Asking of the Designer what we would of any other designer (The atheist delusion)

by xeno6696 , Sonoran Desert, Saturday, July 30, 2011, 17:29 (4865 days ago) @ whateverist

Well good. It is gratifying to find some common experience out there. I have read some Hesse as well as something about Zen, the religions of the world, mythology, Jungian psychology (especially James Hillman) and lots of science (especially evolution and development theory). I studied philosophy in college and I'll be 60 before much longer. I teach math to the young since I wouldn't be comfortable exploiting my access to them to implant opinions. There is a usefulness about math that makes what I do conscionable. My hidden agenda is to teach critical thinking. Afterall, math is the easiest kind to do and builds a sense of validity and how to test for it. How about you?-Another math guy! -The thing I love about math... the first time a proof "clicks," as in I understand it, and by understand I mean I can think through the problem forwards, sideways, and backwards... it is an experience that I can only define as "experiential." I think it directly compares with the old religious idea of "gnosis" or "sudden understanding." There is an "inhuman" shock here, and as you are aware there's a huge leap from being able to understand and manipulate some symbols to truly understanding their meaning. It is this... "mystical" experience that I think best represents that form of knowledge that simply isn't concrete. If you forgive me for poetry, Math really is a gateway to the divine. (No... I don't mean Platonism... )-First, my real name is Matt, so feel free to use that instead of my 'nym. I've found no need to hide myself on this board. (especially when compared to some others...)
To the more practical matter, myself I'm 31. I'm in my first year of my Master's in CS and my second year working as a programmer. I started out wanting to study pharmacy, was knocked onto the path of medical research after an interesting encounter with a Creationist teacher, and after 2 summers in a biochem lab decided on computers. (Fully nontraditional student... started university at 23...)-I was (sort of) raised Episcopalian, but as a single mom-household and an only child, I think I've only been to church maybe 100 times in my young life. What firmly knocked me into atheism in my youth was George Carlin, actually. His bit about abortion completely knocked me flat when I was 15. (As to why agnosticism, I am an extreme skeptic--beyond Agrippa.) I didn't start heavily studying religions however until I started writing a novel about 4 years ago. (fits and starts) Coupled with the forced introspection of Buddhist meditation it's opened up a broad avenue of exploration.

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\"Why is it, Master, that ascetics fight with ascetics?\"

\"It is, brahmin, because of attachment to views, adherence to views, fixation on views, addiction to views, obsession with views, holding firmly to views that ascetics fight with ascetics.\"