First off, I am happy to say that I not only passed my exams, I performed better than most students in my class. The marks for Entrepreneurship Development still have to be given out, but I am certain I cleared that subject as well.
Over the last few months, I have analyzed theism from an objective viewpoint and found that I can no longer delude myself into identifying as such. I cannot assert that the Universe has a cause, for instance. Nor can I claim that an all-loving deity exists when logical implications such as Epicurus’ Problem of Evil come up.
What then do I believe in?
Though I cannot affirm my philosophic affiliations at this point in time, I can reasonably tell you that I outright reject the idea of an old man in the Heavens with unresolved narcissistic and abandonment issues. To be honest, I think Polytheism would more likely be a cosmic reality than monotheism ever will be. At least in Polytheism, we know that the Gods are limited, and this finiteness accounts for the problem of evil.
However, where the Universe is supposed to be directly under the governance of an Omniscient, Omnipotent and Omni-benevolent deity, evading the dilemma of evil becomes impossible. This is why I currently identify as atheist, and I definitely am as far as those of the Abrahamic faiths are concerned. Most followers of these religions, I am sure, deny the existence of deities such as Thor or Horus after all. In this regard, they are most certainly atheist to an extent.
I don't completely reject all theistic concepts, however. For instance, I believe that consciousness does not just die with our body. I question whether our memories are cached, as it were. This does not necessitate deity; atheists can even believe that souls exist whist still remaining atheists – as is the case with most Buddhists. Where does consciousness, where does the ‘soul’ go after we die? Do souls even exist? I believe these are rational questions requiring consideration from the scientific community so we can better pinpoint our position in, and relation to, the Universe.
Undoubtedly, I have gone through many shifts in my religious beliefs over the years. I went from being a hardcore Catholic, to Buddhist, to Hindu, to Apatheist and to Atheist all within two years. During a Facebook chat with a friend yesterday, I was told that I am fickle. I disagree. The uninformed mind might indeed see it as that, but I see it as growth. I can justify this because now I have a working knowledge of all the great religions of the world. I never identified with the Muslim faith, the reason being that Islam is a wretched plague, but I have some knowledge in that area as well. My point is that I can now talk on these religions with some level of authority whereas my sheltered friend cannot.
I guess I have reached that point where I am finally addressing the harder questions that I unconsciously chose to avoid before. If not atheist, then I might be classified as agnostic at the most, but I can no longer go back to that state of ignorance wherein I saw evil as a necessary contrast to good. If God was all-powerful, he would be able to get rid of evil without reducing our value of good.
Perhaps there exists a cosmic impersonality that man interpreted as personal in the form of God/s. Many Eastern schools of thought teach this after all. This is just one of my many daily musings. Right now, all of my beliefs, or lack thereof, can be summed up in Socrates’ famous quote:
Over the last few months, I have analyzed theism from an objective viewpoint and found that I can no longer delude myself into identifying as such. I cannot assert that the Universe has a cause, for instance. Nor can I claim that an all-loving deity exists when logical implications such as Epicurus’ Problem of Evil come up.
What then do I believe in?
Though I cannot affirm my philosophic affiliations at this point in time, I can reasonably tell you that I outright reject the idea of an old man in the Heavens with unresolved narcissistic and abandonment issues. To be honest, I think Polytheism would more likely be a cosmic reality than monotheism ever will be. At least in Polytheism, we know that the Gods are limited, and this finiteness accounts for the problem of evil.
However, where the Universe is supposed to be directly under the governance of an Omniscient, Omnipotent and Omni-benevolent deity, evading the dilemma of evil becomes impossible. This is why I currently identify as atheist, and I definitely am as far as those of the Abrahamic faiths are concerned. Most followers of these religions, I am sure, deny the existence of deities such as Thor or Horus after all. In this regard, they are most certainly atheist to an extent.
I don't completely reject all theistic concepts, however. For instance, I believe that consciousness does not just die with our body. I question whether our memories are cached, as it were. This does not necessitate deity; atheists can even believe that souls exist whist still remaining atheists – as is the case with most Buddhists. Where does consciousness, where does the ‘soul’ go after we die? Do souls even exist? I believe these are rational questions requiring consideration from the scientific community so we can better pinpoint our position in, and relation to, the Universe.
Undoubtedly, I have gone through many shifts in my religious beliefs over the years. I went from being a hardcore Catholic, to Buddhist, to Hindu, to Apatheist and to Atheist all within two years. During a Facebook chat with a friend yesterday, I was told that I am fickle. I disagree. The uninformed mind might indeed see it as that, but I see it as growth. I can justify this because now I have a working knowledge of all the great religions of the world. I never identified with the Muslim faith, the reason being that Islam is a wretched plague, but I have some knowledge in that area as well. My point is that I can now talk on these religions with some level of authority whereas my sheltered friend cannot.
I guess I have reached that point where I am finally addressing the harder questions that I unconsciously chose to avoid before. If not atheist, then I might be classified as agnostic at the most, but I can no longer go back to that state of ignorance wherein I saw evil as a necessary contrast to good. If God was all-powerful, he would be able to get rid of evil without reducing our value of good.
Perhaps there exists a cosmic impersonality that man interpreted as personal in the form of God/s. Many Eastern schools of thought teach this after all. This is just one of my many daily musings. Right now, all of my beliefs, or lack thereof, can be summed up in Socrates’ famous quote:
"All I know is that I know nothing"
