No we don't. And the sooner we all realize this...the better off we will be.

There are some assumptions in that statement, too, I'm afraid. Better, how? Realizing that one doesn't know it all doesn't mean that a person cannot choose.

One person, Dattaswami has said that it is impossible to directly "see" God, liking it to the flow of electricity. Yet, as existentialists will tell you, we experience nothing of others and of things around "directly," but rather through our senses. And our senses send signals to our brains, which make analyses of what we "see" or "experience."

A chair is a chair because we have seen and felt it, and we become accustomed to it. Something new is new territory. And we can look at something and be misled. And if there is something so far outside our human experience, does the fact that we don't "see" it as it is (or perhaps not even notice it) mean that it is not there?

One chooses to sit in a chair, believing it will hold the person. But what about the first time? Do we watch others, and then touch the chair, and put a little weight on it, and then sit gingerly?

Or do we hold back, insisting that what happens with others does not prove that it will happen with us?

Niki, You are not alone. I know you posted this quite a while ago however I just registered and read your post thus I have a story much the same. I was raised a Baptist for thirty years and a young Deacon in my church also married to Church of Christ(still am very happily married to that same gal) woman at age 24 before I started learning the truth about my religion and my family. Please don't misunderstand - my entire family is great but my maternal family is very different than my fraternal family. My fraternal family is the Baptist Church Builders and the maternal family were the scattered Celtic pagan "heathens" as my father used to call my mother's father though I never used to understand why. I have always been a history buff and I started researching the crusades which led me back to the Byzantine, Constantine, Ottoman, Rome and their Religion and I started getting really interested in their religion which finally led me all the way back to the Druids. I started having these weird dreams about my Grandmother and she was telling me to go and seek the wind and the trees. I thought I was going crazy. After some counseling sessions and a shrink telling me that I needed some pills I rejected all of that and I went to see an astrologist and she informed that I was living my life the wrong way and needed to change. She sent me to another lad who told me to go to the place in my dream and then find my grandmothers sister. I am long winded so I will just get to the point. I wound up joining my mother's family circle. They are Wiccans, well almost all of them are and since then my life has been in balance. My wife was just as shocked as your husband however she has learned to accept it and she has even felt the energies that we create during our services and has become more interested in what we do. She says "It seems so real" so I don't know if I should take that as an insult or a compliment - could go both ways. Plus since the conversion I am no longer ashamed of my sexuality and have more interest in her and being with her where before life was really rather dull. I feel that everyone has a place in their spirituality whether it be with Christ, Isis, Dôn, Buddha or to yourself. I think that our metaphysical presence is real and we have a responsibility to channel it to it's greatest extent. I know Wiccans that just worship the Moon and do not use any terms related to gods or goddesses. I think what I mean to say is that you are the Goddess and you alone control your destiny - not any of those deities. Of course it does not hurt to have someone to call on when you need some help or insight. If your husband truly loves you he will continue to support you and nurture your decisions regardless what they are.

So you think that the world would be a better place, if it were peopled only with agnostics?

For some reason, that resonates with me

And often we have to choose without knowledge, but is an uninformed choice a good choice?

Could / Should we choose our political leaders, without knowing a lot about them?

But there, PDM, is the gist of my point. I have had a pretty good history of what I consider God's interaction in my life. It's been more than once or twice.

And I don't mean like "God led me to go to the pharmacy." I mean like a situation where there seemed no way it would turn out for good. And yet, it did.

I realize that you might say, well, it would have happened anyway. Perhaps so. And I admit that it is I whose perspective sees God's interaction.

But first off, it took many occasions - where I would think God helped me, and then later thought it was just natural, culminating in a "man" talking to me about things that only I knew (and he got NO clues from me, like the phony mentalists get), before I made a decision to stop fighting.

Either, very little is asked of me except to live my life, or I'm not far enough on my spiritual journey (or too self-centered).

I do think that there is one thing that God approves of, but I admit it may just be that I approve: I try to be a friend to people who cross my path.

In the absence of absolute provable knowledge, we just have to go on what we feel is right, I think.

PDM:

Yes I do. I believe that (on the whole) religion is a negative force in the world. I think that the world would be a better place without in, in general.

The simple fact that we use a forum like this to banter about these ideas proves that we really have no idea at all about god, his existence or what he wants of us. All religion is nothing but the reasonings of mere mortals trying to make sense out of things they didn't understand which are passed forward to more of us who don't understand. It is perpetual.

Unfortunately, it is divisive as well. So...yeah...we would be better off without it.

"Absolute provable knowledge...what we feel is right." It shouldn't matter.

I am agnostic and I find this to be a reasonable path.

And generally I agree with you, but there are some very caring religious people, who feel that they have a calling to help the needy.

And, as has been said on here many times, much religious discord is based on other matters, as well as belief ~ money, power, land, cultural tradition, etc.


What do you mean?
We have to make choices all the time and, since we do not always know everything that we might want or need to know on any given subject, we have to go on gut instincts ~ on what we feel is right.

That will apply to voting for politicians, as well as for considering explanations for the inexplicable.