Believe in God - add a decade to your life

From: Zero Powers (zero_powers@hotmail.com)
Date: Mon Jul 23 2001 - 09:47:42 MDT


http://content.health.msn.com/content/article/1728.84376

This article has the same stuff you always hear: eat right (vegetarian),
don't smoke and exercise. Also suggests that some sort of spiritual support
system is beneficial as well.

As a former pentecostal Christian I can 'testify' to the beneficial euphoric
feeling of listening to a great choir, surrounded by a supportive family of
fellow believers all of whom professed a love for my God and me and the
feeling that no matter how bad I was yesterday, God still loved me and would
forgive me if I 'repented.' A clean slate is a very handy thing to have.
It was also incredibly satisfying to believe that, in worshipping God, I was
doing the most important work in the world.

But, now that I'm an atheist, much of that sort of positive energy is gone
from my life. I can't believe the fairy tales anymore. But I would like to
have some sort of spirituality in my life that didn't depend upon believing
a lie. Since giving up on theism, I've tended toward Zen buddhist thought
and practice and a sort of reverence for truth and quality ala _Zen and The
Art of Motorcyle Maintenance_. This has been fairly satisfying of my
spiritual yen, but not to the same extent as being in the house of worship
used to provide.

Any others on this list have a spiritual yearning? I'd be interested to
hear your thoughts, comments on how you satisfy it sans theism.

-Zero

Life is good. Refuse to die.

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