plaetton:


No sir.

The greater vacuum is in believing that you need to believe in ridiculous , contradicting myths to be a wholesome human being .

johnydon22:


The Question is; Was there really any vacuum? or just an imaginary one created so you would require an imaginary vacuum filler

jude2011:
I don't know what to do. Can I acknowledge the existence of God without practicing any religion? My question is ''can I believe in GOD and not practice any religion?''. If yes, what is the term called. Secondely, Can an atheist go to church and pretend as if he believes in the bible? Thanks

onetrack:


Someone who believes in a passive, uninvolved god and who does not have a religion is called a 'deist'. There are some out there. 'Pantheist' is another type of belief in a god without religion. In this case they believe that the universe and god are essentially one and the same.

I personally am agnostic atheist; I don't believe in any god but i cannot prove that there are no gods. But certainly all religions are man-made and have quite a bit of nonsense.

plaetton:


What proof, what other earth-shattering proof would your so-called erudite theologians offer this hungry mind ?
More fear, more guilt, more threats of hellfire ?

Fear and guilt are the primary currencies of the religious stock exchange, whether it comes from circus clowns, con-pastors , pedophile catholic priests or your so-called erudite theologians.

johnydon22:
If a perfect god with the ability to create a perfect world exists and has desire for you to be in a perfect world, you would have been there already.

He wouldn't need to run a bizarre incredible cruel test- the result to which he by definition must have known already (omniscient)

Sarassin:


The OP stated clearly he had no wish to become an atheist. He seeks a buttressing of his religious grounds. Even though I do not subscribe to any religion I feel one should be sensitive to the religious leanings of others, not everyone is ready enough or sufficiently irreverent enough to take the great leap into the religious void and great empyrean that is atheism. Above all OP should remember the adage, "Unto thine own self, be true"

plaetton:


Ok.
Read clearly that I advised him not to obsess himself with the atheism or any labels, but to focus on his hunger knowledge and truth.

Its rather funny that you call atheism a void.
That's a bit laughable ignorant.
How can there be void when he has now availed himself of new vistas of learning, a universe enriched with learning without doubts and fear ?
How can someone who just escaped the tiny confines of his dark closet to discover that his closet is a small part of a big house, which itself is a small house in a broad street be afraid of a void ?

Your statement implies and confirms my earlier statement in the same post that fear and forboding are the primary curries of Religious belief.
Ironically, this is what the young lad has freed himself from.

Sarassin:


Perhaps in your haste to pick my post apart you didn't read it clearly. The term I used was "religious void". If you disagree that atheism is a religious void, then lets hear it. Other than that there's nothing else to discuss.

plaetton:


What proof, what other earth-shattering proof would your so-called erudite theologians offer this hungry mind ?
More fear, more guilt, more threats of hellfire ?

Fear and guilt are the primary currencies of the religious stock exchange, whether it comes from circus clowns, con-pastors , pedophile catholic priests or your so-called erudite theologians.

jude2011:
I am afraid that I will be discriminated against if I tell people that I don't believe in the gospel of christ. My family, my friends and classmates will see me as a demon. I got the hint when a boy in a general phylosophy class, asked a question that implied he probably does not believe in God. After the class, you need to see how people descended on this guy. Girls rained insults on him. He was called all sort of names including devil, lucifer and ape.
In the east where I school(UN,Nsukka), being a christain is the norm. I have tried to read the bible without doubting it but the more I read, the more I see contradiction and tales that are not possible. I decided to read the bible again from genesis to revelation to deepen my understanding of the scriptures. The first thing I noticed were that men once lived 500 years and above. Methuselah lived for 969 years, Jesus!! There is no way a man can live for even 300 years. Haba!


I think the devil has possessed my mind. I only see negative parts of the bible whenever I open it. He takes me straight to the parts that I will doubt and give me reasons why I should doubt that part.

I regret the day I met that atheist. He is a final year student on first class and on numerous scholarships. I only went to him for academic advice. He gave me life-changing inspirational and motivation advice about academics,religion and society. He is such a brilliant fellow that I can never forget. But he has sent me on a journey of no return(being a christain again).

finofaya:
There are other religious books you can substitute the bible with. You can even be a deist or pantheist if you want. There is a world of difference between "the bible is wrong" and "there is no God". Don't confuse the two.

johnydon22:
Quite agree with that statement, but yet again that void necessarily should be as a result of- as in the case of the Op when religion was a norm to him. . But in a case when someone is never was religious i don't think any void can be said to be present.

You know atheism as religious void can be related to someone referring to a formal habit (good/bad) as a void but these void necessarily don't have to be filled when basically it can be referred to a void created in the mind.

I understand your premise bro
Maybe plaetton misunderstood your usage of the word "void" i think maybe "absence" may have sufficed

theAtheist101:


Then educate us on such books. Why would decide to keep such a "brilliant" book, if you have found it, from us. Or are you scared we might pick holes in such book also? My guess is the book tweaked the stories of other mystical books to make it sound right to the modern man.

jude2011:
@jonnydon. I am a UNEC student. I stay in enugu campus. Which part of enugu do you stay because I will love to me you someday.

theAtheist101:


Then educate us on such books. Why would decide to keep such a "brilliant" book, if you have found it, from us. Or are you scared we might pick holes in such book also? My guess is the book tweaked the stories of other mystical books to make it sound right to the modern man. We are waiting on you.

jude2011:
@jonnydon. I am a UNEC student. I stay in enugu campus. Which part of enugu do you stay because I will love to me you someday.

johnydon22:


The oldest known religious texts are the Pyramid Texts of Ancient Egypt
that date to 2400-2300 BCE.

The earliest form of the Phoenician alphabet found to date is the inscription on the sarcophagus of King Ahiram of
Byblos (The Sumerian Temple Hymns) circa 1000 BCE.

[1] The Epic of Gilgamesh from Sumer , with origins as early as 2150-2000 BCE, [2] :41–42 is also one of the earliest literary works that includes various mythological
figures.

[2] :41–42 The Rigveda of Hinduism is proposed to have been
composed between 1700–1100 BCE [3] making it possibly the world's
oldest religious text still in use.

The oldest portions of the Zoroastrian Avesta are believed to have been transmitted orally for centuries before
they found written form, and although widely differing dates for Gathic
Avestan have been proposed, scholarly consensus floats at around 1000 -
600 BCE.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/?title=Religious_text the jewish torah formulated around 450BC still na small pikin to these other religious books

finofaya:


Lol. There is a list on Wikipedia. I'm merely telling the OP that he has lots of options; it's not just between Christianity and Atheism.

johnydon22:
Quite agree with that statement, but yet again that void necessarily should be as a result of- as in the case of the Op when religion was a norm to him. . But in a case when someone is never was religious i don't think any void can be said to be present.

You know atheism as religious void can be related to someone referring to a formal habit (good/bad) as a void but these void necessarily don't have to be filled when basically it can be referred to a void created in the mind.

I understand your premise bro
Maybe plaetton misunderstood your usage of the word "void" i think maybe "absence" may have sufficed

Sarassin:


I do agree with you. And perhaps I should have clarified that the void would be as a result of the absence of a religion a former adherent would have been used to, and lets face it, most people turning to atheism would be turning their backs on one religion or the other. The context of my usage of the term with respect to the OP was quite clear.

jude2011:
I spoke with an atheist last month. I thought this guy was a demon but after my discussion with him, I was forced to have a rethink. He was brilliant,confident and argued with reasons. I have asked many christian brothers and even my pastor about the questions he raised. . . . . I NEED HELP, I DON'T WANT TO BE AN ATHEIST.

onetrack:


Someone who believes in a passive, uninvolved god and who does not have a religion is called a 'deist'. There are some out there. 'Pantheist' is another type of belief in a god without religion. In this case they believe that the universe and god are essentially one and the same.

I personally am agnostic atheist; I don't believe in any god but i cannot prove that there are no gods. But certainly all religions are man-made and have quite a bit of nonsense.

ITbomb:
One thing I understand about Atheist is that they take irrelevant story and try to analyze logically.
The greatest vacuum that you will create for yourself is when you assume that there is no good.
Look beyond the frailty of the church but focus on the consciousness of the spirit of God in you

theAtheist101:


Are you a theist? If yes, Which one of the books have you read? Just prescribe it to us, so we can dissect it/them.

finofaya:


I'm not a theist. You can try dissecting deism though.

theAtheist101:


Why would a god with coc.k refuse to fuvk?

finofaya:


He's omniscient. The experience of every bang is his.

theAtheist101:


And how do you know this? He is capable of producing a bang, but refuses to take responsibilities that arose? Then what does he know? You make him look like a sadist! Answer all questions posed to you.