Among the griefs of being atheist is when you...

are really thankfull - but has no one to thank.

 

Hell, worse is being angry with no one to blame.

 

Rofl....definitely



But really, if I am feeling thankful I always have someone to thank. Why assume I wouldn't?

Those little cutsie religious lines generally only work on religious people.

 

Everything has a cause and effect.

If I get an A in a class, I am thankful to myself for doing the work and thankful to my teacher for giving me the grade.

If I get over cancer, I am thankful to the doctors who researched whatever petty treatments we have so far that have enabled me to get over the sickness.

If it's a nice day outside, I am thankful to the sun for providing us with the energy that powers our weather systems.

 

Are you reading my mind right now!?!?!?

 

You see that as a grief, because you don't see us thanking anyone, and that suggests our lives are without meaning.

But we give thanks to ourselves and our environment; instead of giving thanks for our entire lives through words alone, we recieve the gift (of life) and use that gift to turn the world into a better place.

We thank nobody because words and silent praying are not enough to show our thanks; instead, we live life as it was meant to be lived, and that is our thanks. The greatest thanks you can give for a gift is to use that gift in the spirit in which it was given.

If there is indeed a god, who does not want evil to exist (but allows it to for our own good), and wants us to live life, and he has given us life, then the greatest way we can thank him for our life is by accepting that gift and living, and helping to abolish evil along the way.

I hope this explains it. =)

 

You explained it very well acually, thank you.

I was just thinking of one of those days when everything seems to fit, if you want something it suddently appears infront of you and every little action you do during this day is so perfectly ordered. I must say, I would have feeled deprived if I didnt have someone(not something and exl my self) to thank but then again, people are different.

 

As an agnostic....
And a practical person..
The answer was obvious.

In situations where statements of wonder are required...

occam says..."Their GOD!!!!!"

Occam

PS.
Occam once had farewells with a group that included some christians
they walked away. some saying 'god bless you' ..exct.
Occam replied with 'Ahura Mazda bless you as well'

Man.. the looks..what a laugh.

 

lol....

 

Well, if there is a God according to, say, what you believe in, then he has complete and total control over the universe, correct?

Then, either those happenings are a coincidence and God has just let the dominos fall as they may, or they're divinely manifested through the universe.

Either way, the universe's state is what is most immediately to thank. You are thankful for the events that occurred to whatever made them manifest. If those events are a coincidence, the thanks goes to the universe, but if those events are through divine intervention, the thanks would be passed along to God, because he is responsible for their occurrance, I should think.

 

we thank our lucky stars, sonny jimirazzaq

 

Circumstance is everything.

I thank whoever is responsible for my good "fortune".

If it is nature, I just shrug and wipe my brow... the sigh is a good substitute.

 

i actually thank people and make them feel good for what they've done instead of thanking a "god" who had absolutely nothing to do with anything.

 

do you consider yourself an atheist?
I just ask because, I find it hard to understand how you could feel this way if you truly believe there is no god, or the like....

For me, I don't consider this a grief...in fact it's not even a problem, because I thank myself. I believe that everything in my life whether it's good or bad, is there because of my decisions, actions, etc. Why should I thank anyone but myself? That might sound a bit selfish, but it's the most uplifting belief I think you could have...
For example, if you land a job you've been dreaming of your whole life... would you turn to someone else, or a God to thank for it? I know I sure as hell wouldn't, because I would know that I worked for it. To think that the good things that happen in your life is because of a higher power, to me...is absurd. You create the events that happen with the decisions you make.

If I'm not mistaken someone mentioned cause and effect... and it all ties in with that.

 

I see your point, though I see it from a different angle. Im thankful for the one who gave me the hands in which I performed the action with instead of the hands themselves.

 

Among the griefs of being atheist is when you...

are really thankfull - but has no one to thank.
cabdirazz

Cabdirazz, your post clearly implies that you are an atheist. How else could you state what griefs are the result of being one?

I admit I am a hippocrite, cuz I am not convinced that there is a God, yet I find myself 'Thanking God' every day. Today I did so, and as usual, didn't give it a second thought. I have faith in many things, but an omnipotent supreme being is still an unknown quantity to me. I believe in miracles, but that doesn't make me believe in God. I believe in guardian angels, but that doesn't either. And I believe that atheists are no less righteous than theists, and that both can be right, since we are all alone in our experience of life, so no one can say for certain what is true for another person. That is my firm belief.
I am with soulrebel51 in that I would never downplay the achievements of someone by giving the credit to God instead of to the person who chose to do something good.
It is too easy to say, "The devil made me do it.", and "It must have been God's will." It is much more rare from what I have seen for people to say, " I am to blame, I was wrong, I made the mistake myself."
Does anyone else notice how prevalent it has become for people to try to shift blame off of themselves? Few people these days seem to be willing to take responsibility for their screw ups. Almost everyone has an excuse for why their mess is not their doing......
'Everyone is self-made, but only the successful admit it.' Anonymous

 

I thank people because they need to hear it, not because they deserve it. Of course, truthfully, the only reason they do the things they do is God.

 

In that case, we have no free will, no choice, and the whole universe is just a sham. Its moot. Pointless, like a rigged WWE match. Why would God even bother? Makes no sense whatsoever.
The only reason you wrote that is God, then, so why write it? We all may as well just end it if we have no individual choices to make, cuz God is the reason. The starving babies, the hate crimes, the pollution, extinctions, and child abuse is all not our fault then. So child molesters can just say, the reason I did it was God, so I'm not responsible....
In theory, there is no difference between theory and practice, but in practice there is.
I cannot agree with your statement. I thank people cuz I am grateful, whether they need it or not, and some, like Mother Teresa for example, very likely do not need to hear it. But that is not why I say thanks, anyway, so I will say it even, especially, if it is not needed.

 

Some people enjoy rigged WWE matches. Part of the fun is not knowing what comes next. You ever watch a movie?

Anyway, it's the way it is and it is enjoyable.

Why do writer's write? Probably because they enjoy it. Possibly they enjoy sharing whats in their mind with others who can understand it. Makes a lot of sense to me.

Hey, it's just the way I am. I like to participate. My one friends kid likes to run her toy vacuum while she vacuums with the real vacuum because she likes helping and doesn't know any better. A lot of the stuff we do is necessary because it is our felling of participation that is vital. I still play games, because of a God given ability to believe in fiction that I call suspension of disbelief.

Really? You don't enjoy it? Why does the reason for something you enjoy take away from the enjoyment of it?

I think the thing you need to see is that God creates the illusion of freedom for you, and part of the illusion of freedom is the evil that happens in the world. Evil is breathing room for the soul.

I do too (thank people because I feel grateful for their actions). The thing is, this gratefulness to a person is part of the fiction of life, the suspension of disbelief, the evil, if you will. You feel it to another character in life to a much greater extent than you would feel grateful to a character in a movie because you are part of the script, not just as a watcher, but as a protagonist/antagonist as well. You get to feel what it is like to be a protagonist/antagonist because you are written in to the script in this manner.

Of course, whatever you feel is going to come about because of your understanding of your role in the book of life, and the book of life does not close. There are other chapters, some of which rely upon your suspension of disbelief to be enjoyable. I like fiction, non-fiction, and fables (ficticious stories that illustrate a non-fictional point). Rambling a bit, aren't I?

 

One question. Do you and I make our own choices? If not, whats the point? I am still missing something. I can even accept a concept such as that God knows what I am going to choose in every instance for my whole life, and thus knows everything that will happen to me...but...does that mean I am not making that choice, or does it mean that an omniscient deity is eternal and time is therefore immaterial. I choose, of my own free will, but the prescient God bets which choice I will make and is right every time. I would prefer that idea. If it is all God, and I do believe we are all a part of God, but if everything I will do from now on is out of my hands, it seems a bit futile, no?