Okay, so you don't believe in God...

[Dirty Dirty Shisno]

You're right. It is one of if not the least defining elements of me. I usually just describe myself as a human who's trying. Trying to be logical. Trying to be good for goodness sake. Trying to exist in peace with the universe. Trying to live a happy love filled spiritually in tune life. *shrug* I don't know what else to say. That sums up me quite nicely.  

[Daffodil the Destroyer]

I often describe myself as a humanist, or when I'm feeling especially contradictory, a "theistic atheist."

I don't believe in an invisible sky fairy called God, or lots of smaller sky fairies in pantheons... but I feel a connection to, well... everything, and the feeling of belonging and peace that it gives me is something I used to mistake for a deity, and I think that everyone who thinks they're feeling the presence of a god is feeling that same thing and just calling it something else and anthropomorphizing it. So, I acknowledge the thing that they are feeling, but I don't think it's an entity. I also acknowledge that psychodrama (the ritual found in belief systems) can be a very emotionally fulfilling pursuit and I appreciate the symbolism of it and sometimes engage in it as a crutch or a way to make myself feel more connected to others (though I recognize it for what it is, unlike theists). Therefore, "theistic atheist."

Most atheists laugh or shun me for this just as much as theists do, which is another reason I sometimes identify as being sort of in between the two groups. I don't squarely fit into either group, though certainly I am more firmly in the "atheist" category.

 

[Prince Rilian]

I don't have a package to hand you that has all of my beliefs inside it.  

[Elanchana]

But how quickly we forget
Such a sure and perfect plan,
And unlearn the passions that once had burned.

I don't believe in any sort of supreme being, and I'll continue not to unless one magically appeared and told me exactly how to rid the world of evil.

I do believe in some supreme force of nature, but that kind of thing is no more than time. To have faith in time is the same as just hoping for the best, and that's what life should be all about.

Edit: I just remembered something a friend said to me once, which kind of relates to the idea of pantheism. "You're God, I'm God, everyone is God. If you don't believe in God, you don't believe in yourself." Well I don't believe that I'm God, but this statement is still pretty interesting.

But how could I have seen?
What was I to do?
How could I know I would find you?
-Erik, The Phantom of the Opera, Tom Alonso

 

[=X-Sparker + AquaKiller=]

gigacannon

So, you're an atheist. You don't believe in God. But since you don't believe in God, it follows that being an atheist is therefore the least defining element of your personality. If God does not exist, then to define your entire belief system by one statement of what you don't believe in seems... well, daft.

First of all, how would not believing in God make it the least defining element of my personality? A majority of people on this planet are theists, so if I'm not one, I'm a minority. And that pretty much sticks out like a sore bone already.

Secondly, just because I don't believe in god, it doesn't mean that I don't believe in anything else. Doh. You wanna know what I believe in? I believe in science and humanity. Atheism, science and humanity are the three main features of my belief system, each of which have smaller branches and reasons so no, my belief system is not entirely defined by atheism and you're oversimplifying people.

gigacannon

If you aren't a theist, then what are you? What do you care about? And what even is this 'God' that you claim not to believe in? Because it seems to me that there are lots of different meanings to the word.

I AM an atheist, thank you. I care about my family, friends and things that I love. I think that's good enough for something to care about. "god" is a figment of mankind's imagination and an excuse some idiots made so they can burn people they don't like.

gigacannon

So, what are your ethics? What do you believe?

My ethics are simple common sense, natural laws and logic. Common sense don't tell me to kill people, or steal things that I don't own. Natural law tells me there are certain things I can't do, and certain things I CAN do. Logic tells me it's stupid to judge on anything before learning about it, or anyone before learning about him/her. And I don't want to be stupid.

As for my beliefs, I already told you above.  

[Eccentric Detective]

I am:

A pantheist. Like Einstein. The idea just seems to make the world not seem so cold. If the big, scary universe and all of its connections were wrapped up in one convenient word, we'd call it God. At least, that's what I've always thought. I can't imagine a different plane than this one - especially one containing a master puppeteer who has too much heart to control his marionettes, letting them run free, burn each other, kill and steal.

A humanist. I believe that if we all join together as a community, we can solve our society's problems and someday live in some kind of paradise. Heaven on earth, not somewhere you go after you die, a world you make for your children to live safely in.

Secular. I don't think any kind of religion should have any effect on government whatsoever. I know a lot of people take comfort from their religion, but I wish what I perceive as truth wouldn't be so disturbing to theists.

As for morality, I listen to my heart. You might call it a conscience, or a little voice in your head, but I know the consequences of my actions. Obviously if I steal, someone's going to be unhappy. I don't want people to be miserable, I want them to have a joyful life.  

[Prince Rilian]

I'm the same kind of things that theists are except without the theism. I don't have anything in that categorie. It's as if you're asking me "If you don't like music, then what do you like?" Obviously I can like lots of other things without liking music, and I don't have to have something to replace music. Besides, nothing could replace it. Whatever I purported to like in place of music would really just be another categorie. I have no religious beliefs. I have nothing that fits in the "theism" categorie, nor in the "religion" categorie.