Atheism, Not a Choice?
Most if not all theists believe atheism to be a choice. To them it is something you can choose to accept or reject. Therefore, to the typical theist, if you become an atheist, you have chosen to be one. If you leave atheism, then you have chosen to leave it. While this second argument is most likely true. The person who decides to abandon atheism for theism has most likely made a choice. The person who becomes a theist has usually made a choice. [except in the case of young children raised as theists, who are almost always too young to make this choice.] However, is it true that a theist who converts [or more accurately "deconverts"] to atheism, really chosen to be an atheist? I don't think so.
For me, I certainly did not have a choice in becoming an atheist.
Although I am now quite happy as an atheist... when I first lost my faith, I wanted SOO BADLY to go back to it.
Being raised as a typical theist, I held the erronious belief that if I simply went to church and prayed hard enough, then Jesus would answer me and turn me back to him and away from my sin of "rejecting him." - Amazingly, I was so badly brainwashed at this time, that I didn't realize that I didn't choose to become an atheist, that it just happened, I thought that "I was being sinful and turning away from God, or God was "testing me."
So... I went to church and prayed, and begged, and sang praises, and through my heart and "soul" into trying desperately to find my way back to Jesus.
Certainly I tried hard enough, but the "light of God" never touched me, I was outcast.
So, does one "choose" atheism...
I doubt it.
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by prudentia on -
Well that just shows that you are smart enough and have a strong enough mind to face the truth.
I have personally talked to people who say "I cant live in a world so cold" even "i cant accept that people who rape and murder and aren't punished in the end." Here they realize the thought that they wont be punished but choose to think that they will because they need that form of justice/karma.
The fact is that some people are just so weak and so dependent that they must rely on some sort of higher being. Some people have heard the arguments of an atheist and simply choose not to believe it.
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Permalink Reply by Reggie on -
Delusion usually manifests itself out of need, so in that I can agree with you. One who has an aversion to chaos and disorder will find comfort in ID or religion. Someone who craves attention will be deluded with the vain belief that they matter more than others. There is a whole spectrum of delusions from harmful to harmless.
But maybe I need to narrow down what I mean. People can not choose to be deluded about any random belief; they must have motivation. Parents of autistic kids often have a drive to find blame for their child's condition and have motivation to believe the anti-vaccination crowd over their doctors and medical science. But they can not typically choose to believe that the Autistic Elephant Fairy visits kids in the middle of the night and bestows that condition upon their child.
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Permalink Reply by noreligionblog on -
Reggie, he is basing his belief on faith. He is therefore impervious to truth.
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Permalink Reply by noreligionblog on
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yes I am.
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Permalink Reply by prudentia on
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Im saying that you always have a choice whether to hide behind faith or realize the truth, in what way am i at all using faith or even condoning it.
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Permalink Reply by noreligionblog on
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You didn't say "you can choose to lye to yourself even after you find the truth and now convert to atheism"? That is saying that theism is the truth and atheism a lie. If that isn't what you said your account has been hacked. If it is what you said but you meant what you just said, I suggest being more careful with your choice of words. But as I said, I am trough responding to you and this is my last post to you on any subject.
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Permalink Reply by prudentia on
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maybe I did miss type_ I didn't mean to contradict myself at all. I am just saying that if you ar weak minded you would choose to hind behind faith but intelligent people accept the truth.
ithink that is a good place to stop. I think we have come to an an agreement or atleast an understtanding
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Permalink Reply by prudentia on
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well there you are right, because there is no other option for the kid, so it is not a decision. The kid simply hasnt been exposed and simply isnt smart enough to create another option.
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Permalink Reply by Eoganacht on -
Atheism is not a choice. Just like you cannot refuse the movement of a car during acceleration and then make a choice about whether its speed is 0 or 50 km. Obviously the 0 km speed is wrong. I have been told by my christian friends that as long as I confess my sins, I can go to a magical place called 'heaven' where nobody is bad. where is the humanity in that. If we lose our ability to make choices based on our own morality, we are no longer human. That is a fate worse that death. Death = Death.
To have faith, you need to take little or no evidence and then make a decision using that. Faith in this christian god I find morally wrong and I refuse to be associated with such a group of people. Just as you cannot (or should not be able to) kill a child for your own pleasure, I cannot belive in their god.
I love Atheism. Without fear of my not real demons, I can appreciate how fragile the world is.
The definition of morality is not by the divine, but by our experiances and genes.
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Permalink Reply by wisp on -
I chose to examine my beliefs with the intention of finding a religious path that was right for me. Instead, that examination led to atheism. I definitely wouldn't say that I "chose" to become a non-believer. It was terrifying to lose my faith and I constantly prayed to God for an unmistakeable sign that he was there and wanted me to have faith. Yeah, not a choice in my eyes.
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