Atheist Professers

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:confused: 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!

{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?}

To see this as a attack or violation suggests that an atheist cares what others think. I really don't. I have a belief that I keep to myself (except on this forum) and I don't expect people to "Pledge" to a belief. It's indoctrination

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From StudentSarah

It does bring peace of mind telling yourself that Christ exists and we will all be together in an after life

Yea, like telephone psychics or such other persons that claim to speak for pets, deceased persons..etc.:chuckle

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.

Glean the good stuff and chuck the rest.

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?

Yea, how many hands and biased minds did all that scripture pass through. King James translated the modern popular Bible from original Hebrew. What could have been lost in the translation or biased by how the royal was feeling that day or the morality of the era?

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

You'll find, as I have, that having an opinnion that is different from either side of the issue gives you the unique opportunity to be flamed by both sides.

I think even coming close to touching an understanding of the possibility that what you think might be a load of crap, is just too much for some people. Doctrinal people rationalize some make-believe concept to shield themselves from critical thinking.

In science, one hypothesis is only good enough untill something better comes along. I think that's what most people really think even if they won't admit it.

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yeehaw......thems fighting words there partner:smokin:

gone one day......and zip, zing, kapow.......more fireworks.......

question:---

is it really so important in G*d's eyes what one believes, but is it not more important how we treat each other? and .......

isn't G*d, the only one to decide how one gets "swift justice"?

:chair:

cheers

karmagrl.........:kiss

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Karma,

I think you're addressing me.............Darn, since you're under that chair, I can't get ya:chuckle

ATTENTION: Flamers, the above response was intended for humor only. Any inference to real or imagined suggestions of violence upon Karma's screename or likeness is strictly and firmly denied. :)

Anyhoo, the "swift justice" thing is part of my signature. It's not in my post.:uhoh21:

Ahem, ATTENTION: Flamers, please don't read into my post that I am in any way chastising Karma or casting inuendo in double secret code about your dysfunctional reasoning abilities. I really do mean to draw Karma's attention to the fact that they may have mistaken my signature for part of my post.

I would like to write more today, but I think I'm all tapped out on the "trying to have an exchange of ideas" thing.

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Originally posted by Sarahstudent

..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.

This is exactly what I was talking about. A lot of christian sects are guilty of this. Catholics do not believe you are married in the eyes of God if you are not married in their church. The mormon, Brigham Young stated that anyone who was not white was an abomination of God and those not in the mormon faith would not be promised eternal life. Pentecostal's preach that without being "saved" you will go straight to hell, do not collect $200.

I hate this way of thinking. "My religion is better than your's". Bull pooky.

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Originally posted by Peeps Mcarthur

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.

But according to your first response, it wasn't faith anyway. That point aside, you are right, it's not exactly the same. It is faith nonetheless. I will not spar with you about whose faith is more real or difficult or what have you.

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.

Then perhaps spirituality was the wrong word to use, perhaps not. It's that part of humans, god or no god, that makes us philosophical beings and makes us care in the first place about our meaning and origins. A feeling is physical now? That deserves an explanation.

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?

The easiest example of this one that I have (an occurence at once both physical and not physical) is the whole "near death experience." Here you have many people saying, "Well, yeah I SAW that light and I HEARD those people and therefore, there must be an afterlife, a god, etc." (Note that this is simplified for the sake of space, already). These are people experiencing something with their senses that we have no actual proof of physically happening, more on par with a dream. For many of them, this kind of experience would prove god, because there is no other explanation for it, at this point. That is the kind of thing I was referring to. And I find it extremely telling when you say "If it can't be registered by the 5 senses, then it does not exist." Do you register fear with your five senses, Peeps? How about joy? Do neither of these things exist because we can't see, smell, touch, taste, or hear them?

Our respective definitions of faith differ greatly.

Aye, but I have a tendency to side with definitions that have a source outside of myself. I think it is, again, extremely telling that you choose to accept your definition, simply for the sake of argument, over an actual DEFINITION.

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.

1. No, some people don't believe simply because there is no proof of god. Some people believe that there never could be a proof (faith that there is no god). In my experience, the latter far outweigh the former.

2. Correct. And as off base as that may sound, let's reverse it. To those of you who believe in god, if there was an experiment to test the existance of god and it turned out that, according to this experiment, god did not exist...would that change your beliefs? I somehow doubt it.

3. That's fuzzy logic at best. Belief has to begin somewhere. For most people, true belief does not just pop up and stay in one form their entire lives. For many Atheists, certain realizations were made...the example I used, while hardly proof, is an example of, in my mind, just how many cards are stacked against the existence of god.

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?

Yes, it most certainly effects all of us. Those two statements are collective statements of belief in god. If you believe in god, bully for you, and it's probably not going to effect you as much because your public life and support of your country is, at least on that front, perfectly aligned with the collective. But I don't trust in god, and I don't think patriotism should have a rider attached that states that god must be a part of it. That's as far as I'll go with that one...there is another thread on this board that addresses that issue at length. Go look at it for my full answers to those questions.

Concession eh? Your response more than adequately reinforced what I was saying.

Indeed.

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Specializes in Obstetrics, M/S, Psych.

LasVegasRN

You are so right in your observation that it is a few sects of Christianity that shed a dim light on the religion. Too many preach the words, but don't live by them in the least, in my experience. They twist and warp the bible into whatever suits them, making it slander everyone except these self-professed perfect Christians. Your explanation of how you choose to believe and behave as a Christian is a breath of fresh air. I know there are alot of Christians out there who practice in a similar manner as you. They respect others for their beliefs by not chastising and belittling them for believing differently than they do. Christianity is great, as is Judaism, as is Islam, Buddism, etc. All of the great religions are a source of great comfort or a tool to start wars. Man makes that choice.

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Originally posted by sbic56

LasVegasRN

You are so right in your observation that it is a few sects of Christianity that shed a dim light on the religion. Too many preach the words, but don't live by them in the least, in my experience. They twist and warp the bible into whatever suits them, making it slander everyone except these self-professed perfect Christians. Your explanation of how you choose to believe and behave as a Christian is a breath of fresh air. I know there are alot of Christians out there who practice in a similar manner as you. They respect others for their beliefs by not chastising and belittling them for believing differently than they do. Christianity is great, as is Judaism, as is Islam, Buddism, etc. All of the great religions are a source of great comfort or a tool to start wars. Man makes that choice.

Thank you for understanding what I've been trying to say! I agree with you 100%!

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Specializes in Obstetrics, M/S, Psych.

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.

Peeps

Spirituality can be related to God(s). Spirituality can also be experienced in relation to metaphysical experiences. Some have their spirituality based in nature. Taoists seek answers to life's problems through inner meditation and outer observation. These are just a couple of examples of spirituality with no involvement of a god.

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you know we're all right.

None of us are wrong.

All we can do is twist and mince and repeat unto eternity.

We cannot argue the existence of a gawd long enough to satisfy our flesh.

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This thread has been brought to my attention by a couple of threader friends........

I will be honest.......

I have been working too much this week and too much "real life funk".....that I cannot give a valid reply even from my brain at the moment.....this thread is a long one....

and religion, lack of, God or not, this way or the highway.....

well all my life.....I have dealt with this crap.......

but as you can see at this late hour.........

micro is far from intellectual thought...................

ZAP!!!!!!!!!!!!

but I will post another day.....beware of the micro soapbox coming your way.......to a you shouldn't discuss religion, politics or sex thread near you!!!!!!!!!

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the point of thread is not whether you believe or not. it is about whether or not the professor has a right to indocrinate students in class with his views. he should stick to the subject at hand. it may be ok to mention your beliefs but it should not go on long enough to make anyone feel uncomfortable. if a student is interested they can have a discussion or debate outside of the classroom.

he needs to focus on teaching the materials related to the class at hand. no matter wht his views are. it would be equally as wrong for a professor to try and force his religous views on students.

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