In Reply to: Re: criticisms of aetheism posted by Farmer on January 28, 2007 at 17:03:52:
Back to square one, the rule books are written by men. That's my opinion.
"It's not that we cannot obtain "goodness", but not by digging up/tapping some "lost" fountain within ourselves...somewhat dormant, waiting to be discovered through some dark mysterious way." That's your opinion.
There's nothing dark or mysterious about my journey, and there's nothing lost about the energy that I have in me and around me. I like to call God the Great Creator, and what I see is an abundance of good positive energy and love in creation which I'm grateful to be a part of. I don't need a rulebook to enjoy that. Speaking for myself here.
I'm not saying you're right or wrong.
I'd like to be the kind of person that can accept, for example, the preaching of an evangelical when he quoting the Bible to someone like me because he believes he's doing God's will and he's only loving me with "the love of Christ" to try to save me from my waywardness and sins. Can I say he's "wrong" to do that? In his mind he really believes that what he's doing is right.
I still do get bothered when someone tries to tell me that their faith is somehow the right one with the implication that what I believe is not, and if I want the truth I need to see the light of their "way" or else I'm going to stay in the dark and be lost, or whatever.
The rulebooks: I believe in learning from what men have written, and there's lots of "rulebooks", "anti-rulebooks", and what have out you out there. I believe that lots of people write things that reflect the love and positive energy that is in Creation. When I find something that works for me I use it. If it doesn't work it's not for me.
Happy trails to me.