Quote:
Originally Posted by cheeZ
But all I'm asking you is a simple question: What do you believe and why do you believe it? I gave you a long essay on why I believe what I believe, but all your responding to me with is "you don't deserve anymore of my time!"
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If you took the time to read through the posts you see that I already answered what I believe. But, just for you...
I am an Atheist therefor I do not believe in a spiritual afterlife. I believe that once you're dead, you're dead. That's all there is to it. I believe that we create our own Heaven and Hell on this earth during our lifetime. We are in control of ourselves and we determine how great or how horrible our own lives are.
You want to know why I believe what I believe? Because after years and years of studying, trying to find answers to questions that I have had all my life i realized that the answers have always been right here in front of me not vested with some all-powerful being. How can i be expected to believe something that I have never seen? how can i be expected to believe in something that science tells me doesn't exist? Faith? I've never found comfort in the idea of faith or the idea that if you pray hard enough God will make it happen. I much rather take things into my own hands and MAKE them happen.
Does this answer your question?
With all this aside, you have to keep in mind that I did not ask you to justify to me WHY you believe what you believe. You gave that up of your own free will. The only reason that I am taking the time to write to you is because I see that perhaps i was little too harsh. After all, I am an adult and you are a child. How can I expect you to improve yourself if I do not take the time to share my wisdom?
When I spoke of the right to vote and paying taxes I was not attacking the fact that you are comparatively younger than I am but the fact that because you are young you have not had the opportunity to experience life as it truly is and make decisions for yourself. up to this point you've had your parents or guardians tell you what do do, how to do it and when to do it by. You know nothing of life outside of your parent's home and chances are have never taken the time to try and figure things out for yourself and to put your beliefs to question.
A lot of people believe because they are told they are supposed to. They continue to believe because they don't know that they have choice. They are afraid to challenge their own beliefs because they are told you are not supposed to question the word of God. This is crap. You search until you find something that is right for you. If you have any doubt in something within your beliefs, search for the answer but also understand that the answer may not be the one that you're looking for. For me, the answer always was, "there is no God". The point is that you never stop searching even after you think you've found it. I'm an Atheist and have been my whole life yet I study religion and I am working on a PhD in Theology.
Most importantly, you can not insult someone's beliefs or the person that hods those beliefs the way you did earlier. This is where I have a problem with a lot of religionists, they feel that not only is everyone else wrong, but they have to make it a point to judge and let it be known that they are judging. You can debate someone's beliefs all you want, but do so intelligently and be prepared to defend your own faith and be able to support the ideals that you hold true.