Sounds like a Christian value system at work here. E.g., the only life which matters is eternal life not the filthy, degraded thing we have here on earth
Christ promises everlasting life in the Gospels, not eternal life. — Count Timothy von Icarus
In philiosophical spirituality, such as neoplatonism, it is more a matter of realising that your real nature is not separate from the same intelligence that animates the Universe itself. A — Wayfarer
The universe really does owe me an explanation for giving me the ability to recognise the fact that I came to be in it in this human form for such a limited amount of time when existence itself is an eternal phenomena…am I not worthy ? — invicta
Why do you fear oblivion after you die? — universeness
Do you believe your god is omnipotent?What really gets me as I previously stated is simply the recognition of everlasting existence or even that of a creator who is eternal contrasted to myself a mortal with a short time span in the scheme of things. — invicta
Do you mean you fear the way you will die more than the fact you will die?I do not fear death it’s more of wanting more rather than the fear of perishing which to me is both justifiable and understandable. — invicta
Do you believe your god is omnipotent? — universeness
I will leave the nature of God to theologians as far as the issue can be addressed. — invicta
Does your theism not offer you any convincing scenario, that you believe, WILL happen, after you are dead, to continue your existence?My concern is not simply the extension of my human lifespan but eternal life/existence whatever shape or form that might be. — invicta
I think we all feel the same way, atheist or theist.The manner of my eventual demise be it peacefully or otherwise is of little relevance at this point. Of course I’d prefer the former rather than a long drawn out affair. — invicta
I agree but are you unwilling to share your musings and more importantly, those aspects of the god posit which you ascribe your highest credence levels to?To myself sure I can muse on his attributes all day if I so wish but whether that has any correlation to his actual attributes is a different matter. — invicta
Ok, but this seems to contradict one of the main 'tenets' of 'faith.' Surely theism proports that 'faith manages!' Do you not believe that your god has all the answers you don't?As an inquisitive human being my questions are perhaps unanswerable — invicta
I mean I have a hard time grasping eternity or eternal existence so an intelligence in orders of magnitude superior to mine would really have to simplify certain concepts for my human mind to understand. — invicta
Yes, but I have faith that Einstein understood the academic details of Einstein's theories and so did others. They could DEMONSTRATE their understanding to the likes of me. Einstein in fact, is credited with the statement “If you can't explain it to a six year old, you don't understand it yourself.”Think of the lay person’s understanding of Einstein and you have an idea what I’m talking about. — invicta
I think you should accept your limitations but not feel diminished by them. Again you have common ground here with every atheist in existence, including me. Keep searching for the answers or balance you seek. By doing so, YOU WILL extend the borders of what you currently call your limitations.To deny my human limitations would serve me badly in my search for a better understanding of my own existence limited though it may be. — invicta
You compel me to ask you 'why' you 'need' a god that you seem reluctant to clearly define. — universeness
So does this divine hiddenness of god not annoy you? If it has some of the answers you seek then why does it remain so hidden from you, even though you seem to try so hard to maintain your faith in it, as a real existent?It’s not for lack of wanting to define God, it’s for my inability to articulate them with factual accuracy rather than anything. Sure I can throw around terms like omnipotence, omnipresence, omniscience etc. but where does that get me? In some circles these are a given in others they’re debatable…do they reflect Gods true nature ? Maybe, maybe not. Do they detract from him ? Again, maybe or maybe not if you’re looking for flaws or wish to put him in a pedestal. — invicta
Perhaps in me wanting to define God I’m missing a point in the fact that I would at the very least anthropomorphise him with various human attributes such as morality to name a few. He’s all good and all loving etc but again I fall into the same trap that philosophers/theologians/atheists have encountered before me such as whence Evil? — invicta
So does this divine hiddenness of god not annoy you? If it has some of the answers you seek then why does it remain so hidden from you, even though you seem to try so hard to maintain your faith in it, as a real existent? — universeness
Maybe Gnostic Christianity, but that sounds more like Neoplatonism. — Count Timothy von Icarus
Part of me wants life to maintain its airy mystery and part of me wants it revealed — invicta
So why do I need God? Well I don’t …I’ve just come to my own personal conclusion that there is a higher power in the universe. The extent of his involvement in his creation is just another area of speculation or mystery if you like. — invicta
There is no shame, or reduction in status, due to the fact that all humans are 'needy' imo.Do I believe in him simply because I wish to live forever ? That would be awfully needy of me. — invicta
I think many of the more ardent theists would not accept you as a theist. I assume you don't care about that — universeness
Are you not attracted to the complete and total ownership of your own wonder and awe? Why assign any credit for such to a god? Do you not diminish such, by placing it in the gift of a deity, rather than own it, as a manifestation of your own unique consciousness? — universeness
Will expand on my own views to your quote later. — invicta
However I must state that I’m not a fan of militant atheism or theism when it comes to god. Although I’d like to add that the work and efforts of the above mentioned individuals far surpass those of any evangelical atheist such as Dawkins et al — invicta
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