I HAVE THE POWER!!!

Without daydreaming I am a boring-ass government clerk.
With daydreaming I am the totalitarian ruler of another dimension.

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"Man lives in the sunlit world of that which he believes to be reality. But unseen by most is an underworld, a place that is just as real... but not as brightly lit... A DARK SIDE!"
-opening from Tales From the Darkside

Now your getting it, lighten up and enjoy life for a while. This debate is as old as dirt, I dont think were going to solve it here, but I do like to read peoples opinions.

I thought you said you are a Buddhist, now you say you are an atheist? I consider myself a student of Buddhist teachings and meditation. I have enough confidence (what some call faith) that the methods taught by the Buddha lead to a state achievable by human beings.

I don't believe in "God" nor do I feel God and Buddha are the same. Some would call me an atheist, (sometimes I call myself an atheist), yet I feel a kinship with others who practice some form of spirituality--more than a rational atheist. I don't think 'reason' is anything other than ordinary mind. Reason is intellect. Intellect is useful. It is not the same as timeless awareness. Intellect resides within awareness inseparably. I think atheists worship reason and intellect.

Not sure I get the question. You are a Buddhist and an atheist, too! You even said so right here:

By definition, if you don't believe there is a God you are an atheist. Just like me.

Not that there's anything wrong with that, but that's painting with a broad brush. Many do not "worship" reason and intellect. All it takes to be an atheist is not believing in God(s). After that they could think anything. But reason and intellect are fine things and one rarely goes astray by utilizing them.

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I wasn't born with enough middle fingers.

I'm reflecting on this 'atheist' vs 'buddhist' dichotomy. What's different for me as a Buddhist who doesn't believe in God, is that I don't find it necessary to ask Christians to prove God exists.

There are some pretty stupid and anti-intellectual athiests out there.

I think one of the many reasons atheism does not qualify as a religion is that not believing in God does not automatically cause you to appreciate any specific virtues.

Personally I value reason and compassion.
Some atheists value intellect.
Some value personal pleasure.
Some actually think that they should create a "God" to keep themselves in line.

To some extent most religionists vary in this, but there are requirements... Try finding a Christian that does not value faith, a Muslim that does not value devotion, a Jew that does not value history, a Buddhist that does not value temperence, a Confucian that does not value family, or a Hindu that does not value life.

__________________
"Man lives in the sunlit world of that which he believes to be reality. But unseen by most is an underworld, a place that is just as real... but not as brightly lit... A DARK SIDE!"
-opening from Tales From the Darkside

Not even for curiosity?

__________________
"Man lives in the sunlit world of that which he believes to be reality. But unseen by most is an underworld, a place that is just as real... but not as brightly lit... A DARK SIDE!"
-opening from Tales From the Darkside

Hey thanks girl for filling in for me there!! I appreciate that.

I think you believe religion/faith in God is just an idea passed down the generations through social conditioning. But the truth is no one really knows for certain what us humans would be like without being exposed to certain levels of "social" conditioning because it would be inhumane to experiment it. We'd have to lock someone from birth far away from any other people and see how she/he acts. I was thinking about doing this with my future children to find out for myself if they would find God without being pre-conditioned to it but I wont really of course.



There is obviously so much more than just the "physical part" to this world which is why I could never just fully rely on science for my answers, I appreciate your explanation of "meaning" and turning to Humanism. I'll be adding the idea of Humanism to my list of things to check out. Thank you for your response.

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No one who desires power is fit to wield it.
Voila!

No. Why would I be curious about asking for proof of the existence or non-existence of God?

I have other training and interests. In Buddhism, we talk about going beyond the four extremes--existence, non-existence, both existence and non-existence and neither existence nor non-existence.