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I figured I would try to get comfortable sharing here the things that I find interesting for myself before I start sharing with my friends and family. I’m newly into accepting that IDK what is out there but I am non-religious.

I recently went to my Grandma’s funeral (which my family is Catholic) and I haven’t been in church for anything besides weddings in the last ten years I’d say, but it confirmed how I feel about religion and separating myself from it.

MissAbbagale 3 Nov 1
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23 comments

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6

Yes there IS truth... AND there is human opinion.

Yup

so true

5

I am sorry for your loss. Hope you like it here. Most of us are OK but being agnostic or atheist has no guidelines. BTW, there is truth and also human opinion. I find that truth is always changing scientifically and that also changes human opinions.

yes, we are moving forward, we are evolving.....to something.....dont' know what.....but yes, we are changing.....big time. After you are 60, time moves so fast.....omg....

@FlyingEagle1952 I know. I am 73 now.

I know that there is truth and human opinion, didn’t mean for everyone to take what I shared so literal. I just found it interesting.

\@K9Kohle789O I agree with you. I was in Florida for 16 years during my marriage. Wow the school systems suck there. Florida is okay for the real cold winter months, especially as you get older. Today, I went to the Knox College Homecoming Football game, then I saw a play. It was a great day, chatting with some college students. I'm old enough to be their grandfather now....pretty spooky. Brought back a lot of memories.....great experience. I'm still in the game.

5

Welcome! This is a good crowd. Ask questions, read, and enjoy the freedom to "not know", and that's completely okay!

Thank You! Very welcoming, I appreciate that!

4

Welcome to the asylum. Enjoy your stay.

Condolences on your grandmother's passing.

4

Both truth AND human opinion exist. Sometimes they correspond, sometimes not. Truth is supported by verifiable evidence.

3

I describe myself as atheist because I don't believe in the supernatural, gods or magical thinking. due to a pretty complete lack of evidence.

However, I think most persons who describe themselves as atheists would reconsider if new confirmable facts and evidence becomes available... which is technically agnostic. However, until such evidence comes about I would continue to describe myself as an atheist simply because if I describe myself as agnostic, then believers will think they will be able to argue me via faith into believing. I prefer to do without that kind of bother in my life.

You can split hairs trying to define words specifically, but most words have more than one meaning depending on context. Trying to argue agnosticism vs. atheism has only slightly more validity than the old Christian debate over how many angels could dance on the head of a pin.

You know that in science lack of proof is not proof?

@Norman347 However, also in science, you can not draw conclusive facts from a lack of evidence/proof.

3

“...but it confirmed how I feel about religion and separating myself from it.”

The poster boy of personal growth.

MissAbbagale, you are among friends here. We greet you with open arms and a smile. This is a judgement free zone. You will not find such zones in religion. As posts in this thread demonstrate, discourse can at times get a little spicy. But don’t be fooled, respect abounds here. We all end up having the proverbial beer together or passing the peace pipe. Come on in. Let’s learn, laugh and cry together.

Totally agree; 🎶nicely put into words.
Thanx

3

It is true, after millions of years, the best we can do with our beliefs is really only ends up being our own opinion!!! Nobody knows how we got here and what is the purpose of life itself. We all have our own experience with The Universe. Are you in my dream, or am I in your dream? Pretty fragile if you ask me. This life is short.

3

Hugs , Hon , I'm sorry for your loss . While we know that stuff doesn't really make sense , for some , the rituals help them accept that a line has been drawn . At this point , your life will be changed , due to your grandmother no longer being a part of it . It will affect some more than others . It's no longer our way , but their religion will have meaning for them . Hope having to deal with religion as well as your loss wasn't too over whelming .

Thank You! I know that everyone grieves in their own way and religion is a coping mechanism for some, I respect that. Keeping a positive mindset and moving forward, is my coping mechanism. My Grandma was a devote Catholic and lived her life through that, I appreciate what a wonderful woman she was. She lived a long 92 years and she’s at peace. He passing wasn’t easy but knowing she had all those years helps to ease the pain.

Prodigious!

3

enjoy and stuff.

Lol I’ll try my best

2

Love the meme

Unity Level 7 Nov 2, 2019
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Welcome to the community 🙂

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Mmm there are tested hypotheses, which is probably a bit closer to the truth than opinion. But I’ll post this and scroll down to where someone’s already said this now 😉

Oh, I’m shocked and stunned, no one has. Hope you have some great memories of your Grandma by the way.

@girlwithsmiles I have amazing memories with my Grandma, thank you!

Yes, for an hypothesis to become a scientific hypothesis, we have to be able to test it.

This whole thread illustrates for me the difference between opinion and opinionated. I have an ex who once called herself opinionated and I politely corrected her. She's a strong woman with strong opinions, always reasoned out, almost always willing to discuss them, debate them, always looking for the burden of proof, either in her argument or others'. That fits with "a view or judgement formed about something, not necessarily based on fact or knowledge" or "a statement of advice an expert on a professional matter", which are the two relevant definitions of "opinion" here.

"Opinionated" is defined as "characterized conceited assertiveness and dogmatism". That's largely your Abrahamic Talibans, but also sections of the scientific community can be susceptible to that. Key examples are Albert Einstein and Lord Kelvin, both brilliant physicists, both falling flat on their faces more than once with their dogmatic confirmation biases.

You (and others) are right - the last line of the meme lets it down. Other than that, I'm broadly okay with its message.

2

Pretty much. I get called a Theist and Atheist when I argue against the certainty both groups have with their beliefs. They reason since I am arguing against what they believe I must be the opposite. It never crosses their mind that maybe I am something else.

2

I like this. I could elaborate but this says it all for me. Thanks.

You’re welcome, thank you!

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My condolences on your grandmother's passing and I hope you are well, as far as the rest of it I would have to say Marionville summed it up quite nicely.
Welcome to the site.

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I absolutely loved it!!! I couldn't agree more.

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Condolences on the death of your grandmother, I’m sure you will miss her. We are pleased you’ve decided to join us here on the site and hope we can be of help to you in your journey away from belief in god. A journey you seem already to been well on your way with. You are asking questions and that is what you need to do, none of us knows the meaning of everything, we are all searching. We can call ourselves whatever we like but labels such as atheist or agnostic can be unhelpful sometimes and cause division, even here amongst us. Make your own mind up on everything by thinking for yourself, it’s okay to say you don’t know, none of us do. All we have are our opinions until some scientific evidence can be found to prove that we are the products of a divine creator. That lack of evidence does not prove god doesn’t exist, but belief in such a being without any evidence is counterintuitive, and laws of probability make me think it to be so unlikely that I’m happy to say I’m a nonbeliever. In the meantime just enjoy the site, it’s not all about the heavy stuff like religion and politics! We do have fun here too, especially in our groups...so browse and join in, and enjoy!

Thank You, this was perfectly worded and I appreciate the encouragement!

2

Opinion is something, incomplete knowledge is another thing.
Mankind know what it knows and know what it don't know.
Make assumptions about what we don't know is the problem of the believers.
Use what do you know and try to discover what you don't know, but don't try to impose a behavior based on something that is not known.

Gnosticism (knowledge) is different from opinion. Knowledge is being able to measure how far you are from truth (science).

1

Do yourself a favor and don't fall into the atheist trap!
Keep an open mind. I don't know what's going on either, except I'm pretty sure religion is a hopeless take on reality.
It leads nowhere, except to a dead end full of distortions, half-truths, and outright lies. As such, it is worse than a waste of time, because by the time you realize you're going down the wrong path, you may be lost and never find your way back.
But there IS hope. Never give up looking for the "truth." The explanations for the "mysteries" of life are there; our instruments and our inadequately-developed brains are not yet up to the task, but someday, I think, the answers will be found.
I believe we ARE here for a reason, despite what some would say.
I personally live my life as if it matters and has meaning.
I hope you do the same.

Please explain “atheist trap”

You BELIEVE we are here for a reason. Good... That is YOUR belief! Personally, I'll stick with evolution. Your warning of not to "fall into the Atheist Trap" sounds eerily similar to "You are going to hell if you don't believe in god." You remind me of a low grade troll.

This is going to get ugly....

I’m learning and reading, my decisions are my own. Thank You

@Marcie1974 Some are so relieved to be free of the strictures of whatever religious trap they fell into by birth and upbringing, or took on themselves for some misguided reason, they overreact and go to the other extreme, fall into ANOTHER trap, another belief system, which is just as limiting of the infinite possibilities of life.
The old "out the frying pan, into the fire" syndrome. The "throwing the baby out with the bath water" scenario.
Agnosticism, on the other hand, is the correct perspective, in my opinion. Suspended between belief and disbelief, one can fully appreciate the vast wonder of our existence, the reasoning goes.
This of course is my opinion, and I'll maintain and protect it, as long as possible, from those who want to tell me opinions are for sissies, that I have to "take a stand!"
No, I don't.
Neither do you.
Because there is no tenable, defendable "stand" (feasibly and rationally) possible.

you said it all, I hate the Bible and all the wrathful bullshit.....but I'm not an atheist either, We are spinning in the wheel and the sun rises every day. To me there is some kind of purpose, but sometimes it seems really lonely and empty, and without meaning,. I've had spiritual experience that I'm still trying to understand. I've learned to live with it. One thing I know about life, I've never heard of a man committing suicide while getting a sloppy blow job. Omg....what we will do for a piece of ass!!!!

@RiverRick I sometimes wonder, what were the dinosaurs thinking about. Or how about ants? Do they think or what? I mean they do everything for the queen. My friend sent me a video of ants 'saving' their buddy from a cobweb, helped him escape. Then there was another video where this monkey was electrocuted on this commuter train track....and this monkey came over and starting bouncing the thing around, hitting him, and shaking him until he finaly came back to life......wow it was something else to watch, some guy was videoing and got it on tape, So these monkeys, in India, learned to how perform resuscitation.......omg.....some of these nature shows are amazing.....I mean this world is just full of life.......it's all pretty amazing.....and very short too....life is short...I do believe animals have emotions too......elephants will morns the dead for a few days.....we are in a dimension of evolution.....we used to be dinosaurs......then it all changed and it keeps changing.....billions of years.....the games continues....I don't see mankind being here in 300 years, something is gonna happen, the planet can't take it.....cock roaches will take over....something, but we will be gone....

@FlyingEagle1952 This is almost how conspiracy theories start. Something that may have a rational explanation which we don't know if substituted by a belief in something supernatural or similar. Maybe the monkey was used to beating on his friend to wake him up from a sleep? Who knows? I'll agree that nature is amazing! But some things defy explanation.

@FlyingEagle1952, @Storm1752 The "rational" stand is that god doesn't exist. That's the RATIONAL stand. It's the same as me telling you that a big green monster lives beneath my bed... But you just can't see him. BUT... I KNOW HE IS THERE! Yes, you'd think I was crazy! Can I prove that god doesn't exist? No... No more than you can disprove the big green monster that lives beneath my bed!

@RiverRick Celestial teapot.

@Storm1752 that’s a pretty broad statement though. What about people who did their research and took time, sometimes years, to thoroughly examine their belief system. I’m not sure why you consider that an atheist trap. Also, atheism is NOT a belief system. That’s the opposite of what it is.

You say agnosticism is the correct perspective, in your opinion. That’s all well and good for you. But by saying it’s the “correct” one, you are no different than a church leader saying their religion is the one true (or correct) religion. I’m not trying to be snarky, but do you see how it comes off as hypocritical to say agnosticism is the correct perspective?

You are absolutely entitled to identify as agnostic. But I do not think you have the right to say that atheists are arrogant for how they identify.

@RiverRick That's YOUR opinion, River. MY opinion is is, there are too many perplexing anomalies, we've all heard of or read about, to simply take categorical "stands" like, for instance, god by ANY definition does not exist.
What about legitimate question marks such as crop circles (the ones not made by men with rakes and plywood), reincarnation, psychics (the ones without earplugs, cheat sheets), UFOs, paranormal activity, etc.?
To just dismiss it and say, 'I don't care. It's all phony," without bothering to investigate is intellectually evasive, in my opinion.
I think some people need to KNOW, to have absolute certainty, an anchor, an immovable foundation, on which to base their life. To have uncertainty and unresolvable mystery is intolerable.
I think personally there IS a core explanation, whatever it is. There must be, from my perspective.
But I can't prove it. And you can't disprove it.
That's why it's just my opinion. And why your opinion is also unproven conjecture.

@RiverRick, @Marcie1974 If they did years of research, great. Their opinion is a more of an educated guess than is typical. But it's STILL one of those things which cannot be proven, right?
How can you research the definition of god, for instance? If I say I define it as e=mXc squared, does it matter if YOU define it as an fictitious deity? I'd say, "no," because it's all mental gymnastics. It has no real meaning. It's nothing tangible, unless you're a pantheist and say god is everything, every grain of sand, every light particle, every quark!
Like the song says, "Nobody's wrong, if everybody's right!"
Enough.
Yes, using the word "trap" WAS arrogant. Sorry for being provocative. It IS my opinion, but so what? No need to p*ss people off.

@Storm1752 so basically I’m wrong and fell into a trap because I identify as atheist?

@Storm1752 Crop circles, reincarnation, psychics, paranormal activity and UFOs? You Florida people are always good for comic relief.

@Marcie1974 He lives in Florida... No need to say more.

@RiverRick good point!!!

@Marcie1974 Why do you care what I think? I'm not "god." I'm little 'ol insignificant me. Read back over what I wrote.
That's what I think.
You and your fellow scoffers, naysayers, doubters and deniers are more than welcome to keep your heads firmly in the sand. I don't care.
I wasn't talking to you anyway.

0

I will agree with it up to the "there is no truth, only human opinion." It is not human opinion that 1+1 = 2. We can call the numbers by different names, but that is a truth. There are many objective truths and the scientific method is the best way we have to try to discover these truths.

I am an agnostic atheist. Agnostic because I do not claim to have all of the knowledge of the universe, or universes. Atheist because I do not believe in any gods (nor do I believe in anything supernatural). There is much more to learn, and things we may never know; but, right now, science shows us that no god/universal consciousness is necessary; and I see no reason to insert either.

0

I am on the same path . To understand ourselves is
to know what matters in life.💮

0

Utter twaddle.
"There is more going on than we are fully aware of" That is self evident, but it does not in anyway connote supernatural or "spiritual" existence
"But only the arrogant claim to know precisely what it is" there is a difference between actually knowing something and claiming you know it, it is in no way arrogant to share actual proven evidence based knowledge, it is truly arrogant to claim superior knowledge based on religion, feelings and revelation for which thee is no evidence but Faith.
"And only the ignorant dismiss it without consideration" true, but to dismiss something after due consideration is a perfectly acceptable course of action if that due consideration reveals the contention to be utterly wrong, unprovable or without evidence.

"There is no truth, only human opinion" sorry but that is utter shit.
Of course there is truth, their are ""a priori" and "a posteriori" facts that are in no way opinions, there are yet to be falsified theories and mathematical models, there are axioms and provable past actions.
Sown the path of "There is no truth, only human opinion" lays the dangerous destination of exploitation, lies, brainwashing and totalitarianism.

@LenHazell53 Now I know why I avoid posting anything remotely controversial, thank you so much for your insight. Have a great day!

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