Can you be grateful for the lives of your kids but not grateful to god

jambon1

This may or may not make sense.

I am an atheist. I have issues with there NOT being a creator because of the beuty of life and especially my children. But, for me, their are just to many negative things about 'creation' to be 100% about this belief. There are many nice things in 'creation', like a butterfly, but there are also worms which were 'created', that will bore into the eye of a wee boy sitting on a river bank in Africa which will cause river blindess. You get my point? Floods, earthquakes, etc, etc.

Now, my JW wife feels that there is a creator. She says that she feels so grateful for the life of our children that she has to 'give something back' to Jehovah. She owes it to him. She insists that mainly because of the lives of our children, she will always remain a JW. Forever.

But I too am grateful for the lives of our children. They are truely the love of my life. But who do I owe my gratitude to? According to my own beliefs, no-one. Yet, I still feel priveliged and somehow grateful for having them in my life.

Am I confusing anyone? Do any other atheists have similar feelings?

minu

First off, In answer to your question, I say YES. I believe that you can be grateful for your kids but not grateful to god.

Why do I say this? I'm not sure I have a coherent answer.

I am someone who has not yet said that I am an athiest. Partly because I think I don't want to believe that there is NOT a god. Add that to the fact that my husband definitely believes in God and Jesus. I tell him I believe in them but I'm not sure I believe myself. I do this to keep the peace. He wants to go to church because he feels a need to have god in his life again after several years of abandonment. He never was at the point to not believe but just didn't go to church.

I on the other hand, believed with my whole heart that Jehovah was God and Jesus was his son. I guess I still do, the problem is I can't believe that God would let a crack mama have babies who are addicted to crack. Then me, who strives to keep myself healthy and doing all the "right" things still CANNOT get pregnant. I am doing all the right things. I swear.

This is not the only issue I have with GOD. I was a dubby for my whole life up until a few years ago. My ex husband was a total scum bag, yet he is STILL in good standing with the BORG. Wait on Jehovah, well I did and it was slowly KILLING me (literally). I am finally free and I had to take this action on my own.

Well, while typing this I come to realize that it's not GOD with the issue but the BORG. I am still bitter and find it hard to walk into another building that supports organized religion. My current husband has tried to get me into a Catholic church and a Baptist church. I cannot bring myself to do either. I believe right now in this point in my life that Organized Religion is a RACKET.

I guess I'll stop venting now.

Thanks for the topic.

Marie

ex-nj-jw

God had nothing to do with my children. I'm thankfull that my husband and I are together, had these beautiful children, have been able to provide for them, that we have raised them to be the young men they are.

God had nothing to do with us, our children or how they were raised!

Just my 2c

nj

Gopher

I'm atheist too. If there's anyone to be grateful to, it's the mother who bore and has nurtured the children, and the children themselves for being such a big part of our life.

As far as "being grateful to Jehovah", those type of ideas are firmly stuck in the minds of God-believers. But the question is - what is meant by "giving back to Jehovah"? Does this mean the children will have to serve a religion later in life (like how young Samuel was promised to the temple at an early age)?

I think the best thing for everyone concerned (and God too if he/she/it ever existed) would be helping the children reach their full potential as thoughtful, helpful and well-rounded grown people.Then let them set their own course.

What if the children choose a different vocation then we did, will that mean we love them less? No. What if children choose a different religion or philosophy then their parent(s), does that mean that we should love them any less?

I just don't understand why one or both parents' devotion to a god has anything to do with what the children should do with their own lives.

jambon1

Thanks for the replies guys. I concur with most of the thoughts mentioned here.

Minu - My heart goes out to you. This is the kind of way that I reason things. Most things in life seem so unjust. My wife says that I am too introverted. Always thinking about my own situation and not seeng the 'bigger picture'. I disagree.

,

greendawn

Who will you be grateful to for your children or anything good in life for that matter if you are an atheist? Certainly not to a creator and mother nature is just a figure of speech, not a person.

I am not an atheist and the belief of Christian theists is that creation is in a fallen state hence all the chaos and problems and suffering. Hopefully a temporary situation.

God as presented by the JWs is not necessarily the real God but rather a caricature of Him and a total distortion of His true image and character.

changeling

Of course you can.

As an athiest you can be grateful, nobelminded, altruistic, kind, positive...In short, atheists can be nice people too.

It is an ignorant stance to equate athieism with negative and selfish qualities.

It is my humble opinion that when people are "good" out of the abundance of their heart rather than because someone tells them to be so, or else, it is more sincere and powerful.

changeling

esw1966

But who do I owe my gratitude to?

My opinion:

As an atheist, I wouldn't think you would need to be grateful to anyone. It is a by product of life and action. Just another function of the circle of life.

From a Christian standpoint, I would think that you would view children as a gift from God and therefore your appreciation for the gift would go to God. Children would be viewed as a blessing.

I would find the whole question that you are asking, "Who do I owe my gratitude to?" as a proof in itself as there being a Creator God. Without God, why the question of gratitude? If there is a concern about if you should or shouldn't show gratitude then there is a deeper burning question inside you and the nudging of the fact that there is a God who wants to know you and be known by you.

My thought...

GoingGoingGone

I'm not quite an athiest, I believe that there may be a god out there, but that he's not too concerned with us personally. Either that, or else he's not "loving" in the same sense as human beings understand "love". I guess I'm not really ready to deal with the second possibility, so I believe that if there is a god, he doesn't concern himself with our personal lives.

If you are going to be grateful to God for the lives of your children, who do you blame when things go wrong? When a parent loses a child, what then? You're not allowed to be angry with God, he's supposed to be able to give and take away as he pleases. But if he's loving, then how could he allow a child to suffer and die? How can he watch the agony that the parents go through, having loved another human being so much and then having them torn away?

I am soooo grateful for my children. They are the loves of my life. I used to feel like I had to be grateful to someone, but now I am beginning to believe that it's ok to just accept the joy they bring me, and use the happiness they bring me to bring joy to someone else, too.

Hope that made sense.

GGG

Dawn

Good post. I believe it is fine to just be greatful. Period.

I am a christian and I believe in God, but I don't think that everyone has to believe like me in order to be blessed and be greatful for what they have.

Has everything good in my life come from God? Or has some of it, good and bad, been "just life" - I don't know. I think that it's ok to just accept that life is life - sometimes it's good, sometimes it's bad - but I'm greatful for the good.

So what does my belief in God give me? Basically, a strength that I draw from in that I talk to him every morning, tell him what I'm greatful for, and ask for help in the areas that I need it. I've found comfort from praying to him when things were really bad, like the death of my brother. I can't explain it in words, but when I pray in those really dire moments, it's like I am hugged by compassion of some sort. The pain is still there, but it's bearable. Maybe that's what it is all about. We just live life - life happens - and he helps us through it if we need it and ask. And if we don't believe in God - there are others that are there to help us - friends, family. For most of us we are fortunate to have at least one person to be there us.

Anyways - bottom line. I think it's ok to just be greatful when life is good.

Another rambling, I know - but just my thoughts.

Can you be grateful for the lives of your kids but not grateful to god

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