Atheists - is there anything about faith that appeals to you, would you like to believe?

[Italiangreyhound]

Hi, I've been reading a few threads and I've heard atheists say stuff in the past about belief in God. Stuff like they don't believe in God but they would like to or they can see why it would maybe give peace or would be nice etc. I am just curious how atheists feel a bout this and if they want to talk about it?

I am a Christian, I hope I am an open and tolerant person and I would not want to cause offence. I am just curious, as we come into Easter if anyone wants to chat about this.

If not, may I wish you a peaceful and happy Easter, even if all it means to you is some chocolate eggs.

seeker - I am relieved to hear that. But nobody ever claimed that prayers will be answered directly and literally. Lord works in mysterious ways. The most important Christian prayer says "Thy will be done". Not mine or yours but His.
It helps you to cope with whatever life throws at you. Humility makes you stronger then ambition, makes you grateful for what you have and helps you to cope with loss. Gives you tools if you like to do the best you can under the circumstances.

Green I refer you to the title of this thread that is specifically asking us atheists 2 questions, to which most of us have answered. But it seems those that have religious faith want to debate it but then get all defensive when they feel offended by posters, nothing anyone has said here is hostile... But you just choose to take offence.

rowlers and pedro have really hit the nail on the head in my opinion.

Pedro I can't tell you what language, I go by tone, if I think someone has a hostile combative tone I don't want to engage with them.

MrsH there are loads of posters posting so I have the luxury of being able to engage with those I find enjoyable to post to and can ignore those I don't. Sometimes when I set down conditions I find that people who were formerly hostile tone down their behaviour and a useful discussion ensues.

Do you personally like reading bun fights? I don't.

Green that's my point, no other gods doesn't mean there aren't any, it means"I'm the most important and by Me I'll smite you if you stray"
There's a lot of abuser type language in the Bible, I think. But many of the important stories were told well before Christ showed up. There have been other good that sacrifice their children and whohave from the dead and which offer salvation of some type. But Easter is still a lovely holiday.

*Posters in newspapers showing the twin towers before they got exploded and the caption something about "Imagine a world without religion" as an advert for a Richard Dawkins series. The implication being, if there were no religion we would live in a beautiful utopia of perfect happiness and terrorism would not happen.

Other examples ...people losing their jobs for wearing crosses or having convictions that go against political correctness. People pushing for euthanasia to become an acceptable part of working within the NHS which if it happened would lead to thousands of religious doctors and nurses having to consider quitting their jobs because their work would go against their religious beliefs... That sort of thing.*

The implication of such a poster would actually be suggesting that the Twin Towers would likely still be standing, I don't read 'no terrorism' into that at all. I don't think any atheist would. Losing jobs for wearing crosses is actually about restrictions on any religious attire, if you can't adhere to a dress code then that's really your problem. I wouldn't expect to go to work with a colander on my head and claim that I couldn't remove it for religious reasons. And as for euthanasia, it's a tricky subject in itself, but honestly, I can't imagine doctors being forced to perform it and if you simply don't like it happening around you, then again that's really your problem, not society's.

green try reading your own posts regarding tone... Sanctimonious much?

green, have you ever thought that you might be the one coming accross as hostile? Just asking. Not being hostile.

So don't post to me MrsH.... Problem solved!

But Easter is still a lovely holiday.

It's nice having a couple of extra days off work, anyway!!

These stories of people being disciplined for wearing emblems at work: a little digging always uncovers the fact that these individuals had been making absolute pests of themselves in the workplace for some time, either harassing co-workers or demanding special privileges on behalf of their imaginary friends. The insistence on breaching company dress codes always turns out to be either the final straw or an actual concrete breach of rules that they can be disciplined for.

Pedro. Someone asked me for examples... Those were some examples.. I don't want to particularly argue about it. Yes you are right maybe the people who wore crosses should have just sucked it up.

I personally do think it would be a great shame if religious doctors and nurses had to quit their jobs over conscience issues and it's a huge part of the euthanasia debate that a lot of people don't seem to understand. The implications of the NHS not having religious people in it... Surely all of society would suffer when you think of all the decent idealistic religious Muslims/Christians etc who would have to choose other careers... We would all suffer if this happened.

Rowlers yes I probably am hostile, it comes of having been dog piled by hundreds of angry posters in the past in religious debates. I'm actually trying to preemptively put out fires before they begin. I'm very long in the tooth when it comes to religious debates online, it is why I actually find the nature of debate more interesting than the simple religious arguments.... Cos everything has been said and done before, for two thousand years, there is nothing new under the sun.

You don't need a church to have a religious experience. A mild electrical current run across your temporal lobe will produce the same effect.

rowlers don't post to green then... Problem solved. green clearly owns this thread.

green this is the last time I will post directly to you. You want to hijack the thread with your attitude then so be it. I have 'belief' that a world without religion would be a utopia. I blame religion and people of religious faith for everything that is wrong with this world. That is my belief... So who are you to say that I am wrong? Who are you to say that a world without religion wouldn't/couldn't be a utopia? Why does it offend you that people disagree with you? Why does it offend you that people chose to call your god an imaginary friend. Your god is imaginary to me, no more real than the tooth fairy. All gods are imagined, they do not, they cannot exist in any other medium than the minds of those who choose to believe in them.

What about all the other major steps in human society which have broken the moulds of outdated religious beliefs such as slavery, equal rights for women, etc? Perhaps the religious at the time thought that society would suffer back then, but actually I think we're in a better place than we were. Euthanasia is not something I believe can just be thrown into the mix, but I'm not against it either, it just has to be treated very, very carefully. But overall, I think it can often be kinder than letting someone suffer as long as you can avoid the whole risk of pre-meditated murder. Who's to say that this is not just another issue which the religious will have to overcome. Perhaps it can be seen as another trial of god or something.

green, why do you join these debates? Again, really not being hostile at all, just curious? I have never really entered into these sorts of threads before, so all new and sort of interesting for me. But what do you take part in religious debates for? What do you get out of it?

Cos everything has been said and done before, for two thousand years, there is nothing new under the sun.

Perhaps nothing has changed for the religious, but for the rest of us there's new stuff every day. You should try it sometime!

Muchas apologies if I have "hijacked" the thread, am I supposed to start my own? I am a bit I don't know, Aspergers when it comes to understanding the millions of unspoken and unwritten rules of websites. I thought this was the kind of place to discuss religion.... Maybe not.

Yes it is... Discuss away... Oh sorry, you don't want to discuss and debate, you want to chose who is worthy of debate in your own oh so humble opinion and ignore those of us who have differing opinion to yourself on the grounds that you find us hostile.

I find your use of the expression 'up against it' a little sensationalist seeing the examples you've given.

Careful prom, green doesn't find the term 'a bit aspergers' offensive and therefore she's allowed to use the term. 'imaginary friend' on the other hand is terribly offensive to her and must not be used in any way on his thread.

You know what, going back to the original question, there is something about faith that I'd like to believe. I'd like to believe that those with faith had the integrity, compassion and respect which they claim to have.....

Green, this thread was supposedly set up for atheists to discuss if they have ever wanted faith. Yes if you want to discuss something different you should start a new thread with a title about what you intend to discuss, not tell atheists who have come in a spirit of discussion that they are going to hell.

Bun fight! I'd like to point out that having faith does not imply being "better" in any way.