But I say, we atheists are not a part of a cult or new religion. We don’t meet once or twice a week and plot ( or perhaps its time we did). Its just a free subjective way of being.

Atheists don’t actively seek each other out. Carry books by Dawkins or Hitchens to indicate our philosophies.

I don’t seek sympathisers for my thoughts. I treat everyone as I wish to be treated. No judgements, intolerance or condemnation.
Just free to decide for myself how I wish to live and create my happiness and joy. Not answerable to a book of control that has ruined so many lives.

Strange how when all the evil and suffering prevails that its not God who is answerable, no “he moves in strange ways” but when something wonderful happens against all odds, then of course its a miracle of Gods doing.

AsI said to the Jehovas witnesses that I invited in. ” I really like what you have to say. Come back when you have convinced The Jew, the Muslim, the Catholic, The Hindhu, The Sihk because they all beleieve that they are the chosen ones. That they will be saved not the unbeliever.

I’ll take my chances though.
Now before I sign off. I make apologies for any grammar or spellinng mistakes. I have an eye infection and this is all done by feel. ( I wanted God to help so if it happens to be correct then give him/her the benefit of the doubt.
Take care and get as much joy as you can every day.

um, yeah. Romans could get away with sacrificing a pinch on incense, so I’m not sure your economics work. They had little in the way of organized churches to support (until Julian the Apostate), so there was no tithe. Incense isn’t necessarily cheap, but it’s less than 10% of your income.

Also, the Roman world was moving towards ethical monotheism anyway. Some of the Stoics had already convinced themselves that the greek myths were just allegorical stories, and that all gods were just symbolic manifestations of the one God. If Christianity never came about, we’d be worshiping Isis or Mithras or someone else, but the results would probably be much the same.

It is true in a sense, because if the message of Jesus as the ultimate sacrifice for sin had not permeated the whole world, you would still be a goat farmer devoting the majority of your goats to the superstitious worship of deity rather than the food supply. And all the tradesmen would have to waste their money buying your goats to sacrifice everytime they sin. So, a whole bunch of animals–goats, lambs, cows, even pigs (Pagans sacrificed too, not just Jews), birds–would be diverted from the food supply to superstition. There would be more starvation and less spending on progress like research to cure disease. The message of Jesus’ sacrifice cured civilization of the obsessive need to slit the throats of animals in worship to invisible deities. That much at least must be acknowledged.

I do appreciate your comment about respect. I’m not really out to convince people of your perspective to believe like me. I do, however, try to engage Christians who’ve never taken epistemology and science seriously.

I do wonder, however, if it’s possible to achieve mutual respect without having any of us change our fundamental beliefs. I try to encourage Christians to become more tolerant without abandoning their faith.

Do you think that’s possible?

Yeah about Pascal, but only the first part of the wager, really. Whether or not I’m right or wrong about my faith, I will have lived a life that (hopefully) has made a difference — and I will feel fulfilled in that during my life and up to my death.

Patterns of life that are truly good don’t really need supernatural support do they? One can be helpful without theism.

Of course you’re right. I agree with you.

I would also like to suggest you consider to what extent you are a believer for emotional reasons and whether that is “good”.

I understand your comment and concern. Without giving my entire life story, let me just say that I don’t think I’m religious because of emotion.

Oh wait, figurative language again :P

I really wish Yahweh would stop blocking my free will.

I know I’m not anyone to judge you, but you have, again, all my respect in your beliefs.

I think I understand and it’s troubling to me. You clearly want to be a good person and help humanity. To me it looks like you are leaning on Pascale’s Wager but the problem with that bet is that truth matters. We can’t be sure to what extent but in certain key moments in communities, families or within one’s self it could be crucial. You sit, I think, between humanism and Orthodoxy. Maybe you can make it through life holding to a deeply modified ancient theology with outcomes, on balance, remaining good but that’s the real wager.

Patterns of life that are truly good don’t really need supernatural support do they? One can be helpful without theism.

I would also like to suggest you consider to what extent you are a believer for emotional reasons and whether that is “good”.

I feel sypatico for you and if I am being presumptuous, I apologize.