But,but... why hasn't god already blessed them too?

I don't know. It sure looks like he's a jerk though, doesn't it?

I've felt for a long time that religion is 98% social and 2% mental illness.

I like the Neville Brothers version of this song:

Oh my name it means nothing, and my age it means less.
For the country I come from, is called the Midwest.
I was taught and brought up, to the laws to abide.
That the land that I live in,has God on its side.

Oh the history books tell it,they tell it so well.
The Cavalries charged,and the Indians fell.
The cavalries charged,and the Indians died.
Oh The Country was young then, with God on its side.

The Spanish-American, War had its day.
And the civil war to us, was soon laid away.
And the names of the heroes, I was made to memorize.
With guns in their hands, and God on their side.

The First World War,it came and it went.
And the reason for fighting,I never did get.
But I learned to accept it, accept it with pride.
For you don't count the dead, when God's on your side.

In the nineteen-sixties,came the Vietnam war.
Can someone tell me, what we were fighting for?
So many young men died, so many mothers cried.
No I ask the question, was God on our side?

I learned to hate the russians, all through my whole life.
If another war comes, it's them must fight.
And to hate them and fear, to run and to hide.
And accept it all bravely, with God on my side.

Through many dark hours, I've been thinkin' bout' this.
That Jesus Christ was betrayed by a kiss.
But I can't think for you, you'll have to decide.
Whether Judas Iscariot had God on his side.

Now that I'm leaving, I'm weary as hell.
The confusion I"m feeling, ain't no tongue cna tell.
The words fill my head, and they fall to the floor.
That if God's on our side, he'll stop the next war.
Jesus loves me, this I know.

I am somewhere in between what IM and Clodfobble think.

I think that nature is as close to god as I am going to get. I think that there is an energy that causes life, that makes this natural world so beautiful. I think that must be god.

Then I become contrary. On one hand I do not think there is a god personally involved with my life, but If something good to me happens, I do not think I have been separated for special treatment, because thinking that feels weird, and I feel bad for those who are suffering, but all the same, I AM thankful. I wonder about this need to be thankful.

What is the difference between a Buddhist and everyone else?



Nothing

no, that would have made it more wishy-washy. I wanted to know if I was alone in my absolute, positive, arrogant belief that there is no higher spirit whatsoever. I don't care how vague anyone's uncertainty is, I was interested in the certainty. :D

apathy
 

Me: I don't care if 'god' exists or not.


If 'god' exists then I can only (off the top of my head) conclude...

(1) It's 'all powerful' but (for some reason) chooses not to involve itself in the world (I see no evidence of divine intervention in the world...do you?).

Since 'god' is not involved: I'm on my own. Can't see a good reason to spend a lot of time thinking about, or seeking the attention of, a 'god' who sits back and does nothing but play voyeur (or, maybe, is off doing something else entirely).


(2) It's not 'all powerful' and -- for that reason -- can't do anything in the world.

Since 'god' is limited: I'm on my own. Can't see a good reason to spend a lot of time thinking about, or seeking the attention of, a 'god' who may want to intervene but is incapable.


(3) It's so alien in the way it thinks (in agenda, goal, purpose, etc.) its action in the world is incomprehensible and indistinguishable from natural occurrence.

Since 'god' is an alien: I'm on my own. Can't see a good reason to spend a lot of time thinking about, or seeking the attention of, a 'god' who is so far removed from me I can't hope to frame an entreaty it could even understand.


(4) It's a tricksy, manipulative, prick playing with the world like my nephew does a June bug.

Since 'god' is a fucker: I'm on my own. Only good reason to spend time thinking about 'god' (in this case) is to figure out how to fly under its radar.


Of course: there may be no 'god'...in which case: I'm on my own...*shrug*

#

"you are so beautiful to me" implies "I don't care if everyone else thinks you're a butt ugly slag."

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!

Is apathetic the same as agnostic? I think they go hand in hand, in your case. You don't know, you don't care.

You've covered the options except for maybe 'god' is a benevolent loving being who really only does these things to us for our good. Yeah, I don't see that either. ;)

I believe god(s) explained things that ancient humans did not understand. Thor makes thunder kind of thing. There are very few things in our obervable environment we can't answer. What were before we were born, what will we be after we die, what created matter/energy, what caused the big bang? gods provide answers to these questions. If that's what gods are, I won't and can't dispute it. But that's the most that god might be, so, in essence, I believe there is no god.

Monster you made the point I was going to make on your behalf.
I know how shy & retiring you can be.
You call a poll Atheists United because you want to know you're not alone.

I'm sometimes quite cross about the feeble flapping of "something out there but I don't need to do anything about it" or the assertion that the deceased "has gone to a better place" even if said person was a nasty piece of work. But this may be a hangover from my Catholic upbringing - I always felt that if people wanted the reassurance of God then they should bloody well work for it. An hour a week isn't too much set against eternity, surely?

I often wonder what true believers think God would have made of things like the Crusades, the annihilation of the Cathars, race riots, bombing of abortion clinics, families starving children because they had the devil in them. Maybe not spewing vitriol against children of God with different coloured skin might help open those pearly gates? I mean you'd think the God that issued Moses the commandment Thou Shalt Not Kill would be pretty cross. But then he wasn't averse to killing in those days either. Even Jesus blasted a fig tree for not havng fruit. I mean I get pretty cross when things are out of stock in Sainsbury's, but I try to refrain from blasting.

Mankind's current favourite Gods are desert dwellars. Vengeful, full of talk about blood and swords and overcoming. Full of miracles than have not happened since. They are xenophobic, clannish and misogynist.

Why did God make a woman? Wasn't he happy with asexual reproduction?
But then he made females for all the other sexual creatures to allow them to be bountiful.
Why wait to give his starring creation a partner? And why make her subservient when some other creatures have a matriarchal society? And why make man - in his image! - so horribly lustful that he is out of control if he glimpses hair, or ankles or face?

If the idea was to populate the earth, why not set some natural boundary? Because the countries that reproduce without any check are full of starving and dying and diseased and mutated babies.

Suffer the little children indeed...
(I do know that suffer also means allow and is used this way in the text quoted. I was raised Catholic after all)
My mind spins.

In this thread I guess I am preaching to the unconverted :)

When God reads this you are going to be in big trouble!!!!

or....
you better hope he doesn't see this till after the rapture.

Like GAWD couldn't google for rapture knockers and atheists.

God is like most people over 70 - they are still using aol and dial-up.
It'll take about that long just for them to get online, let alone use that devil program google.