Atheists

Greetings all,

Okay I am actually tired of hearing the views of Atheists and how they view people who believe in god as all the same, that is, as religious freaks who are uneducated and have a disdain for rationality. I don't have a problem with people who are atheists, just these ones that have this negative view towards those that are religious.

First of all, I grew up in a Catholic school but I had my own beliefs and I now consider myself a spiritual seeker and am thus always willing to learn about spiritual and religious concepts. I am also a rational person and a supporter of Science. I don't practice religion and don't consider myself Catholic. I have some belief that there is some intelligence that runs this show. I don't like to call it god, I like to refer to it as the Universe but I guess some could consider that as god. I'm also a supporter of Anthroposophy, which is a spiritual philosophy that believes in spiritual beings such as angels, elemental beings (aka nature spirits).

Like any rational person, any new concept or idea that I encounter is something I am willing to consider and if it makes sense to me, I may adapt it into my world view. I like to think that I have a spiritual/religious basket and take the ideas that make sense to me and throw out whatever doesn't make sense or feel right to me. Not subscribing to any one philosophy or religion works for me.

But I am getting tired of how these atheists view the world and non-atheists.

I always saw atheists as the exact opposite of religous fanatics and find they defend their positive, usually with the same fervour as these religious fanatics. You know people, there is such a thing as The Middle Ground.

I can't seem to respect these type of atheists because they just seem to believe anyone who believes maybe there is more to this life than the material world as idiots. I believe there is something more, a spiritual world - a world that most humans cannot perceive. I don't believe in a god as well that punishes people. I don't even believe in that concept. I just believe whatever you put out comes back to you so if you go around hating people, that's what your life will be filled with.

I also don't even believe in this concept of hell. I believe we create our own suffering in life because usually suffering is a result in perception. For example, let's say 2 people lose their jobs. One person will perceive it as a blessing while the other as a curse, done to punish them. It's all in their perception of this experience that determines their outlook on life.

The bottom line for me is you are responsible for your own happiness regardless of whether there is a god or not. And just because I may believe in a god, doesn't mean god is responsible for my happiness. I believe in Free Will as well so god is probably going to give you the freedom to live your life as you want and thus allowing you to make all the mistakes you damn want and actually allowing you to suffer and experience pain.

I still have my doubts about the spiritual world but I think having doubts is normal and in fact I believe it is healthy to question things, even your own ideas. But I have had too many spiritual type experiences that as much as I would like to find a scientific explanation or something rational to make sense of them, I just think there is more to life then what appears to the naked eye.

Also I believe in religious freedom so I don't care if you believe in god or do not or do not care to even think of this topic but it's your right to believe in whatever you want. I don't have to agree with people's religious beliefs but as long as no one is getting hurt then believe away!

I can understand to some degree why these atheists attack religious people but the way I see it, they are doing the same thing to them as what has been done to them. Attacking people whose views are different from yours is not acceptable behaviour.

If you feel the need to attack people, for whatever reason, you need to take a look within and deal with whatever emotions you are experiencing.

I heard about that bus campaign where they state "there is no god so enjoy your life anyways" and I find it repulsive. My friend says that there are advertisements on the buses for other religions but I usually find that funny how some of these religious ads try to convert people. It's lame and frankly I wouldn't be persuaded. Much the same with the bus campaign. How do you know there isn't a god? I think it's actually quite ignorant to act like you know something isn't real when this topic of whether there is a god is something that has been debated over thousands of years and without a sufficient argument, these people just dismiss the existence of god???

Also, there are people out there who do believe in a god and actually enjoy life. I do enjoy life and I also happen to have a belief in a higher power. Not everyone who believes in a god or higher power believes this god is a pleasure denying one. My conception of god or a higher power is one that is loving, patient and most of all has a sense of humour.

Also what I find funny about the campaign is they act like this concept of not believing in god is new. Ummmm remember that quote by Nietzsche where he said "god is dead"? Atheism is not a new belief system, it's been around long enough and if you think you are being edgy by declaring your non-belief in god... well let me tell you, you are not edgy!

Whether you believe in god or not, it doesn't matter because we are all entitled to our own opinions and we can all respect each other in spite of different opinions about god.