, Atheism -A Short Diatribe _ G. Miniely

Atheism; from the Greek atheos; without god. It’sa

fairly easy concept to explain, really. To be an athe-

ist, you need only believe that there is no god - no

_ highercontrolling power. The problem that I have

| discovered in relating to more religious people is

simply that they do believe in a god, sol won’t argue =a

_ that you should be an atheist. Instead, I’Il try to Buddhism explain why I hold such beliefs.

_ There is no truly logical reason for or against a belief Buddha and Buddhism

in god. No one will tell you that they believe in a god

_ because it seems to make sense. They most likely

_ will tell you that they somehow ‘feel’ a sort of spir-

-itualsensation. ‘Canyounot feel God all around

_ you,’ they ask. ‘No,’ Ireply. I don’t. Spirituality

_ can be rationalized and explained in terms of the

beauty of the universe and our existence, butif you

- do not ‘feel ‘ a god, there is no reason to have faith in one.

Buddhism began in India in the 6th century B.C. with the birth of the founder, Siddhartha Gautama. Bud- dhism arose within the context of the Indian philo- sophical ideas prevalent during the lifetime of tits founder. Some concepts, such as that of the dharma or ‘‘law,’’ were taken over from Brahmanism and given new interpretations.

d The Four Noble Truths are the basis of the Buddhist system. The first truth is the existence of suffering, including birth, sickness, death, and frustration. The second truth says that suffering in not inherent, but is created by some cause which is conceived as a kind of desire. The third truth is that desire can be sup- pressed, and since desire is the cause of suffering, with the end of desire comes the end of suffering. The final truth is the process by which one can achieve the Eightfold Path, the essence of Buddhist discipline. The Eightfold Path is divided into three categories: (1) morality, (2) mental discipline, and (3) intuitive insight or wisdom.

_ ‘But,’ you may say, ‘everything is so well organize | forourexistence. Why would we exist without a

_ god?’ Einstein did say that God did not play dice. Hmmm. Whatif you had an almost infinite number | ofarrangements? One of them may just have been us. _ ButI digress. At this moment in time, nothing I see or feel around me convinces me that there is anything | beyond our feeble and fragile existences. What the

| order of the universe is, and why it even is are ques- ' tions left unanswered by atheism. Atheism may argue _ philosophically about the metaphysical nature ofitall, _ butitprovides nothing beyond our own fingertips.

_ Th-th-that’s all, folks.

There are no regular days of worship, but there are principal holy days, including Buddha’s birthday, the Feast of the Dead, and the New Year's festival.

Judaism

The Jewish history is intertwined with God. They are Jews from birth and are God's people, the chosen ones. Praying is very important -- it ishow men reach out to God,

Jewish is more than a religion, it isa social committment, everyone should be involved with the community, All Jews believe Israel is the holy land and must be protected at all costs.

March 26, 1992 Page

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