re·li·gion
a. Belief in and reverence for a supernatural power or powers regarded as creator and governor of the universe.
b. A personal or institutionalized system grounded in such belief and worship.
2. The life or condition of a person in a religious order.
3. A set of beliefs, values, and practices based on the teachings of a spiritual leader. *4. A cause, principle, or activity pursued with zeal or conscientious devotion.
*as can be seen by some members of this particular forum* giggle
*ducks for cover as the "zealous" rebuttal begins*
Perhaps some dictionary manufacurers should be notified.
Personally I don't even know what I am but I am almost sure that if different groups studied me thye would classify me and label me. Of course it would be interesting to see if the labels matched.
The truth can be seen in all comments so far...like different viewers of an elephant from various vantage points, all reporting back strikingly different characterisitics of the same thing. Puzzling...how can this be they say...lol.
How can the sunlight be white but when shone through a filter we see so many "individual" colours (frequencies). Illusion? Are they not all parts of a larger whole? An organized intelligent whole? If there was no organized structure there would be chaos...even what chaos has been seen in the universe has stucture (found out by advancements in calucaltion methods using computers). So what do we call this intelligence? God? All that is? Uninverse? Nature? Or life? Doesn't matter. It is what it is and due to the fragmetned aspect of all the "viewers" each will experience it differently. Seems there is somthing about experiencing that may be important. Just maybe.
Source energy as it filters through "creation" creating may vatage points of consciousness can be related in a similar way to the sun filtering thru a prism. I relate it this way. Source energy (potentiality of all things, all possibilities, is being actualized or filtered through various vantage points manifesting as a collection of various individual cosnciousness (fragmented). These filters or interuption patterns of consciousness are similar, metaphorically, to mulitple video cameras taping the same sporting event but add all the parts, blades of grass, light variances, tastes, touches and smells, thoughts, molecules, electons, etc and all in one massive symphony of total integration mvoing and growing with individual and collective intent.
Have you seen how many "orgainzed" atheist sites there are now, where people of the same cause are coming together to push their cause? I see many athiests as not only non theists but actually taking offense to the idea which creats a polarity effect and certainly then satisfies the 4th aspect of the definition I supplied.
Sometimes I think terms have many meanings and connotations and depending on conditioning, etc one can be offended or not care to much about any or all definitions anyway, which I think is a good thing. Look at how some christians argue that their brand of christianity is the only right one. Labels divide humanity. That much I do know. ALl ways for the ego to thrive in a way such as a drop in the ocean believes it is the ocean. Look at me I'm the one....I'm special.....my way is important....I must be identified this way, not that way......*EGO Dance* filtered through chritians, jews, athiests, realists, newagers, etc! Same energy wrapped up in differing belief systems.
Well damn it I heartily agree with you again !My version of atheism that draws me to it, is to support its right to exist! My strong conviction that no one should be denied or endangered because of thier personal belief system!
Ichiro! Do you believe spirituality and atheism can co exist? Do you think the definition of atheism can be expanded to include spiritualism!
I am what I am. Should a new term surface that applies to my thoughts on this matter even better, I will adopt it.
Whenever people scrutinize too closely, and then attempt to codify and organize an idea into a system, the spirit of the idea gets ruined. Religion, or the lack thereof, is in the domain of the individual. We join and quit many organizations in our lives, but we never cease to be human and are never divorced from the reality in which we live.
Well we don't have an androgeny forum. Better yet an androgeny debate forum. I am not sure whether the negative/positive(male female) aspects would all be contianed within one persona, making it possible for a person to fight er I mean debate with themself or if they would be neutralized to the point of complacency and just sit in a corner and muttering "go away".
probably just eat, sleep, pee and crap like any other being....
...until something more urgent comes along to give meaning.
Andy is not that different, except for having two sets of sex parts. Mr. and Mrs. Rogeny have no reason to feel ashamed. However, I'm sure they could use the comfort of a support forum.
Home
Definition of Atheism 
