For La Lioness Priyanka,
because when I spend time sorting through my head and trying to provide a thoughtful response, and then can't post because of the forum the OP was posted in, I don't want to have wasted my time or thoughts.
My answers are out of alignment, because I'm not an atheist. Sort of agnostic, I guess. But...I was debating religion this weekend with a family member, so I've been thinking about it a bit. I think I can say that I'm open-minded enough to entertain possibilites, and skeptical enough not to embrace any of those possibilites with any fidelity. Here they are:
1. How Did You Become an Atheist?
I'm not. Neither am I a believer, nor a practitioner of, any sort of organized religion. And, while I value science, it doesn't replace religion in my life.
2. What happens when we die?
Our bodies return to the earth, sooner or later. The core of what makes us who we are? I don't have an answer for that. I have potentials; possibilities that are not proven. Some might include: our "self" dies with our bodies. That death might mean that the energy that made up our "self" disperses into universe as our composted bodies become parts of other living things, given a choice. It might mean that some or all of that energy lands in another body, recycling ourselves. It might mean a simple ending of what is. It might mean that simple ending, with our "selves" being passed on genetically and environmentally to those we leave behind. It might be that the concept of an "after life" is simply the energy that gave us being rejoins a larger pool, leaving behind any sense of identity. It might be something else entirely; I don't know, and while I'm curious, I've really got no particular pov to support or defend.
3. What if you’re wrong? And there is a Heaven? And there is a HELL!
Of course there's a heaven, and a hell...right here on earth during our lifetimes. I tend to think of heaven and hell more as metaphor than a literal something. Regardless of how they are defined, I'm pretty sure that there are no pearly nor fiery gates to an eternity of pain or peace.
4. Without God, where do you get your morality from?
Some probably came from the vestiges of religious teachings, god or no. I can't find a direct path, but I'm sure there are twists and turns. Generally, I believe my sense of morality comes from a deep well of empathy, my embedded idealism, and my own deep-seated need to be respected for who I am without pressure to conform, which leads me to offer the same to others.
5. If there is no God, can we do what we want? Are we free to murder and rape? While good deeds are unrewarded?
I'm not sure how to answer this, because I don't see the world through a simplistic, polarized "good vs evil," "reward vs punishment" lens. I think that we get, in some measure at some point, (and I don't have a need to define those any further,) what we put out. That there are natural consequences. Those consequences might be metaphysical, might be simply logical, but I think we create them ourselves with our words, thoughts, and actions. I think that the reason we have a justice system, however imperfect, is because we AREN'T free to hurt others. I think that those who do "good deeds" because they think they deserve attention or a reward of some kind are operating from a less evolved, more selfish place. I believe in social and personal evolution, and that each person is at a different place in that process. I think that any consequences meted out by systems of justice should be about preventing harm and about ensuring safety of the group, not about punishment or revenge.
6. If there is no god, how does your life have any meaning?
I'm not sure why the existence, or non-existence, of a diety would give my life meaning. My time interacting with others and with myself...that gives my life meaning.
7. Where did the universe come from?
I don't know. I know some of the theories, and I'm curious, but I can't say, without reservation, that any are exactly correct. And I don't feel like my life is any less well-lived if that question isn't answered.
8. What about miracles? What all the people who claim to have a connection with Jesus? What about those who claim to have seen saints or angels?
I think there are a bunch of possibilities, and I think miracles might be a bit of all of those possibilities. Starting with the evolution of a story about a "miracle," simply because stories change in repeated tellings, to political manipulation of events, to little-understood brain functions and dysfunctions, to metaphysical ideas involving thoughts and emotions having an effect on physical things, to outright lies, delusions, and mental/emotional health problems...
9. What’s your view of Dawkins, Hitchens and Harris?
I think I'd like to read G.M. Jackson's book, because it sounds intriguing. Outside of that, I haven't paid enough attention to them to form an opinion.
10. If there is no God, then why does every society have a religion?
Because the yearning to know who we are, and why things are the way they are...the need for a sense of security in a really big world...the drive to find answers, and for the masses, the need for strong leaders to follow so that they don't have to be responsible for the thinking required to make big decisions...all of those things lead to the evolution of religion.
= new reply since forum marked as read
Started out as a good thread.
Love the source of the questions, too. Some of the "Most Popular Posts of All Time" are hilarious:
4 Sexual Sins Every Christian Should Avoid
5 Lies Atheist Tell
This Guy Proves It’s Crazy to Be Atheist With One Simple and Hilarious Question
7 Ways a Wife Injures a Husband Without Even Knowing It
[font style="font-family:papyrus,'Brush Script MT','comic sans MS',fantasy;" size=4 color=teal]I started doing that because I wanted to add some [font size=5 color=coral face='Brush Script MT']individuality[/font] and [font size=4 color=magenta face='comic sans ms']personality[/font] to my posts a while back.
Depending on how elaborate I make the posts it can take quite a bit of time/edits to get them looking right! So thank you for letting me know the effort was worth it.
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