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Religion consists of a set of superstitious beliefs and a set of philosophical beliefs. When setting aside the superstitious part be careful not to lose sight o

by meric 10y ago

Religion consists of a set of superstitious beliefs and a set of philosophical beliefs. When setting aside the superstitious part be careful not to lose sight of the philosophical part that makes sense. I think the reason a church provides social cohesion and belonging is because it is literally a group of people trying to become the best human beings they can be, a process that involves feeling their own and being aware of other's emotions every day, and that is a beautiful thing. I suggest finding a philosophy that involves looking into yourself and follow it with a group of people. Personally I am fond of fundamental Taoism. It involves worshipping no deity, but rather to be aware of the inter-connectedness of the universe. 'I point at the stars and the sky ripples.' I would disrespect people who feel lonely by calling myself lonely - I have a handful of very close friends and am in a relationship. I don't find it easy to connect to other people in meaningful way. What needs to happen is both persons being in a spontaneous state, and that's a rare thing to find because at least one person always has somewhere to go or something to do, or is scared of something or is too attached to something, preventing the two people from enjoying the present moment. One more word about 'science and atheism': I'm put on notice every time someone mentions those two as axioms to follow. Atheism means to me disregarding spirituality at all costs, and considering only scientific facts means invalidating personal experiences of themselves and people around them. 'A; Today I went X and saw Y and felt Z' 'B; it is scientifically proven when you X you feel Z but it doesn't mean you Z1' The reliance on facts puts the emotional part of the conversation aside in favour of logic and rationality and reduces the potential of building a connection. But hey, I'm not an expert at building relationships in the first place, these are just my thoughts and personal experiences, compare them with your own and build your own framework.

jokermatt999 10y ago
Like how atheists complain about fundamentalists, religious folks tend to be more annoyed by the loud atheists. There are plenty of us out there who may even believe in strict materialism, but are graceful enough to not disparage others beliefs when they share them. It's a shame you've met more of the former than the latter.
- meric 10y ago
  That's not what I meant - what I meant was sometimes people, me included, and me in particular, in conversations get into a factual mood and lose the opportunity to connect with how the other person feels. More to do with a preference for scientific proof to personal experience than to do with Atheism itself. But yes people can sometimes be annoying.

by meric 10y ago

jokermatt999 10y ago

Like how atheists complain about fundamentalists, religious folks tend to be more annoyed by the loud atheists. There are plenty of us out there who may even believe in strict materialism, but are graceful enough to not disparage others beliefs when they share them. It's a shame you've met more of the former than the latter.

meric 10y ago
That's not what I meant - what I meant was sometimes people, me included, and me in particular, in conversations get into a factual mood and lose the opportunity to connect with how the other person feels. More to do with a preference for scientific proof to personal experience than to do with Atheism itself. But yes people can sometimes be annoying.