An Atheistic Revelation

I've spent some time with my freinds and family, but in such a manner that I have not before considered...

And in doing so, I learned that when I insult God, or insult a religion, or make sensationalist claims based on anger, personal bias, and lack of reason to beleive, that I only hurt the people I care about, and weaken my own power.

I recently spoke to my best freind. She is Polish Catholic, we went to High School together, we went to Prom together. She used to have a crush on me, and in senior year of High School she found out I liked guys...but she over looked it, and we still remained the best of freinds.

I would always debate her about the existance of God, and how I felt Christianity was flawed.

And it would always be the same thing: The two of us beleiving what we beleive, and not giving up our own biases. She says although she knows the Church has flaws, and although she doesn't truly know if the divinity of Christ is truth, much less the existance of God....she chooses to beleive, because this is all she really has.

She has family problems. She has freindship problems. She has much conflict in her life, and like myself, she is prone to intense Depression and she harbors a LOT of anger. She tires of the racist remarks against her (polish jokes) that rival girls make about her, and even more so she tires of Protestant students insulting her as a Catholic.

I just realized that I was no better than the Evangelicals that harass her for her Faith. It shocked me..because I was amazed how one Christian could discriminate so badly against another...against my best freind. Yet, even though I was her best freind....I too indirectly discriminate against her, because she IS a catholic.

Why should she put up with my anti Christian biases? She's NEVER had a problem with me being Gay (well only that one time, but she accepted it, and still cares about me). Shouldn't I pay her the SAME RESPECT ?

God is one of the few things that she feels gives her strength. She prays with all her mental power...she prays with all her emotion. God is one of her only hopes, and her Faith is one of the few things that keep her moving forward. That keep her from slipping into a state of misery and dispair.

I HAVE NO RIGHT TO TAKE THAT AWAY FROM HER !

My mother is ALSO Christian...one of weak Faith, but she strongly chooses to keep her beleif in God...if not Jesus, at least God....she prays, because she feels she has too....she is a young, hardworking beautiful woman (she is 36, she had me early, she raised me by herself, and struggled to support herself, me, and our grandmother)....but she is weakened by bad freinds, a rough marriage, having to support 4 children, mortgage, debt, physical illness, and constant stress.

Her beleif in God is one of the few things that keeps her focused and in power.

I will not take that away from her, and I will no longer challenge the foundation of her mental strength....

And as a Buddhist, I am supposed to tolerate ALL religions, not just my own. Well...that's what I have to do....I have to change...myself....I have to stop wishing for everyone else to change and see things MY way...and start becoming stronger.

No more will I dwell in anger or self pity, and spite a force that truly has done nothing to me....it has only done what I ALLOWED it to do...Christianity has only hurt me as much as I have allowed it to have....it served me well in my earlier years. My beleif in God helped prevent me from committing suicide at age 15....

I no longer need that though. I am strong enough to live in this world without beleiving that there is a superior loving force watching over me. I am comfortable without that beleif...

But other people ARE NOT.....most people NEED GOD...or at least the beleif in it. I don't....but others do.

That's all I have to say....Take from it whatever you will, think whatever you want...i dont care....I have a lot to work on. I have to make myself stronger, and remove myself from all the anger, hate, and negativity I have allowed to consume me.

When you realize that the beliefs of others do not harm you, you have gained freedom. When you realize that the happiness of others is more valuable then the truth, you have found peace.

You have made a giant leap forward my friend. Congratulations.

Originally posted by Shakyamunison
When you realize that the beliefs of others do not harm you, you have gained freedom. When you realize that the happiness of others is more valuable then the truth, you have found peace.

You have made a giant leap forward my friend. Congratulations.

Shakyamunison, you are always the first to respond to my stuff 🙂

Thanks for listening....my life needs change...there is no doubt about that. But the change has to come from myself. No one else has the answers or the solution....not my mother, not my freinds, not another boyfreind, not God....no one but me.

Originally posted by Lord Urizen
...Thanks for listening....my life needs change...there is no doubt about that. But the change has to come from myself. No one else has the answers or the solution....not my mother, not my freinds, not another boyfreind, not God....no one but me.

That has always been the case. 😄

Congradulations on your revelation, Urizen. You've realized what faith actually is. 🙂

To the brain, there is no difference between belief and fact.

It sucks to know you are right...

lol

I agree pretty much with your conclusion LU 🙂 Though sometimes it is hard to see people you care about believe crazy things.

Originally posted by Lord Urizen
That's all I have to say....Take from it whatever you will, think whatever you want...i dont care....I have a lot to work on. I have to make myself stronger, and remove myself from all the anger, hate, and negativity I have allowed to consume me.

I think this is good. However, how is it an athiestic revolution?

Thanks you guys....

It has more to do with the fact that my attacks on other people's beleifs were not sincere. I honestly couldn't care less who beleives what...it in no way affects me...

My lashing out against other people, and their beleifs, was a manifestation of my pain....I am not trying to get people to feel sorry for me, I am simply trying to explain my actions. I've been through a lot of stuff in my life....things I have not even mentioned because they are too painful to bring up....and harboring this pain and anger, I would attack anyone....Christian, Atheist, Muslim, Liberal, conservative, didn't matter...

As you can see, a lot of people have not gotten along with me...from all sides...not just one ....all sides..... there's a reason for that.

I have antagonized people, not because i truly care about what we discuss, but because this website was an easy ventiliation for my pain and anger....i tried to sugarcoat my anger with humor and sarcasm, but people can see right through it.

I may have come to this realization, but I have a lot to work on....I need to make some changes....I need to tell the people I love how much I love them....I need to tell my family that I'm Gay...I need to discipline myself with sleep, diet, excersize, etc....I need to stop worrying about people judging me, and just be free to speak with those I want to speak to...

Alliance, it's a Revelation...not a revolution...and what I meant to title this thread was "An Atheist's Revelation"

😂 my bad.

How do you reconcile athiesm with Buddhism? 😛

Buddhism's core does not require the existance of a God....I am an Atheist Buddhist

ah.

Originally posted by Alliance
😂 my bad.

How do you reconcile athiesm with Buddhism? 😛

Many Buddhists are atheists, but are all Buddhists atheists? I think it depends on what an atheists is.

Originally posted by Shakyamunison
Many Buddhists are atheists, but are all Buddhists atheists? I think it depends on what an atheists is.

It actually depends on what God is...

If God is Nature, if God is the Birth force of the Universe, then yes, I beleive in God.

If God is an old white man who sits on top of a bunch of clouds, judging people, and waiting to reward and punish like an immature emporer, than no, I don't beleive in God

Originally posted by Shakyamunison
Many Buddhists are atheists, but are all Buddhists atheists? I think it depends on what an atheists is.

Then how on earth is Buddhism a religion.

Originally posted by Lord Urizen
It actually depends on what God is...

If God is Nature, if God is the Birth force of the Universe, then yes, I beleive in God.

If God is an old white man who sits on top of a bunch of clouds, judging people, and waiting to reward and punish like an immature emporer, than no, I don't beleive in God

This is what Buddha said about God:

Many statements I have left unsaid. Why have I left them unsaid? Because they are not helpful. They are not fundamental to the holy life. They do not lead to peace, knowledge, awakening, nirvana.

Majjhima Nikaya 63

Originally posted by Alliance
Then how on earth is Buddhism a religion.

Because it is a practice.

So are stoicism/liberalism/and many philosophies.

Originally posted by Alliance
So are stoicism/liberalism/and many philosophies.

But Buddhism requires that you do ceremonies. At least the type of Buddhism I am does.

So is government a religion then because it demands performances of me?