Beliefs vs Concepts and Facts

I am not the person to question your beliefs as I am a firm believer that each individual should have the right to believe in what makes life the best for them. Your beliefs appear to be very important to you, so much so you appear to need others to agree with you. I have very different beliefs than yours and I am content with them and have no feelings that I must have others believe in them also. This leaves me time to pursue what gives me pleasure and satisfaction. That does not mean that I do and say bad or unkind things. After one of my episodes of being close to death, I made a promise to myself that I would never deliberately hurt anyone by word or deed. I don't discuss religion with anyone as I believe l everyone has the right to develop whatever thoughts or believes that feel right for them. Each person must find their own way to live their lives by what they learn on their journey of life. So, I don't get into any discussions about religion.

It may surprise you that I agree that “each individual should have the right to believe in what makes life the best for them” (as long as their beliefs do not try to force their rules on the rest of us. Strict separation between Church and State in other words). I disagree, however, that my “beliefs appear very important to” me, because  I am not stating my “beliefs”. I am stating what we know about facts in the light of modern science, and rejecting unproven speculation about the supernatural, which is so diverse around the world that it indicates that they are to be fantasies, dreamed up by people who are desperately “finding” answers where there are none yet. That is the concept which is important to me, not “beliefs”. I will accept any scientifically proven supernatural explanation if they come about. I also do not “need others to agree with” me! If one has unproven beliefs which make one happy and able to cope with life, I would not want to take that away from anyone. They are the equivalent of placebos in medicine (they really do work. Google David Suzuki’s Nature of Things on the CBC) and can therefor be very worthwhile.
I have stated several times that my purpose is to reach out to those people who have lost their beliefs and do not dare to come out of the closet because of the societal environment they live in. There are many of them. (see a previous Blog).
It is curious that  “believers” think that I am trying to convert them, just like the many religious people who try to convert others. I am NOT! Believe what you want. If the thought of an afterlife in heaven makes you happy, by all means believe! If you spend your money on an astrologer to guide your life’s decisions, it is no concern of mine. But if you have concluded that the supernatural does not exists (until proven in un-partial repeatable scientific research, then it is not “super” anymore but just “natural”) and you feel uncomfortable in today’s society, this website and blog might help to make one feel one is not alone. I have found that there are many people like that. That’s my goal.
Let me also explain what I mean with “discussion” of the subject. In my page on “Life after Death” I reasoned that science has proven without a doubt that awareness stops when the brain dies. If you can quote one reliable repeatable scientific research (not wild theories or speculations about mysterious black matter or hallucinations for example) that there is awareness after the brain dies, let me know. If you can proof that the position of the stars, when you were born, decides your personality and spells out your future, tell me.
However I don’t want to discuss what you want to “believe” or not, after all one can believe anything that one can think of or that other people have dreamed up. I hope you see the difference in what I mean by “discussing". It is impossible to change the mind of a firm believer and I will not try that but I only hope to help those who question and doubt the beliefs they grew up in.

FOOTNOTE:  I want to rectify some misconceptions. I am not against religion. I just concluded, by much reading, studying and researching that religion and astrology developed together and started because the sun, moon and meteors affected much of the happenings on earth and allowed predictions of the future, such as seasons and tides. Those heavenly bodies were considered Gods and so were strong leaders. Many happenings were considered to be supernatural. My contention is that all supernatural beliefs such as religion, astrology, faith healing, alien abductions, near death experiences and so on and on, should only be taken seriously if they can be proven through rigid non-partial repeatable scientific research so they lose the “super” part of the "supernatural".