[pct-l] RE: God and G-d

[Tortoise73 at charter.net (Tortoise)]

Hi Kraig and All,

Atheism is really a confusing term. "Atheism" is just the lack of belief 
in a god, i.e. some sort of super-natural or non-material being. Beyond 
this; an atheist may have a wide variety of beliefs. Some religions, 
such as some forms of Buddhism, AFAIK, are atheist. There is no common 
set of beliefs or theology in atheism. My guess is that most atheists 
accept the Theory of Evolution as the best explanation of how life 
originated on earth.

I've been an atheist for 40+ years. Letting go of habitual religious 
responses was the hardest part of abandoning belief.

An atheist can experience awe and wonder and rapture and many other 
thoughts, feelings, emotions in nature or elsewhere.

"Spiritual" has many meanings and connotations. Some involve a god; some 
do not. One must be careful to define what one means by "spiritual".

Tortoise


Kraig Mottar wrote:
> It was a mistake, but maybe a coincidence, and some say, there are no
> coincidences.
> 
> I'd think, even atheists, must see spirit in nature. Maybe its what
> saves their soul. Most atheists are atheists as a reaction to
> obnoxious theists. Hearing a preacher talk about God in church is one
> thing, but experiencing it, nature, where she lives, is quite another
> thing.
> 
> You have been quite fortunate in your travels. Quite possibly, hiking
> may save my life. I may have to decide, cigarettes or hiking, I will
> choose hiking.
> 
> I'll have to see if cigarettes prevent me from hiking 8 hours or
> cause discomfort. Maybe, my first 8 hur (or shorter?) I'll smoke
> normally and the next hike of equal duration do without, and compare.
> 
> 
> Kraig