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Atheism
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When I was 12 or 13, I think I died in my sleep. These days, I had
a bad habit of sleeping with a blanket over my head so that my breath
could keep me warm. One night, I dreamt that I was drowning in a swimming
pool, but it was different than other dreams because I knew it went beyond
just the surreal. I knew it was my actual body experiencing it. I couldn’t
move my body to wake myself up and I was literally suffocating. In retrospect,
it was clearly due to the lack of oxygen and an over-consumption of carbon
dioxide. But when I finally woke up, I knew beyond a doubt that I had
actually died. Since this point, nothing has been the same. I was disconnected.
Although I’m hesitant to accept it, I am literally
not the same person. My memories of before this point in my life are
blurry at best. Sure, they’re in my head here and there but I don’t
feel attached to them like I do current memories (if that makes any sense).
I also don’t feel emotion the same way that I “remember”.
The way I feel now is completely different.
For a long while, I was told
by my parents that I had a chemical imbalance, so they had me see several
psychiatrists for “help”. The
truth of it was that I saw my parents on a different level… from
a new perspective. My personality shifted and my parents didn’t
know how to handle it, so they forced me on all sorts of medications
to try to keep me under control. The thing is, I wasn’t a bad child
by any means… I was fairly well behaved in fact, but they noticed
I was very different. I must emphasize that it went beyond typical teenage
behavior. Also, I don’t feel a connection to my own family even
though before this, I had a very strong connection, especially with my
sister.
Anyway, I came across your article on teleportation, and you said
you’d
be interested in hearing from someone like me, so here I am. I would
rather stay anonymous if possible, but hopefully I can still be of some
insight into the phenomenon.
Matt
|
Absolutely fascinating. If I can think of any questions I'll let you
know.
The teleport debate is one which recurs from time to time on my forum. We
debate ourselves into a standstill and then it goes quiet for a few months.
A new eruption is due. If you fancy a debate about your condition I can guarantee
that you will get one.
Such debates belong in the Mind and Matters forum
--
Martin Willett
http://mwillett.org/
I understand that you are atheist and everything but when it comes to
abortion and the one that made me, he states that he knew us while we
were being formed in our mother's womb. I am 30 weeks pregnant and I
have felt my baby's movement since about 20 weeks. I saw her heartbeat
at around 8 weeks. There is no heart or muscle function without a working
brain. I am also a medical student who has been studying medicine since
I was about 14 yrs old. I am the type of person that is very eager to
learn and have been doing so since I first found out about abortion.
No matter what you say, no matter how you twist it, a life is a life
no matter what. A tree is a tree despite being in the form of a seed
or if you are able to see every branch and every leaf. When it comes
to a baby, as with any living thing, it only needs time to grow. No matter
outside the womb or inside, that human still has the right to life. I
have seen videos (silent scream) about a unborn child, I cannot remember
the amount of weeks but the baby was very small. The doctor used suction
abortion and the child was trying to get away and you could see the child
pulling away and opening its mouth as if it were screaming.
As a nation we shouldn't be allowed to kill the most defenseless, especially
in such a brutal way. Abortion happens in many forms, from the beginning
of a pregnancy all the way up until that child is being delivered at
the end of the 9 months. One day we'll all know the truth, but we'll
never be able to take back what we have done.
My mother had an abortion and even 27 years later she is still dealing
with it. Maybe many should take that into consideration. If the child
isn't a child then why do mothers grieve years later for wha they
have done? |
Are you aware of the existence of the rest of the world? Don't assume
everybody is a member of your nation, that attitude alienates people very quickly.
A sprouted acorn is not an oak tree. There is a tree preservation order on
the trees in my garden. If I fell a tree without permission I am in trouble;
If I chop off a seedling with a hoe I am not. There is a difference and that
difference is so obvious that nobody needs it explaining unless they have already
tied themselves up in knots as you have done.
Has a foetus ever complained about abortion? Of course not. That would be
impossible. A foetus lacks those uniquely human communication skills. A foetus
capable of feeling pain and moving does not exceed the powers of expression,
communication, understanding, sympathy, empathy and ability to suffer of the
animals that the majority of our species has no problem with eating. The foetus
is entitled to good veterinary care, that is all.
There have been no fundamental new discoveries in the study of foetal development.
We have always known that foetuses are capable of movement and expression and
are sensitive. So are pigs, and far more so. There has never been an argument
that foetuses are animals and nobody has produced any new evidence to show
that they exceed the rest of the animal kingdom in any faculty that matters.
Looking vaguely human and sucking their thumbs is something monkeys can manage
just as well. Catholics have always considered that foetuses have souls, although
they have never managed to explain what a soul is and why it needs to be grown
in a human body rather than being created directly in the stalls of the celestial
choir.
I can see no good reason to grant members of our species any especially human
rights until they are in some meaningful sense people. For me that transition
happens several weeks after birth. Before that time I see no reason to grant
them an absolute right to life in their own right. Of course killing a newborn
child should be a crime by default, as should killing a foetus (or indeed somebody
else's cat), unless there is a reasonable and lawful excuse. I see the avoidance
of bringing up an unwanted child as an acceptable excuse while that foetus
is fully dependent upon the mother and it is the mother's choice and the mother
is aware of all relevant information. Abortion is not something I am in favour
of but neither am I in favour of women being forced to continue with a pregnancy
which they feel is likely to ruin their life. Abortion clinics are like airbags,
fire escapes, lifeboats and ejector seats: nobody wants to have to use them
because nobody ever wants to be in that situation, but those situations will
keep on happening. We should do all we can to reduce the number of such emergencies
but maintain our provision for them.
I see the people who call abortion murder as hateful and unfeeling dogmatists
who knowingly inflict mental cruelty upon people who have been traumatized
by these experiences. People continue to grieve for lost unborn children for
their whole life, whether that is as a result of miscarriage, stillbirth or
abortion. Obviously an abortion is something which demands to be be either
regretted or not regretted because it is a decision that has been made. Sane
people manage to regret the falling pregnant at the wrong time and learn to
accept the abortion as a consequence of the unwanted pregnancy rather than
an act of criminal cosmic defiance. The religious have to think that the pregnancy
was God's work and therefore unquestionably good. That is a very damaging idea,
an idea responsible for more pain than any tough decision.
--
Martin Willett
http://mwillett.org/
I can see a demon in your face martin. I know your going to think
i'm a fool and say whatever you want to say about me, but you will find
out sooner or later.Soften your subborn heart and allow the blood of
Christ to wash your filthy wickedness. |
In reference to "Marriage
and Atheism"
Being an athiest married in a Christian Church, had you already been
baptized Christian? Or did you find a loop hole in not being at all
baptized and still marrying a Christian in a Christian Church?
I am Roman Catholic, and my boyfriend is Athiest. He would marry in
a Christian Church for my sake, and that of my family, but is not
willing to become baptized for it, nor would I ever ask him.
If you are not baptized, which kind of Christian Church were you
married in?
Thank you for your help. Much appreciated.
Respectfully,
Hopeful Mary |
 I was baptized and confirmed and therefore the Church of England still
class me as a member. As several of their bishops are atheists (on the quiet
of course) they don't see any problems. Don't ask, don't tell.
If your fiancé is prepared to lie and make meaningless promises in
church for the sake of appearances once what's stopping him doing it more than
once? If it's money you should find some Catholic who is willing to offer to
pay.
Another alternative is a Unitarian Universalist church, they don't ask any
questions and are quite happy to have people who are openly atheists as members.
They'll marry atheists, gays, lesbians and possibly even pets. Just ask.
--
Martin Willett
http://mwillett.org/
 Dear Sir,
I am vijay from India, I am in marketing field for 10 years,
My wife is workig as assistant Professor in an Engineering College.
I am involved in many social Activities such as,
# Conducting Free medical camp for villages,
# Conducting meetings to discuss About Gandhidian Thoughts,
We are doing these Activities in the name
"NATIONAL GANDHIAN UNITY AND
YOUTH THOUGHTS FORUM"
I have also planned to do service to my nation and to its
forsaken and downtrodden people in the way shown by
Mahatma gandhijii.
Many college students from various colleges are also
interested to doing with me to do this wonderful servies.
As we are in need of funds for further activies,
we like your contributin towards this and join with us
to do this wonderful service..
Yours faithfully,
P.vijay
cell: 097909 26259
Emil: vijay79_lancer@yahoo.co.in |
I am not a nationalist, an Indian, a Hindu or a believer in the
myth of Gandhi. I think he was a manipulative little shit with a disastrous plan
for the people of India.
I am also not rich. Sorry you fucked up with this one just about as big as
it is possible to do.
I hope this messages causes you to lose heart and give up your obscene scheme
to beg money from those parts of the world which are being productive so you
can help keep your part of the world in perpetual quaint poverty, ignorance
and fecund squalor.
It is possible however that you are merely a conman, in which case I do apologize
for impugning your honour and the integrity of your motivation.
--
Martin Willett
http://mwillett.org/
Hi Martin, I'd like to request permission to reprint:
"Belief without proof is a virtue for the religious. To the scientist
belief without evidence is gross professional misconduct."
from http://www.mwillett.org/atheism/manmade1.htm
I'd like to put this in a novel I'm working on that has strong
atheist/freethought themes.
Thanks.
Paul Gehrman |
Sure. Will there be any kind of attribution? If not I'll just have
to make sure I at least publish your email to get it acknowledged that way.
I have quoted or paraphrased myself on that one once or twice but I'm fairly
confident that it is original. I think I first wrote that phrase in 1999:
http://groups.google.com/group/talk.atheism
--
Martin Willett
http://mwillett.org/
Hi, I am Kerry Wilson. I write in tongues. I received
the speaking in tongues gift 18 years ago. Within 5 years I found myself
writing in tongues. I took it to a gal at a university who looked middle
eastern to see if she recognized the language. She said it looked like
very sloppy ancient aramaic. She didn't know I wrote it, or under what
circumstances it was written. I still write it. I write from rt to left
when writing. Do you think it is aramaic or just a heavenly script that
only the father in Heaven can translate? I'll send it to you if you like.
I have looked for answers for years, but have found no one else who writes
in tongues or even believes me. Thanks for your time. Kerry
|
Just for a few moments imagine that you were a religious lunatic who
wanted to persuade people that your beliefs were true by the use of tricks.
How would you simulate "writing in tongues"? It's as easy as copying
some script that you have seen. How would you do it if you were trying to hide
the deception from yourself?
A real god would have all the time in the world to learn how to write in any
language he cared to use. I would begin to take this seriously if you could
write in any language nominated, under carefully controlled conditions and
the writing turned out to be understandable and meaningful. Showing it to somebody
whose only academic qualification seems to be fitting your idea of looking
Middle Eastern does not qualify as using the scientific method.
If you would like to send me some fresh writing please feel free.
--
Martin Willett
http://mwillett.org/
I must ask you--How do you believe the Earth was created? The Big
Bang Theory? Do you really believe there is enough evidence that a big
explosion perfectly created the entire universe and life on Earth? An
explosion that came from nothing? You rely and base your "belief" on
not believing anything on scientists who claim they have found proof
that God didn't create the universe. You just take their word for it.
Have you physically sat side by side with these "experts" and
did everything they've done to see if it is actually plausible? These
are the same scientists who change there theories all the time with so-called "new
evidence." Scientists who tell us that studies show a certain food
is good for us, then later tell us it's bad for us. I'm sure you have
watched alot of TV shows about the absence of God during the creation
of the Earth. What if those same scientists instead were supporting the
belief that God did in fact create this universe? Would you believe them
then? Probably not because you only want to believe in those scientists
and "experts" who support your very same non-belief.
On the subject of The Atheist barber story, I think most Christians
already know that simply telling the story to an atheist isn't going
to change his/her views. Perhaps maybe make them think a little bit and
ask questions, but not convince an atheist. Christians don't soley base
their faith on this story. It's an uplifting story to help reassure them
of their faith.
The fact is alot of atheists, no matter how much evidence is thrown
at them, will still never believe in God...simply because they do not
want to believe there is a higher power that has more control than they
do. People want to believe that they have total control and control their
own life and destiny. You really believe after all this time that if
God sent you an email it would change your mind?
Would you rather have God force everyone to love and believe in him?
Would you want someone to love you because they choose to or because
they are forced to? God gives us free will. We can choose to believe
or not believe in him. Those who don't believe in him will go to hell.
They choose to not have anything to do with him so God gives them what
they want. Why would someone who denies Christ want to spend eternity
with him?
And there is pain and suffering in the world because we have sinned.
We choose to do the things we do, whether they are moral or immoral.
The reason this world is so ugly is because of sin....murder, theft,
drugs, pornography, addictions, hate, rage, etc. What good is having
a life if you can't make your own decisions. Christians are to try and
not participate in these acts, to love one another and help others find
Christ and pull them away from a life of ugly sin. And go to God and
other Christians when they are feeling weak and feel like sin is trying
to pull them back in. Do you want God to give you a "sign?" Well that very sign could be as little
as simply someone who decides to talk to you about Christ. You choose to
deny those signs. And I'm sure you and many other people have encountered
so-called "christians" who are hypocrites and only judge and
damn others to hell with fear and anger. But you can't just look at those
certain people and decide that all Christians are the same way. If those
people choose to act that way then you should take it up with those individuals.
Do you dislike all sports and sport athletes because certain choose to
cheat and use steroids to enhance their performance? Christians are taught
to share the gospel in a positive way.
Galatians 6:
1 Dear brothers and sisters, if another believer is overcome by some
sin, you who are godly should gently and humbly help that person back
onto the right path. And be careful not to fall into the same temptation
yourself. 2 Share each other’s burdens, and in this way obey the law of Christ.
3 If you think you are too important to help someone, you are only fooling
yourself. You are not that important.
4 Pay careful attention to your own work, for then you will get the
satisfaction of a job well done, and you won’t need to compare yourself to anyone
else. 5 For we are each responsible for our own conduct.
So don't believe that all Christians are hypocrites, because there
are certain atheists who can be hypocrites just as well. I hear several
non-believers say "everything happens for a reason." And I ask, how can someone
say that if they believe there isn't a higher power governing them. If
they believe they control their own lives and everything is based on chance
then how could everything happen for a reason without someone higher being
in control of that reasoning.
There are many different religions that have come and gone throughout
the ages. How many people do you know that still worship Greek Gods or
Thor, Venus, Ganesh. But the main belief behind Christianity has not
changed since Christ walked this Earth. What is written in the Bible
has not changed. What other books have been around that long? There are
certain religions who choose to either take away or add to the Bible
certain beliefs and commandments that they "choose" to follow...but the Bible itself
has not changed. The main idea behind Christianity is the belief that Christ
is the Son of God and he died on the cross for our sins, and the only way
to heaven is through Him. And we are given the Bible to help live our lives
as Christ-like as possible. Those who choose to believe and follow only
certain commandments to please their own wants and needs is that persons
decision. So don't judge all Christians as those individuals
Please write back if you have any comments |
First point, why do you have to ask? Why don't you let God tell you, or are
you not on speaking terms?
I don't believe the Earth was created, I believe it formed. If you think the
Big Bang explains "the creation of the Earth" you really need to
do a lot more research. Try searching for answers that don't come from people
who are pushing religion or mocking science. Your level of ignorance is encyclopaedic.
Start with encyclopaedias rather than sermons or tracts. Find out about the
beliefs you mock, I read the Bible, at least you could read a mere ten thousand
or so words of science unfiltered by religion.
There is pain and suffering in this world because there is not a god to ensure
that there isn't. Can you really imagine a world in which nothing bad could
ever happen? How would that operate? Think about it. Seriously think it through.
Ask yourself how a world could exist without the possibility of anything bad
happening. Do you actually know how to think? Are you too frightened to think
freely in case you upset God? It is no more possible to have a universe that
cannot contain evil than it is to have a universe that cannot contain beige.
A universe without evil would have to be made and run by a magical being who
took special care to ensure that nothing evil occurred. Evil exists as an adjective,
not a noun.
Are you Christ-like? Do you approve of the sacrificing of animals to God but
disapprove of making a profit? Are you celibate? Have you collected together
a bunch of people to follow you? Do you approve of slavery and the second class
status of women? Have you made yourself a nuisance with the civil authorities?
Have you told thousands of people that the traditional religion they have been
following is misguided and they should pay more attention to what you say than
what is written in Scripture? Do you get crippled beggars following you trying
to touch the hem of your garment? Have you suggested to anybody that if they
get the urge to chop off their penis they should go right ahead? Do you consort
with whores and outcasts? Do you even have long hair and a beard and walk around
in sandals? Can you name one way in which you are like Christ, just one?
Have you any idea who Ganesh is?
If people are told to venerate a book or be considered evil and be socially
outcast in what way does the survival of that book count as passing the test
of time?
I haven't seen any evidence for God. Have you got some?
Can you give an account of heaven that would make me want to go there even
for an afternoon?
What is wrong with changing your mind when new evidence comes along? Should
scientists just stick to the old explanations and pretend the new evidence
isn't conclusive? That is the way of religion. What good has religion ever
done for the world? How many diseases have been abolished by prayer compared
to those banished by science? How many priests have gone to the Moon? How many
bishops have explained the structure of atoms or provided mankind with new
forms of energy, new materials or new techniques to communicate?
Do you think you're on a mission from God to save me? Have you any idea how
many people have given up before you?
Give me answers not quotes. I've read the Bible, I know what it says and I'm
not impressed.
--
Martin Willett
http://mwillett.org/
YES, I certainly can imagine a world where there is no pain and suffering...and
that place is Heaven. Earth began that way until Adam and Eve first sinned.
Overcoming any pain and suffering is what makes us stronger, it tests
our faith and makes us closer to God if we continue to turn to him even
when the worst of the worst happens. And if you must ask, I am celibate
and plan on waiting until I'm married. And no I don't disapprove of making
a profit because there is nothing wrong with money unless you make it
first priority and place it before God. Anything can separate you from
God if you let it control you and you make it more important. Attempting
to be Christ-like is not about looking like him. We are told to follow
the laws that man has governed unless they go against what is written
in the Bible. If it became illegal to pray or read the Bible or even
be a Christian then I would certainly go against those laws. I have been
on trips to help out people in need and feed the homeless. I began sponsoring
a little girl in Indonesia. I've seen little children in 3rd world countries
who have absolutely nothing still praise God and give thanks to him.
Children who have such a strong, undeniable faith that I sometimes wish
I could be more like them. That's how I know God is present. I do talk
to my friends about Christ. I do it in a settling way where we can have
a civil conversation without insulting one another. I ask them if they
would like to come to my church. If they refuse than I don't hound them
and condemn them and tell them they are evil sinners who are going to
hell. Because I know that If I am going to bring someone to Christ than
that won't be the way. I am not saying science is bad. And if a friends
church does have some modern practice or beliefs then I will ask them
why they believe in it. I'll ask them why it doesn't say it in the Bible.
If someone believes in Purgatory then I'll call them out and tell them
there isn't a single shred of evidence in the Bible that Purgatory exists.
There are ways to call out people without insulting them and turning
them against you.
I believe that God gives everyone certain talents and abilities to
use for good. Those who find cures for diseases and advances in medicine
I think God gave them those abilities to find those cures. And how can
you be so sure that none of the scientists who have made these discoveries
or have gone into space did have a faith in Christ?
I've seen instances where a non-believer, who has had alot of troubles
on his mind, go to a christian retreat because a friend invited him;
and hear one speaker preach a message to where it seems like the speaker
is preaching directly to him. And finally open his eyes to God and dedicate
his life to Christ that very same day. And see a stadium full of 20,000
grown men crying and hugging because they can feel the power of Christ.
That's how I know Christ is present.
And you're absolutely right, I'm not that familiar with Ganesh. And
I'm sure I can find alot of other people who aren't that familiar with
him either. But I'm not sure I can think of anyone who has never heard
of Jesus...even in other countries.
You are sold on a belief that science gives you, but when they realize
they were wrong and tell you something different than you go with their
newly discovered belief. So if a scientist, who originally believed the
the Earth was created without God, was to convert to Chrisitianity then
why wouldn't you believe him then?
And what does following Christ teach? Obviously the 10 commandments...but
also, be kind to others, don't judge others or place yourself above anyone
else, be quick to forgive and slow to condemn, don't be greedy and instead
give to others, don't be jealous and envious of what others have, give
to the poor, help others if they are struggling down the wrong path.
...yeah that sounds really horrible doesn't it? If everyone followed
Christ and tried to live by his word then YES I believe this would be
a much better world
...and when you live this way, people can see a light shine in you,
people are able to see Christ through you and want to know more about
Christ so they can shine to others |
I didn't ask whether you could imagine a world without suffering, and heaven
doesn't count as a world, I asked could you imagine how such a world could
exist without a magical being stopping the evil from happening. That's a
very different question. Merely saying something afterwards that refers to
some of the words in the question does not count as answering the question.
If you see a million people go down to a sacred river does that prove their
gods are more real than yours? Your 20,000 people in a stadium is bit small
when compared to the demonstrations of the reality of other gods that the world
provides us with. Other gods and beliefs get people to dedicate their whole
lives, withstand pain, cut themselves with swords, beat themselves, blow themselves
up or burn themselves to death. What do those demonstrations actually demonstrate?
Human gullibility and willpower. Nothing more. We know people are gullible,
we know people can do amazing and hideous things when they set their minds
to it. None of that proves anything about what they claim to believe, only
that they are human. We knew that.
Who wrote the Bible and who decided it was good? Where in the Bible does it
say that the Bible is your only source of what is true? Where in the Bible
does it say a committee of bishops of the Church of Rome can decide what is
the Bible and what isn't and then weld the back cover on it for all time? Doesn't
the Bible describe idolatry as a sin? Isn't the worshipping of the Bible (obligatory
capital letter and all) a sin?
http://wsu.edu/~brians/errors/alot.html
Imagining that somebody goes to a Christian retreat without the intention
of being converted is the same as imagining a person goes to an orgy for the
free mouth wash.
I do not follow scientists. I follow science. Science has never become Christian.
Faith is antithetical to science. Anybody who is a scientist who maintains
a faith is doing it wrong, and doing it harm.
"When the missionaries came to Africa they had the Bible and we had
the land. They said 'Let us pray.' We closed our eyes. When we opened
them we had the Bible and they had the land."
Desmond Tutu
Do you really think that what poor people really want most from Americans
is what makes them smug?
--
Martin Willett
http://mwillett.org/
To all atheists please note this well known phrase:
"I would rather live my life as if there is a God, and die to find
out there isn't, than live my life as if there isn't, and die to find
out there is".
Question: Do you not have any fear to die?
Vera |
I don't want to die because I like living and I suspect dying may be painful.
However I have no fears about being dead as it is impossible to be dead. To
be is to be alive. There is no way to be without being alive.
Death is inevitable, it will come, my life will end at some time and there
will be no more experiences for me.
There is only this life, I do not intend to live it in fear. That would be
wasting it.
--
Martin Willett
http://mwillett.org/
Hello,
Hope you're really well.
I'm a freelance health writer who's been commissioned by Psychologies
magazine to write an article on Tree Healing. Will you be able to help,
answer some questions and provide a suitable case study who has a wonderful
story of how tree healing has helped them (ideally someone who's aged
between 20 and 50 and who's willing to have a photograph published in
the magazine)? I'll also need to speak to someone who can explain its
benefits from a scientific basis.
I'm a big fan of trees, so delighted to be able to write this article.
It will be completely positive about this form of healing.
Many thanks for your help. Let me know if you'd like more details or
if I can help you in any way.
Kind regards,
David.
David Hurst, Health Writer.
Tel: 07711-746218 (UK). |
I think you might have me confused with a nutter. I am a person who likes
trees, I have some in my garden. I am not a nutter. If I need healing I go
to a doctor, or sometimes an off licence. Not a tree.
You may quote me.
--
Martin Willett
http://mwillett.org/ |
