Entry #1
Something unexpected has happened to me and I'm still trying to get my arms around it. Back in May I started reading Richard Dawkins' "The God Delusion" and it has been having a continual effect on me.
Nearly all my life I have been a conscious theist. By that I mean that I have taken theology, mysticism, religious history and personal spirituality very seriously. That's not to say that I was the run of the mill religious type. Quite the opposite, I have almost always been open to serious inquiry and have often changed my theological positions when change was warranted. I have been known to say that for me religion was like underwear - I wear it when I have to and I change it when necessary.
But I never gave serious thought to the possibility that there was no God and my own internal spiritual compass unwaveringly pointed in "His" direction.
I do recall, in my musings wondering "what if" in the sense that God might be nothing more than wishful thinking. After all, wouldn't a perfect God make a perfect world? - It always bothered me that the earth was not a perfect sphere with the bulk of the planet's mass south of the equator like the belly of a middle aged man. I mean, why was God so sloppy? Mind you, I said this knowing that (or at least being fully convinced that) everything that is, exists because of the physical forces operating on matter after the big bang. But given all that, I never felt the need to consider seriously dismissing Him nor did I ever feel the crisis point of having to deal with the possibility of letting Him go.
All that changed with the above mentioned book. I should say that I knew that Mr. Dawkins was an enthusiastic and, some might say, a militant atheist. I had my first acquaintance with his philosophy back in the 1980's after reading" The Blind Watchmaker". My first reading of "The God Delusion" made me feel uneasy but i remained unconvinced. Still I could not let it go. I read the book a second time with my guard down and I came away with a willingness to try on the naturalistic perspective.
Thus, this blog. I have decided to chronicle my journey from theist to - dare I say it - ATHEIST. That word sounds so caustic doesn't it?
I invite you dear reader to share my journey as I navigate the uncharted waters of a new world view, one devoid of the supernatural. In many ways it feels like a divorce, but, at the same time, it reminds me of the kindlings of a new romance.
Please feel free to share your observations as I lay out my honest feelings and as I discuss my coming to terms with a life without the god I once lived for and adored. Please however, if you are an evangelical or a fundamentalist of any stripe, understand that this is not your opportunity to get on a soap box. While I welcome diverse opinions, I have neither the stomach for nor the desire to debate with you - especially topics such as the verity (or not) of the Bible or any other scripture or of the need for embracing Jesus or any other deity. In my years I have studied religion extensively and, chances are, I understand what YOU believe and why - perhaps even better than you! In all humility I could probably open your eyes to some unpleasant facts about your faith.
Enough said for now. I will be posting regularly
I hope that you will stop by, say hello and share your thoughts.
Cheers,
Gianni
Nearly all my life I have been a conscious theist. By that I mean that I have taken theology, mysticism, religious history and personal spirituality very seriously. That's not to say that I was the run of the mill religious type. Quite the opposite, I have almost always been open to serious inquiry and have often changed my theological positions when change was warranted. I have been known to say that for me religion was like underwear - I wear it when I have to and I change it when necessary.
But I never gave serious thought to the possibility that there was no God and my own internal spiritual compass unwaveringly pointed in "His" direction.
I do recall, in my musings wondering "what if" in the sense that God might be nothing more than wishful thinking. After all, wouldn't a perfect God make a perfect world? - It always bothered me that the earth was not a perfect sphere with the bulk of the planet's mass south of the equator like the belly of a middle aged man. I mean, why was God so sloppy? Mind you, I said this knowing that (or at least being fully convinced that) everything that is, exists because of the physical forces operating on matter after the big bang. But given all that, I never felt the need to consider seriously dismissing Him nor did I ever feel the crisis point of having to deal with the possibility of letting Him go.
All that changed with the above mentioned book. I should say that I knew that Mr. Dawkins was an enthusiastic and, some might say, a militant atheist. I had my first acquaintance with his philosophy back in the 1980's after reading" The Blind Watchmaker". My first reading of "The God Delusion" made me feel uneasy but i remained unconvinced. Still I could not let it go. I read the book a second time with my guard down and I came away with a willingness to try on the naturalistic perspective.
Thus, this blog. I have decided to chronicle my journey from theist to - dare I say it - ATHEIST. That word sounds so caustic doesn't it?
I invite you dear reader to share my journey as I navigate the uncharted waters of a new world view, one devoid of the supernatural. In many ways it feels like a divorce, but, at the same time, it reminds me of the kindlings of a new romance.
Please feel free to share your observations as I lay out my honest feelings and as I discuss my coming to terms with a life without the god I once lived for and adored. Please however, if you are an evangelical or a fundamentalist of any stripe, understand that this is not your opportunity to get on a soap box. While I welcome diverse opinions, I have neither the stomach for nor the desire to debate with you - especially topics such as the verity (or not) of the Bible or any other scripture or of the need for embracing Jesus or any other deity. In my years I have studied religion extensively and, chances are, I understand what YOU believe and why - perhaps even better than you! In all humility I could probably open your eyes to some unpleasant facts about your faith.
Enough said for now. I will be posting regularly
I hope that you will stop by, say hello and share your thoughts.
Cheers,
Gianni
a good weblink :
"An atheist is someone who feels the same way about Yahweh that any decent Christian feels about Thor or Bael or the Golden Calf...We are all atheists about most of the gods that humanity has ever believed in. Some of us just go one god further."
ReplyDelete-Richard Dawkins
Yeah but there is one distinction, no Christian ever had an emotional investment in those guys ...
ReplyDeleteWhat I'm feeling is a very real shift in consciousness ... the closest I can compare it to is when my parents died or my marriage was over ... but, like I said , in the letting go i see the possibilities and they put a boyancy in my step. I never appreciated how much my theism permeated so much of who I was .... this is a real road of self discovery or formation
I have a different take. I agree that a stigma has been attached to the word "atheist;" but I think the meaning of atheist has been purposefully stigmatized and systematically demonized by zealous religious leaders ("Onward Christian Soldiers.") who are motivated more by their all powerful deity, money, than for deeply held beliefs.
ReplyDelete