Theism and Atheism

I've been discussing on several religion forums the religious implications of atheism. Whether atheism would be considered a religion or not.

The best point I have heard to date is that atheism is no more a religion than theism is. That's fair I think.

I find my purpose from within, in the way many atheist religions do, but I am a theist. I believe in the supernatural, an outside force, gods, goddesses, ghosts, spirits.

For a long time I was one of those people who would claim to be spiritual, but not religious. I guess the proper response should be, "I am a theist, but not religious."

Either way, neither is true anymore. I am very religious. Very much a theist. My religion however does not define my purpose. No, my purpose, perhaps, defines my religion.

My purpose is the pursuit of truth, knowledge. I am a gnostic.

Don't wanna be anything....

....other than me. It's been a crazy hectic spring. I've been waiting for a night like this for a while.

It's like a trial.

It's one of those nights, emotionally spent and sore. Alone in my apartment, I think of all I miss. If I don't reign myself in, it becomes what could have been. These are the times that call on my faith.

Above all else, I believe there's no such thing as should have been. I believe all is as it should be at any given moment in time.

I believe in truth, but not as a constant through time. It changes for each person, it changes with each new thing we learn.

I recently recovered from two and a half weeks of the flu. Two trips to the hospital and one to my doctor. 10 prescriptions. vomiting blood. Adverse reactions to Reglan. Tremors. Neck, shoulders, jaw, and throat muscle spasms. IV. Benadryl. No income. No energy.

My truth right now is....life is a bit rough. Yet it feels right. When I listen inside and out, I feel life is right. I don't know where this path will lead, but I know where it goes will be right. In the trials I find my faith.

Faith that all is not for naught. That there is a purpose to our lives. Purpose that comes from the act of existing and not from a super natural force.

To be or not to be....

I search for truth. I believe in truth. It is the foundation of my religion, my belief system, and my moral code.

How can truth be the foundation of a belief system? Where is the leap of faith? The leap of faith comes from believing that truth exists, that it is out there, and that it is knowable.

If we think of the stories of gods and such as metaphor and allegory, we can take the idea of the Holy Spirit as the metaphor for truth. Or if you believe in the Greek Pantheon it might be represented by Gaia, or the earth mother.

Almost all religions believe that the holy spirit, or a holy spirit, exists in all natural things. That includes us. God, or the holy spirit, or a goddess, or life force energy, etc. is in all of us. Therefore we must be capable of knowing truth from within.

Even for atheists out there, we can say that we come from the earth and return to the earth, so there is no reason we can't know the truths of the universe. If we are of the same material as the universe, we must be capable of comprehending universal truth. Physical laws, and such.

From truth, I get god. From truth, I get faith. And from truth I get strength, purpose, and drive.

I may not know it, I may never know it....but I can strive to discover it. I can strive to come as close to it as possible.