Take your pick, but be careful

The religious learn about one god and believe it all. A fair percentage admonish those who believe in any other deity. Let's find another way.

Take your pick:
Agdistis or Angdistis
Ah Puch
Ahura Mazda
Alberich
Allah
Amaterasu
An
Anansi
Anat
Andvari
Anshar
Anu
Aphrodite
Apollo
Apsu
Ares
Artemis
Asclepius
Athena
Athirat
Athtart
Atlas
Baal
Ba Xian
Bacchus
Balder
Bast
Bellona
Bergelmir
Bes
Bixia Yuanjin
Bragi
Brahma
Brigit
Camaxtli
Ceres
Ceridwen
Cernunnos
Chac
Chalchiuhtlicue
Charun
Chemosh
Cheng-huang
Cybele
Dagon
Damkina (Dumkina)
Davlin
Dawn
Demeter
Diana
Di Cang
Dionysus
Ea
El
Enki
Enlil
Eos
Epona
Ereskigal
Farbauti
Fenrir
Forseti
Freya
Freyr
Frigg
Gaia
Ganesha
Ganga
Garuda
Gauri
Geb
Geong Si
Hades
Hanuman
Hathor
Hecate (Hekate)
Helios
Heng-o (Chang-o)
Hephaestus
Hera
Hermes
Hestia
Hod
Hoderi
Hoori
Horus
Hotei
Huitzilopochtli
Hsi-Wang-Mu
Hygeia
Inanna
Inti
Iris
Ishtar
Isis
Ixtab
Izanaki
Izanami
Jesus
Juno
Jupiter
Juturna
Kagutsuchi
Kartikeya
Khepri
Ki
Kingu
Kinich Ahau
Kishar
Krishna
Kukulcan
Lakshmi
Liza
Loki
Lugh
Luna
Magna Mater
Maia
Marduk
Mars
Medb
Mercury
Mimir
Minerva
Mithras
Morrigan
Mot
Mummu
Muses
Nammu
Nanna
Nanna (Norse)
Nanse
Neith
Nemesis
Nephthys
Neptune
Nergal
Ninazu
Ninhurzag
Nintu
Ninurta
Njord
Nut
Odin
Ohkuninushi
Ohyamatsumi
Orgelmir
Osiris
Ostara
Pan
Parvati
Phaethon
Phoebe
Phoebus Apollo
Pilumnus
Poseidon
Quetzalcoatl
Rama
Re
Rhea
Sabazius
Sarasvati
Selene
Shiva
Seshat
Seti (Set)
Shamash
Shapsu
Shen Yi
Shiva
Shu
Si-Wang-Mu
Sin
Sirona
Sol
Surya
Susanoh
Tawaret
Tefnut
Tezcatlipoca
Thanatos
Thor
Tiamat
Tlaloc
Tonatiuh
Toyo-Uke-Bime
Tyche
Tyr
Utu
Uzume
Venus
Vesta
Vishnu
Volturnus
Vulcan
Xipe
Xi Wang-mu
Xochipilli
Xochiquetzal
Yam
Yarikh
Yhwh
Ymir
Yu-huang
Yum Kimil
Zeus

You don't have to believe in any particular one. It is also possible to see all of these gods as renditions of the same thing. But you try going into a group of one religion and saying that. Try telling them all these gods are a product of a gene found in the brain, not actually something they can talk to, or look up to.
I've done that. The bruises have almost healed.

Australian pollies say 'Pray for rain'

You simply have to roll your eyes and hang your head when the National Environment Minister has so completely run out of ideas that his only solution is to suggest to constituents to pray to a supernatural being for a reprieve.

Click to the story in The Age online.

There is a large part of me that equates someone in that position dealing a real situation by calling for a prayer to an imaginary friend, as irresponsible, immature, and more than a little scary.

It's a bit like charging along in a speeding vehicle, noticing a lot of people in the passenger seats and having it dawn on you, ... 'So, who's driving?'

Imagine

I know, I know,...

But some people have not actually listened to the words, and this is timely.

John Lennon - 'Imagine.'

Imagine there's no heaven
It's easy if you try
No hell below us
Above us only sky
Imagine all the people
Living for today...

Imagine there's no countries
It isn't hard to do
Nothing to kill or die for
And no religion too
Imagine all the people
Living life in peace...

You may say I'm a dreamer
But I'm not the only one
I hope someday you'll join us
And the world will be as one

Imagine no possessions
I wonder if you can
No need for greed or hunger
A brotherhood of man
Imagine all the people
Sharing all the world...

You may say I'm a dreamer
But I'm not the only one
I hope someday you'll join us
And the world will live as one.

Not God

Many times, over my 45 year or so life, I've desired an invisible friend. Someone who watched over my shoulder, guiding with whispers, bringing my good fortune and wisdoms. As anyone would, I thought the idea was pretty cool. I heard the odd hard advice come from realizing new solutions along the way, and understood, that voice, was me. Thats all.

Not God.

When I met people in far off lands who then helped me, and introduced me to others, who gave me work and a career path and even introduced me to other people; that was coincidence, networking and good fortune. Thats all.

Not God.

I thought it would be grand to be able to survive death, to stay conscious and come out the other side. I could meet all those long gone relatives and friends, kick on in some strange but glorious place where you could do anything. Hmm, rather like those places Enid Blyton wrote about in 'The Wishing Chair' and 'The Faraway Tree'. A nice dream but adults should wake up to themselves a little. It is fanciful fiction. Don't you think neurology, psychology, medical science would have a few areas of serious research into the splitting of the physical and spiritual at death if it was fact? In real life, when one dies, thats it. Thats all.

Not God.

Parental Guidance

OK here's a quandry.

I am an atheist, also a parent. My wife is 'spiritual', meaning she is kinda unsure, but 'fairly conscious of a larger power'. Our daughter is 10, up to asking questions, which I don't want to answer with my opinion, but to only encourage her own clear-thinking analysis. I want her to form her own opinion, based on the world around her. This is working, to some extent.

The school she attends is Anglican Christian, so she hears all the God stories. But she is already clear that she doesn't believe any of it. Nice work! At home, I've never heard my wife tell bible stories or anything like that, and that pleases me. But, how far should we go in negating stories she may begin to believe?

Advice please.