mentor: profile 
about mentor
I am a freethinker...a scientific naturalist, if you will.
Freethought: a philosophical viewpoint that holds that beliefs should be formed on the basis of science and logic and not be influenced by authority, emotion, tradition, or dogma.
Philosophy is questions that may never be answered...
Religion is answers that may never be questioned...
Politically I would self-identify as a moderate, though some other golo members might still consider me a "moonbat." At times my political views tend to be more Libertarian, which is one reason I have so much admiration for Thomas Jefferson. It seems political points of view are treated as stereotypical caricatures by many members. It's always easier to attack your own cartoonish version of the other person's views than to understand what the other person's views actually are.
One of my favorite pastimes is studying the philosophers of history, especially in the area of religion. I spent years mentally "at sea" on the topic, knowing my Methodist upbringing wasn't ringing true in my mind...yet not being willing to entertain the possibility that what I had believed all my life might not really be true. I came across the writings of a man named Robert G. Ingersoll, and realized I had stumbled on what I was looking for. If you have never seen or read any of his speeches, do yourself a favor and do so! You can find his work (among others) at www.infidels.org He echoed all my unspoken sentiments about everything that was wrong with Christianity.
Why I Am An Agnostic (1896)
About the Holy Bible (1894)
I floated for a short while in the deist realm, along with the likes of (the much maligned) Thomas Paine, Benjamin Franklin and Thomas Jefferson. After more study of the theist/non-theist debate, and soaking up all the modern evolutionary biology I could get my hands on, I began to realize that the universe is explainable without a god as a first cause...in fact it was more convoluted to insert a complex un-caused being at the beginning! Ockham's razor chops away the unnecessary complexity and leaves a simple conclusion: The universe, in some form or other, has always existed. A hard concept for us to grasp, but much simpler than a creator god who was there when it started - but who had done "god only knows" before that! (pun intended)
The hardest part of letting go of God is letting go of the idea of an afterlife...we all somehow feel we should continue on forever, even after our bodies die. I came to realize that this life is all we have. This bothered me for a bit, but it makes a lot more sense than tripping off into an eternity of existence after just a quick 'blip' of a biological life. Epicurus long ago noted that death need not be feared..."If I am here, death is not! When death comes, I shall not be here." Why fear something we will never "share the room with", so to speak? Mark Twain brought his wit and common sense to the topic as well when he said, "I was dead for millions of years before I was born and it never inconvenienced me a bit!" I expect it will be the same for all of us as well. My memory of 2112 will be the same as my memories of 1812! :-) The belief that our lives are just a quick prelude to some vague eternity to come later robs us of the full appreciation for the life we have right here, right now! When we can realize that this is our one and only life, it becomes all the more special and dear to us.
The other difficult part of letting go of religious belief is realizing that there will be no "final justice". Hitler is dead; simply dead. There is no hell for him to go to...his existence is ended except for the horrible memories of all the wrongs he perpetrated on humanity while he was alive. Horror was his legacy. Hopefully his miserable life will continue to teach us what the fruits of racial hatred and fascism really are.
You and I have our own opportunity to leave a legacy as well...hopefully a positive one! Maybe this is our shot at immortality after all - to leave behind good memories in the minds of people who knew us..to bequeath to the future all the best we could muster, seen through the eyes of our children.
But, I digress. If you want something to happen in your life, go out and make it happen! If you want justice, you will have to work for it. There is no celestial umpire that is going to call the game in your favor and fix all that was wrong with your life. Prayer is mind-talk and may help some people, but if you use your mind and your reasoning skills, one day you will realize that you're only talking to yourself. YOU are the architect of your future! Be proud of your successes, and don't beat yourself up over your failures. Life is short, and precious....live it for what it is: a rare and special opportunity!
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Please don't misunderstand my purpose here solely based on the amount of material I present relating to non-belief. Actually, I would characterize myself as more of a logic-based polemicist than an iconoclast. I have no agenda to "bash" religious faith per se, or to cast aspersions on anyone for whom faith and religion are important. In my contributions I will do my best to avoid contributing to the consequences and pitfalls of a world in which the lines between fact and opinion, informed expertise and amateurish speculation are willfully blurred.
Fun YouTube Destinations!
MadTV Carlin sketch.
A few notable quotes.
A few thoughts from Sam Harris.
It's not always easy to be secular in the U.S.
"Of all religions, the Christian should of course inspire the most tolerance, but until now Christians have been the most intolerant of all men." - Voltaire
"I would defend the liberty of consenting adult creationists to practice whatever intellectual perversions they like in the privacy of their own homes; but it is also necessary to protect the young and innocent. - Arthur C. Clarke
The Bible is not my book, nor Christianity my profession. I could never give assent to the long, complicated statements of Christian dogma. - Abraham Lincoln
In religion and politics, people's beliefs and convictions are in almost every case gotten at second-hand, and without examination. - Mark Twain
Fear is the mother of all gods. Nature does all things spontaneously by herself without their meddling. - Lucretius
About the name Mentor: Years ago, when I was running a bbs, I had a user with this handle. He was an old guy who had a way of bringing just the right mix of wisdom and common sense to a discussion. He's long gone now, and I use the name mostly as a tribute to him.
We now have a group for atheist/agnostic golo members! Please apply if you would like to be part of it:
An expanded blog on these topics is under construction on Wordpress HERE. Comments and discussion are welcome! If you prefer, you may reach me directly at free.thought2@gmail.com.
favorites
favorite music: now playing on youtube...movits! - fel del av gården
favorite movies: good sci-fi
favorite hobbies: computers - philosophy - astronomy - audio production
favorite tv shows: any good educational show covering science topics...the daily show... the colbert report
favorite restaurants: good mexican restaurants
favorite web sites: pandasthumb.org (recently)
favorite vacation spots: uhhh....vacation?
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For the second, there are many Christian sects who believe in the subjugation of women. The Worldwide Church of God (founded by Herbert W. Armstrong) and it's descendants are among the most extreme.
Sorry for not being clear.
GOLO member since January 29, 2008
March 18, 2008 9:11 p.m.
GOLO member since March 18, 2008
March 18, 2008 9:32 p.m.
Welcome to GOLO. You should blog some of this statement, you will find many are interested. And they may not agree, so it could get lively!
BTW, I'm Susan.
GOLO member since August 7, 2007
March 20, 2008 12:35 p.m.
Thanks for your comments. You're right, this topic is a powder keg! A non-believer or even a person who is just not religious has a good chance of running into discrimination in the south. A friend of mine in Alabama has had his car windows smashed and crosses placed in his yard just because he is known to be an atheist. He tells me he fears the Christians more than any other group! As for me, I work in an office building full of believers. I don't publicize my philosophical views, (at least not yet) I have a feeling life at the office might go downhill if I do!...I'd probably get a lot of hateful glares or a lot of proselytizing from people trying to save me. Anyway, back to your other comment about being happy...Robert Ingersoll (hey he's back!) had what I think is a great creed for living: "Happiness is the only good. The time to be happy is now. The place to be happy is here. The way to be happy is to make others so."
GOLO member since March 18, 2008
March 21, 2008 9:15 a.m.
Happy Easter Mentor ... Jesus is ALIVE AND GLORY TO HIS NAME.
March 22, 2008 10:42 p.m.
What a negative person you are! You take time out on one of your important religious days to toss insults my way. Is this the kind of behavior Christ taught you? Instead of talking to a non-believer to get the straight scoop, you cling to the silly caricatures from preachers and other fundamentalists. The fact is, most non-believers are very happy people. We love our families and want to be good citizens while we are here. As for your caricature of evolution - it betrays a lack of knowledge on that subject as well. If you want to know more about what the theory actually says, check out 'talkorigins.org' Happy Easter to you as well...don't forget to remember some of the many other crucified saviors who rose on the 3rd day, like Mithra, Chrishna, and Thammuz - all before Christ...all killed to atone for the sins of men.
GOLO member since March 18, 2008
March 23, 2008 9:41 a.m.
On an aside enjoy the buccaneer (she says sarcastically). . .apparently I do not espouse the proper beliefs either! Take care.
GOLO member since March 12, 2008
March 24, 2008 12:35 p.m.
"Happiness is the only good. The time to be happy is now. The place to be happy is here. The way to be happy is to make others so."
I completely agree with that. I think that no matter what or who you believe in, the most important thing is to be good. . .to yourself and others; and you will be happy!
GOLO member since March 12, 2008
March 24, 2008 12:42 p.m.
You're in good company here. I think a lot of people, even practicing Christians may actually feel this way...I have felt the same in the past, but as I thought more about it, I realized that the universe may suggest a creator, but not a personal god. Prayers get 'answered' at about a 50/50 pace...bad things happen at random intervals for no particular reason. We create elaborate excuses for God's inaction (like free will) but nature behaves in such a way to suggest that 'if' a god exists, after creating the universe he moved on and is not participating in the day to day affairs of his creation. If God intervenes, technically it would invalidate the whole 'free will' concept. If God could intervene but doesn't - he isn't very nice, and if he would intervene but can't - he isn't all-powerful...a few contradictions.
GOLO member since March 18, 2008
March 24, 2008 2:34 p.m.
Good ldea! Thanks for the recipes. :)
GOLO member since March 18, 2008
March 31, 2008 11:16 a.m.
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