Comments on: Letting go of God. http://midwesterngentleman.wordpress.com/2007/06/10/letting-go-of-god/ Uncompromising. But not an uncompromising jerk. Mon, 05 Oct 2009 09:26:45 +0000 http://wordpress.com/ hourly 1 By: Curious Agnostic http://midwesterngentleman.wordpress.com/2007/06/10/letting-go-of-god/#comment-135 Curious Agnostic Wed, 10 Oct 2007 02:50:40 +0000 http://midwesterngentleman.wordpress.com/2007/06/10/letting-go-of-god/#comment-135 Midwestern Gent, I stumbled on your website today. You are very articulate and make some good points. Before I ask my question, I'll tell you a bit of background. I was raised Catholic, I gave it up in high school without much reason other than that I found it silly and boring, and now I am carefully re-exploring my options using a more rational approach. I'm most of the way through "The God Delusion," and I agree with other posters that it is quite a convincing, powerful book. I still have some investigating to do, but I am nearly ready to give up on organized religion for good. With that almost out of the way, there are two possibilities left: some other god(s) such as a deist god or no god at all. I agree with the notion that our ignorance of the origin of the universe does not necessitate god's existence, but I don't understand how it (or any other evidence we have at the present) could necessitate god's absence either. Therefore, I am having trouble finding a single reason to think god does not exist. Unless I am missing something, rationality can only take someone as far as rejecting organized religion and its general anti-rationality attitude and becoming an agnostic. Actual denial of god seems to always involve a gut feeling, AKA a belief. Since you made a point to clarify that you have "concluded" god does not exist rather than just "believing" he does not exist, I thought maybe you could shed some light on the issue. You imply that you have found some rational reason to take the extra step past doubting the Christian God to doubting any god at all, which makes me very curious. Could you please elaborate on what evidence led you to rationally deduce that there is no god, dismissing even a deist god? I would love to hear what you have to say. Thanks, Mike Midwestern Gent,

I stumbled on your website today. You are very articulate and make some good points. Before I ask my question, I’ll tell you a bit of background. I was raised Catholic, I gave it up in high school without much reason other than that I found it silly and boring, and now I am carefully re-exploring my options using a more rational approach. I’m most of the way through “The God Delusion,” and I agree with other posters that it is quite a convincing, powerful book.

I still have some investigating to do, but I am nearly ready to give up on organized religion for good. With that almost out of the way, there are two possibilities left: some other god(s) such as a deist god or no god at all. I agree with the notion that our ignorance of the origin of the universe does not necessitate god’s existence, but I don’t understand how it (or any other evidence we have at the present) could necessitate god’s absence either. Therefore, I am having trouble finding a single reason to think god does not exist. Unless I am missing something, rationality can only take someone as far as rejecting organized religion and its general anti-rationality attitude and becoming an agnostic. Actual denial of god seems to always involve a gut feeling, AKA a belief.

Since you made a point to clarify that you have “concluded” god does not exist rather than just “believing” he does not exist, I thought maybe you could shed some light on the issue. You imply that you have found some rational reason to take the extra step past doubting the Christian God to doubting any god at all, which makes me very curious. Could you please elaborate on what evidence led you to rationally deduce that there is no god, dismissing even a deist god? I would love to hear what you have to say.

Thanks,
Mike

]]> By: 20 gram Soul : Soft Atheist, Hard Agnostic http://midwesterngentleman.wordpress.com/2007/06/10/letting-go-of-god/#comment-50 20 gram Soul : Soft Atheist, Hard Agnostic Sun, 15 Jul 2007 07:03:24 +0000 http://midwesterngentleman.wordpress.com/2007/06/10/letting-go-of-god/#comment-50 [...] be viewed as both, depending on your definitions. As there seem to be many different views on what Atheism and Agnosticism entails, let me be very clear about what I take the meaning of these words to [...] [...] be viewed as both, depending on your definitions. As there seem to be many different views on what Atheism and Agnosticism entails, let me be very clear about what I take the meaning of these words to [...]

]]> By: Midwestern Gent http://midwesterngentleman.wordpress.com/2007/06/10/letting-go-of-god/#comment-45 Midwestern Gent Sun, 08 Jul 2007 13:36:29 +0000 http://midwesterngentleman.wordpress.com/2007/06/10/letting-go-of-god/#comment-45 Dan -- I appreciate that your comment is coming from a good place, but let me assure you, fear is not the source of my atheism. On the contrary, fear is what kept me in thrall to religion for so many years. Fear caused by religion haunted my teen years, as every natural impulse I experienced (whether acted on or not) gnawed at me as a "sin" condemning me to hell. Fear caused by religion led me to say nasty things about groups I did not know or understand, including feminists and gays. And fear of standing on my own, without a god, kept me in church long after I had ceased to actually believe. No, my friend, I am not afraid of god's love. By letting go of the myth of god, I have put off fear and now live free. Dan — I appreciate that your comment is coming from a good place, but let me assure you, fear is not the source of my atheism. On the contrary, fear is what kept me in thrall to religion for so many years. Fear caused by religion haunted my teen years, as every natural impulse I experienced (whether acted on or not) gnawed at me as a “sin” condemning me to hell. Fear caused by religion led me to say nasty things about groups I did not know or understand, including feminists and gays. And fear of standing on my own, without a god, kept me in church long after I had ceased to actually believe. No, my friend, I am not afraid of god’s love. By letting go of the myth of god, I have put off fear and now live free.

]]> By: Dan Mendoza http://midwesterngentleman.wordpress.com/2007/06/10/letting-go-of-god/#comment-44 Dan Mendoza Sat, 07 Jul 2007 21:05:12 +0000 http://midwesterngentleman.wordpress.com/2007/06/10/letting-go-of-god/#comment-44 You have experienced God's love and it scared you. You have let go of Him, but his love for you has no end. We are the weak link in this relationship. The amazing thing is that we will stand before Him and anounce to the world that He doesn't exist and He just opens His arms up and tells us "I'm here for you when you need me". The cool thing is that all you have to do is acknowledge him and He will wrap you in His love and it will spill out into all parts of your life. Dan You have experienced God’s love and it scared you. You have let go of Him, but his love for you has no end. We are the weak link in this relationship. The amazing thing is that we will stand before Him and anounce to the world that He doesn’t exist and He just opens His arms up and tells us “I’m here for you when you need me”. The cool thing is that all you have to do is acknowledge him and He will wrap you in His love and it will spill out into all parts of your life.

Dan

]]> By: 20 gram Soul : Morality Part 3: Non-Theistic Morality http://midwesterngentleman.wordpress.com/2007/06/10/letting-go-of-god/#comment-43 20 gram Soul : Morality Part 3: Non-Theistic Morality Sat, 07 Jul 2007 14:17:29 +0000 http://midwesterngentleman.wordpress.com/2007/06/10/letting-go-of-god/#comment-43 [...] moral thing to do. [↩]Atheist’s Wager, Atheist Morality [↩]Midwestern Gentleman, Letting Go of God [↩]Parenting Beyond Belief - The Relaxed Parent Film Festival [↩]Barker, Dan (n.d.) For [...] [...] moral thing to do. [↩]Atheist’s Wager, Atheist Morality [↩]Midwestern Gentleman, Letting Go of God [↩]Parenting Beyond Belief – The Relaxed Parent Film Festival [↩]Barker, Dan (n.d.) For [...]

]]> By: Midwestern Gent http://midwesterngentleman.wordpress.com/2007/06/10/letting-go-of-god/#comment-32 Midwestern Gent Mon, 11 Jun 2007 23:32:29 +0000 http://midwesterngentleman.wordpress.com/2007/06/10/letting-go-of-god/#comment-32 Incertus -- Thanks. Funny enough, Dawkins was the push over the edge for me as well. Not so much that he converted me, but that he stated all of the things I had been thinking but could never articulate coherently. PS -- You're very kind. I have to confess, though, I spent about two weeks working on this post. My extemporaneous writing is far less crafted! Incertus — Thanks. Funny enough, Dawkins was the push over the edge for me as well. Not so much that he converted me, but that he stated all of the things I had been thinking but could never articulate coherently.

PS — You’re very kind. I have to confess, though, I spent about two weeks working on this post. My extemporaneous writing is far less crafted!

]]> By: Phydeaux Speaks http://midwesterngentleman.wordpress.com/2007/06/10/letting-go-of-god/#comment-31 Phydeaux Speaks Mon, 11 Jun 2007 18:33:27 +0000 http://midwesterngentleman.wordpress.com/2007/06/10/letting-go-of-god/#comment-31 Well said! I wish I could express myself half as well. Well said! I wish I could express myself half as well.

]]> By: Incertus (Brian) http://midwesterngentleman.wordpress.com/2007/06/10/letting-go-of-god/#comment-30 Incertus (Brian) Mon, 11 Jun 2007 17:57:42 +0000 http://midwesterngentleman.wordpress.com/2007/06/10/letting-go-of-god/#comment-30 Welcome to the club! Your story is a bit like mine, except that I was raised in the fundamentalist life. Once leaving that life, it took me more than a decade to realize that I had become an atheist. Dawkins' book was the final straw for me--helped me realize I'd been one for a while and just didn't want to use the word. Now I'm loud and proud about it. Welcome to the club! Your story is a bit like mine, except that I was raised in the fundamentalist life. Once leaving that life, it took me more than a decade to realize that I had become an atheist. Dawkins’ book was the final straw for me–helped me realize I’d been one for a while and just didn’t want to use the word. Now I’m loud and proud about it.

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