Not believing in Heaven, Hell or reincarnation has pretty much eliminated my need for God. I find beauty in nature, even though the materialist perspective is to view it as products of a long process.
Our place in the universe? A flash in the pan. We are ephemeral compared to the astrophysical and geologic forces shaping the cosmos.
I am wary of Covid true believers. They may be as dangerous as the odd religious fanatic.
My Christian friends might say God has a need for you. I will say if that works for you, good. I too am wary of the covid true believers, but I am even more wary of those who are leading them.
Great post. Your atheist friends tend to oversimplify to Heaven hell or reincarnation and equate them to God. Then they default to a Faith of materialistic pragmatism. The existence of a personal consciousness separate from a living body is my simple belief. From there, the possibilities are endless. As a scientist and engineer, I know that we don’t know anything and can’t confirm materialism. I’ve been behind the curtain and “scientific discovery and research “ are consistently based on selling the illusion of progress for funding and prestige. The staunchest supporters of the science are generally those with the least understanding. You have a great Substack and I am glad I found this. Thank you.
In the circles I travel, we call it faith, belief in the soul, while the evidence is enough and need not satisfy anyone else. Which we all have, faith, in something greater than ourselves, whether we call it that or not.
I've largely given up challenging Covidians. You're absolutely right about their convictions. They hyper-personalize anything that calls their belief system into question. There are, however, rare moments of openness. These are usually the result of intolerable abuse and betrayals within their own tribe. If the hurt is bad enough, they go looking for a new sense of belonging. That's when metanoia has a chance. Once/if that gets underway, neighbourly compassion can work.
Treat people with dignity and generally they will offer the same. Some folks are not at all open to discussion on any point. I'm not sure how being so very touchy and angry is sustainable, but if they want to burn themselves out, that is ok, it is a free country. Those of us who are not so touchy and fragile will still be so when and if such folk want to relax and enjoy life.
Not believing in Heaven, Hell or reincarnation has pretty much eliminated my need for God. I find beauty in nature, even though the materialist perspective is to view it as products of a long process.
Our place in the universe? A flash in the pan. We are ephemeral compared to the astrophysical and geologic forces shaping the cosmos.
I am wary of Covid true believers. They may be as dangerous as the odd religious fanatic.
My Christian friends might say God has a need for you. I will say if that works for you, good. I too am wary of the covid true believers, but I am even more wary of those who are leading them.
Great post. Your atheist friends tend to oversimplify to Heaven hell or reincarnation and equate them to God. Then they default to a Faith of materialistic pragmatism. The existence of a personal consciousness separate from a living body is my simple belief. From there, the possibilities are endless. As a scientist and engineer, I know that we don’t know anything and can’t confirm materialism. I’ve been behind the curtain and “scientific discovery and research “ are consistently based on selling the illusion of progress for funding and prestige. The staunchest supporters of the science are generally those with the least understanding. You have a great Substack and I am glad I found this. Thank you.
Thank you and welcome to my stack!
In the circles I travel, we call it faith, belief in the soul, while the evidence is enough and need not satisfy anyone else. Which we all have, faith, in something greater than ourselves, whether we call it that or not.
That’s fair. Well stated.
I've largely given up challenging Covidians. You're absolutely right about their convictions. They hyper-personalize anything that calls their belief system into question. There are, however, rare moments of openness. These are usually the result of intolerable abuse and betrayals within their own tribe. If the hurt is bad enough, they go looking for a new sense of belonging. That's when metanoia has a chance. Once/if that gets underway, neighbourly compassion can work.
Treat people with dignity and generally they will offer the same. Some folks are not at all open to discussion on any point. I'm not sure how being so very touchy and angry is sustainable, but if they want to burn themselves out, that is ok, it is a free country. Those of us who are not so touchy and fragile will still be so when and if such folk want to relax and enjoy life.
But then there is this:
https://thefreethinker.substack.com/p/dont-ever-forget-these-people