Atheist Professers

[Nurse Ker-Ker]

Hi everyone! I'm kind of new here, and I have a question: Right now I'm in A&P and my professor is an all out atheist. I realized when I decided to go the nursing route I would encounter many scientific minds, but whew! How do you fellow believers keep this from getting to you? Just a little friendly conversation starter, not trying to start a creation vs evolution debate. Hope to hear from yall!

[studentOH]

INDEED: WONDERFUL post. I'm printing it out and keeping it. Have you read anything by Russell? Even though i believe in the queen spider (just watched southpark *lol*) I still enjoy his writing.

Renee: I'll surf the CNN archives to find the latest. I thought that it had passed in Hawaii but was overturned a few months later. California brought it up to vote and that was the end of that hehe.

Mamalove: Understanding why we were attacked and the reasons our government has taken the actions (and hesitated on others) would require extensive study in politics, economics, religion, sociology, psychology, and international studies. Blaming what you see on people that are different from you is no answer to solving any problem, much less convincing us of anything. See if you can find a newsweek from last year and read an article called "Why They Hate Us." It's a good start.

To all Christians: Your diversity and unity give you great power in this world. Lead a life of love, peace and acceptance and others will soon follow.

I'm done posting on this thread, but it was one of my favs. Keep up the thinking *lol*. good night.

Brian

[studentOH]

One more thing..maybe telling pupluv to smoke a fat one is the wrong approach. Egg her on, she seems to love the abuse and I'm getting a good laugh out of it. Just hope she's not there when I get my license. "Code Catfight 8 west...."

Bri

[researchrabbit]

Originally posted by LasVegasRN

I am directing this post specifically to PuppyLuv. I got a PM asking why I thought Indeed's post was a good one. Here was my reply (slightly revised for this post):

I thought it was a great post because it was not condescending at all. She presented her thoughts in a very intelligent, non-confrontational way, which is extremely difficult to do with a controversial subject. She made it clear that it was her opinion, and based on her thoughts only. I do not understand atheism either, but it is not for me to understand, nor to condemn or pass judgement. What I cannot stand, as a Christian, is when other Christians start name-calling and bashing other people and other faiths. That, in my opinion, is not the way of a Christian. My belief is that we should lead by example. Christianity should not consist of people who like beating others with bibles and attacking with condescension. How can we expect others to reach out and at least consider Christianity as something that represents love and tolerance when we have people behaving like that? I know some may not agree with me, but I truly believe Christianity is rooted in love of all mankind. As Christians and as HUMANS, that love should show through when ever we speak and how ever we act.

To me, if you are solid with your faith-base, no one and nothing can influence you or intimidate you. I don't normally espouse my beliefs on this BB because I don't feel the need to. I am comfortable enough in my faith-base to not be uncomfortable with someone else's. Make sense? Hope so.

Well said, thanks!!

[Stargazer]

What Vegas said.

[LasVegasRN]

Originally posted by studentOH

To all Christians: Your diversity and unity give you great power in this world. Lead a life of love, peace and acceptance and others will soon follow...

My point exactly. With all religions and faiths, I would think that the goal is to be able to embrace and respect ALL. Not to isolate and alienate.

[live4today, RN]

Originally posted by LasVegasRN

I am directing this post specifically to PuppyLuv. I got a PM asking why I thought Indeed's post was a good one. Here was my reply (slightly revised for this post):

I thought it was a great post because it was not condescending at all. She presented her thoughts in a very intelligent, non-confrontational way, which is extremely difficult to do with a controversial subject. She made it clear that it was her opinion, and based on her thoughts only. I do not understand atheism either, but it is not for me to understand, nor to condemn or pass judgement. What I cannot stand, as a Christian, is when other Christians start name-calling and bashing other people and other faiths. That, in my opinion, is not the way of a Christian. My belief is that we should lead by example. Christianity should not consist of people who like beating others with bibles and attacking with condescension. How can we expect others to reach out and at least consider Christianity as something that represents love and tolerance when we have people behaving like that? I know some may not agree with me, but I truly believe Christianity is rooted in love of all mankind. As Christians and as HUMANS, that love should show through when ever we speak and how ever we act.

To me, if you are solid with your faith-base, no one and nothing can influence you or intimidate you. I don't normally espouse my beliefs on this BB because I don't feel the need to. I am comfortable enough in my faith-base to not be uncomfortable with someone else's. Make sense? Hope so.

VERY WELL WRITTEN, AND SO SO TRUE, LASVEGASRN...:kiss :)

[Sarahstudent]

I too copied and sent it too my Catholic husband who has a hard time understanding my Atheist veiws. You hit the nail on the head Indeed! Not so much to sway him in anyway but to help him understand who I am because it is a hard concept to put into words and you did so very elequently.

[Mkue]

Originally posted by LasVegasRN

My point exactly. With all religions and faiths, I would think that the goal is to be able to embrace and respect ALL. Not to isolate and alienate.

Well said Vegas !

Have a good Day!:)

[Peeps Mcarthur]

All following posts by indeed

I have faith in my loved ones honesty and trust of me, in their loyalty to me and our relationships.

You can see the honesty, loyalty, and trust in thier actions. That is not really "faith" as we are speaking of, but rather, confidence in them.

Faith, as I am speaking of, is in an unseen God with which people have no physical proof of.

I don't see a person's statement of his/her belief in god as an attack.

If you really believe that there is no God, then it is an attack on your belief. Attack is a strong word, but appropriate when discussing opposing viewpoints. Nobody has to attack you verbally for it to be an attack on your unbeliefs.

Origin does not, in my belief system, need to be reasoned from faith. As I said above, I feel this is something we simply do not have knowledge of YET

So, your belief system has no faith. Atheists have no (need) for faith. That's not a slam on atheism, it's just true. I don't understand why anybody thinks that's a slam.

Atheist, I BELIEVE that the things which we cannot (at this very milisecond) explain are not, by nature, unexplainable. Like lightning and the shape of the earth, there is much that we STILL do not know...but all that means to me is that we haven't gotten to that point in our development as humans yet. One who believes in god, I imagine, will believe that the unexplainable can be explained ONLY through the presence of a higher power.

I also believe that physical phenomenom that are outside our realm of understanding are attributable to as yet unworkable hypothesis. I think you are trying to equillibrate the term "having beliefs" with "having a doctrine" as I was trying to compare the term.

Atheists don't have a faith based belief system. It's not a slam, nor is it "derogotory", as some have eluded to without quotes.

It doesn't really make a difference to me at this point. But understand that you are not the only one, and that our motivations as Atheists for wanting to keep "god" out of our government and public lives is born not of denial or what have you, but a desire to be able to live our lives outside of the dictates of YOUR BELIEFS.

Well then, wouldn't that just be living life inside the dictates of your beliefs(as you have stated them) if the notion of God was removed?

The question persists, if God does not exist,why do atheists care? It seems contradictry and a point of debate that is one of those unexplainable phenomenon.

Thank you for quoting and offering it up for discussion Indeed. I appreciate the manner in which you conducted such a difficult topic and the forum for a counter-point from an equally thoughtful response.

[indeed]

Originally posted by Peeps Mcarthur

You can see the honesty, loyalty, and trust in thier actions. That is not really "faith" as we are speaking of, but rather, confidence in them.

Faith, as I am speaking of, is in an unseen God with which people have no physical proof of.

Well, YOUR definition of faith aside....faith is an unquestioning belief that does not require proof or evidence; complete trust, confidence, or reliance; ANYTHING BELIEVED (culled from Websters New World College Dictionary, 3rd edition). In other words, I have an unquestioning belief (born of love for them) that those close to me will never intentionally do me wrong...they have my complete confidence, even when they screw up and wrong me inadvertantly...in short, I BELIEVE IN THEM. If that's not faith, I do not know what is.

If you really believe that there is no God, then it is an attack on your belief. Attack is a strong word, but appropriate when discussing opposing viewpoints. Nobody has to attack you verbally for it to be an attack on your unbeliefs.

Someone expressing their beliefs and opinions to me can hardly be seen as an attack merely because they disagree with my beliefs and opinions. If, say, your favorite color is orange and it comes up in conversation that I absolutely abhor the color orange...am I attacking you? Hardly. Do not speak for me, Peeps. You may see disagreement as an attack, I see it as nothing more than disagreement.

So, your belief system has no faith. Atheists have no (need) for faith. That's not a slam on atheism, it's just true. I don't understand why anybody thinks that's a slam.

Again, I will refer you to the accepted definition of faith. Faith is BELIEF WITHOUT PROOF. I believe that there is no god/gods/goddess etc. I do not need proof that god doesn't exist. Therefore, I have faith that there is no god. You saying that Atheists have no beliefs was not perceived as a slam. I responded to let you know that this Atheist most certainly has beliefs directly related to spirituality. What was perceived as a slam was the wording in your first post which, as I said before, struck me as a long winded version of the now infamous "confused little people."

I also believe that physical phenomenom that are outside our realm of understanding are attributable to as yet unworkable hypothesis. I think you are trying to equillibrate the term "having beliefs" with "having a doctrine" as I was trying to compare the term.

I was not speaking exclusively about physical phenomena. Those things physical were used as an example because that, I believe, was how the idea of god came about...to explain the physical. As I said, we are at a point as a species where it's not just the physical anymore, and in my mind, that is the next step. Just because we can't explain it, physical or otherwise, doesn't mean we will never be able to.

Atheists don't have a faith based belief system. It's not a slam, nor is it "derogotory", as some have eluded to without quotes.

So tell me Peeps, since you are obviously more knowledgeable about the belief systems of Atheists, what are our beliefs based on? A lot of people assume that Atheists do not believe in god because we don't have proof of god. That is incorrect, in my case and in many other's. We do not have proof that there is no god, but we have FAITH that, able to be proven or not, there is, in fact, no god.

Well then, wouldn't that just be living life inside the dictates of your beliefs(as you have stated them) if the notion of God was removed?

The question persists, if God does not exist,why do atheists care? It seems contradictry and a point of debate that is one of those unexplainable phenomenon.

Yes, I would be living inside the dictates of my beliefs if the notion of god were entirely obliterated...but then, I suppose, so would everyone else. And that is not my intention. I have more important things to worry about than what Joe P. Normal believes. Put quite simply, I don't give a shit. And Mr. Normal shouldn't give a shit about what I believe either. Therefore, when myself and Mr. Normal meet and do public business in our day to day lives, the beliefs of either party should not come into play. As it stands right now, in this country, I can't go about my daily grind without being forced to give a shit about Mr. Normal's beliefs because what Joe believes is going to have a HUGE effect on how I must live publicly...and all because Joe is in a majority. I wouldn't deny him his beliefs, only the ability of his beliefs to dictate (to an extent) how I must go about living my life. I am not asking for an obliteration of belief in god...only that it not play a role in those public things that ALL of us (Atheist or otherwise) have a hand in. That, in a rather large nutshell, is why this Atheist cares.

Indeed.

[Peeps Mcarthur]

By Indeed

that those close to me will never intentionally do me wrong...they have my complete confidence, even when they screw up and wrong me inadvertantly...in short, I BELIEVE IN THEM. If that's not faith, I do not know what is.

They are close to you.........you know them personaly. That is nothing like having faith in a God that you have never met(burning bush) that you have to have faith in.

What was perceived as a slam was the wording in your first post which, as I said before, struck me as a long winded version of the now infamous "confused little people."

I put those words in bold letters as a joke. It was tounge-in-cheek. You know.ha,ha. I can see that some people just can't get my humor all the time and I'm ok with that.

I responded to let you know that this Atheist most certainly has beliefs directly related to spirituality.

Spirituality? I think the general concept of spirituality would be for one to harbor belief in a god of some type. Of course, you could just rationalize spirituality as a feeling, but then that would be physical.

I was not speaking exclusively about physical phenomena. Those things physical were used as an example because that, I believe, was how the idea of god came about.

A phenomenon is only observable physicaly. The example of previous cultures worshiping false gods was a good one for an example of how unexplained physical phenomenon can be rationalized into a belief in an unexplained(faith) god.

There is no non-physical phenomenon. If it can't be registerd by the 5 senses, then it does not exist. What example of some occurence that is not physical can you give?

So tell me Peeps, since you are obviously more knowledgeable about the belief systems of Atheists, what are our beliefs based on? A lot of people assume that Atheists do not believe in god because we don't have proof of god. That is incorrect, in my case and in many other's. We do not have proof that there is no god, but we have FAITH that, able to be proven or not, there is, in fact, no god.

Our respective definitions of faith differ greatly.

Let me see if I understand what you're saying.

1. You do not believe in not believing in God for lack of proof.

2. You do believe that if there were an experiment to test the existence of God, it would be moot, because you don't believe there is a God

3. You have no need to make examples of people mistaking unexplained phenomenon for a diety because you need no proof.

I can't go about my daily grind without being forced to give a shit about Mr. Normal's beliefs because what Joe believes is going to have a HUGE effect on how I must live publicly...and all because Joe is in a majority.

When you see "in God we trust" on currency, that has an effect on you?

When someone utters "one nation under God" from the Pledge you are affected?

Do you feel attacked by it like you privacy as a citizen is violated?

[Sarahstudent]

It does bring peace of mind telling yourself that Christ exists and we will all be together in an after life. From knowing this I can see why humans adopted Christ, as a comfort. The unknowing, and unexplainable factors of life formed the Christian Faith. I do follow the moral guidelines set by a Christian faith because they are good guidelines, great guidelines. Without the moral order set by Christian faiths the world would be a scary place. It's funny because I do pray the odd time. Maybe a part of me wants to believe, or perhaps it does believe, but my intellect pushes it away. Or perhaps growing up with a faith has just made praying second nature. When I pray, I pray to the goodness and spirit of mankind, to whatever force drives our spirits. You see my confusion comes from the spirit of man. How can anyone explain Human Spirit? Is it a chemically induced dream phase? Is it energy from the sun? Is it a creation of God? I will be forever seeking this answer; therefore I will forever be seeking my religion.

I'm different from you in that I can't just believe in something that I've been told from birth to be true. I have to question it. How can I brace my existence on what someone else's beliefs are? The Bible to me really holds no value. Many Christians say that it is "proof of the lord", how is it? God didn't write it. It was written in a day of illiteracy. And if you do claim that it was the word of God through the writings of his prophets, how do you know? Just faith? Where can I get that faith? It certainly would be easier.

If the bible is true, why are we here on earth? To prove your love to the lord? Our Allegiance to him? How can I do that without cheating everything my mind has ever told me? I'm going to trust my instincts and look for an answer elsewhere. I think I have good instincts.

To be Christian is to believe in Christ and I do not. Am I an Atheist? An Agnostic? Who really knows? I don't ever want to label myself as a certain religion ever again. To do so would be committing myself to the standards of other people. My personal religion is just that, personal. You will never understand it, but I hope that you can try to see it, and accept it for what it is.

It's hard when someone asks me what my faith is. I wish that I could give a reply, and the road that I've chosen isn't the easy one. I feel that when the subject is broached, I'm a bad person for not believing in God, like people think that I'm pushing away goodness and letting evil take over my life. It is common knowledge among Christians that if you don't follow god, you're following the devil. This scares people away from someone like me. Lets say for a second that the devil has taken my soul. How come I feel like a good person? I think that what it really does is make people question their own belief system, if only for a second. It's a threat to Christian beliefs, to its foundation. My beliefs are not meant to threaten anyone. They are personal.