Aethist or Religious?

[bluesummer]

Religions which don't center on God are on the rise. Church of Scientology has 8 million members and counting. Then there are all types of new age religions which are growing in influence and scale (including but not limited to the occult, alchemy, psychics etc)

I agree with this. See, when I said I believed only in 'God', I was painting my view of 'God' with a very broad brush so people got the general meaning. I don't believe in one higher power that controls everything. I don't believe in a big man sitting up on a cloud in heaven....I don't even believe in heaven.

I've seen some inexplicable and amazing things in my life too, that people called the 'unexplained' and try to attribute to gods, or demons, or witchcraft or magic...whatever. I believe that we all belong to a collective energy.....since everything contains energy, everything in the universe. Energies are positive and negative. When you live postively, and surround yourself with positive influences (and therefore positive energy), you feel happy and 'fulfilled'. For some people, prayer is the medium to create that positive energy for themselves. They feel fulfilled, or in their eyes, close to 'God'. 'Evil' to me does exist.....and I've encountered it on powerful levels.....but evil to me is just a strong source of very negative energy. People get consumed by it all the time....depression, anger, suicide....it was just negative energy that they weren't strong enough to counterract.

I think God is just a name for this power that we all feel on some level. Some are more in tune with it than others, and I think this is where that NEED for religion comes in, Mish. People need to put a name and an explanation to this feeling they have. Since I switched over to the no-religion train of thought, and just embraced myself as a conductor of positive and negative energy in this world, things have just made more sense. Almost my entire former-Catholic family has embraced this way of thinking too, on varying levels. Religions like Buddhism and Hinduism at their very base root have the right idea, but in the end they still add in some extra rules and mumbo-jumbo that make it lose some of it's credibility.

[Only-virgins]

[url]http://t-shirts.cafepress.com/item/atheist-black-tshirt/49343016[/url]
I am so getting these hahaha!

[bluesummer]

Ha ha, OV.

I would totally wear that at home, but not outside because but I live in a pretty Christian town. I'd probably get chased down by the people that hang out downtown town with the signs that say "Jesus Loves You" and "You are forgiven".

[Gribble]

That's a great shirt. I'd wear that on campus.

[Lipp]

I've seen some inexplicable and amazing things in my life too, that people called the 'unexplained' and try to attribute to gods, or demons, or witchcraft or magic...whatever. I believe that we all belong to a collective energy.....since everything contains energy, everything in the universe. Energies are positive and negative. When you live postively, and surround yourself with positive influences (and therefore positive energy), you feel happy and 'fulfilled'. For some people, prayer is the medium to create that positive energy for themselves. They feel fulfilled, or in their eyes, close to 'God'. 'Evil' to me does exist.....and I've encountered it on powerful levels.....but evil to me is just a strong source of very negative energy. People get consumed by it all the time....depression, anger, suicide....it was just negative energy that they weren't strong enough to counterract.

Chi?..........

[Only-virgins]

Ha ha, OV.

I would totally wear that at home, but not outside because but I live in a pretty Christian town. I'd probably get chased down by the people that hang out downtown town with the signs that say "Jesus Loves You" and "You are forgiven".

That is what is fun about it!. I order myself the one that say "Godless Heathen" and "This shirt is being worn by a product of biological evolution, problem? call 1800-you-Ignoramus" lol

[Gribble]

I want to pull a Joker (Full Metal Jacket) and wear that shirt with a Jesus fish hat.

[doppelgaenger]

Religulous by Bill Maher. Anyone heard of it? Is it any good?

[IndiReloaded]

Its not out yet, I think. I'm a regular visitor to [url]www.disbeliefnet.com[/url], tho.

[Gribble]

I'd like to see it. Maher's hilarious.

I saw the trailer to Religulous back to back with the trailer for An American Carol. Cracked me up.

[DoesntMatter]

Bill Maher is an idiot

[Gribble]

Bill Maher is an idiot

Yeah. People with differing opinions are full of shit. Typical conservative remark.

[boobaa]

Ha ha, OV.

I would totally wear that at home, but not outside because but I live in a pretty Christian town. I'd probably get chased down by the people that hang out downtown town with the signs that say "Jesus Loves You" and "You are forgiven".

Nice culture.

But what does Aethist mean?

[DoesntMatter]

Yeah. People with differing opinions are full of shit. Typical conservative remark.

Well when conservatives can do math and their nonconservative counterparts cannot there is usually some amount of doubt as to the opinions of others

Although let me get this straight: I am NOT saying he is stupid because of his OPINIONS. I am saying he is stupid because he THINKS he is being funny by making ridiculously easy to spot discrepencies between religion and physical science, and invoking the most basic elements of logic to disprove religion in a way that a 5 year old could. Yet atheists think he is funny only because they share a similar opinion and take delight in bashing something very uncreatively

From the Bill Maher anti-Christian propaganda I got a few days ago-

"Why do all-powerful gods speak through prophets instead of just telling their important messages to all of us directly?"

"When a plane goes down, was it God's will for everyone on board to die that day? And if so, how did he book them all on the same flight?"

"Adam and Eve had two sons. Who did they marry and have children with?"

WOW this guy is so fuccking smart!

NO- There is NOTHING smart or FUNNY about what he does

[Gribble]

You're listing jokes from a stand-up routine. Do you know what jokes are, DM? Do you know what stand-up is? You aren't stupid so don't act stupid. Pull up some serious quotes from the guy and critique them. That's something we can actually have an intelligent discussion on.

Secondly, this idea that conservatives can do math and non-conservatives can't is full of shit. I promise you I can dig up a Larry the Cable Guy lookalike conservative who not only can't do basic algebra, but barely reads on a first grade level. People are ignorant on both sides of the line. And as you've proven again and again, they're also arrogant on both sides.