Exactly. couldn't have said it better myself. It's almost a curse knowing the truth. And it is thouroughly irritating the questions and insecurity that arises not having that belief. Like the cool guy in high school, religion seems to offer people false comfort and security. And I often question, obsessively so, how "hard" I should personally try maybe because Atheism has changed my whole view on self importance and that "feel good" feeling that people so desparately want. Atheism causes us to question some obvious things. With religion learning something is always "enlightening", where as with atheist we realize that we are not so special in the sense that we are bu one form of creature amazingly able to think in quite complex ways. So I don't feel completely "enlightened" when I learn something new these days because I look at it as merely a piece of knowledge which has no conotive meaning to it.
But more so than this atheism has led me to think more objectively which is a positive. I can now look at the bigger picture and think more logically and less with "feelings." I wish people arrived at their beliefs logically as well this is too bad because it creates a stupid world of really dumb egotists. There are people out there who think they're so awesome because they are a certain way when in reality they are living a false lie.
I've met many intelligent religious people but they all seem to get hung up on their feel good value system or some other way of being that seems to always clash with an atheists view. For instance I have a friend who is very smart but is so obviously morally constrained by his religion. The flip side to this is that he is very moral, more so than me for instance. So it's a tricky thing religion because it's so obviously a lie to me yet smart people who are aware of seemingly many things seem to get sucked into it. my computers messed up so I can't type further
Edited by dfowler, 10 November 2003 - 02:31 PM.