeschool and will teach my kids to be kind people, good friends and good citizens.
I'm looking into volunteering in an adult literacy program.

Answer 10

I am a christian and hate to admit it but I smoke, drink occassionally and was addicted to pain pills a few years ago. I am an honest christian who doesn't pretend to be perfect or someone I am not. I don't tell others what they should and shouldn't do (unless they ask my honest opinion) Those christians that claim to be "perfect" AREN'T. No one is perfect. I really hate getting a bad rap because of overzealous christians who fault find and point their boney fingers at people and get in their face and preach. I can't stand anyone doing that to me. Anyway, that is my rant. I am done. I don't sleep around, I haven't cheated in 27 years of marriage, I don't care much about money, I should treat my body better, and I try to treat others the way I would like to be treated. Sometimes on this forum I feel like getting back at the rude comments but most of the time I hold my tongue.