sarahmichigan (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
sarahmichigan) wrote2004-03-19 01:40 pm
sarahmichigan) wrote2004-03-19 01:40 pm
Entry tags:
Spirituality Part I
I've said before to a friend that I'm a little too much of a nature-worshipper to feel comfortable around rabid atheists, but too much a rationalist to fit in with the pagans.
My current label, which I'm pretty comfortable with, though, is "atheist."
I guess the basics of why I am an atheist are:
1) I know of no compelling evidence for the supernatural/God
2) I have no intutitive feeling that there *must* be a god
3) The various religions of the world all have some truth in them, and all have elements of what I consider to be nonsense, so I can't align myself with any particular one of them
4) Most religions, especially Judeo-Christian-Islamic, put a great deal of emphasis on faith and believing in the unseen, which, in my opinion, contributes to an overall paucity of rational thinking in their inherents
5) I believe irrational thinking and superstition contribute to a great deal of suffering in the world
6) If you're going to pick a religion, you should pick one that helps you live an ethical life an find your way through the world. No religion I have found yet has helped me do that. Paganism was the closest. Atheism is the best fit for me, personally.
What I'm NOT saying:
1) Religion promotes only evil and no good. Obviously false. Examples abound like Catholic Hospitals and Islamic charities that feed the poor, etc. You have to take the good with the bad when you give examples like that though-- Catholic hospitals are a mixed blessing. Yes, you get medical care, as long as you don't want birth control, a vasectomy, an abortion, to unhook your loved one in a vegetative state, etc.
2) Religious groups are the ONLY groups that perpetuate evil and suffering. Obviously false. As a friend pointed out, political affiliations and other groups can contribute to "us vs. them" and other societal problems. A priest friend of mine pointed out that atrocities were carried out under an ostensibly atheist regime in Communist Russia as well.
3) people who are religious are stupid and haven't examined their own beliefs. Also, demonstrably not true. I know many theologians who struggle mightily with philosophical issues like "the problem of evil and suffering" or whether one can prove the existence of God. I even know fundamentalists who are very intelligent and thoughful. They're just extremely good at "compartmentalizing" their knowlege.
I called myself a pagan for many years(after I recovered from fundamentalist Christianity), but I was always more interested in it for the celebration of the seasons and the sacred drama and the fun myths than having any kind of "higher power" to believe in.
Post Sept. 11, I became disenchanted with all religion, not just mainstream religion. I believe that belief in the supernatural world/spiritual world is the root of a lot of nonsense and grief in this world. I believe that no outside force is going to swoop in and save us, and if things are going to improve in the world, we're going to have to do it ourselves.
My current label, which I'm pretty comfortable with, though, is "atheist."
I guess the basics of why I am an atheist are:
1) I know of no compelling evidence for the supernatural/God
2) I have no intutitive feeling that there *must* be a god
3) The various religions of the world all have some truth in them, and all have elements of what I consider to be nonsense, so I can't align myself with any particular one of them
4) Most religions, especially Judeo-Christian-Islamic, put a great deal of emphasis on faith and believing in the unseen, which, in my opinion, contributes to an overall paucity of rational thinking in their inherents
5) I believe irrational thinking and superstition contribute to a great deal of suffering in the world
6) If you're going to pick a religion, you should pick one that helps you live an ethical life an find your way through the world. No religion I have found yet has helped me do that. Paganism was the closest. Atheism is the best fit for me, personally.
What I'm NOT saying:
1) Religion promotes only evil and no good. Obviously false. Examples abound like Catholic Hospitals and Islamic charities that feed the poor, etc. You have to take the good with the bad when you give examples like that though-- Catholic hospitals are a mixed blessing. Yes, you get medical care, as long as you don't want birth control, a vasectomy, an abortion, to unhook your loved one in a vegetative state, etc.
2) Religious groups are the ONLY groups that perpetuate evil and suffering. Obviously false. As a friend pointed out, political affiliations and other groups can contribute to "us vs. them" and other societal problems. A priest friend of mine pointed out that atrocities were carried out under an ostensibly atheist regime in Communist Russia as well.
3) people who are religious are stupid and haven't examined their own beliefs. Also, demonstrably not true. I know many theologians who struggle mightily with philosophical issues like "the problem of evil and suffering" or whether one can prove the existence of God. I even know fundamentalists who are very intelligent and thoughful. They're just extremely good at "compartmentalizing" their knowlege.
I called myself a pagan for many years(after I recovered from fundamentalist Christianity), but I was always more interested in it for the celebration of the seasons and the sacred drama and the fun myths than having any kind of "higher power" to believe in.
Post Sept. 11, I became disenchanted with all religion, not just mainstream religion. I believe that belief in the supernatural world/spiritual world is the root of a lot of nonsense and grief in this world. I believe that no outside force is going to swoop in and save us, and if things are going to improve in the world, we're going to have to do it ourselves.