Since I write so much about religion and faith and seem to take a somewhat antagonistic view of religion in general, I was queried about my specific beliefs or non beliefs.
Well, I am not an atheist because to be a declared atheist, one must have absolute knowledge that a higher force or presence (God) does not exist. Since that knowledge is unavailable, an atheist only “believes” that no higher or supernatural force or being exists; they are no different than the “believers” since they both just share an unfounded belief.
People calling themselves “agnostics” basically sit on the fence and say, if you prove it, I will believe it and until that time, I will sit here on the fence neither believing nor denying the existence of a superior being or force in our universe.
My case is somewhat different than the ones mentioned above. When it comes to a religious God such as a Christian God or Muslim God or Hindu Gods or any God connected with an earthly religion, I firmly deny that any of those Gods exist or have ever existed. I base this judgment on the fact that if mankind or humankind created a God for their specific religion and history and historic evidence supports that fact, then it is safe to say that their God is a human invention and cannot possibly be real or in existence.
Let me say it another way. On earth, we have many religions and therefore many Gods (even though many believe that there is only one God) and each God comes with supporting body of holy scripture / literature (Bible, Quran…) but the supporting literature was written by men and the God of this literature has never made a verifiable appearance on earth (ever) and so one must conclude that the Gods of human invention are just that – human inventions.
On the other hand, I have said on many occasions that humankind is programmed to require the belief in a supreme being or some variation of, the invention of a God(s) with accompanying religious precepts is just plain human nature in action and plays a beneficial role in our well being as individuals and as members of society. It also plays a very destructive role in cultures with competing Gods and religions.
In my blog calling on the non-religious peoples to be counted as equals with religious people, I am admitting that a class of people now exists that is bucking their human nature and relying on their ability to reason, to address the issue of superior beings and their accompanying religions.
This class of people does not want our society to automatically accept religion as the only true path for mankind and inundate our social traditions and ceremonies with religious symbolism as if non-religious people are somehow not part of society.
I realize that throughout our history, religion has played a large role in society and in some cases, was the driving force behind movements in history and therefore is, for good reason, a huge part of our culture.
All I am saying now is that a class of people among us, who are not religious but definitely members of our society, are asking to have their beliefs and feelings recognized and not just brushed off as abnormal or not part of the societal norm.
This group’s request specifically addresses public actions such as inaugural ceremonies, graduations, etc. that are meant for the general public but assume that the general public is necessarily religious. Do I make myself clear?
This should be an interesting topic throughout the New Year 2009…
Well, I am not an atheist because to be a declared atheist, one must have absolute knowledge that a higher force or presence (God) does not exist. Since that knowledge is unavailable, an atheist only “believes” that no higher or supernatural force or being exists; they are no different than the “believers” since they both just share an unfounded belief.
People calling themselves “agnostics” basically sit on the fence and say, if you prove it, I will believe it and until that time, I will sit here on the fence neither believing nor denying the existence of a superior being or force in our universe.
My case is somewhat different than the ones mentioned above. When it comes to a religious God such as a Christian God or Muslim God or Hindu Gods or any God connected with an earthly religion, I firmly deny that any of those Gods exist or have ever existed. I base this judgment on the fact that if mankind or humankind created a God for their specific religion and history and historic evidence supports that fact, then it is safe to say that their God is a human invention and cannot possibly be real or in existence.
Let me say it another way. On earth, we have many religions and therefore many Gods (even though many believe that there is only one God) and each God comes with supporting body of holy scripture / literature (Bible, Quran…) but the supporting literature was written by men and the God of this literature has never made a verifiable appearance on earth (ever) and so one must conclude that the Gods of human invention are just that – human inventions.
On the other hand, I have said on many occasions that humankind is programmed to require the belief in a supreme being or some variation of, the invention of a God(s) with accompanying religious precepts is just plain human nature in action and plays a beneficial role in our well being as individuals and as members of society. It also plays a very destructive role in cultures with competing Gods and religions.
In my blog calling on the non-religious peoples to be counted as equals with religious people, I am admitting that a class of people now exists that is bucking their human nature and relying on their ability to reason, to address the issue of superior beings and their accompanying religions.
This class of people does not want our society to automatically accept religion as the only true path for mankind and inundate our social traditions and ceremonies with religious symbolism as if non-religious people are somehow not part of society.
I realize that throughout our history, religion has played a large role in society and in some cases, was the driving force behind movements in history and therefore is, for good reason, a huge part of our culture.
All I am saying now is that a class of people among us, who are not religious but definitely members of our society, are asking to have their beliefs and feelings recognized and not just brushed off as abnormal or not part of the societal norm.
This group’s request specifically addresses public actions such as inaugural ceremonies, graduations, etc. that are meant for the general public but assume that the general public is necessarily religious. Do I make myself clear?
This should be an interesting topic throughout the New Year 2009…
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