At what age did you come to realize that God/Devil/Heaven/Hell/Angels/Demons are all man-made fairy tales?

[Markieboy 104]

You base this all on one bored Pastor in Sweden?

I think I'll side more with the scholars and disciples that had a firsthand account of the Messiah.

[ready4ONE 5,400]

Seems egotistical to think the universe was made just for humans.

Edited November 22, 2010 by ready4ONE

[MikelanNida 28]

If you smell something burning at the time of death, dont worry...... its just your soul!

[Peikko 1,575]

If you smell something burning at the time of death, dont worry...... its just your soul!

Is this an example of christian charity and generosity of spirit? There's none so cold as the truly righteous.

[chri'stina 190]

I personally would find it interesting to hear when/why people stopped believing in anything spiritual. Most people around here know where I stand on religion, so I am not about to try to convince anyone of anything in this thread. However, I do think Lord Infamous is obsessed with this topic. Maybe hoping to "help" others believe what he does.

[Peikko 1,575]

Spirituality and religion are not co dependent. Non religious people are spiritual, in fact, being spiritual is part of the human condition - if we were not, we would all just act on impulse and instinct.

However, I agree that the OP is trying to convert people to atheism, which I think is silly.

[one...two...tree 2,762]

I personally would find it interesting to hear when/why people stopped believing in anything spiritual. Most people around here know where I stand on religion, so I am not about to try to convince anyone of anything in this thread. However, I do think Lord Infamous is obsessed with this topic. Maybe hoping to "help" others believe what he does.

Exactly. He's a religious zealot, only his religion is atheism.

[Bad_Daddy 2,209]

I think it was around 5th grade that I stopped believing in werewolves, vampires, elves, banshee's, witches, warlocks, the tooth fairy and religion. Santa and the Easter Bunny was a few years before that.

[Peikko 1,575]

Exactly. He's a religious zealot, only his religion is atheism.

Atheism is by definition a conviction that there is no god so he does not have a religion so to say that his religion is atheism is anathema.

I am not persuaded that he wants to change anyone's mind about belief in god and from that point of view there is something of the zealot mentality, but the pursuit of non-belief is simply not a belief system so that's not a good counter argument at all.

[Peikko 1,575]

Seems egotistical to think the universe was made just for humans.

I think the real point is that trying to find a reason behind the universe is an exercise in futility. It may as well be because the answer is 42. Finding the universe an awesome place is common to both the religious and the atheist - it's breathtakingly fascinating, and understanding how things work and why they work the way they do and the pursuit of knowledge drives the human experience, but there is no real necessity to go any further and ask why it is the way it is - that does not change our reality one jot.

[MikelanNida 28]

Is this an example of christian charity and generosity of spirit? There's none so cold as the truly righteous.

Psalm 23

1. You shall have no other gods before me. You shall not make for yourself an idol in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below. You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God, punishing the children for the sin of the fathers to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me, but showing love to a thousand {generations} of those who love me and keep my commandments.

its not only sitting around singing kum ba ya.....

[one...two...tree 2,762]

Atheism is by definition a conviction that there is no god so he does not have a religion so to say that his religion is atheism is anathema.

I am not persuaded that he wants to change anyone's mind about belief in god and from that point of view there is something of the zealot mentality, but the pursuit of non-belief is simply not a belief system so that's not a good counter argument at all.

Not believing in a God is no different from believing in one. Atheism, therefore requires believing that you know your disbelief is true. That my friend is a religion.

Not caring or not certain whether there is a God or not (Agnosticism), is something entirely different from atheism.

Edited November 22, 2010 by 8TBVBN

[Markieboy 104]

Not believing in a God is no different from believing in one. Atheism, therefore requires believing that you know your disbelief is true. That my friend is a religion.

Not caring or not certain whether this a God or not (Agnosticism), is something entirely different from atheism.

[ready4ONE 5,400]

Psalm 23

1. You shall have no other gods before me. You shall not make for yourself an idol in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below. You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God, punishing the children for the sin of the fathers to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me, but showing love to a thousand {generations} of those who love me and keep my commandments.

its not only sitting around singing kum ba ya.....

[Mr. Big Dog 10,747]

Not believing in a God is no different from believing in one. Atheism, therefore requires believing that you know your disbelief is true. That my friend is a religion.

Not really. It's a fairly typical assumption made by the followers of a faith. Atheism is the rejection of the idea that there is a deity. There is no other set of rules, standards or beliefs involved. None. Atheism is merely the opposite of theism - hence the term. Religion requires the existence of a deity - Atheism has none. There's no religion w/o a deity. Hence, Atheism is not a religion.