Arvel Joffi

To make the the purely atheistic statement that there is no deity strikes me as a matter of faith.

Proof there is deity: none.

Proof there is no deity: none.

That leaves guesswork and faith for the two extremes.

Opinions?


(Myself, I'm pretty much agnostic to the letter of the dictionary's definition of the word. )

Strawberry

Yes, I'd say so. I still have my doubts every now and then (but I chalk that up to my old, crippling fear of hell coming back to try and eat my life again).

Amos

Call it what you want but according to Catholicism atheist are in limbo. This means that they must go by their lymbic system for orientation and without the fellowship of believers and communion with the saints in heaven.

The benefit is that you can take charge of your own destiny. The disadvantage is that that you, yourself, do not realize that life is an illusion and probably would not know how to maintain this beyond your own egocentric ideals.

hezekiah jones

How is no faith faith?

Ronin

I don't find any evidence for goofy shit like catholicism...or any other of the thousands of self-serving theistic cults that gurgle up within society.

I find evidence for the natural universe in plain view free from anthropocentric superfairy sky gods and their 'representative' authority found in nonsensical myths.

Faith in the unbelievable does not enter my worldview...even while heavily intoxicated.



ROFLMFAO

Arvel Joffi

Personally, Catholicism's take on this issue is a moot point to me. That much conflicting dogma can't lead to clear reasoning.

As far as life being an illusion, it's a damned good one and impenetrable, so I prefer to base my day-to-day policies on it.

Arvel Joffi

In the unwavering belief that you are right about there being no deity/eternal/something without actual empirical proof.

Lack of proof is not proof.

Let me say that any anthropomorphized diety and it's laws pertaining to creation are patently absurd, but the notion that there is more than we know about, that's a whole different matter to me.

Ronin

That is not known as "God"...let us not fog up valuable language by asserting that it is.

Arvel Joffi

And, Ronin, yes: empirical proof that what you see is all that you get. Where is it? I'm not talking religion, or dogma; no Judaic crap, just what I said. What you see is what is what you get. There is no empirical proof that this is the case.

Arvel Joffi

I shouls have been more clear in use of the term "deity." I most certainly did not say "God." That's a ridiculous, outmoded term that needs to be left in ancient history.

Sorry if I wasn't more clear on that.