Have you ever heard of Buddhist Atheism? It's like that, but Christian instead of Buddhist.
I was raised Catholic. Then became a born again Protestant sometime in my youth. You may not believe me, but there are some people, including me, that have inability to believe. We simply cannot do believe. Always questioning, always being a skeptic. It's like seeing to a blind man, or hearing to a deaf. Believing (to have faith) is just beyond our grasp, no matter how we want it, no matter how we feel we need to.
It's a struggle, to be honest. Believers always believe that people just can believe if they really want it. "Just believe!" they say. We just can't. I can't. Would you say "just see!" to a blind man?
One day, I had it enough and after years of back-and-forth being religious and not, I finally turned in to atheism. However, being a practicing atheist is also not unicorns and rainbows either.
You question everything. And by everything, I mean EVERYTHING. Even reality itself. This is what we call existential crisis. And boy it bit you hard. Unbearable loneliness and depression hit like you a truck. There's zero will to do anything and everything sucks.
Then you begin to question yourself. You question atheism. But you can't. Because atheism fits too well. It's my reality now. It doesn't need faith. Nothing to believe about. In fact, atheism is simply a lack of belief. You can't question blindless if you're blind. To be blind is simply being unable to see. To be an atheist is simply being unable to believe.
Being an Asian, despite attended Catholic schools, I'm rather familiar Buddhism and their way of thinking. There is the religious Buddhism and then there is actually the secular Buddhism, the Buddhist Atheism.
They don't actually believe in Buddha, or Nirvana, or reincarnation, karma or anything really. Yet still live to approximately Buddhist teachings. Why? Just because that's all they know.
Well, guess what? All I know were Jesus teachings, Catholic teachings, and Protestant teachings. So why not. When I was lonely and has a big burden, I pray to Jesus. Why? Not because I believe Him or anything. Just because that's what I actually know. I go to church semi-regularly, I sing praise and worships out of my lung. It's relieving, y'know.
Nowadays, I realise... that actually there are many people like me ALREADY IN the church. Many many members of the church may not actually believe in Jesus. Many other has various level of beliefs. Most just got along the way, because that's all they know. Hey man, as long as it works.
I just being fortunate enough for all of this happens to unfold in my life so that I could understand that I am pretty much a Christian Atheist.
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jriley555 (7241)
6 years ago
thanks for that. you're preaching to the choir, pretty much. most of us atheists were born skeptics, and were either fortunate enough not to be burdened with religion in the first place, or chucked it, at varying rates as we matured, according to our natures and circumstances.
zen buddism is atheistic, i believe buddha himself was an atheist. which is i guess the whole point of being in the now - it is what truly is, and nothing we 'have' will we ever have for very long.
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actionkamen (23176)
6 years ago
Yeah, but like I said, being Asian myself, I've been exposed to Buddhism early and in day to day life. The more common form of Buddhism I experienced is actually the religion version, in contrast with the atheism version. The Buddha (Siddharta Gautama) himself might be an atheist, however the movement that was built after him, "the Buddhism," may or may not consider him as mere mortal. Many Buddhists that I know, practically treated him almost as regular Christians treated Jesus.
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jriley555 (7241)
6 years ago
i agree that a lot of christians are not formal believers but cultural practitioners. a lot of people are not deeply idea driven anyway, but socially driven. i get that.
its us fussy nerd types who insist upon a deeper examination of these pieces of furniture the various cults decorate their parlors with, things also to disagree with other creeds concerning - none of which is provable, though some are more outlandish than others.
but i'm not going into that, because that may offend some members, which is not at all the point of this thread. it is, rather, for people to share their OWN beliefs.
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