Everyone is worshiping something. Even if you are an atheist, then you either belive in Nothing or you believe in Yourself, and what good is that? We have seen little reason to put faith in human beings. No can be perfect 100% of the time-- I don't think anyone can argue that. We are flawed.
And if you believe in Nothing than you are still believing in something. What you worship is obviously something that you but trust in. You make it your god. And if you say, "I don't worship anything", than you are mistaken. Each day of our lives we devote our time to something. Time is a gift, is it not? If you give your time to someone in volunteer work, that is a gift. How much T.V. do you watch? How much time a day do you spend eating? How much time do you spend swearing or cursing others? How much time do you spend running after the things that your body craves? And there is not end to the desire. You are letting these things rule over you. You are making them your gods?
So why, give your time to something useless? Can a T.V. save you in your distress? Can food ever entirely stop you from being hungry again? Can your masturbation and pornography satisfy your deep intimate needs? NO- do not worship the things of this world--says the Lord. Turn to Me, for I will give you rest. I will give you better pleasure than that of this world. You will have intimacy with Me and you have communion with Me, your God. I will protect you if you turn your face towards Me and seek My Heart. For I love you. I know your name, and I am coming back for you. I am coming back to take you to the place I have prepared for you in My House of Glory. -declares the Lord
Everyone is worshiping something
By sandybeach - Posted on February 22nd, 2008
Tagged: beliefs
"Even if you are an atheist, then you either belive in Nothing or you believe in Yourself"
Yawn. Nihilists believe in nothing. Then there are those people who believe that everything other than themselves is an illusion. I, as an atheist, attest to neither of these philosophies. I believe, putting it simply, in the physical world. That excludes nothing but the supernatural.
"We have seen little reason to put faith in human beings."
I put my faith in my friends, my family and my peers and have been rewarded with friendship, love and trust. What more do I need?
"No can be perfect 100% of the time-- I don't think anyone can argue that. We are flawed."
So what?
"And if you say, "I don't worship anything", than you are mistaken."
No I'm not. I'm only mistaken when people twist the meaning of the word worship to make it seem like atheists worship their toasters.
"Each day of our lives we devote our time to something. Time is a gift, is it not?"
No, time is not a gift. It is a dimension, I suppose.
"If you give your time to someone in volunteer work, that is a gift."
It is you giving a gift to those you help, yes.
"How much T.V. do you watch? How much time a day do you spend eating? How much time do you spend swearing or cursing others? How much time do you spend running after the things that your body craves? And there is not end to the desire. You are letting these things rule over you. You are making them your gods?"
No. People are not making them their gods. They are only doing this, again, when you twist the meaning of the word god to make it include anything that people devote their time to.
"So why, give your time to something useless?"
Good question. That's why I don't waste my life believing in some mythical, super-powerful, benevolent (or not) being that I have never seen a shred of evidence supporting.
"What a man does for pay is of little significance. What he is, as a sensitive instrument responsive to the world's beauty, is everything!"
H. P. Lovecraft
"I believe, putting it simply, in the physical world. That excludes nothing but the supernatural."
So you probably believe in evolution. Quite frankly,I would say it takes more faith to believe that by some random accident all of this came into being,over a God who created all things.
"We have seen little reason to put faith in human beings."
I think you misunderstood her (whether deliberately or not,I can't tell). I'm sure her point was that humans in general aren't trustworthy. We're prone to hate,slander, and other bad things. In other words,we can't hope in humanity. The 20th century was the bloodiest century ever (and the 21st will probably be worse),even Nietzche predicted that when he said "God is dead."
"No I'm not. I'm only mistaken when people twist the meaning of the word worship to make it seem like atheists worship their toasters."
lol. If I was to pinpoint something atheists worship,i wouldn't say it was their toasters.
"That's why I don't waste my life believing in some mythical, super-powerful, benevolent (or not) being that I have never seen a shred of evidence supporting."
Lee Strobel,Josh McDowell, and C.S. Lewis have good books on this. They were all once atheists. They became Christians on the grounds of science,reason,and faith.
"So you probably believe in evolution. Quite frankly,I would say it takes more faith to believe that by some random accident all of this came into being,over a God who created all things."
Even if it does mean that, which I deny, that doesn't mean I worship evolution. And here's the thing. Everything needed for evolution exists within the sphere of the natural world. And, in an infinite Universe, anything naturally possible is going to happen somewhere. God does not exist within the realm of the natural universe, therefore, I think it is much less likely for it to exist.
"I think you misunderstood her (whether deliberately or not,I can't tell). I'm sure her point was that humans in general aren't trustworthy. We're prone to hate,slander, and other bad things. In other words,we can't hope in humanity. The 20th century was the bloodiest century ever (and the 21st will probably be worse),even Nietzche predicted that when he said "God is dead.""
Well, I'm not sure that Nietzsche meant that, but I won't talk for him. If that is what she meant, I still disagree. I do not believe that humans are naturally "evil". Even if they were, it is fairly irrelevant. I trust in humans because I have no reason to trust in anyone else.
"lol. If I was to pinpoint something atheists worship,i wouldn't say it was their toasters."
Well, then you'd be wrong. I worship my toaster all day long. lol
"Lee Strobel,Josh McDowell, and C.S. Lewis have good books on this. They were all once atheists. They became Christians on the grounds of science,reason,and faith."
I haven't read all of them, but I've read Strobel. And he is one of three things. A liar, an idiot, or someone who really wanted to be convinced. He questions nothing! He talks only to Christian scholars, checking facts (in the two cases where he has questions) with other Christian scholars. I do not deny that atheists may become theists for what they consider good reasons and vice versa, but Strobel, no. I admit, I am also turned off to a lot of people in the apologist movement who seem to think that this book is really something. McDowell I haven't heard of, but will look into. Lewis, I've meant to read for a while. It depends on whether or not the books are carried in nearby libraries. I'm basically broke. :-(
"What a man does for pay is of little significance. What he is, as a sensitive instrument responsive to the world's beauty, is everything!"
H. P. Lovecraft
Making a difference is what makes life real and worth living for me. To be able to make an impact on the world around me, to make someone else happy and smile and think: "her life had meaning". It's not making anything my God and I do not worship anything because of it. I understand it might be hard for some people to understand, as I am often told "Without God THERE IS NO POINT. I KNOW it is the real answer. BILLIONS of people have KNOWN it's the real answer for two thousand years.MILLIONS of people have been horribly tortured and given there lives because they knew it was true."
Honestly, I feel that though I am without God that I have a point in life and it is to make an impact and the lives around me easier and happier. To fulfill the purpose of spreading love, joy, and all sorts of hippie-esqu things into society so people can look back and recognize that hey, she wasn't just some girl who was born, spoiled, lived, did nothing, and died. She actually tried, she actually did something worth while and the world is gratious and has gratitude for it.
Maybe that's selfish, thinking that the only way to have meaning in my life is if others recognize an accomplishment for the greater good, but I think that even if I wasn't recognized, I would have made an impact- small or otherwise, and that's what makes the world spin and change and flow: people making a difference. :]
Amen to that. :dances: lol
"What a man does for pay is of little significance. What he is, as a sensitive instrument responsive to the world's beauty, is everything!"
H. P. Lovecraft
Interesting. It really gets a person to think. But it is true, everyone believes in something. There is no way around it.
Belief, faith and worship are all distinct mind sets and actions. Belief does not necessitate worship. I believe in gravity. I believe in ghosts. I believe that the Earth orbits the Sun. I believe that an outside world provides me with sensory data. I believe that you are an intelligence separate from my own intelligence. Those are all beliefs that I hold. I worship none of them.
“Existentialism means that no one else can take a bath for you” - Delmore Schwartz
"Patriotism is often an arbitrary veneration of real-estate above principles." - George Jean Nathan
So because, in your gimped philosophical profiling we all worhsip some thing, we should all just see things your way and worship what you worship the way you worship it? Your ideas and beliefs are some kind of de facto fall back point of good and righteousness?
First of all, worship is a hell of a lot different from having FAITH in something. Atheists have faith because they believe something that cannot be proven without a doubt. That doesn't mean that they WORSHIP nothing or human reason. It means they have faith in it.
Just because your primitive Christian mind and instincts cripple your thought to the point where you cannot imagine not having something to worship and scrape for does not mean that the rest of us worship our TV sets and amusing tirades. Some do of course, and some of those would claim that they don't. Worship is a very specific set of behaviors, attitudes and acts that are NOT synonymous with simple faith and value.
There are different paradigms of thought and action than worship of one thing or another, but as with most religious folk, you must trim and batter every system of thought into the straight jacket mold of religious worship. It's a very small box and we see it with a very small light, but from outside the walls are quite apparent.
“Existentialism means that no one else can take a bath for you” - Delmore Schwartz
"Patriotism is often an arbitrary veneration of real-estate above principles." - George Jean Nathan
*edited for ToS violation by ediblewoman on 08/12/08
Evolution is not a theory on the origin of life ! It is about the origin of species! Please try to educate yourself about subjects before you speak on them!
How did life begin? Who knows! You certainly dont! But one day science will find the answer then you will have to find another strawman argument to put up for ridicule!