Any atheists/pagans/wiccans out there? :)

BrendaLee

Agnostic. I believe in nothing other than the possibility of everything.

Elizabeth_C34

That's true, it was not as accepted as in Greece. I was just thinking of Hadrian and Antinous, but I forgot about the stern 'virtuous' Roman culture of masculinity.

The Romans essentially adopted the Grecian gods and gave them new names. Kinda like slapping a new label on an old item. The Romans were not terribly creative in their religion though superbly superstitious nonetheless. Many of the homosexual traditions among the Gods were carried along originally but later abandoned after Caesar Augustus's reign.

Interesting stuff though. I love Roman history (probably fairly obvious now!)

If you are interested, there's a podcast called History of Rome by Mike Duncan available free on iTunes. It's fantastic and a nearly comprehensive and complete history of the Roman empire.

Elizabeth_C34

Have you checked out any Unitarian churches? They are very open-minded folks, and very friendly in my experience.

I haven't, the only church I've gone to is a church of christ. The preacher acts like I live close, every time he sees me he tells me how I need to come more often. I live a good 45 mins away. Those people turned me off from the whole church going experience.
I'll have to look in to that though, thanks.

I might also suggest Episcopalian and ELCA Lutheran churches if you're looking for something a little more orthodox than the Unitarians. Most ELCA Lutheran churches are fairly liberal politically and tend to be more open-minded though there is a confirmation process to become a full member.

Good luck to you!

savage22hp

If I chose to believe that jumping off a bridge will not harm me , please care enough about me as a fellow man to stop me , even if I have the right to jump .

Bentley2718

If I chose to believe that jumping off a bridge will not harm me , please care enough about me as a fellow man to stop me , even if I have the right to jump .

I should have been more clear, all choices with regard to the belief in the existence of god/etc.. Better?

tyroneadams

I hope you aren'tmad I am chiming in but I am a strong believer in the God of the bible. I (and most of the mature believers I know) really love all people and are not just talking the talk. I believe many people have never heard a person explain the gospel to them in a reasonable way, without judging them. I share my faith with atheists and all other world views and many after hearing God's word explained, want to receive Jesus into their heart and life. Again I hope my two cents adds and doesn't take away from the thoughts that have been shared.

YassSpartan

Science doesn't prove anything, proof is not the purpose or project of science. What science can do is demonstrate that certain testable hypotheses are likely to be false. I think that the agnostic point about the untestability of the existence of god is well-made. We can't test the existence of god, so god is a matter of faith. It follows that ANY choice of belief is equally valid and should be respected (I would add so long as they don't infringe on the rights of others to make their own choices about belief, but that is just me).

I can't argue that (about science) but like I said, science still hasn't demonstrated whether God is real or not and a lot of nonbelievers based their point of view based on that. Just as we the believers could be wrong based from a scientific point of view, the non-believers can also be wrong. So I agree with you, it is a matter of faith, being raised on a religion, life experiences, etc that makes a person believe in God, whatever God can be for that person.

Again, this is just my opinion, and like I said, I respect everybody in that sense. I used to not believe in anything, and I thought religion was a joke, but I found myself asking questions, and years after, here I am, being a Wiccan and loving everyone the same :bigsmile:

resolu

I think this is the best post I've read in... maybe forever! I'm a northern born and raised episcopalian and now I live in the south and have religion shoved down my throat at every turn and not even sure I can spell episcopalian anymore. So no offense if I misspelled it. As I grew up I classified myself as agnostic, but now I'm atheist. I've dabbled in Wiccan and think, if I were to find a reason to believe, that would be the way I'd go, but I need to learn a lot more about it first. But mostly, believe what you want to believe, just remember that your neighbor may not believe the same, but that doesn't make him/her evil.

savage22hp

If I chose to believe that jumping off a bridge will not harm me , please care enough about me as a fellow man to stop me , even if I have the right to jump .

I should have been more clear, all choices with regard to the belief in the existence of god/etc.. Better?

I didn't misunderstand . I want you to disregard my beliefs out of love in order to save me , even if others ridicule you for forcing your beliefs on me . Gravity is real and I will be dead even if it is my choice .

KaosLynnRose

i'm a wiccan

sarahp86

Raised in the roman catholic faith in Ireland. I come from a deeply religious family but only go to mass to keep family members happy.

There are some schools in Ireland which you can't get into unless you are christened. The catholic Church still plays a massive part in Irish schools.

I will probably get married in a Catholic church and will probably baptise my children in the Catholic faith (if I have any) but they will be allowed to decide their own beliefs and faith.

I agree with some of the RC teachings and i dont agree with others. I believe in a higher power but I don't believe in heaven or hell. I'm very spiritual and I believe loved ones who have passed on stay with us and watch over us. I do believe that you should treat others as you would want to be treated. I don't really know what I am.

(I understand that I sound like a hypocrite for wanting to stay within the Catholic faith even though I'm not a practising catholic but I respect my family's religious choice and if that means going to mass and saying the prayers to keep them happy, I'll do what I have to do)

Elizabeth_C34

If I chose to believe that jumping off a bridge will not harm me , please care enough about me as a fellow man to stop me , even if I have the right to jump .

I should have been more clear, all choices with regard to the belief in the existence of god/etc.. Better?

I didn't misunderstand . I want you to disregard my beliefs out of love in order to save me , even if others ridicule you for forcing your beliefs on me . Gravity is real and I will be dead even if it is my choice .

Your argument makes no sense whatsoever. The existence of God cannot be proven. The fact that jumping from a reasonably high bridge will kill you is highly probable and provable.

anyonebutmehaha

Don't exclude us Pastafarians!

i was a fan of his noodley appendages.... but now that had to lower my carbs~ i'm just lost. :laugh:



organized religions well....they just make me sad.

i have no idea how to label myself. i certainly don't believe in some overseeing force remotely interested in man's existence called god or whatever.
i'm just on this planet to try to make it a better place by my actions and when i die - i'll just be dead. but i believe through the gift of my actions my effects in some small way will last forever. butterfly effect.

“Humanity takes itself too seriously."

emmaleigh47

Born and raised Catholic here (including the Catholic schooling). I am not good about going to church, but I dont believe that you need to go to church to live a good Christian life. I believe being a Christian is about treating other people with kindness, compassion, etc.

But when I was in high school and for several years thereafter I studied Wicca, mostly because I found it to be soo natural and interesting. I often will repeat to myself

"an ye harm done, do what ye will" and THAT is honestly how I choose to live my life.
My mother was Catholic and now prides herself on her atheism.

Bentley2718

If I chose to believe that jumping off a bridge will not harm me , please care enough about me as a fellow man to stop me , even if I have the right to jump .

I should have been more clear, all choices with regard to the belief in the existence of god/etc.. Better?

I didn't misunderstand . I want you to disregard my beliefs out of love in order to save me , even if others ridicule you for forcing your beliefs on me . Gravity is real and I will be dead even if it is my choice .

Gravity is empirically verifiable though, god is not. This is a tricky one though. If you believed god would protect you from gravity, then I agree it would be reasonable to disregard your belief in order to save you from doing something foolish, since there is no evidence that a belief in god will prevent the effects of gravity. However, if you chose to believe in god, without taking unreasonable risks, then I see no reason to interfere. The grey area (as I'm sure you're aware) is things like refusing medical care, if you rationally know this might cost you your life, but believe that is the will of god, is it really my, or anyone else's role to stop you (assuming you are aware of the risk)? I don't really know.

AnarchoGen

I'M AN INDIVIDUAL!!!

Shajsum

Wow! Very interesting post! I believe in Jesus Christ and always will but I respect you all for what you believe in. When I was a teenager I was lost and considered myself atheist for a while so I can definitely sympathize with some of you who just simply do
not know. I hope that you guys in particular find what captures your spirit and may it bring you peace and joy like Jesus Christ does for me. Blessing to all!

YassSpartan

If I chose to believe that jumping off a bridge will not harm me , please care enough about me as a fellow man to stop me , even if I have the right to jump .

It all depends of how high is the bridge and what's at the bottom of it, not to mention you might jump with a parachute or attached to an elastic rope :bigsmile:

savage22hp

If I chose to believe that jumping off a bridge will not harm me , please care enough about me as a fellow man to stop me , even if I have the right to jump .

I should have been more clear, all choices with regard to the belief in the existence of god/etc.. Better?

I didn't misunderstand . I want you to disregard my beliefs out of love in order to save me , even if others ridicule you for forcing your beliefs on me . Gravity is real and I will be dead even if it is my choice .

Your argument makes no sense whatsoever. The existence of God cannot be proven. The fact that jumping from a reasonably high bridge will kill you is highly probably and provable.

By faith in what we know the fall off the bridge will kill me . I have never done it and you haven't either so it is faith in what we have observed that convinces us . I have faith in what I have observed that convinces me that a certain belief is correct so what should I do as I watch you approach that metaphorical bridge and prepare to jump ?

_binary_jester_

I hope you aren'tmad I am chiming in but I am a strong believer in the God of the bible. I (and most of the mature believers I know) really love all people and are not just talking the talk. I believe many people have never heard a person explain the gospel to them in a reasonable way, without judging them. I share my faith with atheists and all other world views and many after hearing God's word explained, want to receive He sus into their heart and life. Again I hope my two cents adds and doesn't take away from the thoughts that have been shared.

AHH so all this time I have merely misunderstood the bible.
I hate to say it but often when I discuss religion, many I talk to do not understand the bible as well as I do.
Also I resent the implication I am just waiting to be saved when presented properly. That is like say if atheism were properly explained, you would abandon your faith.
I doubt you see that happening. This choice of mine was not a whim.