Is anyone else an atheist with BC besides me?

TB90

Then lets extend this same respect to the Alternative Therapies boards

ananda8

TB90, Totally agree.  

JoE777

I read several pages of the early posts before visiting this site and found it moving and a place for like-minded people to help others cope with their situation. I think the thread's original intent has been lost and perhaps a new thread that makes it clear that it is a safe place for atheists to discuss religion on that basis and that apologetics from all religion is not welcome.

santabarbarian

It's as distasteful for Christians to try to talk me into their views as it would be I'd I tried to convince you vice versa. I am not interested in being convinced or explained-to. I think that's how most adults feel, regardless of their beliefs. Or lack of beliefs.

This is not "a safe space to discuss religion." This is a safe space to be frank about our distaste of religion, or our non belief. It's a place to be affirmed by others who are encountering BC without the rose colored glasses of "Jesus has my back."

Anyone who is offended by "rose colored glasses" is probably here for the wrong reasons!

wrenn

I think it's hard to police where people post. I don't have lymphedema but I have asked questions on those threads. I don't have reconstruction but can post on those threads. I post on the alternative threads because I have some of the same beliefs but I had surgery and chemo. I don't post on the Stage 4 thread out of respect and because I can't possibly relate to what the members on there are going through and the title of the thread makes it clear that those members expect respect for that and receive it.

I think people just have to be respectful of other views and I believe SuQ31 was respectful but as a new member maybe hasn't navigated the board as much as some of us to know that she might be chastised for posting here. I think there is a difference between being anti religion and atheist. I used to be anti religion and although I am curious about why people choose to have a religion cancer made me see that people should use whatever works. I am definitely more spiritually minded (noticing nature more) since Dx. and so am open to hearing about all beliefs as long as no one is trying to change me. I don't think SuQ31 was doing that. Cancer gives us a common connection.

Maybe the thread title can include something to reflect what is expected?

*End of sermon* *genuflects out*

magiclight

Note that SUQu...is very new to this site as of January of this month, was diagnosed about 3 months ago and had mastectomies less than a month ago. First of all let me say to you SuQu that I am sorry you have to be dealing with the cancer traumas that led you to bc.org and that your posts here opened conversations about the heart of this thread. This is not a place I want anyone to feel unwelcome, if respectful of the purpose of this thread, which I think you are.

(((hugs))) to you in your recovery. I too had a double mastectomy so my hugs are very gentle

ananda8

This is a post by "thedudess", the founder of this forum.  I found it on the very first page. I left off the name of the poster she was addressing.

"I find your post close to insulting,  of course you have a right to your own opinion and I respect that.  I have stated I do not have a problem with other peoples beliefs however when they simply disregard my own feelings, it shows to me they really do not care about my own.  You state "I hope you understand", I also hope you understand.  I am in no way wanting to start a stink, I have enough on my plate today, just didn't expect to find this here."

Clearly she intended this to be a place for atheists to talk without being lectured to by believers. That said, I think it's ok for believers to post as long as they don't try to judge us.

MinusTwo

Ananda - RIGHT ON!!!

Clearly she intended this to be a place for atheists to talk without being lectured to by believers. That said, I think it's ok for believers to post as long as they don't try to judge us.

Spookiesmom

👍👍👍

AliceBastable

I guess I just don't see anything in "Is anyone else an atheist with BC besides me?" anything that says "Hey Christians, come on in and tell us what you think about atheists" or even "Let's discuss all kinds of beliefs." Perhaps, if enough people are interested, there could be a new thread for those interested in comparative beliefs. But please don't turn this one atheist-friendly corner into that.

ananda8

I don't think anyone is going to change the purpose of this thread.  

“Owners of dogs will have noticed that, if you provide them with food and water and shelter and affection, they will think you are god. Whereas owners of cats are compelled to realize that, if you provide them with food and water and shelter and affection, they draw the conclusion that they are gods.”

―

Christopher Hitchens,


The Portable Atheist: Essential Readings for the Nonbeliever

SoCalLisa

I consider my self to be a non-theist. Atheist sounds like it is anti religion. I think it's ok to be religious but I don't participate or believe in any. Just don't place religion on me. I believe I can be very moral with out it.

MinusTwo

ananda - how funny about dogs & cats - and how true.

Lisa - I actually like that definition. "non-thiest"

ananda8

How about this?  It appears that humans love labels.

The Pew Research Center has the following definitions and even has a quiz so you can find where you fit.

http://www.pewforum.org/2018/08/29/the-religious-typology/

http://www.pewforum.org/quiz/religious-typology/  I am  Solidly Secular.

DearLife

Humans also love quizzes. I am a Religious Resister. Great quiz, thanks Ananda!

AliceBastable

I usually call myself a nontheist, too. But I'm willing to pull the atheist card when anyone tries to get religious at me without an invitation.

jo6359

I call myself an atheist. I'm not anti-religion I just don't have any interest in religion. I respect other people's right to believe however they see fit. Please respect my right not to believe. It's that simple

wrenn

I never think of labelling my beliefs/non beliefs but I guess I would be an untheist since I grew up Catholic but unrobed from it. :-)

wanderweg

Although I’m not offended by people telling me that they are praying for me, it is nice to have a thread that is solely atheistic. (If pressed for specificity, I’ll tell you that I’m a nontheistic Buddhist Quaker.) I am a member of a Quaker Meeting which has a sizable atheist contingent, occasionally attend a Unitarian Church, belong to a Rationalist group and have attended many a Buddhist mindfulness retreat. All that to say, I think of myself as a spiritual person but don’t believe in gods or other supernatural beings. It’s helpful to know there are like-minded folks here

illimae

I got solidly secular too but I do like the idea of reincarnation. I also have a specific distrust of religious groups in general, it’s been my experience that the majority are judgmental and corrupt. Seems like I’m always nicer to them than they are to me.

molliefish

I am not a religous person, my kids go to Catholic school, their Dad is Catholic. My mother, according to my Dad, was a budding 'bible thumper'. My Dad was born to an Irish immigrant and (i'm not sure where Grandma was from) in a dirt floor shack. He was pronounced still born yet 20 minutes later the paper they wrapped him in began to move and small mewling noises could be heard. My Dad has since passed away and my Mom is still here. Without any religous training and pressure, I find myself a very strong Agnostic. If i read the definition properly it means I don't belive in a singular god so to speak. I truly believe in the Human Spirit, and that all that we are can't simply dissappear when we die. There is something there that makes us 'Us'. Not a very straight forward answer I'm afraid and I don't discuss it much with anyone as it's not a popular opinion.

wrenn

I believe all gods are mythological and some have lovely stories/myths attached to them that are useful tools or guides on how to live our lives.

I like Tom Harpur's take on Christianity. He sees Christ as allegory. From wiki...."His book The Pagan Christ presents the case that the gospels rework ancient pagan myths. Harpur builds on Alvin Boyd Kuhn when listing similarities among the stories of Jesus, Horus, Mithras, Buddha and others. According to Harpur, in the second or third centuries, the early church created the fictional impression of a literal and historic Jesus and then used forgery and violence to cover up the evidence. Having come to see the scriptures as symbolic allegory of a cosmic truth rather than as inconsistent history, Harpur concludes he has a greater internal connection with the spirit of Christ."

Harpur's brother, a physician, agrees with him and said "Allegory is a powerful thing. You can learn the lessons of Aesop's Fables and still realize that a mouse can't talk to a lion."

ananda8

I was raised Catholic, educated in parochial school by very sweet nuns, but never set foot in church except for weddings and funerals since I was 20 years old.  I did a lot of searching and especially like Quakers but found that I didn't really believe in a god. I read many of Joseph Campbell's works and found his interpretation of myth very useful. I decided that a knew a lot about Western religion and history but nothing about Eastern religion.  I started by reading the Tao te Ching which I found fascinating.  I read part of the Analects of Confucius but got side tracked by work so I just learned enough to understand why it was and is such a part of Chinese culture. I ran across a book called "What the Buddha Taught" by Walpola Rahula andwas impressed by some concepts and skeptical of others. As I studied I found that I rejected rebirth/reincarnation and a few other concepts but found the ideas about how the mind worked to be very useful.  I am not spiritual. I don't believe in a soul or eternal self, but I believe in the beauty of the world.

SoCalLisa

I'll stick with non-theist..

ananda8

wren, 

Have you read Joseph Campbell's  "Power of Myth"?  I think you would enjoy it.

wrenn

Ananda8. I did many years ago and did enjoy it. I have recently watched videos of him on youtube as well.

magiclight

I too have read The making of Myth and for me the title is everything - Myth. Whether we call ourselves spiritual, or believe in spirit, it is all a myth that makes people feel better. I am neither spiritual nor do I believe in spirit. I'm just living my life with as much compassion as I can muster at the moment so that the chemicals, hormones, neurotransmitters etc in my incredible body provide me with a feeling of comfort and well being. I think that when I die, I will be as conscious as I was 200 years ago or 20,000 years ago, meaning not at all.. Consciousness dies when I die. For me there is a period at death nothing more.

One of the benefits I've found in this thread as well as others, is that I find myself thinking about much that I would have let pass, but when I am, in a way, forced to write it down if I want to participate in conversations I learn something about myself and I love that process. Thanks to everyone for sharing and challenging paradigms.

LoveFromPhilly

I really love this thread and these discussions. I am so appreciative of everyone’s viewpoints and belief systems - it all gives me such good food for thought and to chew on and ponder at length.

Stephen Hawking - a brilliant human, did not believe in god or anything spiritual. He believed that when we die, that’s it!

I love to trip out on nano-physics type stuff and think about how we could be sharing electrons with someone or something several football fields in distance away...we are all waves of energy and light and gas and matter.

The baffling thing to me is how our bodies are made up of so many different cells that differentiate into different organs, tissues, etc and how do we stay together in form and not just ooze out into the world? Some type of forces are acting upon us that science doesn’t explain. Not that it is any type of spiritual force, but science just hasn’t been able to figure it out yet. Very fascinating!

I also really love hearing about people’s experiences with being very religious and then waking up. Becoming woke from the hazy dream that religion puts as a veil over peoples eyes. I love that people have awoken!!

santabarbarian

Here's another reason for our little corner of atheism: there's nothing like getting cancer to make you picture your life possibly coming to an end. And for us on this thread, it is a real end. Full stop. No deathbed conversions or state of grace bypasses. Ours is a totally different point of view on the whole experience. There is no punisher or rescuer in our cancer story. There is no ever after where it all gets fixed. We have to live well and thoughtfully now, because now is all there is.

SoCalLisa

I have no fear of death, but I worry about the dying.