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Author Topic:   What Benefits Are Only Available Through God?
Stile
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Posts: 4295
From: Ontario, Canada
Joined: 12-02-2004


Message 1 of 2 (528485)
10-06-2009 9:53 AM


I am currently an atheist.
I am not an atheist because I have something against religion, I am an atheist because I have no reason to be otherwise.
I don't have anything against religions or going to church. I used to be a practicing Catholic and went to church every week. I used to be an alter boy (yes in the Catholic church, no I never had any of those issues), listen intently when the priest talked, and took communion and other sacraments very seriously.
I never had a problem. I never felt oppressed or lied to or cheated or mislead as some people can be treated in more... "fire-and-brimstone" type church settings.
There was nothing negative about my relgious environment.
There were many positive things. A sense of community, a sense of peace, a time for reflection and forethought.
I don't go to church anymore, though. Or have anything to do with religion or God. It's not because anything pushed me away. It's because nothing held me in.
I became an atheist when I realized that there's nothing unique about the benefits I was getting through my honest efforts towards God and religion.
All the benefits I used to get from God and religion were easily duplicated or exceeded by mundane activities. I joined sports teams, I hung out with friends, I enjoyed the company of family, I discovered private reflection was possible (and with less distractions) when practiced outside the religious environment. I have morals, I have love and success, I'm happy and healthy, I'm at peace and I have no discomfort towards issues like the afterlife or other unknowns.
My problem is about the possibility of any unique benefit within the realm of religion. Currently, I cannot imagine a better life than the one I'm living (given the situations of the world that are beyond my control, anyway... like others' crimes and hatred). But, just because I can't imagine it doesn't mean it doesn't exist. Am I missing something?
Is there something that is worth obtaining through God that can only be obtained through religion (or God) that I don't have already?
It's quite possible that I went to the wrong church or didn't do everything I was supposed to. So my personal experience of not finding anything special about religion may be misleading.
If a personal, interested and capable God exists I would expect there to be some sort of special feeling/benefit/experience that is only available through religion or God. I have yet to find such a thing, or be informed of such a thing. If anyone actually knows of such a concept... that is, really knows (you can support your position)... please provide whatever details you can here so that I can try to understand for myself and see if I actually am missing such a thing.
If you are unable to support your position, but you'd still like to answer... please do. But please indicate that you are unable to verify that what you're saying is actually a part of reality. Unverifiable experiences, ideas and thoughts are still very important and beneficial in their own way. Acknowledging them as such will allow us to skip the quibbling over their actual veracity and focus on discussing their potential merit.

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Message 2 of 2 (528487)
10-06-2009 9:54 AM


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