An agnostic burner’s point of view

[TomServo]

I’m an agnostic. I believe It is impossible to prove or disprove the existence of a god. And that the world’s attempts to do so, throughout history, have resulted in war, hatred and misunderstandings. I am not a “fence sitter.” Agnosticism is not a religion. I’ve analyzed both sides of the debate, and came to the conclusion that it’s a futile exercise, trying to justify or explain a position you really know nothing about.

This is not to say, that I do not believe in spirituality. That, I can feel. Or, at least have the illusion of feeling. It would be nice to know for certain, that a loving god exists. That he or she is controlling the universe, and is responsible for all the fucked up shit that happens. but faith or denial is all most people have to go on, And I don’t like either word. I have had a spiritual awakening, I think…and it was at Burning man.

My first year at burning man, I sat on top of the hay bales, below the man. It may have been dehydration, or it may have just been the beer…but, I had an overwhelming sense of comfort and purpose. That something larger than myself was watching over me…probably because a 50 foot wooden man was standing over me. I’ve often felt, since then, that the collective conscious of black rock city is that larger force.

So, I’ll end this little speech with an agnostic prayer…

Whoever…you know who I’m talking about, if you do exist. Please don’t spill the beans. Keep us guessing, in our minds…but don’t allow us to be obsessed with it. Because there’s a lot of cool shit in life, for us to discover… and…no offense, you are just a distraction.

[Bob]

Hello, my name is Bob, and I'm an atheist. The don't-give-a-fuck-about-the-question-of-God kind of atheist. I do find religion amusing enough to be a spectator, but not a participant. I can tolerate most of Burning Man because it's *ritual*, as opposed to spirituality. Ritual, as in repetitive behavior characteristic of obsessive–compulsive disorder -- not ritual in support of the spiritual. So can we get rid of the fucking Temple already? I find it deeply offensive to my American sensibilities that anything resembling a place of religious worship in form, fact, or implication is tolerated, much less facilitated on the order of hundreds of thousands of dollars on the American public's land year after year.

Merry Christmas, assholes!

[cowboyangel]

That the inscrutable awesomeness of everything is self evident, is enough to cause wonder to expand exponentially giving rise to the feeling that there is much more than can be comprehended.

[oneeyeddick]

I am worse than an atheist, I am an anti-theist, and I will do my best to make a mockery of any religious belief that it tossed into my path of destruction.
Woe is the fate of any Mormons riding their bikes if they come a knocking on my door(again)
This doesn't mean I am a Satanist(except from a Baptist's viewpoint...by default it's automatic!) as I find any moron that worships Satan to be equally if not more retarded than Christians in their level of consumption of Propaganda, Ethos, and Mythos.

Go fuck yourself yuletide log worshipers.

[junglesmacks]

I'll alert the media.

[Simon of the Playa]

i worship Bob and Connie. I will be Shaved.


all the rest of you are fucked.

[Sham]

God help the Atheists and the Agnostics.

[TT120]

God help the Atheists and the Agnostics.

BWAHAHAHA....Now that made me laugh! HAHA....Thanks Shambala

[Elderberry]

Pretty much agree with Bob and OED on this.

[TomServo]

hehe.. this pretty much sums it up for me.

[littleflower]

i am in complete agreement with cowboy

[ygmir]

i am in complete agreement with cowboy

*thump*

[wh..sh]

I am neither religious, atheist, or agnostic. I need a new category.

As long as people stick to their own lives and quit imposing their fucking ideas on others, I am good. If someone finds peace and happiness by believing in existence of god or not, by all means. Whatever it takes to survive this lifetime.

[AntiM]

You're all going to burn in heck.

[wh..sh]

You're all going to burn in heck.

Naah, we are just going to go to helven



Edited: Size of the pic

[Bob]

I am neither religious, atheist, or agnostic. I need a new category.

As long as people stick to their own lives and quit imposing their fucking ideas on others, I am good. If someone finds peace and happiness by believing in existence of god or not, by all means. Whatever it takes to survive this lifetime.

Atheism in the broadest sense simply means absence of religious belief in deities as an influence in your life. Which makes those dang diddly agnostics look just a little bit pregnant.

[wh..sh]

I am neither religious, atheist, or agnostic. I need a new category.

As long as people stick to their own lives and quit imposing their fucking ideas on others, I am good. If someone finds peace and happiness by believing in existence of god or not, by all means. Whatever it takes to survive this lifetime.

Atheism in the broadest sense simply means absence of religious belief in deities as an influence in your life. Which makes those dang diddly agnostics look just a little bit pregnant.

Acutally, the final stage in hinduism is to understand that there is no god except within ourselves. There are many roads paved for people to get to the final stage. Very few make it. But I wonder... sometimes agnostic people come across as an angry bunch and just as much intolerant as the religious ones. I see no difference, except there are both angry about different things.

[unjonharley]

i am in complete agreement with cowboy

That has to be the most painful post ever

[ibdave]

Pretty much agree with Bob and OED on this.

Yup and a few other points that have been tossed around.
more of a head nodder than in yer face guy, until you put your foot in your mouth. Then I'll be the 1st one to point it out..... been doing a lot of pointing lately.

[unjonharley]

]]
I accept no titles for my beliefs.. I try to deal in logic in this matter..

I refuse to believe in the raving of one paranoid schizophrenic that heard voices 4000 years ago.. Or a adulterous and his/her bastard murderous son.. All that heard voices.. Followed by a cop killer.. That hid out on the desert for forty years Eating desert weeds and bug shit.. Claiming he was hearing voices.. Flim flaming his outlaw crew in to believing the voices told him to write the law in stone.. Then leading then in a war to take other peoples land.. The land that the first nut jods voices claim as his.. From that point on there has been war after war and mass murder the world over in the belief of these paranoid schizophrenic voices..

That could be a great play or movie, damn

[FIGJAM]

That's what I got out of the bible.

On an on about the promised land for years and years.

Then they get there and are told "There is the promised land! All you gotta do is kill all those inconsiderate motherfuckrs that have been living on it for centuries!"

What a plot twist.

[Bob]

Fetishizing any kind of scary ghosts inhabiting yourself or the world around you does indeed count as theism. The usual suspects -- hippies beaten about the head with any flavor of fundamentalism through their childhoods. Spirituality runs in to fill the gaping void in their lives after high school teaches them "God" is dead. There was no God to begin with.

Oh, and fuck the Temple.

[cowboyangel]

[quote="littleflower"]i am in complete agreement with cowboy[/quote]


You coulda placed some markee lights around that one sweetie.

[cowboyangel]

I am neither religious, atheist, or agnostic. I need a new category.

As long as people stick to their own lives and quit imposing their fucking ideas on others, I am good. If someone finds peace and happiness by believing in existence of god or not, by all means. Whatever it takes to survive this lifetime.

Spoken like a Texan! Don't mess with Texas...I say that as a compliment. I love Texas...not the stupid part of it but the rugged, brave, crazy creative part of it.

[cowboyangel]

I am neither religious, atheist, or agnostic. I need a new category.

As long as people stick to their own lives and quit imposing their fucking ideas on others, I am good. If someone finds peace and happiness by believing in existence of god or not, by all means. Whatever it takes to survive this lifetime.

Atheism in the broadest sense simply means absence of religious belief in deities as an influence in your life. Which makes those dang diddly agnostics look just a little bit pregnant.

Acutally, the final stage in hinduism is to understand that there is no god except within ourselves. There are many roads paved for people to get to the final stage. Very few make it. But I wonder... sometimes agnostic people come across as an angry bunch and just as much intolerant as the religious ones. I see no difference, except there are both angry about different things.

Cheap comic book Hinduism says that but not real Vedantins like Nisargadata. If there is real non-dualism then everything is a manifestation of singularity, God, ultimate consciousness or whatever. Everything is sacred and equally important, even death, suffering, misery and those who cause it..... now when it comes to republicans, that's the good part...the death part I mean. ( yeah it's like Holmes and Moriarity going over Reichenbach Falls )

[cowboyangel]

i am in complete agreement with cowboy

That has to be the most painful post ever

of course it is when filtered through the (*) brain in your skull....

[wh..sh]

Cheap comic book Hinduism says that but not real Vedantins like Nisargadata. If there is real non-dualism then everything is a manifestation of singularity, God, ultimate consciousness or whatever. Everything is sacred and equally important, even death, suffering, misery and those who cause it..... now when it comes to republicans, that's the good part...the death part I mean. ( yeah it's like Holmes and Moriarity going over Reichenbach Falls )

I didn't grow up reading cheap comic book hinduism. So can't vouch for that. My limited knowledge comes from growing in a Hindu, Brahmin household. Even Nisargadata, if I am not wrong, based his teachings on Advaita "tat tvam asi" (you are divinity or the true self in it's pure state is the ultimate reality). You would often come across "Aham Brahmasmi" (I am Brahman) in Mahavakyas which are basically upanishads based on vedas. Brahman refers to the Absolute.

http://www.hinduwebsite.com/hinduism/es ... akyas2.asp

[cowboyangel]

Cheap comic book Hinduism says that but not real Vedantins like Nisargadata. If there is real non-dualism then everything is a manifestation of singularity, God, ultimate consciousness or whatever. Everything is sacred and equally important, even death, suffering, misery and those who cause it..... now when it comes to republicans, that's the good part...the death part I mean. ( yeah it's like Holmes and Moriarity going over Reichenbach Falls )

I didn't grow up reading cheap comic book hinduism. So can't vouch for that. My limited knowledge comes from growing in a Hindu, Brahmin household. Even Nisargadata, if I am not wrong, based his teachings on Advaita "tat tvasm asi" (you are divinity or the true self in it's pure state is the ultimate reality). You would often come across "Aham Brahmasmi" (I am Brahman) in Mahavakyas which are basically upanishads based on vedas. Brahman refers to the Absolute.

http://www.hinduwebsite.com/hinduism/es ... akyas2.asp

True enough as long it's said across the board for literally everything in the unmanifested and manifested universe. Brahmananda Saraswati says that "everything is enlightened"... I apologize for the cheap comic book comment, that was out of place.

[Ugly Dougly]

That the inscrutable awesomeness of everything is self evident, is enough to cause wonder to expand exponentially giving rise to the feeling that there is much more than can be comprehended.

I'm with ya too. Great fucking mystery. Who can say that it's unknowable?

[TomServo]

Ill know for sure, when I'm dead.