All Comments (12)

Duff, it's just not that easy. If you want to put faith into action that takes both mental and physical effort. Because first you have to choose to believe and for some that is easier than others. And it's not always easy for me. Then you have to find out where your gifts and be used to benefit the people you want to help. Again that takes work. Not everyone has the same inate talents. Some teach, some encourage, some feed, some collect clothes blankets etc. Some visit the lonely. All those things require effort. For Christians faith without action is no faith at all. I would venture that it is the same for Muslims and Jews as well. Many people have thought long and hard about their faith, again that takes work. Of course it still starts with a choice.

a-theism

Meaning one who don't believe in God: because they don't understand the reality of Gods presence. And therefore can't see God or the things that God does.

It's understanding alone that reveals Gods presence. God is life, life is God. All that has life, has the presence of God within itself. All that is made manifest to the eye or mind of man is life and has life in itself.

It's really a matter of semantics that causes atheism; no one can deny the reality of Life, or see and eventually understand the workings of life. Therefore everyone can see God and the working of Gods hand. When the atheists experiences the feeling of love or peace, they experience the presence of God. When they see the beauty of life in nature or mankind they see God's radiance. When they recognizes their bodies are constantly healing itself and that they are all day long being guided by an inner knowing that lets them know when it's time to rest or eat... and just how long to rest,or how much and what to eat. God's presence is know to all but few accepts the understanding that allows them to recognizes it.

It appears that an atheists approach to understanding the things of Spirit is through their intellectual consciousness (reasoning): which is based on empirical evidence...'seeing is believing'. But yet they can't give any empirical evidene for the love or beauty that they profess to exist in their experience. The truth is, they see God but chooses to call God by other names. Atheism is just another name for 'lack of understanding'

Sometimes when I'm meditating about my ancestors I imagine I were them and they were me and I was sitting back there in 18th century Wales thinking about me in 21st century Florida and I'm struck by the beauty and intricacy of nature how we can think back and forth, forth and back. Ain't spirituality grand!
What a load of...Niebuhr.
You obviously chose religion because any ninny can practice and think religion. One actually has to think in every other endeavor.

I find it amazing how the patterns of our past come up and thru into our own lives.

In a very strange sense it's a form reincarnation as our elders upwell into our own life. :) kinda nice as our ancestors do live within our very nature and our life.

Peace and acceptance in your travels
http://www.personaltao.com/

I think “bgone” is a covert fundie on a mission to make atheists look like ninnys. Think about it…

Oops. meant to say "look AT picutres."

BTW, can you give one who refuses to go to church a better reason to suddenly convert? I can. There was this fellow round these parts that "saw the light" on his way to the mail box. His induction papers were in the mail box. What do you think? He both needed and got God's help? God does come through but never grows amputees new legs no matter how hard they pray.

Norrie, do you have any idea why we had a revolutionary war? Same thing.

Robert B.
That can be fixed http://www.hoax-buster.org
There's 10 interesting pages but you have to be able to look a pictures.

Wanna hear the story of my 19th century ancestor. Didn't think so.

To BGone --

What, no link to the Hoax Buster website?

Something else that just struck me reading the Washington Post. They have a Technology section and a Health section. The articles are almost always about the latest Playstation, how to protect yourself against virus attacks, tech business, how to lose weight, that sort of thing; but almost nothing that is really about the intellectually compelling parts of science. As a working scientist who is occasionally interviewed by journalists, I notice that nobody is interested in anything EXCEPT the practical applications of "how will this affect ordinary people". I guess I can understand that, but I also think they are assuming that their readers are idiots. I also believe the New York Times does it better because it has distinct sections so Science and Technology get treated separately, at least in the on-line version, and they do write articles about "useless but cool science".

The Post nominally has a Religion section too. It is mostly about politics -- even if it is church politics. That has to be the least interesting part of it.

You wrote "I became a journalist with every intention of specializing in politics."

Very often these days writing about religion IS writing about politics. There is a clear trend in that direction in your articles on the New York Times web page, even the ones that pre-date 9-11. I do not mean that as a criticism of you or anything you wrote, or even your choices of what to write about. It is What Is.

I find it an ominous trend for lots of reasons.

Bgone,

Do you have any idea of why you're so cynical and never react positively to anything that's good?

On your cynicism: I hate to tell you but it's been done many times over and much better by others.

Very interesting story. Just one question. First let's note that Gustav refused to go to church. Then he went once and next thing we know he's ordained. Let me say, what a leap of fith.

But what did he see at church that made such a dramatic change in his life? Let's see, there was singing, a sermon, and then what? They passed the plate and people put money on it. Is that what change his mind so quickly?

Befor that he seems to have a little in common with Moses, down and out in a foreign land working someone else's gig. Then up popped the Devil and bingo, form nobody to somebody in a few steps and with a little help from God or was that Devil.

That's a very spiritually uplifting story but it had already been done. It also brings to mind another German immigrant named Sutter who owned a mill and one day someone noticed it was setting in the middle of a gold field. Amazing how fast attitudes can change. Good story though, both German immigrants.