
If I have a habit that I really want to break, and I am willing to
make whatever sacrifice I need to make to break it, then I do so.
There have been bad habits of mine that I've decided to put forth the
effort to break, and I've done so; there have been other bad habits
that I've decided are not worth the effort to break.  It's my choice,
either way.

I am my own master.  I choose what I want to do.  I weigh the benefits
of my actions against their consequences, and I use my experience to
help me deal with the unexpected, which in turn make me more experienced.

I don't always succeed, but I never fail, either -- I learn.

Do *you* have any habits you can't break?  Why not?


I have arrived at my own understanding of Christianity, just as you've
probably arrived at your own understanding of Islam that is most
likely very different from the way a Moslem thinks of his religion.
Are you "unable to master your lack of desire to understand even the
slightest concept of the Quran"?  If that's different, then how is it
different from what you accuse me of?  Can I accuse you of having no
desire to understand even the slightest concept of atheism?


Of COURSE not.  That's disgusting.  For centuries, religions have been
discriminating on sex and treating women as second-class humans;
that's one of the reasons I renounced my Christianity.


No.  I don't insult people.  Period.  It's not in my nature, and it's
not something that I want to do, either.


Not yet -- but my life is the ground I use to practice on.  The fun is
in the getting there!


We don't start out perfect; we've got to strive to be something
better.  I know my shortcomings, and I know my strengths, and I live
my life according to the decisions I make, and I am content to abide
with the consequences of my decisions as easily as I'll accept the
praise for them.  There have been times in my life when I've made
mistakes, yes; I try to never make the same mistake twice.


I regard Christ as a myth.  I feel that there are far too many people
offering far too many interpretations of what he supposedly said and
did.  The only person who can really judge me is *me*.  I choose the
roads I travel, and I decide whether or not I want to reach the end of
any given road or turn back -- and as long as I don't *always* turn
back, there's no shame in it.  When I need help, I seek out my friends.


And you don't have a clue about what I'm saying, either.  Open your
eyes and SEE; open your ears and LISTEN.  I'm not just spouting off
empty words.  This is my LIFE, this is what gives me MEANING.


Huh?  You're going WAY off the track here.

I say my mother loves me.  How do I know, you ask?  I can point to
definite things she's done for me, and I can even just bring her to
you so you can ask her, face-to-face.

You say your deity loves you.  How do you know, I ask?  You can't even
convince me that it exists!


If any god dangles 'heaven' before me like a carrot, promising untold
pleasures to me if I'll only suspend my disbelief and ignore my
rationality for just this once, then I would choose 'hell'.  I can
*not* lie to myself to placate another being, no matter how powerful
it is.

Note also that there are several gods trying to lure me this way:
Yahweh, Allah, Zeus, Odin, Ra...  Please give me a solid reason to
choose one of them over the others.

[ description of Kendigism deleted -- hee hee! ]


That paragraph demonstrates that you haven't listened to a single word
I've said.

Have you ever gone to an amusement park?  Why?  I mean, after a few
hours, it closes, and nothing's different except that you're a few
dollars lighter.  Going to the amusement park doesn't do you any good
at all.  Why do you do such a meaningless thing?

The answer is that you think it's fun.  You play the skee-ball over
and over because you'd like to get better at it, even though you're
not going to win anything better than a stuffed animal even if you
blow ten dollars on it.  You ride the roller coaster because it's an
thrilling experience, even though (because?) it scares the dickens out
of you.

In the same way, I think life is fun.  And I don't intend to leave the
amusement park of life until they close down for the night!  :-D


So you (and your holy book) say.  By the same token, therefore, Santa
Claus delivers toys every xmas.  Don't you see?  I have NO REASON to
believe that what you say is true.  Please give me some reason that I
can't similarly apply to Santa Claus.


I can't do it, because your existence means nothing more to me than
just your communications over the net.  You have no more bearing on
nor importance in my life than that; remove it, and you will cease to
be significant to me.

Are you thereby inferring that your deity is nothing more than a
collection of verses in a book, and cannot be supported without
invoking them?

Or do you mean that the existence of your deity (and, in fact, any
other deity that can be written about) is as real as your own
existence?

Why do you believe what you believe?
