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Bringing you atheist articles and building active godless communities takes hundreds of hours and resources each month. If you find any joy or stimulation at Atheist Republic, please consider becoming a Supporting Member with a recurring monthly donation of your choosing, between a cup of tea and a good dinner.
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Bringing you atheist articles and building active godless communities takes hundreds of hours and resources each month. If you find any joy or stimulation at Atheist Republic, please consider becoming a Supporting Member with a recurring monthly donation of your choosing, between a cup of tea and a good dinner.
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I changed my name from Kundalino to Ricardo! thank you all for the clarification!
For an atheist, not rational to believe in Kundalini!
It is the energy that transits between the chakras that are energy centers in the physical body. It derives from a Sanskrit word that literally means "coiled like a snake" or "one that is shaped like a snake"
Does belief in Kundalini require belief in a god or deity?
If no, then an atheist is free to believe in Kundalini. Whether it's logical or not is a separate matter.
@Ricardo
Howdy! Welcome to the AR. I'm a little late getting to this thread. My apologies. Been a bit pressed for time the past few days, and a couple of other threads have kept me preoccupied. But I digress...
Re: "Are all atheists skeptics?"
As others have already mentioned, that varies widely across the board, and the ONLY thing that makes a person an atheist is the lack of belief in any god(s). Beyond that, the field is wide open.
Personally, I consider myself to be incredibly skeptical (and even strongly cynical) in regards to some matters. While, at the same time, I can be surprisingly open-minded in other areas. But the ONLY reason I identify as an atheist is because I do not believe in god(s). And it has only been within the last couple of years that I was finally able to fully shed my religious indoctrination and feel comfortable in calling myself an atheist.
Re: "For an atheist, not rational to believe in Kundalini!"
...*chuckle*... As an atheist, you are free to believe in anything you want, as long as you do not believe in any god(s). My wife is a certified yoga instructor, and I was one of her students for awhile. (That is actually how we met.) Therefore, I am familiar with chakras and kundalini and all that is involved. Interesting stuff, in its own way, and yoga is a great way to help maintain good health if done properly. My wife is also Pagan, and a practicing witch. She has a couple of altars she maintains daily and uses for rituals, and our house is filled with pictures, paintings, statues, and various other items relating to Paganism and witchcraft. Moreover, she is always researching and reading books about casting spells and other related topics. Now, do I practice any of those things? Nope. Am I skeptical about it? Certainly. So, that may make you wonder how well we get along with each other. Fact is, we have a fantastic relationship... *big grin*...
"But, Tin-Man," you may ask, "as an atheist, how do you tolerate being surrounded by all those things day in and day out? Doesn't it make you uncomfortable?" Nope, not even slightly. Truth is, I find it all to be very fascinating, and I actually made/crafted for her many of the items she uses for her altars and rituals. It makes her happy, and she genuinely appreciates my work. I feel more relaxed and more at ease in my home surrounded by pagan gods and witchcraft than I ever felt in any church I ever entered. (Although, nowadays, walking into a church just fills me with a sense of amusement... *chuckle*...)
Anyway, didn't mean to ramble for so long. Hope this helped you in some way. Good to have you with us.
@ Tin-Man:
yes, it helped me a lot! thanks !
Quote from Tin-Man
"But, Tin-Man," you may ask, "as an atheist, how do you tolerate being surrounded by all those things day in and day out? Doesn't it make you uncomfortable?"
As an atheist I see many places of worship as I do I my daily travels. Yes, I believe religion is a barbaric and now-useless institution supported by lies and manipulation. But you just have to learn to tolerate it.
@Ricardo: "It is the energy??" No! It is a story about some imagined energy, never verified by science or empirical evidence that moves between imagined energy centers in a human body. Is someone seriously telling me that I have a glowing red spinning wheel of energy in my scrotum?
@ Tin-Man
Does your wife believe in an afterlife? Does your wife believe in spirits and communications with the spirits of dead people? Does your wife believe in reincarnation? Does your wife believe in God and the devil?
@Ricardo Re: Wife's beliefs
Ahhhh, excellent questions. Glad you asked... *grin*... Interestingly enough, for all practical purposes, my wife could actually be considered an atheist, because she does not believe the gods she follows to be truly real entities. And she definitely does not believe the devil and the god in the bible are real. Truth is, she only uses "Pagan" and "witch" as terms of convenience, because there is no single "label" that can be used to describe her beliefs. For she is quite a wondrously fascinating eclectic mix of a number of different spiritual belief systems and disciplines. Push comes to shove, though, she usually prefers to be referred to as a Gypsy, due to her strong ties with her Hungarian ancestry. Hmmm... Perhaps a bit of background on her would help...
My wonderful woman grew up in a Christian household with Hungarian grandparents on one side (her Dad's parents) and Appalachian Mountain folk/Native American Indian grandparents on the other side (her Mom's parents). One helluva mix, in other words... *chuckle*... And from kindergarten through high school graduation she attended a private Christian school. Meaning she had a graded Bible Class she had to attend throughout every school year, and that class had to be passed in order to advance to the next grade and graduate. (And she was an "A" student, by the way.) Suffice it to say, my wife is more familiar with the bible and more knowledgeable of Christian teachings than many preachers. To add to that, she is quite the research fiend. As such, she has done a great deal of studying of various other religions, along with some deep probing into the origins of Christianity in general. She is particularly interested in Ancient Egyptian cultures, with an even stronger fascination with the kings and queens who were the centers of power during the eras surrounding the reign of Henry the VIII. All in all, her vast knowledge in these areas is one of the major factors that helped me to finally break away from the last few threads holding me to my religious indoctrination. But back to your questions now...
In regards to an "afterlife" and "reincarnation", she does not believe in those things in a literal sense. As we all know, at the very base of our fundamental structures, we are all made of energy. And we all know that energy can be neither created nor destroyed. It can only change form, right? With that in mind, she believes that when we die, the energy from our mind/thoughts simply changes forms into some other type of energy. And as such, some people have more "energetic presence" than others, meaning some of their energy may sometimes have a tendency to "linger" in specific places. And that is how she generally explains some of the more "interesting" things she has experienced within our house since her Mom and Dad died a few years ago. (We currently live in her parents' house that she inherited, and both of them died in this house.) Keep in mind, she is fully aware that some of her experiences could have been strictly psychological in nature, and that others may indeed have legitimate scientific causes. In other words, she does not believe that actual ghosts of her Mom or Dad are "haunting" our house. In all honesty, I have even experienced a few odd things here from time to time that I have no way of explaining. But just because I cannot explain them, it does not mean it must have been a "ghost" or a "spirit" or anything else "supernatural". It just simply means I cannot explain it... *chuckle*...
As I have already said, she does not believe any of the Pagan gods are truly real entities. (Although, she and I both have a few Pagan friends who absolutely DO believe those gods are real.) Instead, she only sees those gods as being symbols of various human characteristics, with each god representing a specific trait for which a person can use to focus and draw strength from as necessary. For example, Ganesha (Primarily the god of strength and "the remover of obstacles."), Loki (god of mischief and chaos), The Morrigan (goddess of war, fate, death, and sex). Furthermore, she does not worship any of the gods. She only uses their respective images to focus her attention and draw insight and strength from the qualities/characteristics they possess/represent. Much like how a professional athlete might have a particular "ritual" they perform in order to focus their mind before a big game/competition.
I mentioned she has a couple of altars in the house. One in particular is what she calls her "Ancestor Altar". It basically has several family pictures, knickknacks, and heirlooms placed on it in a particular fashion. Each day she lights a candle on it and takes a moment to remember her ancestors (some of who passed away many decades ago), and remind herself of her roots and draw strength from the hardships they endured that eventually allowed her to be born and grow up to have the successful life she has today. She quietly thanks them for their many sacrifices, and this little "ritual" helps to give her the strength and confidence to face another day dealing with the usual stresses and annoyances associated with day to day life. Plus, as the old saying goes, a person is not truly dead until the last person who remembers them dies. Therefore, in order to show respect and honor to her ancestors, she does her part in trying to keep their memories alive.
Another important factor to remember is that she and I get along so well because we understand and respect each other's views and beliefs, and neither of us try to force our individual beliefs on the other. (Not that there is any real conflict in the first place.) Outside of that, however, is also the fact that neither of us attempt to force our views/beliefs on others. A person wants to believe in the bible and the god contained therein, so be it. No skin off my nose. To each his own. And that is the way it should be, as long as one does not attempt to force his/her personal beliefs on another person and/or group. Unfortunately, though, most Christians I know and grew up with do not see things that way. In their minds, you either believe what they believe, or you are WRONG, and you are going to hell. And I have known a few who are more extreme in that they believe everybody should be forced to believe they way they do. (But that is another topic altogether.) Gonna go ahead and get this posted before it grows much longer. Hope I managed to answer your questions for you in all the rambling I just did... lol...
tin: "Christians I know and grew up with do not see things that way. In their minds, you either believe what they believe, or you are WRONG, and you are going to hell."
These are the core beliefs of the Abrahamic faiths. All of them. The Jews were God's chosen people. They were special, separate from the pagans. Unique in the eyes of god. They had a special covenant that they had to follow to please their god.
The Christians have the New Covenant because Jesus died to save them. They are special. Only the Christians go to heaven and all others will burn in hell. Eternal damnation is the reward for the non-believer.
The Muslims copied Christian dogma but got rid of the Jesus myth. It was a return to the One God of the Old Testament. If you are a non-believer, Allah will punish you and you will burn in the pits of hell
The Abrahamic religions are based on BELIEF. You must believe as the faithful believe. These are called "closed religions." (In group / out group) faiths.
Religions like taoism, buddhism, shamanism, paganism, do not care about your beliefs. You are a human being on a journey through this world. You will learn what you need to learn and then move on or be reincarnated to learn the lessons you did not get this time. Everyone is on the same journey, we are all the same. What you believe is just a part of the journey you are on. These are "open religions." Believe or don't believe, it really does not matter. You will get what you need from your life.
@Cognostic
You are an atheist of vast culture! thanks for the clarification!
@ Tin-Man
You are an atheist of vast culture!
RE: "You are an atheist of vast culture!"
@Sheldon
@Old Man
@Cali
@Cyber
@Nyarlathotep
@In Spirit
@Ratty
@David Killens
@et al
HA! IN YOUR FACE!!!
@Cog
Ha! You and I are of vast culture!... *high five*... *fist bump*...
@Ricardo.
Welcome to the machine. It's a well kept one here. A gear goes out of place and a whole slew of volunteers get right down to it.
@Cognistic
"HA! IN YOUR FACE!!!"
Well deserved compliment. No rebuttal...... Wait a minute...how low does the scale go?....... How far below am I?
Am I under a heap of...Oh noooooooo. Tin-man pass me your tin shovel.
Hey wait I think I'm standing on someones shoulder.
Is that? Can't tell in this pile of **...Help !!
@In Spirit Re: "Tin-man pass me your tin shovel."
Sorry, Spirit, but I don't have a shovel. The shovel belongs to Cog. I have a butterknife. (My wife won't allow me to have anything with a sharp edge. It's for my own safety.)
@Tin-Man: Well, shit howdy. I'm posting the comment on the outside of my front door where everyone who comes to visit me can see it.
@Ricardo: On a side note..... Thank you for the complement Ricardo. However it was a bit too much. Just saying "Thanks for the information" is fine. We are not having fun at your expense. Tin and I constantly play this way in the forums. By the way! We are both eternally grateful that you did not mention OLD MAN. He is completely undeserving of any kind of praise. That trike riding bastard.
@Cognostic:
What did you mean by the expression "OLD MAN"?
@Ricardo: Re: "What did you mean, Old Man."
What a WONDERFUL question. The fact that you have been on the site for as long as you have, and, have not yet noticed that trike riding bastard brings tears of joy to my eyes. That is the best question I have heard all year. If there was a prize for asking the best question, you would get it!!!
"Old Man Bitches--- Whines --- Screams --- Cries??? Something like that." he is one of the people that posts on the site.
@Ricardo
Cog was referring to Old Man Shouts at Clouds. He is the guy you see riding the pretty little tricycle around this joint.
@ Tin-Man:
Happens Unusual Phenomena in Your Home? what really happens?
Well before she sneaked out (forever) while I was in work, it was the wife hiding my shit, or tidying up as she called it. Now there is no unusual phenomena, just me getting drunk on the sofa, watching telly.
Why was Christian Missionary John Allen Chau killed by the northern sentry tribe?
@Ricardo
"Why was Christian Missionary John Allen Chau killed by the northern sentry tribe?"
Because the Indian government learned form past experience that this island was extremely hostile to outsiders.
Because the Indian government was aware that such isolation meant that every person living on the island was vulnerable to outside germs. When the new world was discovered, it is estimated that the population in Europe and North America was very similar. But within a few centuries, thanks to advanced weapons and disease, the population of native North Americans was utterly shredded.
Because the Indian government put that island off-limits and even had patrols attempting to keep fools away
Because Chau and his religion were arrogant.
THUNK !!!
@Ricardo: RE: "Why -John Allen Chau killed?" We have a whole thread on that. You are on a roll today. Another great question. Here is the link....
https://www.atheistrepublic.com/forums/atheist-hub/christian-missionary-...
@Ricardo Re: "Why was Christian Missionary John Allen Chau killed by the northern sentry tribe?"
Because he thought he was special and that his god would protect him from his stupidity. Well, we see how that worked out for him.
People is dumb, especially missionaries. Ever hear the expression *never trouble trouble, until trouble troubles you? Many god bothers feel obliged to stick their oar in where it is definitely not wanted.
@Tin-Man and Cognostic
sorry for the compliment!
The compliment is always dispensable!
@Ricardo - No... Tanks for the complement. A simple "Thanks" will be sufficient in the future. Both Tin and I had fun with it.
@Ricardo Re: Compliments
Yo, dude, no need to apologize for paying us a compliment. Please understand, our sense of humor knows very few boundaries, and we enjoy being sarcastic assholes whenever given the opportunity. You're cool with us. I'm guessing English is not your first language, so I understand there may be a few misinterpretations. No biggie. Just roll with the flow, bud. You'll catch on soon enough... *chuckle*...
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