Hooboy !!
August 2, 2005, 01:39 PM
A funny quote, wish I could remember who said it...
An athesit speaking to a theist "We are both atheists, I just believe in one less god than you."
The foundation of a theists point of view is belief. The foundation of an atheists point of view is also... belief.
In my lifetime, I have been both a theist and an atheist. The transition from one to the other was not fast, nor was it clear cut. I remember a time in my life when the supernatural was a real to me as the every other natural thing around me that I could sense. I knew that there were demons lurking about, ready to invade my consciousness and influence my actions. I knew that God was sitting in heaven watching me, observing how I responded to temptations and trials. I knew that at some point in the existence of my soul that God would take the sum of those observations and judge me. I knew that at that moment of judgement that my existence would change in profound ways, ways that I could not even imagine, though I can imagine some pretty horrible or conversely wondeful things. I knew that if I wanted to avoid pain on a level that I could not even imagine that I had to follow the instructions of God's servants here on earth. I knew all of these things and well as I knew that the sun would rise.
That is the thing about "knowing" though. You can never really know. That is another topic.
It all boils down to what we "know" and how that knowledge translates into thought and action.
My grandfather taught me a valuable but simple lesson. "There is more than one way to skin a cat."
In other words, there are many paths to reach the "right" conclusion or destination. Some longer, some shorter. Some difficult, some easy. Some featureless and monotonous, some beautiful and entertaining. What is this destination though? Answer: We all die.
The theist has a belief that when we die that this is not the end at all, but rather a new beginning. An opportunity for justice, love and true happiness. They use this opportunity as a kind of carrot on the end of stick, to help them find their way to this final destination. It may or may not be "real". It really isn't all that important. It just a carrot on the end of a stick to help them find their way to that destination. Is it a "good" path? Is it the "right" path? The theist can answer these questions with absolute certainty. This is where the difference comes in.
An atheist does not believe that death is an opportunity for a new beginning. They have accepted the inevitability of their own ending and come to terms with it, even of they do continue to fear and loathe it. They are then absent the promise of something better to entice them onto a certain path that leads them to this destination. The thing is though... all paths lead to the same destination. So, no matter what an atheist does, no matter what guidance or lack of guidance they have, they will still end up in the exact same place as the theist. Dead. Dead is dead. There are no shades of gray. There is no relativism. There is no subjectivism. Just dead. As in... not living.
Not living. But, what is "living"? Being "alive", as in breathing, eating, sleeping, shitting? That is one form of being alive. There are many forms, ranging from simple single celled creatures, to immense fungi, to complex creatures such as the human being. A zygote is alive. Terri Shaivo was alive. A fern is alive. The salmonella on your counter top after preparing the chicken you had for dinner last night is... alive.
The difference between an atheist and a theist then boils down to just one concept up to the point of death. How we define and accept the concept of "living". For the theist, it is written down for them so that they can learn from it and apply it. For the atheist... it is a great unknown, to be discovered as we live our lives. That is the difference.
An athesit speaking to a theist "We are both atheists, I just believe in one less god than you."
The foundation of a theists point of view is belief. The foundation of an atheists point of view is also... belief.
In my lifetime, I have been both a theist and an atheist. The transition from one to the other was not fast, nor was it clear cut. I remember a time in my life when the supernatural was a real to me as the every other natural thing around me that I could sense. I knew that there were demons lurking about, ready to invade my consciousness and influence my actions. I knew that God was sitting in heaven watching me, observing how I responded to temptations and trials. I knew that at some point in the existence of my soul that God would take the sum of those observations and judge me. I knew that at that moment of judgement that my existence would change in profound ways, ways that I could not even imagine, though I can imagine some pretty horrible or conversely wondeful things. I knew that if I wanted to avoid pain on a level that I could not even imagine that I had to follow the instructions of God's servants here on earth. I knew all of these things and well as I knew that the sun would rise.
That is the thing about "knowing" though. You can never really know. That is another topic.
It all boils down to what we "know" and how that knowledge translates into thought and action.
My grandfather taught me a valuable but simple lesson. "There is more than one way to skin a cat."
In other words, there are many paths to reach the "right" conclusion or destination. Some longer, some shorter. Some difficult, some easy. Some featureless and monotonous, some beautiful and entertaining. What is this destination though? Answer: We all die.
The theist has a belief that when we die that this is not the end at all, but rather a new beginning. An opportunity for justice, love and true happiness. They use this opportunity as a kind of carrot on the end of stick, to help them find their way to this final destination. It may or may not be "real". It really isn't all that important. It just a carrot on the end of a stick to help them find their way to that destination. Is it a "good" path? Is it the "right" path? The theist can answer these questions with absolute certainty. This is where the difference comes in.
An atheist does not believe that death is an opportunity for a new beginning. They have accepted the inevitability of their own ending and come to terms with it, even of they do continue to fear and loathe it. They are then absent the promise of something better to entice them onto a certain path that leads them to this destination. The thing is though... all paths lead to the same destination. So, no matter what an atheist does, no matter what guidance or lack of guidance they have, they will still end up in the exact same place as the theist. Dead. Dead is dead. There are no shades of gray. There is no relativism. There is no subjectivism. Just dead. As in... not living.
Not living. But, what is "living"? Being "alive", as in breathing, eating, sleeping, shitting? That is one form of being alive. There are many forms, ranging from simple single celled creatures, to immense fungi, to complex creatures such as the human being. A zygote is alive. Terri Shaivo was alive. A fern is alive. The salmonella on your counter top after preparing the chicken you had for dinner last night is... alive.
The difference between an atheist and a theist then boils down to just one concept up to the point of death. How we define and accept the concept of "living". For the theist, it is written down for them so that they can learn from it and apply it. For the atheist... it is a great unknown, to be discovered as we live our lives. That is the difference.