May 15, 2011
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Me? an atheist?
tell me, is it bad to be called an atheist?
there have been many blogs here on xanga that dealt with the issue of atheist vs. religion. over the years, i have learned the positives and negatives of both sides and can see and accept certain arguments from both sides. thus, i'm not sure i'm capable to make a judgment to say that one is better than the other.
the more I learn about religions though, the more i believe that despite the many existence of religions, all of their gods are actually ONE SAME GOD, with ONE SAME GOAL, which is to live in peace. before you start to banter my view, please know that i grew up in a muslim country, educated in protestant schools, and brought up in a household of buddhists. all these before i ventured out for college in overseas where i hugged the idea of living religion-less. i've been to mosques, sang at churches, burned incense sticks at temples, and even prayed in various religious houses. so yeah, i am familiar with the teachings of the mentioned religions, thanks to my upbringing.
here's my dilemma. i do think there is a higher power, but i don't and probably won't choose a single religion to live my life by. I choose to live life spiritually than religiously, while still respecting the many religions exist around me. given that i don't live my life for a certain religious believe, does this qualify me as an atheist? if that is so, is it a bad thing?
i guess what I really like to know is… does each one of us human beings HAVE to be religious and CHOOSE one religion over the other? does choosing to be religion-less qualify one to be treated as an outcast and a sinner even if there is no law (that I know of) saying that it is so?
Comments (13)
Sounds to me that you're not so much an atheist as you are an agnostic - literally, one who does not know. As for whether it is a good or bad thing, there is only one person who has an answer for that, and that is you, yourself. Believers of various faiths would answer that there is another being that knows the answer, but then will get into a tug-of-war about "who" that is.
Best way to live life is know that your faith is personal and thus religion is your truth and no one elses. I think the world would have been a better place if religion would have been taught on the bases of being free thinkers. Truth is self exploratory. Its an internal journey. So, no one has the right to ram or impose any ideas on you or condemn you for thinking differently..
I don't want to repeat so I will second Christao408.
I'm Roman Catholic but I don't go to church anymore. I pray every so often and try to be spiritual. I don't have the diverse background that you have. I do go to temples with my bf and lit the incense. I don't think you need to choose a religion. Your views and beliefs are just as valid as anyone else's.
Living spiritually. doing the right thing and having empathy of the downtrodden, to me is a beautiful way to live.
I know exactly what you are talking about because I have been through almost the same journey.
I was thinking along the same lines as Chris, regarding the agnostic definition. But to be more specific to your entry, shouldn't being religion-less simply mean you are "lost" by all the established religions and not condemn you to hell or anything? It's not a sin to not be sure. It's not like you're lambasting anyone. =/
I would also agree that it's a personal thing and you should be able to believe in what you want to, as long as it doesn't harm anyone else.
@AzureRecollections - @Fatcat723 - @christao408 - thanks. i've heard of the term 'agnostic' before but unsure whether or not it applies to me. it's not that i 'don't know' or 'lost', i CHOOSE to remain religion-less for i can't accept the conformity and the many restrictions that all religions have on their members. at the same time i know there is good behind the concept of the teachings of those religions, thus i still respect them for what they are.
@The_Eyes_Of_A_Painter - yeah, tell that to the many who have verbally preached me the greatness of the idea of me going to the other side (theirs) before "it's too late".
@ElusiveWords - that's what i'd like to believe. unfortunately, i'm surrounded by those whom are religious and rely on their religion for just about anything.
@stepaside_loser - @ZSA_MD - thank u, thank u. that's how i think we ALL should live.
@icepearlz - i don't know how much harassments you get from others in trying to convert you to their side of believe. but just want you to know that you're not alone.
It's a tricky and uncomfortable topic, I think; I don't know where I stand, to be honest. I was bathed in Christianity from birth as I was raised in the Midwest where the term bible-thumping began, haha.
@rudyhou - Well, even if you consider it not a matter of "not knowing", it still sounds like "agnostic" is more accurate than "atheist". Atheists are steadfast in their belief that there IS NO GOD. That doesn't sound like your position.
@secade - yes, it CAN be a tricky and uncomfortable topic to talk about. which is why i haven't considered open the topic for a debate among my own friends. some of them ARE religious, while some are NOT. so far we all get along all right and i don't want to do anything that might jeopardize the friendship.
@christao408 - i think you're right. as always
@rudyhou - "As always"... =P